Posts in the 'Reception' Category
June 8th, 2010 by Britt
I am very excited to share today’s post with you all. It’s been one helluva a journey, but I am finally ready to reveal the DIY bouquets we’ve been working on since April for my handmade wedding! After countless glue gun burns, hours of hair-pulling frustration, painting and re-painting, trial and error, then more trial and more error, then more trial and more error once again… the goal to complete 8 DIY bouquets has been accomplished. *Dusts shoulders off like a pimp*. Hopefully this provides you with some wedding inspiration of your own. Here’s the loot:
Seven beautiful bouquets, for seven beautiful ladies.
Here are a few up close and personal:
I made that!
Yes, that is a red lion "leaping" through the bouquet. Have you met me yet? My name is Wacky.
This one showcases cranes made out of magazine pages, then painted. Looks pretty funky fresh if you ask me.
And without further ado, here is MY bouquet, The Ultimate Ball of Pretty:
If I told you how many hours I spent making this thing, you wouldn't believe me. I don't even believe it. Let's just say I'm glad I started MONTHS ago...
Here’s a few more glamour shots of my bouquet, because, let’s face it, it’s just too awesome to not show off its curves:
The top of the ball. I am in love with the colors. In LOVE!
And you know what the *best* part about these bouquets is? They are 100% re-usable. In so many ways. I can Brideshare them… Ladies, let me know if you’re getting married in Los Angeles after July 31st. These babies could be all yours for free… as long as you promise to give them back to me when you’re done 
Hey man, I want to decorate my apartment with them after this whole wedding thing is over! But my absolute favorite part about these bouquets is that they are going to double as part of our centerpiece decorations at the wedding. Here are just a few examples of what we may do:
Blue ball jar + Cardboard packing coaster + Bouquet = Centerpiece magic!
My bouquet. Sittin pretty in a gift box that I covered in Chinese character paper and ribbon trim.
My bouquet in a wine tube carrier that I covered with Chinese character paper and laced-up ribbon.
The reason why I am more inclined to call these “balls of pretty” instead of “bouquets” is because the word bouquet implies real flowers. Well, at least in my mind it does. And I knew from the start that real flower bouquets weren’t going to be a possibility. So after much thought, I was able to boil the idea of a bouquet down to this definition: “Bouquets are just balls of pretty on sticks. They can be made out of anything you deem attractive to your eye. That’s it.” In case you are wondering what MY balls of pretty are made of… I started with a bouquet holder that set me back only 2 bucks. Then I glued some corks on it to create a good base, like so:
The bouquet's base. The heart. The center. The insides. The goo.
Then I started gluing like a mad woman. Here’s a list of materials I used:
- Wine Corks
- Champagne cork wire
- Yarn/yarn balls
- Ribbon
- Paper bag grocery bag handles
- Lace
- Pieces from old jewelry
- Plastic toy animals
- Bottle caps
- Brass brads
- Paint
- Mini finger skateboards
- Foam flowers
- Dried flowers
- Fake butterflies
- David Bowie pins
Even though this process was tedious to say the least, I would definitely recommend it for those who want a DIY floral alternative for a bouquet. I describe the process as tedious because you will need time to shape and build and color your bouquet to your liking… which, if you are like me, can end up taking a long time to figure out. Don’t try to get these all done in one weekend. Spread it out. Have a craft party and invite some friends over to help. Work on them a little at a time, and slowly fall in love with your creation!
April 30th, 2010 by liz
When is this going to get done?
So, my clients Ellen and Patrick (still really not their real names) are getting married in six weeks, which means that final payments, final guest counts, final meal selections, final, final lots of stuff are all due in the next two weeks. And right after all that, then it’s on to constructing the wedding day timeline. Which – don’t tell anybody – is one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. I’m a process person. My mom rolls her eyes and calls it a Virgo thing.
Yesterday, I met with John and Cindy (also not their real names) who want a day-of coordinator for their wedding in July. I told them that day-of coordination doesn’t start on your wedding day. In order to make sure that everything is in place and everyone is in the right place, you really do need to start out about three weeks in advance. Why? Good question. It shouldn’t come as surprise to any of you that getting a hold of your vendors can take time, and getting a hold of all them multiple times to cross-coordinate, is going to take even more time. Give yourself the three weeks.
