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Heyo, my Broke-Ass Babies! Today, I come bearing TREATS!
Well, maybe not so much treats. Well, maybe yes treats. Depends on how you look at it. Because you, my chickens, are about to experience the blog debut of our very fancy webseries in partnership with Mahalo.com… with a video in which Hunter and I are teaching you how to mold your own soaps to give as gifts or favors!
We are hoping to release one of these a week for the next couple of months on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for the most recent updates as they happen! We’ve got lots of fun DIY projects, advice and witty banter to keep you occupied and entertained ’til the cows come home. Or at least until you get married. No, scratch that… a bunch of our videos can be useful even to the long-married or not-even-engaged, so YAY – everybody wins!
I really hope you like them. Please let us know. We’re vain and insecure and need your reassurance that we’re making sense and not just babbling fools And if you like it, feel free to share it! Everyone should make their own molded soap – its hellza fun!
Also, for you SoCal peeps, I’ll be speaking on a panel a week from today, on Thursday, July 7 for the WIPA, titled “think like an editor: how to get published“… giving tips to wedding pros on getting their work out there among the blogosphere and in print. I’m excited because I love any chance to speak to a group. Its never easy, but its a challenge I enjoy rising to, especially in such highly respectable company as my co-panelists: Rebecca from The Knot, Allison Kornberg-Walch from the LA Times, and Katrina from Marriage.com! Wish me luck!
And, ANNND…. for anyone who appreciates hot beats and a sweaty dance-off, I’m thrilled to share the LIVE recorded mix with which The Flashdance shredded our sitcom fundraiser party dance floor with last week! Just in time for your holiday weekend festivities, I hope you all enjoy it as obsessively much as we do!
A few weeks ago I lead a DIY workshop at The Wedding Pantry, making “favors with flava” – homemade Bath Soaks and Sugar Scrubs. It was my first time leading a workshop, and it was hella fun! Making your own bath soak and sugar scrub is insanely easy and inexpensive its silly, so make some for yourself while you’re at it. I’ve been using our scrub and its ahhhhhmazing!
They put out a cute sign for the event, I felt so legit! (See that wedding dress in the window there? Its made of PAPER, yo!)
Here’s the ingredients for the sugar scrub. Everything in it is not only natural, but edible too! And the smell? Just don’t blame me if you find yourself licking your fingers in the shower, yo. You can use any oil you want as the base, but I prefer coconut or almond. Coconut oil is mega moisturizing, and its solid at room temperature, so its an excellent vehicle for the sugar in your scrub. I brought fine granulated white sugar, brown sugar, and sugar in the raw. I like to mix all three, about 1/3 of each… but you can customize it to be as coarse or as fine as you like by changing that up or omitting one completely. Honey adds even more moisture so I like to add a squirt of that as well. The best part is there are no rules. Just mix it all together until you reach a consistency you like!
You might even have all the ingredients for our homemade bath soak already in your pantry. Really all you need is coarse kosher or epsom salts and essential oil to scent them… but you can add oats and/or baking soda for a more skin soothing and moisturizing soak. You can get little bottles of essential oil at a natural foods store. I bought Lavender because its relaxing, and grapefruit because its so invigorating. Just remember that a little goes a long way!
In between each step, we all went around playing “Two Truths and a Lie” which adding a fun bit of spice and girly slumber party fun to the workshop. None of the girls were very good liars, though… it was adorable.
Ta Da! Behold, the finished products. We got those jars at Ikea – they come in packs of 4 for $4… and one for a dolla makes me holla! A little ribbon and a gift tag puts the perfect touch on your gifties… even if you’re just giving them to yourself
Food for the event was provided by the totally boner-worthy Soho Taco. I ate wayyyyy too many of their gourmet veggie tacos and their topping bar was mad addictive. I’m a huge fan of taco carts at events – heck, we had one at our engagement party – and these are by far the best I’ve had. I highly recommend them!
Yum.
Just look at this motley crew of workshoppers! We had a total blast, and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity. Thanks to Eva and Wendy at The Wedding Pantry for having me, Holly Steen of Cakes and Kisses Photography for taking these gorgeous photos, and to Rico at Soho Taco for dinner!
Whether its monogrammed napkins, ice sculptures carved in your likeness, or temporary tattoos with your wedding date on them, there’s a million and one ways to make your wedding day super personal. But here’s a simple, cost-effective way that’s sure to resonate with you and your guests – Bottle Your Brand lets you design personalized wine bottle labels! Choose from their broad selection of designs, or, if you’re a stickler for absolute creative control, use their Design Online tool to make your labels from scratch!
