My name is Allison and my fiance is Josh. We met in the fire department in 2008 and are now engaged. Our wedding is a Winter Woodland theme(more woodland, nothing "snowy" really) and will be held at a laid back venue, Deer Creek Overlook. As of our engagement we only had 9months to go so there is a lot to do in a short amount of time. I can't wait to work out all the little ideas and I plan to do a lot of DIY with the help of my crafty friends and family.

 This was just the trial run.... Cedar logs that my daddy cut for me. Going to burn guests names into the front, table on the back, and hole in the top for string. Going to hang them on a tree for guests to find. Also doubles as a favor. Using a wood burning tool from Dad's girlfriend.

Our first monogram that I made with intructions from PW :)http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/diy-wedding-challenge-how-to-design-your-own-monogram-in-microsoft-word

Save the date sign that I made using the Cricut Winter Woodland cartridge.

Moss letters that my bridesmaids helped me with. And frame w/ engagement pics given to us from my mother in law on the left.

 Made our engagement flags with my cricut. Already gave them to a friend for her to repurpose.

DIY recycled wine bottles for outside, evening decoration on the porch. These were so easy once I figured it out! Thanks to Christy(bridesmaid on right) and Jess(friend on left) for their help in cutting wine bottles! I had a few girlfriends help but only snagged a picture of these two. I made a post on the forums with directions and Christy made it into an article for me. http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/how-to-cut-off-the-bottom-of-a-wine-bottle

Modge-podged scrapbook paper onto clothespins. Hung engagement pictures onto light strands around the inside of the food tent.

Our engagement cake from Redner's Markets. Absolutely deliscious! Already had the tent for the engagement party. Borrowed centerpieces from a bridesmaid :)

 Wine glass from my bridesmaid Christy, loveeee it! Thanks Christy!

Our first joint mail and we aren't married yet!

Awesome stamp from Christy from Personalization Mall.

Dad's girlfriend got us these for Halloween lol.

Left is my ring and promise ring in my scope, got bored while waiting on a deer.

 Monogrammed Christmas present from Elena

Maybe just 2 of these trees. They will hold the escort cards. Going to put large "sticks" in a 5gallon bucket(filled with rocks or floral foam) then cover the base in burlap and decorate with a brown ribbon bow.

Cupcake stand. After I talk to the caterer I can figure out how big and how many layers it will need to be.

This is similar to the centerpieces I want. It will be a slice of wood(from my Dad's property, with 2 or 3 different sized clear class containers(borrowed from friends). One will be filled with acorns, one with mini pine cones and one with big ones, from nature! I will bake them to get rid of any sap. The logs will be cut soon to allow them to dry out and be sap free. There will be votive candles all around them. I may run a strand of white battery powered lights through the pine cone container.

Also...

Moss letters in A,J(guestbook table) and WE DO(for cake table) and Pine cone pomanders for flower girls.

Ring bearer pillow that my best friend Emily and I made. It measures 8x8, is made of a soft brown fabric, filled with pillow form, has two burlap/fabric flowers with buttons in the center and a piece of hemp in the center to tie the rings onto. The side of the pillow is stiched with hemp as well. Cost just a couple cents to make since I already had all of the materials on hand.

Using a strand of lights in the centerpiece. These are $2.99 from Michael's. They have 10 bulbs and take 2 (C) batteries. I ended up using 40% off coupon for them. I was thinking after Christmas(2012) that I could get them on sale. WRONG. They were GONE. None at Michael's, Walmart, etc etc. One day I decided to check Rite Aid and I found the perfect lights. 15 on a strand and they took 3 AA instead of the C's so I could at least reuse the AA's after the wedding.

Card box from JoAnn's. Bottom is burlap and top is storebought moss. Added our initials by using sticks from the woods.

Table "numbers". Used the cricut woodland cartridge to make our table designations. They will all be trees and wildlife found in Maryland woodlands. The frames were .97 from Walmart. We used stain from my Dad and the paper was bought at Michaels.

  Pinecone pomander that I made with help from my friend at work on our down time. I actually made two of these since I have two flower girls. I wrote an article for them found here, http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/diy-pine-cone-pomanders.

 Found this idea on Pinterest. You can customize your own candles so I put our first dance lyrics on the main unity candle. "Just as free, free as we'll ever be" by Zac Brown Band, and a monogram B. For the tapers I had an M for my maiden name of Mosley, and B for his(my new!) family, Blevins.

 My DJ has 4 uplights that we are able to use for free(she is so amazing!) They looked sooooo good at the trial. I love that this was an option because I was worried about it being enough light in the building.

