My view is jaded, but I think she was the most beautiful bride E.V.E.R!  Enjoy the pretty pics:

Non-pro pics:

AND HERE ARE HOW PRO'S CAPTURED THE MOMENTS:

My daughter, age 23, started her career in July 2008 as an staff accountant with an accounting firm, working many long hours and unfortunately traveling a lot with her new job.  Studying for the CPA exam is thrown in the mix too.  Her position doesn't allow her the flexibility of surfing the net as much as I can, so I am absorbing as many ideas as I can to share with her so she can decide what she wants for her Big Day.  Her wedding is June 6, 2009.

We are working together on weekends on DIY projects.  Save-the-dates, pomanders, invitations, etc. etc... she is doing a terrific job at bargain shopping and I am thrilled to do whatever I can to help her.  I appreciate all the wonderful advice and ideas PW'ers offer - all of it makes such a difference.  You all are wonderful assets to this site!!

EDIT:  I've talked with Kailey so much about PW, I now have HER addicted (evenings only, too bad!) but it's been a blast sharing all our PW talk.  Her sister, (who's addicted to her own parenting site) just laughs at our incessant PW commenting!  Isn't it cool that Project Wedding is generational diverse and multi-functional???  AND, just as importantly, she passed each of the CPA testing requirements so that's a HUGE accomplishment!

EDIT # TWO dated 6/16/09:  The wedding was EVERYTHING she dreamed it could be!  The day was absolutely glorious and beautiful, as was she!  There were no bumps, no problems, just smiles and blessings all around!  O.M.G., it was the happiest day of her life.  AND I enjoyed the whole thing almost as much as she did!  It was so gratifying seeing all of the hard work come to fruition.  The entire event was filled with personalized details which made it so special for the Bride and Groom!!!

Ladies, stay the course and complete your own DIY's, each one of those little details is what really truly makes the day yours and your man's.  My wish for you is to have the day of your dreams like my baby girl did! 

The summer of 2008 found Kailey and Michael slaving over building a rock wall for Kailey’s parents' house. Thanks to Kailey’s taste, they searched for the 'perfect' river rocks to accomplish this 50 foot by 3 foot wall. It seems the best place the rocks are found is in good ol' Crocker, Missouri. So numerous trips were made with the family van to the river (Michael would actually say 'creek') to gather loads of rock. On Sunday June 29th, 2008, the final planned trip for river rock selecting, Michael and Kailey were on their way to the usual spot. Unfortunately when they arrived, other people were enjoying the warm summer afternoon swimming in the creek. To kill time the two went to a less-river-rock-infested, more plush, beautiful creek up the road. 

(Side note: Michael does the best Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter", imitation and he does this to make Kailey laugh all the time.  Ask him to do it. He probably won't because he gets embarassed, but Kailey loves it!)

So they get out of the van and are walking romantically hand in hand just enjoying the beautiful day and scenery. All of a sudden Michael takes off sprinting up the creek (which he is the fastest runner in the world by the way... he runs backwards faster than Kailey’s forwards!) and crouches down to look at something he had found. Kailey is thinking 'what a goober'! This was all romantic and he has found some dead animal or something. So in his Steve Irwin voice, he says "Crikey Kailey! Come quick, I've found a HUGE rock!" At this point Kailey was not very amused and just lollygaggin around taking her sweet time. Michael repeats "I saaaaid... Crikey Kailey, look at this huge rock!" So finally Kailey made her way to him, while he was already crouched down on one knee and he pulled out the ring and said the magical words... "will you marry me?"

And as they say the rest is history!!

AFTER THE WEDDING COMMENT: 

When I stop to think about it, most everything for the wedding was DIY.  Here's a listing of what comes to mind:

STD's, invites, envelope address labels, flower pomanders, aisle runner, dyed about 19,000 silk rose petals, stamped reception napkins, rehearsal dinner invites, cardbox, ceremony programs, ring pillow (ballglove alterations - hehe,) flower girl basket, bridal hair flower, unity candle and accompanying taper candle personalization, decoupaged chapel letters, personal hangers for BM's, getting-ready bridal hoodie, wedding day timeline printout for wedding party/families, Bride/Groom Suite signs, reception chair markers, parents reserved signs for ceremony and reception, specialty linens (we rented tablecloths but made them for the sweetheart table, unity candle table, and reception bar,)  cake serving piece beading, cake flags, kid's table fun stuff, "I Do" cake table letters, favor boxes and labels, cakeflags, wish tree cards, wish tree sign, flip flop sign, bathroom baskets/signs, personalized beer mugs for GM's, memorial table frame and candles, whooh, I'm tired of thinking!

