Project Wedding Blog

First things first.  Big props to Dana for wearing this little red frock on her wedding day.  I love her retro look- from the glasses to the hair to the red lips.. perfectly photogenic!  From day one, Dana and Shane knew that their wedding was going to reflect them down to every last detail. The day was full of color, handcrafted details, outdoor fun, music, and good times with friends.  Inspired by her knack for planning her own wedding, Dana started a company called Orange in Bloom and plans weddings in the Chicago area. Have fun peeking thru their amazing photos by Hanle Productions!The couple and many of their guests made the short trek from Chicago to La Porte, Indiana to enjoy a rustic, lakeside experience at The Red Barn.  The ceremony was a quick one… outdoors, under the hot July sun, while the reception lasted long into the evening with fun and games like bags and croquet. 

Dana gives the full run down of her planning process just below…

All our best to Dana + Shane!

Planning a unique and creative wedding?  I was recently interviewed by REVEL blog about that very topic… {head over here} to read it!

Photos by Hanle Productions

Event Design by Orange in Bloom

Day Of Coordination: Get Hitched Weddings

Bride’s Dress by Anthropologie

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by Tigerlilie Salon

Venue: The Red Barn Experience in LaPorte, Indiana

Catering by Sweet Baby Ray’s Catering Company

Reception Entertainment: Style Matters DJs

From the Bride: Our wedding ended up being exactly what we had hoped it would be. A labor of love that we had put a lot of work into and a wonderful party that our guests enjoyed as much as we did. We spent months making the paper flower centerpieces. We also handmade our favors, which were family cookbooks with some of our favorite family recipes.

My mom made the table runners out of fabric that I had chosen and my lovely grandmother made hundreds of cupcakes. We had a “build your own cupcake” table with different toppings set out in mugs to sprinkle on top of each cupcake — chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts, even gummy bears made an appearance. It was fun for the kids especially, but the adults loved it, too.

One of the greatest struggles we had in preparing for our wedding was the dreaded dance. Neither of us are dancers and at one point, we joked that instead of having a first dance we would have a “first game of bags.” We are both music lovers though and so we decided to suck it up and figure out a way to unleash our inner dancers. I suggested something that at first sounded crazy to us, but ended up giving us the direction we needed. We watched videos online, learned the Foxtrot and made it work with our first dance, which was to “Baby” by Devendra Banhart.

Our wedding ceremony was seven minutes long (we timed it) and included a Kurt Vonnegut quote (we have our wonderful officiant to thank for that). I know that the guests were grateful to only be out under the hot July sun for seven minutes. But, as the night progressed and the sun began to set, it was impossible for them to ignore the beautiful setting. The field was practically glowing and everyone was enamored of the stars.

We still get compliments from our guests who insist ours was the most enjoyable wedding they’ve ever been to. My advice to other couples is to be true to what you envision and go with your gut. Your guests will appreciate all those little details and see the love you put into it.

Tags: DIY, farm, indie, Real Wedding, red dress, unconventional, unique.

This little DIY favor project is so bright + fun!Why not give your guests colorful fortune cookies, with an auspicious reading inside?

Learn how to make them {here}.

Photographs and Project Styling by Victoria Hudgins.

Tags: bright, colorful, DIY, fortune cookie favors.

By: Jordan Ferney

Wooden utensils are a pretty detail when you need disposable flatware. They have a look that is a little more substantial than plastic. In this easy project we added a fun detail by drilling a small hole at the end of the utensil and adding a ribbon flag. This would be perfect for a shower or even for a casual wedding or dessert bar. It is a very easy project, we did the whole thing in about 25 minutes.

Materials Needed: Power Drill, Wooden Flatware, Ribbon

Holding a stack of wooden flatware tightly together, drill a hole at the end.
Tie short ribbons on the ends to make them a little more festive.

Voilá!

Happy DIY Wednesday

♥

Photos & Project Styling by Jordan Ferney

Tags: dessert table, disposable flatware, DIY, festive, ice cream table, ribbons, wooden flatware.

Today, a little handmade prettiness from the heartland.