My bridal shower was awesome! It was held on a Sunday as Hurricane Sandy was approaching, luckily the lights only flickered once! It was a fall/nature theme. The favors were "seed paper" that you plant and water(wildflowers). I lovedddd the favors :) My bridesmaids threw the shower so as a gift for them I bought them camo tervis tumblers and filled them with a few drink mixes and a note. I also made them each a caramel apple. Third to last picture is my sister(MOH) and Mom and second to last are Fi's parents! Sorry if all of the pictures are smooshed! One of my bridesmaids had a friend do "pro" pics and it was great. Usually I'm the picture taker so I was worried about not having enough good pics!

We have 18 days to go! That is NOTHING! I feel like time has flown by and I am SO glad that I started on my DIYs very early on. If I didn't work night shift or have the help of my friends and family I definately would not have had the time to add all of the details that I did. FI and I are so ready to get married and just ready for it to be over with! It is going to  be so much fun and I can't wait :)

Here are the projects that I have been finishing up this week. I have a few more to do and hope to get them done by this weekend so I can RELAX the week before. I am DETERMINED to not be a last minute bride :)

Two, three tier cupcake stands and one cake stand(on the left) that I helped my dad build. I LOVE how they turned out! Dad had all the supplies on hand.

The reception menu. Made this to match my theme, save on paper waste and of course money. This way people know what is in the buffet line before they get up there too. I happened to have the fabric, paper, and frame already. Used a friends cricut cartridge for the embellishments on the sides to add a little "wedding" feel since so much of my decor is not traditional.

 Cake topper that one bridesmaid painted for me and a friend did the pretty artistic diamond design. Just a little something to dress up the woodland theme.

 The centepiece mock ups. Let me know what you think! I love them :)

This is how I asked my bridesmaids! I made a card with my cricut with their initial on the front. I then made a crossword puzzle relating to weddings. Then I had a fill in the blank :) I mailed it to their house because who doesn't love getting non-bill mail!? Here is the site I used to make the free crossword... http://www.armoredpenguin.com/

Bridesmaids dresses are in :) They just have to get them fitted and altered. We got them from Formal Where in Aberdeen, Md. (No website). They are Jasmine B3045 in Ivy. http://www.jasminebridal.com/ugC_Product_Detail.asp?hidP_kind=Bridesmaids&hidP_style=B2&hidP_style_ID=B3045

Bridesmaid's Shoes. I left the decision up to them on the shoes because I wanted them to be comfortable and since the dresses are floor length, no one will see their feet! http://www.rackroomshoes.com/product/xappeal/hannah/1202.135455.html Shoes are from Rack Room and only ended up costing $12.60 since they were buy one, get one half off.

Since my bridesmaids threw me a shower I got them a little gift(see more in the Bridal Shower Bio).

  Camo Turvis Tumblers. I included a few hot/cold drink mixes and a little note. http://www.tervis.com/

I wanted to add a little something to the bouquets to personalize them. So I found these crystal drops from Signed SealedRemembered at JoAnn's. Was really easy to do AFTER i figured out you just glue the picture on the back. I thought the screw came out and the sides separate... after I shed some blood I realized I was a dummy and did it totally wrong!

  One of the maids bouquets. They are flowers with sticks around the stems, wrapped in 4 inch burlap, wrapped in inch or so ribbon that matches their dress. I glued the pine cones in.

I bought the garter from Michael's. I sewed on the copper/bronze pinecones(also from Michael's) to go with my theme. I loveeee them! I am going to keep the bottom garter and use the top one as the "throw away" for the garter toss. Everytime I told people I sewed pinecones on they thought they were real and asked me if it was painful.... hmm.

My wedding shoes with our date, 01-12. 2013. I did this using brown vinyl on my cricut.DSW $50  http://www.dsw.com/shoe/lulu+townsend+bridal+valissa+pump?prodId=240071&category=dsw12cat1190018&activeCats=cat10006,dsw12cat1190016,dsw12cat1190018

Make up trial was free but I left her a tip. My bridesmaid's Aunt is doing it, she is an artist at a salon. I loved the look and I wish she could do my make up everyday! She told me that my lips were great as they were and to wear whatever was on(Badger chapstick, no color). Guess I just have rosy lips!

Our venue is Deer Creek Overlook in Harford County, Md. It is about 10 minutes from our house and is in the woods. I'm hoping it snows because it will be even more beautiful!

http://www.deercreekoverlook.com/Weddings.html

  Inside. This isn't my decor but a picture my friend/neighbor/dj sent me from her phone for an idea of layout.

 Wedding Paper Divas

 I sealed my own invitations with silver glitter wax from a local stationery store, Preston's. I like to give my money to a local shop rather than a chain but with my budget I had to look at everything carefully. Preston's luckily ended up being cheaper! I didn't buy a wax seal stamp, but used a "B" stamp that I already had. Worked just as well. http://prestonstationery.com/

I can't describe how great if felt for the day to finally be here! We had an amazing time with all of our family and friends!Photo credit in all but the last pictures to Vince Salamone Photography.

My dress from Pizazz in Aberdeen, Maryland. It is a Maggie Sottero Kareno Royale that I had altered into a sweetheart. Alterations done by Isabella Bridal in Fullerton, Maryland.