We had a florist make the bouqs and bouts, with our planner creating the reception cp's.  If we didn't make something ourself, we searched/shopped for the cheapest yet tasteful items to complement the scheme of "Simple Elegance."  I did a TON of online surfing and we checked out every Target/TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Garden Ridge/Hobby Lobby store within 200 miles to find everything.  But in the end, it was worth every single second of it!

Here's where we started:

DIY equals saving money, so we are all over that plan!  We completed the STD's on our own using Powerpoint, and are totally creating the invites from scratch using Publisher (NanaBoop loves to scrapbook and this seemed a natural evolution.)  So far we've made the two flower girl pomanders and about half of the 16 aisle-lining flower pomanders.  The card box is done.  The to-do list is getting lots of things crossed off, but we still seem to have a ton to do, since we also continue to add projects to it!  We'll continue to knock things out one at a time, and have so much fun in the meantime creating wonderful memories as well as a meaningful wedding celebration!

The Save The Dates:  (designed as a ticket)  Very simple, we used one of the monograms I commissioned Nicole of Pink Design Events, and used PowerPoint to create the rest.  We got four on each piece of glossy cardstock.  We had a friend who has a print shop perforate the edge of the tickets for us.  (We had initially planned to perforate them ourselves using a sewing tracing wheel to do the job until he offered to do this for us for FREE!)

Very inexpensive to make since our only true cost for the project was the cardstock.

THE INVITES:  The front and inside of the pocketfold invitations, designed with metallic cardstock and DIY invites purchased at Michaels.  We started with 11x17 Onyx Stardream cardstock from paperandmore.com.  Each piece was cut to size, scored and folded, to which the invitations were affixed and the inserts placed in their pocket.  I used scrap pieces from the 11x17 to make the monogram backing, and the monogram was made using Pearl Stardream text paper from paperandmore.com and then attached to the belly band which is how the invitation is held closed.  vERY, VERY, VERY time-consuming but oh-so-worth-every second!  Total cost per 6x9 finished invite, including postage was $2.37.

     !    

YAY, all the invitations are done and ready to mail.  The last night we worked on them we worked through tornado warnings.  I told Kailey she'd better take 'em with her to shelter if need be - we couldn't handle losing all our hard work!!

 The Card Box                             ... And the pro pic of the card box

I made it myself and it was really easy.  Two hat boxes (with damask print) bought at Hobby Lobby, lace from Wal-Mart, leftover flowers.  The lace was the most expensive piece or the project, but I thought it really added to the overall look. 

I cut the bottom out of the top box, and next cut a hole (about an inch smaller than the top box perimiter) in the top of the bottom box.  {hope that made sense, in other words, I cut holes to where the top box wouldn't fall through to the bottom box.}

Hot glued the bottom of the top box to the top of the bottom box.  {Did not glue the top to the bottom of the bigger box as wanted to be able to take the very bottom off in case too many cards get stacked up}  Then hot glued the lace around the base of the bottom, the base of the top and the top of the top.  Wow, it really was easier than I'm making it sound, I promise!  Then I hot glued the leftover flowers and the initial to the very top.

I cut a card slot in the very top - it is in front of the flowers although you can't see the slot in the photograph.  Cards should fall all the way through to the bottom.

Aisle Decorations, will have black ribbons from which they will hang. 

Update:  16 of these critters are now completed, with wide black satin ribbon to hang from.  The finished product for the ceremony: 

The flower girls' pomanders...  EDIT:  The flower girls were broken-hearted to learn they wouldn't be dropping petals.  They had been practicing and everything! (Well, at least the four year old, the 2 year old - not so much! LOL)  So, Kailey changed her mind and they will now be dropping petals when the flower girls come down the aisle!  The pink pomanders will be used outside as decorations and will hang from shepherd's hooks:          

Moved on to this flower girl basket, ably displayed by my sweet grandson:

For the Wish Tree:  Below are are the  'wish-holders' (golf-ball sized) and the Cards which will be hung on the Tree after guests complete with their wish/prediction/advice to the Newlyweds. They will be out on the table with a basket of blank cards nearby.  After guests fill out their card, it will be inserted into the wire slot and hung on the tree.  (These are actually placecard holders and are so dang cute - IMHO that is!!)  If time permits, the Wish Cards will have monogram stickers on the front - otherwise, they'll be as they are pictured....  EDIT:  May, 2009, we had time, so each of the wish cards has a "Y" in the center and a smaller "K" and "Y" to create a monogram. 