Josh and Heather married in Oakland, Iowa this past October.  It’s not often that we feature weddings from Iowa… Not for any reason of course, we just don’t hear much from the Iowan folks… so it’s such a treat to have come across this gem of a wedding, photographed by our friends Jonny and Michelle of Paper Antler.

The bride is an artist and she created nearly all of the cute little details and things shown below!  She-so kindly- sent over all of her DIY instructions too, so that you can see how she pieced everything together!

DIY Whimsical Signs
Supplies: Old wood (both flat & in stick form), paint, wood glue.
Paint a white background almost to edges on flat wood. When dry, add letters (J + H) or words
(Wedding with an arrow or Just Married or Mr. & Mrs.) using a bright color (I used teal). Glue stick to
sign with wood glue and allow it to dry. Dig hole and secure in ground or nail signs to trees.

DIY Invitations
Supplies: Card stock, bird punch, edge punch, silver thread, computer, RSVP template, glue stick.
Print invitation information on card stock for RSVP cards and wedding invites. Punch edges to give them a classy, professional look (I used Martha Steward brand for edges and the birds). Punch out 2 birds on
invites. Wrap thread around top of invites. Add a fun scrapbook paper under the bird cutout using a glue stick. I made postal stamps using my artwork (bird-themed) at Zazzle.com- easy and affordable.

DIY Happy Tears Table
Supplies: Old table, old picture frame, paper, hankies, sweet little bin, spray paint.
Find an old table, sand it down and spray paint it a color you like (I used robin’s egg blue). Make a sign
that says, “Happy Tears, Please Take One” and frame it. Arranged old and new hankies in a bin you
enjoy and place on table for guests to use during the ceremony.

DIY Treats Table
Supplies: Old-fashioned or favorite candies and treats, vintage bowls, decorative take-away bags, cloth.
Collect candy and treats (I made white/dark chocolate covered apples) and arrange them neatly in vintage, decorative dishes. Cover table with a vibrant cloth. Have guests take away candy using fun bags. If you
desire, make a fun sign to hang above table (mine said, ‘sweets’  and I used leftover paper and glue).

How lucky we are to get a peek into this DIY maven’s planning process.. Thanks, Heather!

All the best to You and Josh!

Photographs by Paper Antler Photography

Ceremony & Reception Site: Big Grove Country Inn

Paper Goods & Décor by the bride- Heather McDonald- of Wildflowers & Grace

See her etsy shop too!

From the Bride: Riding home on the airplane from San Juan, Puerto Rico, I was elated after accepting Josh’s sweet proposal to me in a garita at Castillo de San Cristóbal, a fortress built by the Spanish in 1783. We opened up my journal that I take everywhere and penned our autumn, vintage-themed wedding, “Elegantly Antique.”

We excitedly planned October 8th, 2011 and hoped this wedding would be enchanting- boy was it ever! We wanted to showcase who we are as people while making everyone who would attend feel relaxed and at home.  Joshua is a brilliant writer and I am an artist who finds creating to be my therapy, so much so that I am studying to be an art therapist; we had ideas aplenty. We put our love-struck minds together and let our creative energies flow in hopes of making the vision of our dream wedding a reality. We scoured many antique shops in Wisconsin, where I am from and in Nebraska, where Josh is from, collecting trinkets and unique finds until we ran out of space to store them. I was busy designing wedding invitations, wedding programs and much of the décor that would grace the wedding site.

We stumbled upon an adorably perfect, four acre, rustic Iowan wedding site which included a Bed and Breakfast, a 100 year old chapel, a one-room school, a quaint reception hall, horseshoes and a merry-go-round, and an outdoor patio with a fire pit and scenic cornfields as far as these excited eyes could see.

Being a lover of nature, I found myself drawn to white birch trees, whimsical birds and various shades of goldenrod and aqua. I envisioned a palate of these colors on my bridesmaids and groomsmen as they stood in the charming country chapel.

Josh’s sister was busy making yellow antique rosettes for my maids’ hair and one for me made out of a blue antique flower pin and fabric from Josh’s grandmother’s wedding dress. We gathered old-fashioned candy for our loved ones to nibble on and mason jars to make hanging lanterns out of. The summer flew by as we made paper and pom-pom garland. I printed beautiful framed 4”x6” prints of my artwork to hang from twine with clothespins that would be parting gifts for our guests- to take a small piece of us with them when they went.

