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the best things in life are free?

11/18/2013

so, the winmock at kinderton has a crapton of nooks and crannies to decorate. and i have my table decoration plan down for both ceremony and reception — even the guest book table and gift area. i'm covered. but all those nooks and crannies, and all those places you never think about but will need something the day of? i'm not so covered. or should i say wasn't so covered?

i looked around the apartment, and realized that matt and i have a ton of crap we don't need. you know, combining two adult apartments and all ... in fact, we have a crapton of promotional pint glasses.

a crapton of crannies and a crapton of glasses? they should meet.

as you know, we're doing bulk flowers in white and blue. maybe some succulents. but you gotta have something to put them in, right? something you can put water in. and in a nook or cranny, they won't have to withstand really close scrutiny. so i made pint glass vases.

you'll need:
- free pint glasses you have no use for
- leftover spray paint from the engagement shoot props
- leftover wedding colors paint
- leftover ribbon from the wedding exit wands
- leftover dowel rod from the wedding exit wands
- a crumpled up brown bag you were gonna throw away
- a hot glue gun (if desired)

what you do:
- clean the glass

if you're spray painting:
- shove the bag into the bottom of the cup, with the dowel rod to create a handle
- go outside, shaking your spray paint as you go
- spray your glass in a thick coat, following the directions helpfully printed on the can
- let it dry like 10 minutes (i set mine down on a scrap of butcher's paper)

if you're painting:
- coat the inside of the glass with paint
- with a foam brush, paint the outside of the glass
- let dry for HOURS
- do a second coat
- let dry for HOURS

- put the ribbon on with the hot glue gun, or just tie it. tying works.

if you don't pick them up or stare at them, they're pretty cute ...

i suggest covering your hand with that paper bag unless you want to look like an extra from "avatar."

and ... there you have it. "free" BACKGROUND vases that you can just throw away when you're done with them. i'm pretty brilliant.

xoxo,
the bride

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don't tell me this is a bad idea because i'm in love with it

11/17/2013

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ohmygod, hi. hyper-excited rachel here with the perfect way to start a d.i.y. post: "you'll think this is an amazing idea and i might recruit you to help even if you don't think this is an amazing idea."

ok, so. let's say we have 150-200 people at this shindig. let's just say. that's possibly 25 tables of 8. and we need to dress 25 tables of 8, possibly.

you can rent some really way too tall hurricane vases, 3 per, for $45 a table. then you have to fill them with flowers or rocks or floating candles. and for a long table, that's gonna feel pretty sparse.

i know, i know. i've already invested in the vintage mismatched china. (and i'm still over the moon about it, so excited.) but what if we make it a theme?

because we not only have the tables at the reception, but the standing cocktail rounds at the champagne ceremony to dress. not to mention all the nooks and crannies in that huge room.

my mom and i already had the stroke of genius to use plates (because there are extra plates) on stands — salads as table numbers and dinners as nook-and-cranny decorations. and, as luck would have it, she just happens to collect these totally cool rare vintage teapots.

why not use them? and if we're already using plates and pots, why not cups? and bowls? so i went to ebay, and had an ebasm. yes. an ebasm.

hello, mismatched teacups. i can float a single bud in them. i can make them into candles. i can pot herbs in them. and i can sell them all packaged with my china when we're done. because it's china. wow.

but that's just the reception decor figured out. what about the many standing cocktail tables we'll need for the champagne ceremony? i want them to feel like the whole event belongs together. enter, anchor hocking and hazel atlas. yes, depression glass. and 70's glass. sue me:

let's get some bulk gardenias, maybe some succulents. let's get some fancy white sand. let's make some candles. this wedding is decorated. and it feels like it has a theme. i love that.

oh, and crazy, you can get personalized teabags as a favor. thinking about it. also, excited to make candles.

xoxo,
a very excited d.i.y. bride

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choose your own

11/2/2013

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k, so, rachel here as always.

i've picked my maids and matt and i have picked our colors. i've been working on an "invitation" for my maids to be a part of my party to send to each of them. i'm pretty sure they all already know they're being invited, but i need to make it official.

when it comes to dresses, i've got one who hates to show her arms, even though there's nothing wrong with them. one who worries about baby body, even though she doesn't have one. one who thinks she weighs too much even though she weighs less than most americans. seriously, if we're not all candidates for body dysmorphic, i'm not sure who is.

so, i'm letting them all pick their own knee-length cocktail dresses. my only criteria, minus "knee-length cocktail dress" is that the color be in the wedding palette. basically, my rule is: if you can find it in the feather of a (nonalbino) peacock, and it's not black or tan, you can wear it. with tan shoes. tan HEELS to be exact. tan = warm caramel from the wedding colors.

i'd love it if the dress could have some type of 20's flare, like fringe or drop waist or lace. but i'm not real picky. i made a handy wedding color guide for each of them:

i found these really thin wooden tags at hobby lobby. you'll also need painter's tape, paint, brushes, a ruler and a pen.

i painted them each on both sides in eloquent ivory in two coats. once they were dry, i marked them off with painters tape so i could highlight my two main colors while featuring my three accent colors.

once that dries, paint each square in wedding colors. one coat did it. the main colors get the largest squares.

the wooden tags were kinda splintery. and instead of digging out matt's sandpaper, i used an emory board i found in my purse. that shit worked.

i learned on "next hgtv design star" that you should always paint taped-off areas with your base paint first, in case the paint bleeds under the tape. i didn't notice bleeding, though.

once they're dry, remove the tape and label what the maids will be looking at: wedding (dress) colors and shoes.

and (hopefully) there you have it: the best damn bridesmaid dress guide on earth. i guess we'll see ;)

xoxo,
the bride

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a well-set table

11/1/2013

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rachel here ;)

anyone who knows me knows that we aren't a couple that's going to register for china. not because we won't use it. but because we don't need it. i kinda already own it.

not only do matt and i collectively have 3 sets of everyday tableware, and not only do i collect alcohol-themed decorative dessert-sized plates — but i got a wild hair one day to hit replacements limited and create my own mismatched china set. i had a lot of fun:

i'm kind of in love with the set. and i looked all over for a company that rents vintage mismatched china in the north carolina area for receptions. and i found a few. crazy expensive.

but i really think it's a great way to decorate a table without needing much by way of centerpieces. i also really like the idea of really long communal tables, as opposed to rounds. so any centerpieces would need to be low so people can meet and talk over them. the table will really need something.

but i was starting to think my mismatched china dream would never come true, because of the cost.

until i saw libby's listing on tradesy for her full wedding vision, which included 285 mismatched dinner plates at $1 a pop and 402 mismatched salad plates at 50 cents a pop. even with more than we'd need, the cost would be less than renting.

libby and i are now working out transportation, through family and friends. so no crazy shipping costs for such a heavy delivery. here are libby's photos from her wedding:

libby was nice enough to break up her vision, so she still has the vases, mirrors, candles, trees and fabric available.

but just imagine these plates on a long wooden table with a mismatched salad plate sitting atop each one with peacock blue and warm caramel linen napkins. we can still get glasses and silverware from the catering company.

and the best part is: we can sell them right back on tradesy. totes excited.

just in case you wanted to know, here are the places that rent:
vintage plate rental (they're not in nc but they ship)
mason dixon rentals
vintage charlotte
east west vintage rentals
southern vintage table
chairished vintage

xoxo,
the bride

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the best things in life are free?

don't tell me this is a bad idea because i'm in love with it

choose your own

a well-set table

the mcmillans

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