01-12-2013

Invitations from Wedding Paper Divas.

We had just got my dress tied and Mya came and layed down on my dress instantaneously! It was adorable. Like she was saying,"You're still mine ya know!".

My awesome father-in-law helping me out.

My mother-in-law <3 She was probably doing something to the affect of pinching a little kids cheeks saying"aw you're so cuuuuuuute" but to my back haha. Love this pic!

Here goes the details!

Moss Hearts: Had one on each entrance door. Borrowed from a fellow bride friend!

Main entrance table:

4 Atrificial trees all lit(the two on the ends spin!) Hand made burlap tree skirts with our monogram.

I burned each guest's name onto the front of the cedar slice and the table designator on the back. I included a little handmade tag with all of the photopgraphy information(shutterfly, instagram and pro pics).

I had 2 cedar logs as our guest book. The pens I wrapped in hemp and added a silk flower. The program had the wedding party's names printed on burlap that I strung to a stick frame. '

Bridesmaids helped me with the moss letters(our initials).

We had a cell phone charging station. I got the idea from my friend/dj and she saw it at another wedding. I owe credit to PW for having all these girls to help me with the cute saying!

We did this in memory of Josh's grandmother and in honor of his father for Diabetes(and quite a few friends of ours have diabetes as well) and in honor of my Mother for Breast Cancer.

These may just look like candles but a lot of time went in to those! I borrowed 133 votives from a bridesmaid's mom. With the help of my sister for some of it, I had to freeze out the old candles to make a new one and then test the hours I could get out of it. It did Ok so I made what I could with the left over wax. I had to buy more wax online and then even more from Michael's. The wicks I initially got from Amazon burned VERY black so I had to buy them all from Michael's. We melted down the wax, placed the wicks, and poured the candles. Hard work>spending money =Budget Bride saving $$$

My 'maids had made this for my shower but I did it at the wedding because I loved it so much! It is a recipe for marriage where guests write their advice for us. We had everything from sexual to serious!

I did the top of the box in moss and the bottom in burlap. Made our initials with sticks. Also made a little sign to go with it.

Instead of wasting paper on menus(and money!) I made one menue that we put at the head of the catering. I stuck with the same font and colors throughout the wedding.

The unity candles were gifted to me by one of my 'maids that was sick of her wedding stuff. I found a way on pinterest to customize your candle. It is hard to see here, but I had an "M" for my maiden name Mosley(which my mother lit) and a "B" for Blevins(which his mom lit). The center candle has the lyrics to our first dance song, Free by Zac Brown Band.

I helped Dad build the two cupcake stands and single cake stand. Bridesmaids helped me with the moss letters "We Do". I had a sign(to the left) that said which cupcakes were which and purchased about 30 boxes incase people wanted to take their dessert home.

My bouquet with pinecones from my Dad's house. Burlap ring bearer pillow that me and one of my bridesmaids made.

Since the wedding was at 5pm and the sun was setting at 4:59... I decided to do pictures ahead of time. Our wedding day temp was something crazy warm like 55 degrees! Perfect!(Although a snowy winter wedding would have been pretty too). We decided to go the first look route.

 He's not looking but I just love that we are laughing so hard.

 Me & my Momma! <3

 I think my dad started getting choked up already. This was just before I started to too :(

This is one of my favorites. Some of the most important men to me. Josh, my brother-in-law Steven, and my brother Dom.

Next 4 are photo credit M.Basham Photography.

Dress:   Pizazz Aberdeen, Maryland

 http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/pizazz-bridal-aberdeen/d11f0c866a6444e1.html

http://www.projectwedding.com/user_review/list/Allison.JoshB

Wedding Dress Alterations: Isabella Bridal  Fullerton, Maryland

Bridesmaids Dresses, Alterations, Tuxedos:   Formal Where? Aberdeen, Maryland

Transportation: Triangle Limo

 http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/triangle-limousine-inc-forest-hill/8fb67b848d3b3cac.html

Catering: KS Catering  http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/ks-catering-nottingham/404f3f52dac20398.html?sortBy=highestRating&subtab=reviews&page=2

Rings: Smyth Jewelers http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/smyth-jewelers-timonium/d56bbf94045ed487.html

Equipment Rental: Party Party

 http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/party-party-event-rentals-forest-hill/68381d7c5a987e2c.html

Photography: Vince Salamone http://www.vs-photo.com/

Josh's Cousin Photography: M.Basham Photography http://mbashamphotography.zenfolio.com/

Officiant: Reverend S. Weeks http://weddingsanywhereanytime.com/

Venue: Deer Creek Overlook

 http://www.projectwedding.com/user_review/list/Allison.JoshB

DJ: Jenny Z Mobile DJ

http://www.projectwedding.com/user_review/list/Allison.JoshB

Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas

http://www.projectwedding.com/user_review/list/Allison.JoshB