The wedding plans started to come together and finally the day arrived. Everything was lovely and even the weather decided to cooperate. My favorite part of the day was the beauty of love bringing all this together, that and, after the ceremony, a vibrant rainbow appeared in the sky over the Iowa corn and we ran out in the misting rain to capture shots of the glorious moment.

Tags: autumn, country, DIY, fall, gold, Iowa, teal, vintage.

By: Victoria Hudgins

These leather key chains are easy to make, affordable and fun! We recommend creating heart shapes for the ladies, while stylish leather tabs will have the guys loving this simple thank you gift.

One. To create the leather key chains you will need to find scrap leather to work with. Craft stores sell scrap leather very cheap (plan to pay about $2 for 3-4 strips of it), or perhaps you could find an out-of- date leather jacket to cut apart?!

Two. Use an exacto knife to design the leather. Give medium pressure to it to create indentions in the leather, like the heart on our tab. This is a nice way to mark the key chains with a heart, monogram or the date. Three. Use a pair of good fabric scissors to cut out your keychains. Hearts for the gals and a simple tab design for the guys is a great combo. You can use a template or just freehand it for an organic look.
Four. Attach the leather pieces to key chain rings (another craft store staple). You can bend the tabs right over and glue into place using hot glue or fabric glue. For the hearts, a small strip of velvet ribbon adds a burst of color.

Make simple tags for the key chains by printing out our merry thank you version, or handwriting your own. Punch a small hole at the top and thread a string to attach your key chain rings.

Project concept and photography by Victoria Hudgins

Tags: DIY, leather keychain favors.

By: Victoria Hudgins

When painted pretty, a humble wooden ball craft supply becomes a show stopper ready to brighten up any reception! Here’s how to make this simple, crafty cake stand.

Materials needed: Wooden balls available at any local craft store (we used 2 inch balls), acrylic paint colors, foam brushes (one per color), wood glue, glass plates.

Step One: Paint each of balls with wood craft paint. Be sure to wear gloves- it’ll get messy!

Step Two: Allow balls to dry overnight and give yourself an extra day to touch up the side that each ball rested on.

Step Three: Combine the balls in formations of your choosing to showcase your desserts. Once you have your formations, use wood glue to adhere. Let dry according to glue directions. We combined five as a base for each cake stand, the second layer had four and the top layer had three. Vary your heights and colors for an appealing display.

Step Four: Top each stand with a glass plate and your dessert! Since our cakes were monochromatic the brightly colored balls looked splendid. If your desserts will be of varied in color, you could easily substitute for a more neutral paint palette.

Step Five: As your desserts are enjoyed, more of the color will show through the plates and the sweet table will look even more whimsical and fun as the night wears on.

Photos and Project Styling by Victoria Hudgins

Tags: cake stand, colorful, DIY.

By: Chelsea Fuss

Orangeries were small greenhouses filled with fruit trees and plants in the 17th century. Can you imagine having a lush table filled with fruit and greens for a winter wedding? Think beyond red and green for Christmas and display these festive centerpieces at your December wedding. The idea would look beautiful for a January wedding too. You could even add some paperwhites and tiny votive candles!

You’ll Need:

Bunches of greens (each table will take about 1/4 of a bunch). The best greens for this are: boxwood, oregonia, myrtle, pittosporum and bay.

A few pounds of oranges or tangerines (preferably with the leaves still on them)

White pitchers, bowls and vases

1 Myrtle topiary in a terra cotta pot

To Re-create this centerpiece:

1. Collect 4-5 white bowls, pitchers and vases per table.

2. Fill with water and casually arrange stems of greens in them.

3. Display in the center of your table with a small myrtle topiary planted in a terra cotta pot.

4. Place a few of the oranges or tangerines directly on the table.

5. Add candles or white flowers for a more formal wedding!

Afterwards, send your guests home with the fruit, greens and plants.

Photos and Project Styling by Chelsea Fuss.

Tags: centerpiece, chelsea fuss, citrus, DIY, orange, orangerie, tabletop.