You probably haven’t thought of approaching your wedding from a marketing perspective, but Bottle Your Brand gives you all the tools you need to let your event leave an imprint. If your life as a couple had a label, what would it look like? Create your own logo, add monograms, words of wisdom, favorite quotes, photos of you, your pets, your grandparent’s wedding snapshots – whatever strikes your fancy! Personalized labels from Bottle Your Brand are a sure way to get your goth college girlfriend and your 86 year old great grandma chatting over a nice glass of Syrah!
Maybe you’re opting out of wine and springing for a nice cooler full of microbrews instead? No problem! Bottle Your Brand also does beer bottle labels, and water bottle labels! They also have a ton of excellent, personalized little extras, like gift boxes, food labels, bumper stickers – the wedding favor options are endless! If you and your hubs-to-be spent an entire weekend canning your own salsa or making French macaroons, don’t let your guests walk away thinking they’re store-bought! Slap on a customized label and make sure they know how much love went into every favor.
This is the 3rd post in a week-long series of amazing DIY projects from Kimberly at Inspired Goodness from a wedding she designed. We already shared her ceremony canopy, ribbon wall, chair signs and tissue paper garland… and today we’re serving up her photo display wall and seed packet escort card favors!
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In keeping with Dan’s request to keep all the decorations “with a clear purpose”, we were given quite a challenge when trying to decorate such a massive loft space. The venue is completely bare, aside from a wood floor and large windows along one wall so the idea was to bring in color and but everything had to have a clear intention or purpose.
We choose to take the grass green color and mix it up with a series of large panels covered with moss. One of the panels featured photos from Marquina and Dan’s engagement shoot and the other two held escort cards.
Acting as double-duty as guest favors, the escort cards were tiny envelopes filled with Wildflower Seeds. We designed a sticker to coordinate with their invitations for them. The front side listed the guest name and table number while the backside served as a set of directions for how to plan the seeds. Efficient, beautiful and creative!
Using photos the couple printed out from Shutterfly, we created one large moss-covered panel to showcase the pics.
To recreate these panels, here’s a simple how-to:
1. Using a hot glue gun, glue down sheets of moss onto foam core panel.
2. Attach photos to black cover stock using black photo corners
3. Affix the photos to the panels using straight pins on each corner. Be sure to push the pins through the photo corners, not the actual photo (so you don’t damage your prints).
Cost Breakdown for Photo Panel + Escort Card/Favor Display:
• Foam core: $15
• Sheet Moss: $30
• Black cover stock: $8
• Package of black photo corners: $5
• Straight pins: free (we have a large box in our sewing kit!)
• Kraft Paper Envelopes $20
• Avery Labels: $14 (we only used a portion from the box)
• 1 Box of Pearl Head Pins: $5
• Wildflower seeds: provided by the couple, approx. $30
Total Costs for both projects: $129
Stay tuned throughout the week, for more Inspired DIY Goodness from Kimberly Canale, including a photo-display wall, seed packet escort card favors and invitations! Playing catch-up? Don’t miss the Ceremony Canopy and Interior ribbon and tissue designs! (photos by Casey Fatchett Photography)
LMFAO has taught me two things: How to seamlessly mix ‘n match neons and plaids, AND how to get krunk in a timely fashion. Liquor. Booze. Sauce. Hooch. Canned heat. Call it what you want, but at our wedding, we’re serving it in shot form. Hence the shout-out to LMFAO’s liquoriffic tune: “Shots.”
Well, wait. Back up. We won’t be shelling out the shots straight out the gate. We’ll most-likely wait til the dance party hits, but I can’t make any promises. If I need to accompany my tofu Korean BBQ tacos with a shot (or three) of Patron, then this bride won’t be shying away from premature hardcore revelry. Ultimately, I want our wedding to look like this by the end of the night, (with way less clothing):
Wedding Crashers: Schooling you on how to drink at a reception.
Many brides dream of the moment they walk down the aisle and lock eyes with their beloved for the first time. Me on the other hand? I dream of the moment when our wedding guests do a group tequila shooter to kick off our massive dance party. What better way to get everyone on the dance floor, AND get them to stay on the dance floor for hours to come? It’s shots all the way, baby. And I couldn’t be more excited. But in order to serve said shots, we need a ton of actual shot glasses. 75 to be exact. And since we aren’t renting any glassware, and our venue doesn’t provide any, we are forced to get a little creative. And that’s when my love affair with ebay started. I blindly typed in “lot of shot glasses” thinking I wouldn’t find anything. But boy was I wrong. Check out the loot:
Current bid on these babies is $8.95!
Gettin' hitched in the Southwest? Pimp out your wedding with these saguaro shot glasses.
Here is a lot of 56 Shots glasses for only $9.99!