John and Cindy are getting married in a church, and then having their reception at a hotel nearby. That’s two venues that need to be staged and then broken down. Your first call is ALWAYS to your venue(s), to find out how much set-up time you have before your wedding/reception. John and Cindy’s wedding starts at 3pm, but they can’t get into the church until noon. Their reception starts at 5pm, and since there’s another event in the room earlier, they can’t get in there until 3pm. Problem.
The minimum amount of time you should have for set-up is 2-3 hours. But if you’re self-coordinating (and we’re just going to assume that you are) and you’re in a similar situation as John and Cindy’s, don’t panic. Your second question for your venue is to find out if it’s possible to store items there the night before your wedding, and if you can wait to pick things up the day after. Either will give you a little legroom time-wise. Confirm what specific times each has to happen. Your third question: Is there anything you need to alert your vendors to? Your venue(s) should know what issues come up regularly. Will there be enough electricity outlets for everyone? Is your DJ going to need two speakers to cover the area? If you’re bringing in catering, is there a prep area for the food? How much manpower will be around to help your vendors, if necessary? Stuff like that. And have them walk you through the room layout again – Where will the DJ go? Where will the cake go? Gift table? Place card table? You get the point. Final question: Who should your vendors ask for when they arrive? Don’t assume it’s going to be the person you’ve been talking to all along. You can do all of this over the phone, of course, but if you can, have this conversation in person.
Beautiful, but time consuming.
Once you have all the information, you’re ready to talk to your vendors. All of your vendors. Don’t leave out the crew that’s doing your makeup, don’t leave out your photographer because you figure they’re just going to float along with you for the day, do not leave out the bakery. All of them. Confirm a general timeline if you’ve already established one with them. Tell them when your venue(s) will be available. Ask each of them if that will be enough time, and if not, what will they need in order to get the job done? Then ask what else they will need when they arrive. They, too, will tell you what issues usually come up, that they can’t necessarily handle on their own, “Can you make sure…?”
Call your food folks first, then rentals, then your florist. These are the vendors that usually need the most time. At the end of each call, re-confirm what time they will be arriving. Then once you get through the first round of calls, you’re probably going to have to call back your venue(s) with any new questions or concerns that have come up. The Chivari chair company wants to pick up the next day, your videographer needs to charge his equipment, etc. Once again, re-confirm with the venue who is showing up when, and tell them that you will be emailing them a final timeline a week before the wedding.
Find out the need-to-knows in order to schedule your wedding events. How long will it take to serve your guests? Will your venue/caterer continue serving during toasts and dances? Ask your DJ how long the first dance, parents dances, garter tosses, etc., are going to take, so you can incorporate that into your timeline as well.
Think about the stuff you’re going to have to do yourself, or have friends and family do for you… the “little” things like arranging place cards, table numbers and favors. These three things should take about 1 – 1.5 hours for two people to do, total, if you have 100 guests. Sounds long, but it takes a while to get a system down, things gets misplaced. Whatever details need doing, more people means less time to do them. Help your helpers out and alphabetize where you can.
Google Docs is great for keeping track. I used to email different versions around to everyone, but now I just put it online, save it as I build it, and then send an email inviting others to look at it, and comment or edit as needed. Google also has wedding specific templates, too (and they’re free) so use them. Put everything you can in your timeline. Put the link to the google doc for the timeline at the top of the page. Put the name and phone number of the main contact person, whether it’s you (hopefully not) or a friend or family member, right under it. Put the contact name and phone number of each vendor, including your venue(s) next to their arrival/open time.
Once you feel it’s all finalized, let all your vendors know and ask them to review it. Do not be surprised if one of them points out something that means you’re going to have to make more changes. I’m just warning you.
Print out and bring copies for everyone who is going to be at the rehearsal. At the end of the rehearsal, briefly go over it, so that everyone knows where they need to be and when, and how the day is going to flow. That way no one can say that they didn’t know what was going on. It’s a lot of paper, I know. Encourage everyone to recycle. 
Yes. Now you know why they pay me the big bucks. But you also now know how it works. Any questions?
