project: invitations !

it is really hard for me to write anything about our invitations. getting them out was such a huge, time consuming process. by far the biggest wedding project i have tackled. i am not a designer. let me repeat, i am NOT a designer! i really have no idea where to begin when it comes to putting together different elements and making them all work as a package, but i think that i somehow managed to pull it off here. luckily, i had the help of a friend who IS a designer. let's just allow the pictures to do most of the talking, shall we?

this is what you may have found in your mailbox in June if you were invited to our wedding:


a variety of vintage stamps and lovingly hand traced "calligraphy." it would mean you are an out-of-towner, since we sent our invites in waves and managed to get all of the first batch out in early june.

this is what you may have found in your mailbox in july if you were invited to our wedding:


ah, can we spot the differences? computer printed addresses. and we ran out of high value vintage stamps, so we probably just slapped a couple of forever stamps on your invite and called it a day. this also means you live in los angeles, because we mailed our local invites a month after our first wave. sorry guys, i was just a little tired of making them at this point. in retrospect, we should have made all the invitations together, so i wasn't so burnt out by the end. oh well, we live and learn right?

our return address on the back:


this is what all of our guests found when they opened the outer envelopes. the liner paper was a really expensive indulgence. it is hand screened and thick and amazing! i cut corners by not making our envelope liners full size (more on this in pt. 2)!


our inner envelopes were all tied up with twine and wax. i used a hot glue wax on some invites, and a real sealing wax on others. (the hot glue wax is pictured here.)


frankly, i have no idea if I followed "the rules" on putting these together. i read somewhere to tuck the reply card in the reply envelope and place that on top. put any extra cards/maps etc. under that, and then the invite under all of the above. i think i did this? Hopefully i didn't offend anyone!

front and back of sealed inner envelope:


once you managed to tear/bite/cut off the twine, and rip open the hard to tear envelope, this would be on top. our reply card and envelope. i used a mustard colored envelope and that same wood grain paper for liners.


we used a mix of forever stamps and the cute king and queen stamps on these cards.

under the reply card is our information card. we made it seem almost like a valet parking card, because we need to emphasize that all guests must use the valet service or their cars will be towed. our venue is in a residential neighborhood with no guest parking at all. i am so worried about people skipping the valet and trying to park their own cars and then being towed.iI am hoping everyone will read this card and remember to use the free valet!



the actual invitation card:



on the back we printed lyrics from our favorite song. there is also a tiny spider dangling off of the banner (although spiders terrify me, they are also good luck!).

all together now:




behind the scenes of an invitation photo shoot (secret cat helpers):



stay tuned for project: invitations (pt. 2): cost breakdown, tips and tricks and maybe another cat or two!

tutorial: hanging jar lanterns!

a little tutorial on how to make lovely recycled hanging lanterns and planters.

Begin by gathering your supplies.
You will need:
1. A wire cutter (Make sure it has a blade for steel if you use steel wire)
2. A roll of wire (I used 26g jewelry wire for some, 10g wire for others, and green floral wire to give different look to a few of my lanterns)
3. A cleaned out glass jar with a lip (usually any jar that originally had a lid will have a lip on top)
4. If using thick wire, you might also need needle nose pliers.
5. Upside down Crate and Barrel box as a work surface and cat helpers are not necessary but offer an added touch of fun!


Unroll your wire and cut off a length. I didn't measure my lengths but they were all about as long as my two hands could stretch apart. It is fun to use different lengths if you are making a bunch of these.



Your length of wire should look like this:



Holding both ends of the wire, loop it just under the top lip of the jar. If you are using a very thin or floral wire, you may want to loop it twice:



Cross one side over the other:



Twist the wire together as if you are twisting one of those trash bag or produce bag ties shut (If you are using a very thick wire you may need to use the pliers for this step):



Twist it at least 2 or 3 times:

Here is the fun part: you can either keep twisting it in the same fashion until the entire length of wire is all twisted up together, or you can go the easy way! Pick up your wire in one hand and spin the jar with your other hand:



Keep spinning it in the same direction until all of the wire is twisted together. This takes a couple of twists and your cat may or may not get really excited.

Finished wire should look like a simple braided wire:



Take the free end of the newly twisted wire and loop it around the to the other side of the jar:



Now the tricky part: you need to wiggle this wire through that original loop of wire, which is under the lip of the jar. It might take a few tries to get it under there:

Now you need to twist these two wires together to secure it. Just twist the free end around the handle of twisted wire:



Twist it up as far as it will go and then trim any loose ends:



YAY! YOU DID IT! You now have a recycled jar lantern or planter. I have also been hanging these in my office to hold supplies. The possibilities are endless.

words and photos: shoes, shoes, shoes (pt. 2) !

thanks to endless and zappos i am now the proud owner of six possible pairs of wedding shoes. i just lined them all up and started snapping photos so i could get a different view of how they look with my dress.

please join me in a virtual shoe adventure!

Pair #1
these shoes are super cute but they don't have any sort of heel which is bothering me more and more. a lot of the shoes i am finding are flats, but now that i have tried the flats on with the dress i am really thinking i need some a bit of heel.



Pair#2
these are actually really cute but the fit is a bit off. they gap in weird places. i bought them a size down as recommended on the website, but they still feel loose in some places and tight in others. also, the heel isn't as sturdy as i would like.




Pair #3
i bought these to wear with my rehearsal dinner dress, but decided to throw them in just in case. also flats, but super comfy.



Pair #4
i LOVE these shoes. i have them in gray and wear them almost every day. unfortunately, the yellow is a little brighter than what i am looking for. and again, they are flat.



Pair #5
the color is a little more marbled than i would prefer, but i love the peep toe, love the heel!




Pair #6
while i love the flower on these, i'm just not sure i can get over the bedroom slipper look/feel that they have going on.




there you have it. while i was really looking for kitten heel, peep toe, mustard colored vegan shoes, i did find a nice variety to ponder over. most of them i love and would wear on a regular basis! but which ones are my wedding day shoes? i have to choose by next week because my first alterations appointment is coming up.

which shoes are your favorite?! help me decide!

sneak peak: invitations !

sorry guys, i have been so busy lately getting my archived posts up on weddingbee, working out, eating cake, and ignoring the fast approaching wedding! expect regular posting (and panicking) from here on out.

before I showcase our invitations, here is a little sneaky peaky. all photos are by Hazelnut Photography.





more words, details and photos soon!