 I added beading to the cake serving set... 

 And here is the bathroom basket sign...

For the Flip Flop Basket for Guests Use:

"Are your feet sore and you feel your night is done?  Kick off your heels, grab some flops,and get back to the fun!  (The very bottom explains the colors relating to the sizes - should avoid guests having to search for their correct size.)

CAKE FLAGS       March 29, 2009    The latest project: Cake Flags.  I'll try to synopsize how to create these in case you are interested...

First, I created labels in Word using Avery Address 5160 labels.  I used monograms I felt would look best on the flags.  I inserted the monogram picture on the first label, then spaced over to insert the same monogram picture (two monograms on each flag, visible from front and back of the flag.)  I spaced to spread the two monograms out as much as possible on the label itself.

Next, I glued one black bead and one white pearl to the top of sandwich toothpicks I purchased at Dollar Tree (a buck for 200 picks.)  This was the most time-consuming part of this DIY.  As I made each one, I stood it vertically in a tub of uncooked rice so they were held them upright until the glue dried and no pressure was on the beads, helping to keep them straight. 

Then I took a label and placed the toothpick in the center of of the reverse of the label and folded to where edge met edge.  Then pressed the label together to secure it.  This part takes patience and time to avoid wrinkling and a good match to the edges.  The below picture is actually the finished product but wanted you to see what I was trying to explain...

Lastly, I hot fixed a swarovski crystal to each flag, placing it where it made the most sense on the particular monogram.  All in all, a simple DIY but it does take a lot of time!!

Unity Candle:

I printed the monogram on vellum paper and affixed with damask tape I had purchased.  If you didn't want to tape it on, you could simply glue the vellum edges together on the back and no one would see the seam from the front

Chapel Door Letters:  On the right you will see  how we displayed them on the church windows:

The Chapel letters are cardboard and purchased from JoAnn's (I believe only superstores carry the large letters but they can be bought online from Joann's too.)

I used Damask scrapbook 12x12 paper bought at Hobby Lobby.  Probably took about 15 pages to cover the front and the back.  Our doors are glass and we decorated both front and back for people seeing coming and going - LOL.  We simply tore the paper into random shapes and used Modge Podge (bought at Hobby Lobby) to adhere the paper.  Modge Podge is a decoupage medium.

After gluing the paper on, I sprayed both front and back with a glossy acrylic spray, again purchased at Hobby Lobby.  These are being hung outside and just in case of rain, I wanted them waterproof, which is the reason I sprayed them.

I glued the two ribbon ends to the back of the letter.  I just placed the ribbon where it made the most sense both in appearance and in strength in holding up the letter.  I made bows of the same ribbon and sewed them to the top of the ribbon, just as a decoration really.  The bows have no 'job' other than to look pretty.

RESERVED SIGNS:
The parents reserved signs, the first for the ceremony, second for the reception.  Of course, each has the obligatory swarovski crystals!! 

The monogrammed hangers for each BM and MOH.  I used my cricut to make but you could easily stick scrapbook letter stickers on them.  Bought the white hangers at Marshall's...

These are tags I made for the bridal party gifts, which are either damask or polka-dotted tote bags.  They are filled with Bath and Body Works lotion and hand sanitizer, a black lace loofah, pink Tic-Tacs, the necklace and earrings for the wedding, and several other things which my brain refuses to remember!

The gettin' ready suite signs for the day of... I had kept the cut-outs from the card box I made (described above) and used them for the backing of the signs.  Talk about recycling!!!

We bought white letters at Michael's which I then painted to give the surface a texture to adhere to.  Next I used a flourish rubber stamp to scatter about onto the letters.

The finished aisle runner.  Hint:  when you are tracing the monogram onto the runner, take care to place it the correct direction you want it.  Kailey thought she was placing the monogram 15 feet from the back of the runner's end, but she put it upside down, meaning it ended up the monogram would be about 15 feet from the altar and not from 15 feet from the back of the church.  It will work out fine, but just wanted you each to be aware when you make yours!

