26 Aug

Wedding Favor Frenzy!

All the guests at our wedding will be people we love very much, who have all supported us in one way or another, so I’d like to give them something nice to take home. After spending ages debating what I could give as favours that…
a) Fit in with the overall geeky theme of the wedding
b) Everyone will like
c) Don’t cost too much
…I was just about to take Miss Manners’ advice and not do them at all, but I decided to because I want to show people -albeit in a very small way- that I appreciate them. It’s giving me a massive headache though, because I get the feeling most people will leave the favours behind because they’re ‘not their sort of thing’ because we’ll get stuff that suits us and our wedding but gifts for the guests should be things they like and not things we like but what do they like? I DON’T KNOW!!!

Aaaaaand, breathe.

So, I’ve had very many ideas, now I’m just in the stages of working out which favours will be relatively cheap and liked by most guests (I’m not so delusional that I think everyone will like them!). Cue favour parade!

First up are these adorably nerdy sour candies. They come in many many designs (Hello Kitty, Resident Evil, Gears Of War, Family Guy, Emily Strange… the list goes on…). The picture below -courtesy of Google Images- shows the Pacman and Super Mario designs.
Pros: Everyone loves candy, so even if they don’t quite get what the design on the tin is meant to be they’ll still enjoy the goodness inside!
Cons: Unless I manage to get hold of them from a wholesale supplier, they’re going to be expensive.

My latest obsession is with the show True Blood, so part of me wants to give each guest a bottle of carbonated blood-orange-flavoured Tru Blood, which they sell at www.trubeverage.com, among other places.
Pros: My inner squealing fangirl totally loves this idea.
Cons: “It’s not real blood, it’s just a fizzy drink packaged to look like the synthetic blood that vampires drink in a TV show I’m obsessed with. No, granny, I don’t need therapy. No, this doesn’t mean we’re satanists now.” I don’t wish to have this conversation.

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August 26, 2010 by Geek Bride | Filed under: Wedding Gifts & Favors | 6 Comments
Tags: cake, candy, favor, favour, wedding day, wedding favors, wedding favours, wedding planning, weddings

19 Aug

Bridal Breakdown

When it comes to the wedding, I care about a great many things. I care about my dress, and the hog roast, and the invitations, and the honeymoon, and even the favours (although I’m having a massive headache over them). But there are some things that I honestly don’t give a damn about: the cake, the centrepieces, the chocolate fountain, the decorations, the wedding video, and the band.

So when I asked Geek Groom what sort of cake he wanted, and he responded with “whatever you want”… it wasn’t pretty.

I’m terrible at making decisions about stuff I DO care about! Seriously, I’ll spend ten minutes hovering in the shop trying to decide between a Lion bar or a packet of wine gums! He always makes the decisions about things, and now I’m having to decide on everything about this wedding, even the stuff I don’t give a [very bad word] about!

After I told GG all of this (with sobs, sniffles and occassional hiccups), he completely disarmed me with logic.
“Well, why don’t you just make a list of all the stuff you don’t want to do, and I’ll do it?”
That never occured to me, because I am an irrational crazypants. Fortunately I’m marrying a man who will give me a hug and pat me on the head, before giving me a solution to the problem I was getting so worked up about in the first place. What a team!

So I’m making the list (cheerfully titled ‘Things Laura Doesn’t Give A [very bad word again, sorry] About So Scott Will Do Them’) because I may suck at decisions, but I totally rock at lists. And the moral of this is, play to your strengths, work as a team, and be thankful that your partner loves you even when you go a little insane

(PS:- Sorry about the overly melodramatic title, but it was all I could think of!)

August 19, 2010 by Geek Bride | Filed under: Cakes,Catering & Food,Fashion, Jewelry & Runway,Invitations & Save The Dates,Travel & Honeymoon,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 3 Comments
Tags: before the wedding, check-list, getting the groom involved, planning choices, wedding check list, wedding planning, weddings

17 Aug

My DIY: Favors!