See you at the end of the aisle,
April 28th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
(Hey you. Yes, you! Before you read this, go here and read all about our ceremony music so you’re up to speed. Aight? Cool.)
Its grand entrance time, yo! And we always knew we wanted Jump Around play as our reception entrance music. I mean come on. It’s only one of the most legendary party beats ever. But, the Bungalow Club had accidentally miscommunicated the DJ set-up situation and so The Flashdance wasn’t able to play during cocktail hour or dinner as we planned. And you know what? It didn’t even matter one bit! The Bungalow Club put on a great, eclectic music mix, Michael got to relax and enjoy the dinner and toasts… and we brought the hype ourselves!
It is my pleasure to introduce, Mr. and Mrs. Broke-Ass!
The first dance song was an elusive mistress. It took us forevah to find the right jam for that moment, but when we did, awww yeah… Brace yourselves, my inner hippie is breaking out, and I’m about to get real with y’all. Bob Marley is my guardian angel. No, I swear, he is. (insert ganja joke here) But he is! There have been too many coincidental moments in which I’m experiencing some emotional distress, and like magic, Bob’s comforting voice finds its way to me. Whether by way of the radio, or mall muzak, in a film, or on my alarm clock… there Bob is: lifting my spirits with his messages of hope and empowerment. And Three Little Birds is one of our favorite all-time songs, so it was poi-fect! We moved upstairs to the dancefloor, and Michael took over the music. When our guests circled around us and all spontaneously sang along while we danced, it was like a moment out of a dream.
Bob Marley – “Three Little Birds”
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It was all somehow to intimate even though we were surrounded.
we didn't have any set dancemoves, but he made sure to spin me, which he knows I love.
I love how intimate this picture is.
Hunter must have said something really sweet, cuz I'm blushin!
We sang to each other too.
...and made up some silly and sweet new moves.
And ended with a glorious dip kiss, just like I always imagined!
I made the final call on our father/daughter dance song the day of the wedding, after hemming and hawing between two I adored for different reasons for months. I kept the song choice from my father so he’d be surprised and experience it all in the moment. My dance with my dad was absolutely and unforgettably magical, and now I can’t see a daddy-daughter dance without getting weepy and verklempt. This was a song my mom turned me onto, and it absolutely feels like my daddy and me.
Loudon Wainwright III – “My Daughter”
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I can barely look at these photos without getting misty
My daddy has the smiliest eyes
I periodically just clung to him while we danced, like a baby monkey.
This one kills me. My heart could burst looking at his expression.
Hunter had a challenge in choosing a tune for the mother-son dance tunes. His mother was a dancer and loved to move, so he wanted a song that would allow them to have fun on the dance floor together… so he chose Shall We Dance from The King & I, which he and his mom used to sing together all the time. Penelope and Hunter tore up the dance floor in a fast-paced and riveting waltz, that ended with her dramatically spinning out and gracefully collapsing in a dramatic curtsey before she handed him off to me. These are some of my favorite photos from the night!
**TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES with audio player**
You can listen to Shall we Dance, here
She was a speed machine - just look at that hair go!
You can see where Hunter gets his acting talent here!
... and Hunter gives a grand bow to her after the collapse!
Aaaaaaand, we didn’t even pick special songs for anything else! Weaving our diverse and random tastes in tune-age into our big day made it feel like home, and helped usher our guests into just the right mood for the kind of party we had planned. And now, whenever we hear Three Little Birds or Melt with You, its never quite the same… in all the right ways.
Stay tuned for a future post sharing some of the jams that got away – songs we loved, but nixed for one reason or another.
What songs are you picking for your big moments?
all photos by Dan Chen of Chennergy
April 27th, 2010 by Britt
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?
…Yes? I am? SWEEEEEEEEEEEET.