Cost of our aisle runner:  $30 runner purchased for 50% off at Joann's = $15.00 out of pocket.  Two cheap artist brushes (one stiff blunt bristled for edging and another broader for the rest) approximately $4, acrylic craft paint 59 cents each for pink, gray and black = $1.86 including tax.  Total amount?  $20.86  BUT.... I sold the leftovers of the aisle runner we had not used to another bride for ten bucks, so our total out of pocket for this beauty?   $10.86 !!!!!!

Freshly painted:

On the actual aisle the day of:

Our made-from-scratch programs:

Kailey really wanted the flip type program or stair step.  (What the heck do you call those anyhow?)  But I couldn't stand the thought of hand-cutting all those specially cut pages, so I came up with the plan of making them tall and skinny, and sewing them together by machine.  We chose a decorative stitch and these babies came out beautiful!  So many compliments from guests for their being so unique!  This is one of those cases where the pictures just don't do the project justice!

  The pro pic the day of: 

And our reserved ceremony/reception signs the way they looked the day of:

 FLOWER GIRLS:

One of the gifts for the flower girls was this poem I typed on cardstock.  This was more given for the FGs' mother than the girls themselves since they are only 4 and 2.  Some day it will be quite meaningful though.

This poem was printed on cardstock and placed on the bottom of a small jewelry gift box.  Laying on top of the poem was a folded embroidered hankerchief.  Of course their mama cried when she read it. 

You are very young now, but the years will pass by
and you'll too be a bride, in the blink of an eye.

Your very big day will burn bright as an ember.
Because the day you wed, you will always remember.

At that time you may not recall the day that I married,
the part that you played, or the basket you carried.
 
When your time comes and wedding plans start to unfold…
This hankie will be perfect to use as your "something old."

The overall look of the wedding is termed "Simple Elegance."  Colors are diamond white, charcoal and salmon pink.  The pink will be just a splash of color and not an overabundance.  Just enough to make everything else "pop" as the Bride says!

Here is Kailey's jewelry, created by Dana Saylor of Etsy:

Earrings:                                      Bracelet:                               Necklace:

Rather than spend a lot of money on a hair flower, I made one for Kailey.  Spent about $8 for the flower and the supplies to make it.  I am really proud of how it turned out!

Here are instructions on how I made the flower:  We purchased the stem of flowers at Michael's but only needed the largest one.  You could likely use any type of silk flower you wanted.  I removed the flower from the stem and carefully removed the center of it, leaving nothing but the silk petals.  Our flower was pretty large, so I removed the back layers until it was the size we wanted to work with.

Using the petals I had retained, I arranged them how I wanted them to look, moving them left and right as needed until I felt they presented the most realistic looking flower.  Our flower was just one big piece for each layer, so it wasn't as hard to hold the petals together as you might think.  I sewed the layers together, up from the bottom and then down through the top.  Nothing very elaborate by any means, just enough to keep the layers from separating or moving side to side!  I didn't care how discreet the stitches were since I was putting decorations over the top of them. 

We couldn't find a button to satisfy Kailey's desire, so I needed to create the center of the flower.  I started with a one inch styrofoam ball (smallest I could find) and sliced it into half.  I worked on the rounded side and used jewelry beads, jewelry pearls and flat head pins (again jewelry aisle.) With wire cutters, I cut the pins to a shorter length because they were far longer than I needed.  I inserted the pin into each pearl/bead and then dipped the tip into glue and stuck into the foam ball.  Once I had covered the rounded portion of the foam ball, I let it dry for a day.  Next I glued the flat portion of the beaded ball to the center of the petals and again let it dry a day.  Lastly I took an alligator clip and sewed it onto the back of the flower, just a little higher than the center, to counter-balance the weight of the flower.

THE DRESS in all its glory...

after careful consideration, we have moved onto the SECOND gown... Maggie Sottera SaBelle... purchased February, 2009:

The garter, St. Louis Cardinals, by Etsy's "Garters by Kristi"

 May 2009: Here are more pics from her actual fitting:

May 2009... I really wanted to make the "I Do" letters on the soles of her shoes larger, but those darn hearts just wouldn't let me!  Oh well, understated is good too..