I am almost completely finished with my favors! Whew! With only 19 days to go, I am trying to stay calm and focused. My attempt to take it all one step at a time is a practice in redundancy. I freak out, remind myself not to freak out and then do a little more work towards the end goal… wash, rinse, repeat. This too shall pass. I am just glad that I started as far out from my date as I did. I can’t imagine combining the whole year’s work down into 6 months or less. To all of you divas that do… I salute you; you are my personal s’heros. Now, down to brass tacks.
The latest DIY project is my honey jar favors. I purchased the tiny quilted jars from my local grocery store in the canning aisle. At 12 for $7.00, they were a bargin. Using a family friend as our honey connection (he has kept bees for around 30 years) was another win for our finances. To top it off, the hemp I used for tying, the tags for labeling and the fabric to top the jars were all bought at Wal-Mart for next to nothing!! In the end, 100+ jars of local honey to be used as favors/placecards = $70.00. You just have to love that!

August 17, 2010 by heather_n_will | Filed under: DIY Weddings,Floral & Decor,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 4 Comments
Tags: DIY, DIY bride, diy projects, DIY wedding projects, guest favors, wedding favors, wedding planning

12 Aug

Treat Your Bridesmaids

As the wedding day quickly approaches, I find myself shopping for one last special gift for each of my bridesmaids. I’ve already picked up a few things over the past couple of months that I thought each bridesmaid would like, but I’m still looking for a little something extra that shows just how much I appreciate all their time and hard work. So as I perused the internet last night looking for a gift that was worthy, I came across these adorable edible creations by Weddingish. Not only would they be a great way to say thanks to your maids, but if you’re just starting out in the planning process and have yet to find a creative way to ask your bridesmaids, this would be the perfect way to say “will you?”. The cookies come in all different designs and can be ordered through dozens of different companies with a simple google search. Even better news is, for less than $10 each, they’re affordable on any budget! Here were some of my favorite picks:

Another great idea is to give a personalized cookie to a bride-to-be! They’re perfect for a congratulations to a newly engaged friend, or even as a tasty treat to give at a bachelorette party. I thought these were so cute since they come with a little crown pin!

Who doesn’t love a delicious sugar cookie, especially one that was made just for them? You could even DIY these cookies if you’re the baking type! No matter what, your girlfriends are going to swoon over a gift like this… and if you’re lucky, they might even share!

(Photo Credit: Weddingish.com)

August 12, 2010 by pinklovebird | Filed under: All the rest,Bridal Parties,DIY Weddings,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 2 Comments
Tags: bridesmaid cookies, bridesmaid gifts, wedding favors

03 Aug

My DIY: Bridesmaids Gifts

Hello again, ya’ll! I feel like I have been gone forever, but I really needed that vacation to sunnier shores that kept me away. I have been back to reality for about a week now. Still, the busy-ness of getting back into the swing of things has not allowed me to get to my favorite things… like blogging here! There is tons to catch up on!

A few days ago I met with my girlfriend that is creating the jewelry for my BM’s, my Jr. BM (oldest daughter) and my Flowergirl (youngest daughter). She works three jobs, so she hasn’t had a chance to really get into getting things done and with time running so short she grabbed me and two of her jewelry making friends and we all got to work. I am just thrilled that I got to be involved because it is something I have never tried and I am Mrs. CraftyBritches.
Yes, I was super excited to try out a new thing. The ladies I worked with were wonderful and supportive… but I think it has been proven that there are somethings that a person is just not great at. I can not, for the life of me, tie in a clasp or properly work a crimper. I take years to decide on a pattern and then I second guess myself thirty times. The two older ladies there had to have the patience of Job to deal with me. But I had brought us all dinner and snacks, so they couldn’t have hated me too bad. In any case, we laughed a lot… cussed a little… and accomplished more than I thought was possible!
We finished both of my daughters’ sets, finalized the BMs’ designs and got a lot done there too!