I check ebay regularly for deals… just in case there’s a lot of shot glasses I simply can’t pass up. In fact… just the other day I purchased a lot of 26 Arizona State University BRAND NEW shot glasses for $6.99. Six dollars and ninety-nine cents, people. Not only was the price amazing, BUT Mike and I met while attending Arizona State… and half our wedding party ALSO attended Arizona State. AND we still go to all the ASU football games together… and tailgate together… so are you thinking what I’m thinking? We can re-use these suckers over and over and over! YAY!
I have a feeling we'll get A LOT of use out of these...
As for the rest of the shot glasses we will purchase? Well, I figure they’d be nice souvenirs for our wedding guests to take home. And if not, we can Brideshare them, re-sell them on ebay, paint them and use them as candle-holders, or we can always just donate them to the local frathouse.
Have you ever done shots at a wedding? Because I have honestly never been to a wedding where this kind of behavior drinking was encouraged. So I’m curious to see how it will all turn out… Am I setting our wedding up for drunken disaster?
When people who work in the industry get married, magic almost always ensues, so we’ve got an awesomesauce (and timely) real wedding feature today! It’s the stunning wedding of Suthi and Sanjay! Yep, the same Suthi of Suthi Picotte Photography who’s giving away a free wedding photography package with us (hurry, you can still enter!). For now though you can enjoy these gawjuss photos and take away some wedding inspiration too from this phenomenal green wedding!
We big puffy heart Suthi and her gorgeous wedding! Through her lens at work, she has seen her fair share of gorgeous dresses, decor, and inspiration… so she was well versed in inspiration when it came time to envision very own ultra fabbie wedding. Suthi had a tremendous entourage of wedding visionaries including florals by Holly Flora, event planning by Angel Swanson of Love and Splendor, and photography by Amy and Stuart. Suthi & Sanjay tied the knot in Los Angeles, and because they are both in the arts (Sanjay is a film producer), naturally their wedding was overflowing with creativity!
Serious eye candy for the stylephile in us all!
Suthi looks like a goddess while getting laced into her stunning dress
The absolute best thing about the wedding was that Suthi and Sanjay incorporated loads of colors and textures into their day. Suthi wore a dress that looked good enough to eat with all of its decadent layers of pleats and ruffles. Yum! She looks like a porcelain doll getting all laced up! I swear, this dress is one of my favorites ever, and guess what yo? You can rent this exact style of St. Pucci at a fraction of the cost at A One Night Affair!
Love this St. Pucci gown? You can rent it for $800 at onenightaffair.com!
Her colorful and trendy bouquet took a mix of colors and consistency orange orchids, green succulents, pink peonies, and deep wine colored roses and were tied together with a bright aqua colored ribbon. Y’all know I love a girl who’s not afraid of some color!
Holly Flora made sure that Suthi's bouquet was bursting with colors. Gorgeous!
They laced in some insanely fly personal touches, such as a beautiful vignette in the entryway complete with exquisite sari fabric, feathers, florals, old family photos, letters and peacocks. A vignette is the perfect eye-catching way to greet your guests and introduce your theme and overall feel of the event… and if you use objects from around your home or from your family/friends, it doesn’t even have to cost a dime!
I totes want my living room to feel like this!
A close up of the vignette reveals old family photos, letters, and personal items to make the display a beautiful expression of Suthi and Sanjay's history and family lineage.
The ceremony and reception was held at the ever-hip Marvimon House – a convertible indoor/outdoor space. The ceremony was outdoors, with a gorgeous swag backdrop accented with Margiold garlands, weaving Indian tradition into their design.
Don't you adore their style? To die for!
But holy Holly Flora, how much do you love love love the tablescape?! The long and rustic wooden tables featured a bounty of myriad colors including using orange, pink, blue, and purple napkins to identify the tables (using color rather than table numbers or something similar) and an earthy moss table runner. Look familiar? That’s because this very wedding inspired our own wedding tablescapes! Moss is a surprisingly inexpensive and sustainable decor option that adds tons of bang for its buck!
All the vases and votives are from Holly Flora's exquisite collection of eclectic vintage glassware.
Take a moment to enjoy the whimsical florals, colors and textures. Now tilt your head to the side so you prevent drooling on your keyboard.
The varied heights of the vases and the differences in florals and tea lights create a visually drool worthy display. I love that not everything is so matchy-matchy. You can scour flea markets and estate sales you can create an eclectic and visually interesting display, even on a budget! Using bud vases and small vintage glassware for vases requires less floral expense as well because you only need one or two buds per vessel. Just combine various sizes, colors, and textures and you’ll create a truly beautiful and unique space that will be one of a kind without breaking the bank while being more eco-friendly. Plus after the wedding you’ll have a great collection for your home or to give as gifts!
The small details like this jade tiger add whimsy and drama. Everywhere you look you see some new detail!
This venue is truly decadent! The lighting and decor fit so perfectly.