Here is what the female side of the Bridal Party will be wearing. 

Jasmine B1082 dress in charcoal/black.  Strapless Iridescent Taffeta dress with center vertical pleats. Attached pleated horizontal empire waist band that ties to a bow in back

 Here are what the Guys will be wearing from Karl's Bridal, the Contour Tux - but no bow tie!  Michael will be in the black tux, with white shirt, vest and tie.  The groomsmen will be in black tux, white shirt with black vest and black tie.  The "King of Rings" will be dressed in a miniature version of the groom.

The Flower Girls' Dresses... gotta tell ya a story about the flower girls.  One will be four, the other two at the time of the wedding.  When the 3 year old was told about being a flower girl, she whined and said..." but guys, I don't have a crown!"  Guess she thinks being a flower girl requires a crown - - don't know where THAT came from.  But, it was SOOO sweet!!  Then, when she tried on her dress to determine if the size was correct, she didn't want to take it off.  She said she wanted to keep it on to go to the party!! (Five months down the road - hehe!)

May 2009: And here you can see the basket I made which coordinates amazingly with the dresses.  My sweetie-pie grandson (who is the King of Rings in the wedding) is graciously assisting his Nana here...

Plans are for simple but elegant black and white decorations, with a splash of salmony-pink.  Tables will be covered in white tablecloths with black tuxedo-striped satin toppers.  White chivari chairs.  The centerpieces will be surrounded on some tables by the pink votive cups, and alternate tables will be clear votives.  Each placesetting will have silver chargers with black lamour napkins and either a pink or black favor box/bag. 

Here is a picture of the venue, officially titled "The Grande Ballroom"...

Au naturale...     All Dressed up... 

 And below is a mock-up centerpiece Kailey plans on creating.  The actual vases will not be these, and she has decided NOT to use the pink flowers.  Instead the vases will hold the black-glittered curly willow and four large white hydrangeas.  Tables will have 6-8 votives on each.  Some will have the pink votive cup pictured below and alternating tables will have clear votive cups.  All tables will have floor-length white linens, topped with black tuxedo-striped satin toppers.  White chivari chairs will have white cushions.  Pink uplights will be strategically spaced throughout the venue... it's gonna be beautiful!!!

The favors are Hershey kisses, (black, pink and silver swirled,) sitting atop shredded paper in a favor box and tied with a ribbon.  Yeah, who'd a thunk you can get BLACK kisses - wooh-hoo!!  Also, Kailey's married surname will be York.  To play off the name, PINK York peppermints will also be in the favor box.  The boxes will be black with pink shredded paper and tied with pink ribbon, or pink tied with black ribbon that has black shredded paper inside.  The contrast really looks very nice.  The head table and family tables will have pink bags with the same embossed flourish as is on the invitations, and will be tied with narrow black ribbon.

A tag will be attached saying: 'Thank you for sharing in our Special Day - Love and KISSES from the new... Mr. and Mrs. YORK.  Hopefully the guests will get the reason we are capitalizing the words 'kisses' and 'york' once they open the box.  Silly little thing but we are excited about it!

With 'our' wedding already passed, there are things I recall that I think will help you with your pending wedding, so I will post them here.  Since my mind doesn't necessarily work in a pattern, these are likely to be quite random, so hope you can figure 'em out.  Good Luck wedding planning to you, Ladies!!!

1)  If at all possible, hire at least a DOC, if not an actual planner.  I thought a planner was a waste of money until ours proved me WAY wrong.  With my daughter having a pretty detailed, aka anal, personality (after all the wedding planning, I've decided I know where she gets it from - LOL!) she was very good at making lists for the wedding, and we researched many different wedding areas too, just to make sure we covered all the bases.  Of course PW was a tremendous resource, so we really thought we had considered everything. THEN we would meet with the planner, and she'd ask if we had such and such done.  Kailey and I would look at each other, and she'd add all those things to the list!  There's just a LOT going into a wedding, and a planner has been there/done that, so using their expertise is money well spent.  Our planner had 3 assistants working with her the Day Of, just to keep things running smoothly. (Which they did - there was not a single hiccup in getting ready, the ceremony, or the reception.)  Our planner requested several meetings throughout the months we were in the planning process, and she was a tremendous help with vendors, ideas, and ways to save money.  Of course, we were quite proud when we already HAD completed many things she would ask us about.  Of all the brides she's ever helped, (she has 10 years in wedding planning experience) she said we had done the most DIY projects and had more visual elements than any other bride she worked with.  Ha!  She has PW to thank for that!!!