I am so looking foward to getting all the finished products in hand! I can’t wait to share them on here! This is one DIY project that I really didn’t skimp on price with. Thank the Lord that my friend is doing these at no cost, because the pearls, Swarovski crystals and all the copper findings where quite expensive. I don’t mind though, because my girls are worth every penny. ( And I may borrow my sis in law’s set on occasion. LOL)

August 3, 2010 by heather_n_will | Filed under: Bridal Parties,DIY Weddings,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 3 Comments
Tags: bridesmaids gifts, bridmaids jewelry, DIY bride, DIY wedding project, wedding jewelry, wedding planning, weddings

26 Jul

We’re Married! NY Wedding Day Details!

Yay!!! We’re married!!!

July 17th came and went so fast! We are so grateful that we have such amazing friends and family members that were willing to help us decorate and get ready for the wedding. It turned out to be a gorgeous day and the venue was amazing. Everything just fell into place and turned out perfectly!

Below is a sneak peek of me on our wedding day… more pictures to follow in a few weeks! I can’t wait to see them!!!

DETAILS…..

I’m not sure where to even start, there were so many details that went into the planning… if you don’t already know from my previous posts– I LOVE Etsy and Save-On-Crafts.com !!!

Photographer: Chrissy Albright at http://www.chrissyalbright.com of Syracuse, NY (Upstate New York, Southern Tier of New York, and surrounding areas)
Bride’s Hair: Genevieve at New Dimensions Salon & Day Spa in Hornell, NY & Ken Paves HairDo Clip In Extensions from Amazon.com
Bride’s Nails: acrylics and pedicure at Annie Nails in Hornell, NY
Tanning: Rose’s Tan in Hornell, NY
Cake: Linda Fucci of Hornell, NY
Ceremony & Reception Location: Lake Lodge in Alfred, NY
Rehearsal Dinner: RBI Sports Pub, Hornell, NY with live band on the patio “The Bard Brothers”
Lodging for Bride & Groom: Country Cabin Manor Bed & Breakfast, Alfred Station, NY
Pastor: Steve Dygert, Almond, NY
Veil: Save-On-Crafts.com
Custom Designs (CD, Wish Tree Tag, Monogram, Menu): Ginger at Studio G Designs on Etsy

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July 26, 2010 by Princess0311 | Filed under: All the rest,Ceremony and Vows,DIY Weddings,Fashion, Jewelry & Runway,Floral & Decor,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 2 Comments
Tags: bride, bridesmaids, centerpiece, cermony, decal, details, dress, flask, flip flops, flower girl, garter, groom, groomsmen, hair, jewelry, nails, peacock, photographer, ring, shoes, survival kit, veil, wedding

19 Jul

Wedding Recap: All about the favors:

I had mentioned in many previous blog posts about the four, count ‘em, FOUR different favors that we gifted our guests as a thank you for sharing our special day with us.

My thought process when coming up with our favors was a list of things I wanted to provide our family and friends…meaning, I didn’t actually set out to have more than one favor at our event, but when I thought of all the other little things I wanted to do and incorporate, the guests ended up leaving with quite a bit

1) Comfort
2) Practicality
3) Memory/Keepsake
4) Sweets

1) To keep our guests comfortable, we set out a basket of flip flops near the dance floor so they could kick off their heels to keep sore feet going. I found this idea on my coordinator’s web site and loved it. At the end of the night, there were only 12 out of 72 pairs of flip flops left so this must have been a huge hit!

20100416 StaceyJohn 0805 Wedding Recap: All about the favors:

My sister made these adorable flip flop signs

20100416 StaceyJohn 0797 Wedding Recap: All about the favors:

2) For practicality, we wanted to provide them something useful to remember our day and us by. There was a favor box at each place setting that contained a small keychain. The keychain also doubled as a 5 foot tape measure…perfect for purses, glove boxes or junk drawers at home. And with the help of my creative sister, we designed a little sticker for the keychain that read “Love Beyond Measure”. Get it? Measure? As in, like, the tape measure…cute, I know, right?

Personal Photo

The little favor box was a dark red colored chinese take out box that had a tag on it that we made that read ‘The Beever’s Blessing – Numbers 6:24-26′ This little passage reference was mentioned in my toast I gave and blogged about as our prayer for our guests.

