Birds of a Feather, Eat Cake Together

I have not decided if we will want to go this route for our cake topper yet, but I came across the most incredible little alternative to your standard, not so inspiring, porcelain cake topper. These little birds are hand made by Ann Wood, a Brooklyn artist that has some of the most incredible little creatures you have ever seen. I will definitely keep her in mind, and wanted to share my amazing find with all you Chicago Brides.

Pieces of our Day

I have been searching for a unique way to create a guest book. I decided to make a mosaic table using tiles signed by our guests. I am using white unfinished tiles that are 1.5" square. To fill in, I will use colorful mosaic tiles that can be purchased at any craft store. I will also start shopping for a table I like, and will have a recessed level routered on the table top, leaving about an inch border. Our guests will signed each tile individually with a permanent black sharpie marker, and the will be stored safely on our wedding night. I will later finish each one with a sealant so they will not smear. I can then start arranging the tiles on my table top, and finish with a light amount of grout. I will also allow room in the center for one larger tile with our names, and wedding date. This will make for a great conversation piece, and will be perfect for displaying our wedding photos in our new home.

Paper Source

I love this place! I am a graphic designer that has an obsession with stationary. I have chosen to take on the task of designing and assembling everything made out of paper at our wedding. My checklist thus far consists of the following items:

Save the Dates
Invitation Card
Invitation Band Wrap
Insert Cards: Location * Map * Reception * RSVP
Vellum tags for hotel bags and bridal party gift bags
Bears Schedule Post Card for Hotel Bags (with directions to the church on back)
10-page wedding program
Table Numbers
Place Cards
Menu Cards
Favor Packaging
Letterhead for vendor correspondence
Thank You Cards

I am going to be busy! At my favorite Paper Source, located in River North, they already know me by name, and I am still in the trial and error phase. I have yet to place my BIG order.

Paper Source has an entire room filled with card stock of pretty much any color you can think of. They have books of examples for inspiration, and a friendly staff willing to help guide you in the right direction. You can venture upstairs to find all sorts of amazing little accents, and supplies. They do offer workshops, I have yet to partake. Even if you are not doing your invitations yourself, the store has everything you need for those extra items like gift tags, lables and place cards.

One of the coolest things I bought was our return address embosser. Since we already live together (it is 2007, this should not be shocking), we chose to leave our names off our return address, and simply just have our address. This way, after we are married, we can still use the plate (they are $25 each) until we move. We will then incorporate the “Mr. and Mrs.”

If you are going traditional with your invites, you can have your parents address embossed onto a plate as well.

They have Chicago locations in Lincoln Park, River North, Evanston, Highland Park, and Oak Park.

Digital Shopping Cart

I have been doing this a lot lately. Every time I plan a wedding shopping excursion, I make sure to take along my digital camera. While I am browsing, I take pictures of things I like, rather than purchasing them on the spot. Be sure to turn off your flash as not to draw attention to yourself, some stores may not approve of your flashy behavior. When I get home, I review what I took, and it helps me make better decisions about what I will be purchasing for décor. I am able to compare items, and pick out exactly the ones I want. I save my photos on my flash drive, in a folder called “shopping,” and label each subfolder with the name of the store I visited. Once you narrow your options down you can return to the stores to purchase them more confidently.

I like to visit places like Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn to take photos of their table settings, and table décor. I then head over to my local craft store to see if they have similar items that fit my budget.

Another great idea, is to start an inspiration board. Print the photos of items you absolutely love, and pin them up on a bulletin board to see how well everything goes together. You can also pin up photos you’ve pulled from magazines of flowers you like, or your bridesmaid dresses, ribbon, swatches, invitations, etc.

DIY Floral Arrangements

Here is an idea for the creative Bride. Buy your flowers wholesale, and arrange them yourself! Keep in mind this will have to be done the day before your wedding, so this should only be considered if you are willing to give up a few hours on the morning of the day before your wedding, and if you have creative friends and family that will help you. Here is what you will need to do:

Find a florist, or wholesaler that you can place an order of exactly they type of flowers you will want. If you are taking on this task, you may want to keep your selection to about 2-3 types of flowers. You will want to place your order no later than 3 months before the big day, and your order should arrive no earlier than 1 and a half to 2 days before your wedding.

Arrange several practice arrangements, and show those you have chosen to help how each one should look. This will also help you determine if the flowers you have chosen will hold up for the appropriate time. You will want them to maintain brilliance for at least 3 days.

Determine how many arrangements you will be making and what you will be using for vases. You can usually find reasonably prices vases at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabric, or even a grocery store that has a pretty extensive floral department. If you are ordering your vases, be sure to allot enough time for your shipment to arrive.

You can also consider finding a party supply company that will rent vases. Caution though, this may get a little bit nerve-racking come a week before the wedding. It might be better just buying the vases and then selling them later. This way too, you can possibly allow your guests to take these arrangements with them at the end of the night, without fear of losing a rented vase.

Talk with your reception venue and see if they have a room that you and your "floral posse" can set up shop the day before the wedding. It is mandatory that this room be kept at a cool temperature. Ideally, it would be a room adjacent to the ballroom, or the kitchen for easy transport of your arrangements to the tables.

You will need buckets filled with cold water to hold your un-arranged flowers, and a watering can with a thin, narrow spout to fill up vases that have been adorned.

Ask your venue if they will set out your arrangements the day of your wedding, or appoint a Day of Coordinator to make sure that all arrangements are properly placed on your tables. The last thing you want to do is direct set up on your big day.

Note: This does not pertain to your bouquets and boutonnières, these will have to be considered as well. You may want to leave this task to a professional florist, and have them match the rest of your flowers.

Fall Faux Pa

With much consideration to Chicago's rainy spring months and sticky summer days, my fiancé and decided on having a Fall wedding. I have notice a trend when it comes to bride's planning fall wedding, and this is choosing Autumn-Themed decor.

I must ask myself, do these brides really love squash, pumpkins and wheat this much, or are have they become victim to the Fall Faux Pa of wedding planning? Just because your wedding is to be held in a particular season, does not mean you need to run out and grab every item from the seasonal aisle at Hobby Lobby. Express your personal creativity and get past this typical decor barrier. We chose late September because Chicago weather is unbeatable in the fall. The first question I am asked when I tell friends of our date is: 'are you doing a fall theme?' My answer is no. I am quite sure my florist will have flowers in other colors beside burnt orange, rustic red and squash yellow. If I do find my selection is limited, I am not afraid to mix in a few beautiful silk replacements to match my decor, or go with a classic white arrangements and accent with my colors elsewhere.