Guests picked up truffles as a gift from a table decorated with mushrooms and amethyst.
This is one of my favorite wedding photos ever. It communicates such a sexy vibe and mood!
Suthi and Sanjay truly had a magical day with luscious details, texture and personality. Go ahead and take some of this inspiration for your own big day… I know I did! Be bold. Use color. Infuse your personality. Go absolutely wild and it will look incredibly decadent and personal!
Finding a unique wedding cardbox to fit our theme was a difficult undertaking. As much as I love the classic mailbox, vintage luggage and the sweet birdcage ideas, they weren’t quite right for our theme. I searched high and low to find something unique, exciting and memorable that spoke to us – but when I stumbled across For The Modern Bride I knew I had found the answer!
I love these darling boxes! They can be customized to match every element of your event, from size/layout to color scheme to embellishments and embroidery. They’re a wonderful keepsake idea and a supersafe way to ensure no greedy guests or interlopers grubby paws get inside and steal your proverbial candy. What I love the most is that they look like what they are, so there’s little room for guest confusion, and they make a great decor piece to get your gift table going!
For The Modern Bride also carries unique favors and does custom monogram, invitation and all other paper goods too! Its a fun way to carry a theme through all elements of your wedding – they can help you create a vision and provide all the elements you need from invites to placecards to aisle runners and favors…. its basically a one-stop bridal shop for a completely customized event. Easy peasy, yo.
Their favor selection is very reasonably priced, starting at around $0.50 each. They’ve got great eco-friendly options such as plantable petal cones and bamboo coasters, as well as more traditional selections. But my favorites are the “owl always love you” soaps and the perfect for uslucky elephant candle. All favors are 10% right now, bonus!
Looking through their paper-goods designs, I was very impressed with the variety of their work – they can suit any theme or style from the most buttoned-up preppy to the very whimsical and funky affairs, and every style is uniqe to the couple. They’re open to anything, if they don’t already offer what you’re looking for, they will develop it – I love a company open for a challenge!
I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of FTMB before, but I’m so glad to have found them. I’m currently working on a cardbox design with them, and can’t wait to share what they come up with for our funky and colorful Magic Carpet Ride theme! The girls there have been so sweet and accommodating, I feel like we’re old friends. Its rare to find a company who can handle so many wedding design elements with such personal flair, I just had to share them with y’all!
Have you found a unique card box or design element that you’re dying to share?
Two years ago, Hunter and I drove across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles, in search of a new home. The road trip was great – America is such a freakin’ beautiful place. Who knew that Utah would win my favorite state for scenery? And best place for melon – but that’s another story… Purple mountain majesty above the fruited plains
One of my favorite parts of the trip was that we listened to every California (or Hollywood) themed song we owned (which was like 5), to get us pumped as we approached. And, oh ma ga, it never stopped! For months, every time we drove into Beverly Hills, Hunter sang the Weezer song! Thank god those days are gone, or possibly I would have throttled him by now
When we were brainstorming ideas for items to include in our fabulous Out-of-Town Bags, we thought it would be fun to make a special California themed mix-tape for our guests to enjoy. We’ve been keeping a record of songs that fit the bill, but our brains have dried up and our library is limited, and now we’re stuck.
So I turn to you, dear readers: What are your favorite California, Los Angeles, or Hollywood themed songs of all time? From the uber-trendy, to ridiculously obscure, we need your help!
Last weekend, I got an email about a friend who is moving away and was having a free-for-all giveaway of many of her belongings. She also happens to be a manicurist – and is widely known among ‘the girls’ for having ‘the goods’. We didn’t really know what to expect, but I am never one to turn down anything free, so we set out to see the bounty of Justine’s generosity.
Lo and behold, we struck gold.
For our out-of-town bags, and the bathroom baskets, and even favors for the bachelorette party I’m planning as MOH to my best friend…. I present all the fancy nail crap anyone could ever need and then some!
We got a jillion travel-sized lotions, polishes in every color, travel sample pedi-masks and heel treatments, shampoos, conditioners, scrubs, soaps, files, buffers, solar oil, callous removers and more. High-end brand names, all brand new. All hail the mani/pedi motherlode!
I’m so excited! Who wouldn’t want a little extra pampering in their goodie bag? I know I would!
We also scored a bench and some outdoor chairs for our backyard, a poker set (for my man), and a handheld PacMan game. Thanks Justine!
As a bride, one thing I have learned over and over, is never turn down a freebie. It just might be a real treat for you, and your guests! Check your local craigslist’s “free” boards regularly, visit weekend garage sales, help a friend move – there’s tons of undiscovered treasure out there… just waiting to be rescued.
And if you like it, feel free to share it! Everyone should make their own molded soap – its hellza fun!