20100416 StaceyJohn 0286 Wedding Recap: All about the favors:

Picture of the tables set up with the favor boxes but no silver or glassware yet

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July 19, 2010 by Born to be Mrs. Beever | Filed under: Wedding Gifts & Favors | 3 Comments
Tags: chair boxes, escort cards, favors, flip flops, guests

14 Jul

Biggest Get Married Sale…EVER!!

Get Shopping!

July 14, 2010 by GM Shop Girl | Filed under: Invitations & Save The Dates,Wedding Gifts & Favors | 0 Comments
Tags: bridal accessories, cake cutters, ceremony decorations, get married wedding shop, groom's gifts, reception decorations, save the dates, wedding favors, wedding invitations, wedding napkins, wedding shop, wedding stationary

12 Jul

Saying thank you is not nearly enough

I knew it would be a while before I’d be able to send out thank you cards because I wanted to create them with a picture of us on the wedding day holding up our Thank and You cards and with pictures from our honeymoon since so many of our guests gave us cash and checks either directly or through our honeyfund.com site. That said, when I finally got our pro pics back, I found the best pic I could of us holding the Thank and You cards (remember almost all the shots our photog took of us holding them had my sign covering up Mr Fix It’s!) and then added in some of our best honeymoon shots.

This is what I came up with via http://www.shutterfly.com/. I truly love this site. They have a lot of templates and color/style options and are so user friendly and somewhat affordable. You can often find coupon codes by doing a google search for a percent off your order or free shipping. Which I of course did

Thank+You+Cards Saying thank you is not nearly enough

The inside of the card looks like this:

Inside+Thank+You+Card Saying thank you is not nearly enough

I then would write little captions next to each of the pictures above saying things like “On our balcony” or “Hiking in the rainforest” so they knew what was going on or where the pic was taken.

The bottom half of the inside of the card was where I would write my message. My sister laughed at me when she saw that I was ‘writing a novel’ to every one of our guests filling the entire bottom half of the page. But what can I say? I do not like thank you cards that say something like:

Dear John,

Just wanted to thank you so much for the wonderful gift of the toaster you gave us at the wedding. It really was something we both wanted and we really appreciate it. Thanks for celebrating our special day with us.

Love, the Beevers

Nah, that’s boring and while nice and to the point, I like to write something a little more personal to each guest. So most of my cards looked something like this:

Hi, Omar & Tracy!

John and I just wanted to let you know what a joy it was to have you there celebrating our special day with us. We had so much fun at our wedding and it looks like you both did, too from the photobooth pictures we saw! I heard you saw an amazing trick the magician performed for you, too. And I so appreciate the photos that you posted on Facebook to share with us. We love them! And we love you, too. We were overwhelmed by your very generous gift of $100 to help make our honeymoon dreams come true. We shared some pictures above to show you how great it was. Hopefully we can get together soon to catch up. Take care and thank you again so very much.

Stacey & John

Or for an actual gift, I would switch out the line about the honeymoon dreams with something like:

I can’t tell you how grateful we were for the new Martha Stewart knife set you gave us. We really needed a new set and I use it every single day…especially to slice the veggies for my famous garlic roasted potatoes that John loves. We’ll have to have you over for dinner some time to catch up.

Or you can switch out the line about the magician with something like “We loved seeing you tear it up on the dance floor which just made us enjoy ourselves so much more!”

So, what do you think, ladies? Am I truly anal and an over achiever? Because it takes me forever to write these out and my hand is killing me after only a few!

TODAY’S WEDDING TIP: Start writing thank you cards as soon after the wedding as you can..maybe even on your honeymoon while lounging on a beach somewhere? I don’t like the old idea that you have up to a year to send them out…but since it is a daunting task, I have allowed myself the option to only write 5 or 6 thank you cards each day or two (or three). I started about a couple weeks ago and I seriously have about 85 cards to write! UGH, thankfully, I’ve only got about 37 or so to go!