2)  Before the wedding week arrives, separate your various projects and box them accordingly.  Example:  make a tote or box for the cake table items, and write a detailed list of what you want done.  Are there votive cups specific for the cake table?  A serving set?  Flower petals?  Cake topper?  If you write down what you want done, BEFORE things get hectic the week of your wedding, you will be so happy you did!  Because we had so many different DIY things, Kailey included this list inside each tote.  That way the DOC knew exactly what was supposed to go where.  We made totes with instructions for the head/sweetheart table, the parents table, the Wish Tree, and gift table.  We decorate the church ourselves, so didn't need those written instructions, but keep that in mind if you are having anyone other than yourself do the work.  Personally, even if you are helping decorate, having written plans will definitely help anyone else helping you, and will avoid them having to come to you for instructions.  Draw a diagram of your thoughts for all these varying projects.

3)  If you are having a buffet, try this instead of a receiving line or visiting tables.  You and the groom stand near the beginning of the food line (far enough away to avoid the noise of the line though!) and greet guests as they move forward.  ONLY do this if you and your new hubby have eaten though!!  Most guests won't talk long as they want to get their food.  If a guest lingers too long, simply take a step towards the next guest.

4)  The BIGGEST tip I can give you:  no matter what else, have all your DIY projects completed before the week of your wedding.  We did this, yet the final week was a whirlwind and so hectec I can't even explain why it was so crazy.  If we hadn't had the DIY things done, there would have been far less sleep, which leads to stress, which leads to emotions running high at a time when they are already to the ceiling!  I truly can't imagine brides still doing projects the week of!  DON'T PROCRASTINATE - work those projects ahead of time.  If you need help from BM's or family, ask for it!  You'd be far better asking for it ahead of time, than being Zilla-like at the end,!!!

5)  Make an itinerary for your Bridal Party and your family.  Ours was for everyone involved, including grandparents, printed on one page of cardstock cut in half, but on the front and the back. (I cut each page in half and glued the two sides together.)  Each person was given a copy of it Rehearsal Night.  On it were the time events were scheduled, and listed the names of each person involved for that time period.  I remember when typing it, it seemed unnatural to have everything timed to a schedule, but come the Day Of, I was very happy we did it.  This itinerary was invaluable in letting everyone know what was going on, and when.  I'd love to post a pic of it, but with all the little cartoons and the various text boxes in the document, the following is the best I can do.  I'll be happy to email it to you if you'll PM me with your email address though!

6)  Regarding your DJ.  If it is at all possible for you to see them in action, try.  We had an incredible DJ, from a very reputable company, and now feel very blessed to have been so lucky.  However, after attending another wedding by the same company but a different DJ, all I can say is, "Wow" because there is a big difference in the product!!  The other wedding had no good music to get people onto the dance floor, not much personality 'spark' shown, and for lack of a better description, was pretty boring.  Since we had the same company, I was surprised.  It just proved that brides should see their DJ's work ahead of time, to ensure they book a DJ they'll be pleased with.  Thank heaven we got one!!!!  YOU still have time to make sure.

7)  Eat breakfast the Day Of.  Even if you don't have time, make time, you'll be glad you did.  You need fuel for this Big Day!

That's what I can think of through June 28, 2009.  I'm betting there's more to come!

 Are you looking for a special shower favor or little something for your entire bridal party to remind them of this special TIME in your life? These are adorable kitchen timers -- an ice bucket chilling a bottle of champagne! They are boxed and packaged as pictured, including the ribbon and bow! Very nice quality, they do not look cheesy or cheap. Even the plastic ice looks cute!! I have 18, all completely new and unopened. Selling at $2.75 each plus shipping.  

The happy couple will add to their household soon.  We have been working on many DIY projects for the nursery and here is one of them:  closet dividers for her closet.  I purchased blank dividers from The Container Store (99 cents each) and we glued scrapbook paper on each side.  I have a Cricut so we used it to cut numbers for the sizes needed.  I opted to glue the numbers onto a white background because the print was too busy to see it clearly without a plain background.  I think they look pretty cute, if I do say so myself!