April 22nd, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Earth Day is 40 years old today, and we’re so excited. Mother Earth means so much to us, that we even made a vow to protect her during our wedding! So, naturally, on this day in her honor, we’z about to bust out some of our favorite green goodies to help you discover how being green can help you save green, have fun, and give Big Mama Earth a big, heartfelt, broke-ass hippie {HUG}
Anyone out there have disposables guilt? You know, that regretful feeling when you buy a pack of disposables for your home, a party or a wedding event? Hang onto your socks, and meet this bevy of bio-goodness. There are tons of disposables out there made from biodegradable materials, such as corn starch, bamboo and sugarcane bagasse, and they’re super affordable, yo! We used some for our day-after party and they were perfect! Biosmart used to offer a $20 party pack that fed 50 people… I wish they’d bring that back! But still you can get 125 plates for $9.99 or 250 bar cups for $24.61 – can I get a what what? That’s my jam!
Ohh Emm Geee.
Yes, please.
Sustainable Party is an adorable site filled with different styles of sustainable disposable – from your basic whites to some really stylish bamboo. They sell most items in bulk batches (ranges from 25 to 3,000) and bulk batches mean bulk discounts, and you know we love that! And I can’t resist those party monsters they put in the product porn GreenFeet has a great selection at great prices too – but my favorite has got to be the bamboo spork!
Present your disposables in a cute fabric lined basket, tie some rustic twine around the utensils, cut up recycled fabric with pinking shears to create adorable cloth napkins and some grub…. you’ve got yourself a guilt-less, easy clean up and affordable feast.
Browsing for a wedding dress can be eco-friendly in so many ways these days, its hard to justify not checking this shiz out! Naturally I’ve gotta plug the eco-fashionistas out there, having worn a gown made of sustainable fabrics… so let’s give it up for Deborah Lindquist, Amy Jo Tatum, and Puridee who handmake gorgeous confections of dresses out of organic and recycled fabrics and are just to die for!
Amy Jo's green-chic line has retro flair
I LOVE this color by Puridee!
But there before buying new, make sure to check out the zillions of bridal resale options… from vintage shops in your hometown to awesome online resalers like Recycled Bride, wedding website classifieds, or charity resale events like Brides Against Breast Cancer. You can even rent gowns like the one in yesterday’s gorgeous real wedding feature for just one night! Already married? Unload that lonely gown and send it down the aisle again on another lucky brides back, and list it for resale or donate it today!
Guiltless snacking is my favorite.
Add some sun to your day.
I’m sure you’ve seen that Sunchips has a very sexy new biodegradable bag, but did you know that all those old bags can still be put to good use? Check out this cutie pie chip bowl from Ecoist for your wedding registry or a gift, or snag a purse made from a Lay’s bag for your summer wedding!
California Pink Tourmaline, and vegan!
Something old, made new.
Eco-wedding rings do exist, and what a great way to make a vow, right? Recycling rings from estate sales and vintage boutiques is a great place to start, but you can get even more progressive by seeking alternative styles like the gorgeous wood-laid reclaimed silver bands right there, or those made of reclaimed metals and non-diamond jewels like this gorgeous $298 pink solitaire by McFarland Designs on etsy. Even better, scour your old jewelry box and ask friends or family to donate old metals, send ‘em to a jeweler, and have your own design cast from some meaningful metal.
Oh, there are so many goodies we love that support and protect the lady that feeds us, houses us, nourishes us and on which we’ll marry… I could go on for days. Do your part today and every day. As the Native American Proverb says:
Treat the earth well… we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
What are your favorite green goodies?
April 21st, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
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!
April 13th, 2010 by Britt
{Note: For an intro to Britt, the newest team member of our Broke-Ass Brigade and your intrepid author, click here} So you wanna save some skrilla on the decor, but the thought of “Doing-it-yourself” scares the crap out of you? Well, you’re screwed. Go take it out on Martha. Ok, no. I’m kidding. Come on back. I didn’t mean it. I am here to tell you NOT to be afraid of DIY. I am by no means a hands-on artistic person. I can slap some paint down on a canvas like any other a-hole, but making it look good… Well, that’s a whole different beast. My fiance Mike and I are ridin’ shotgun on the Broke-Ass Mobile right now, so we know damn well that if we want a rad looking wedding, we have to DIY… or DIE. Once we committed to the daring act of DIY, we hopped in the car and traveled into the eye of the craftstorm Michael’s, blind. We ended up getting some paints… some tissue paper… a glue gun… some heavy cardstock… yarn… ribbon… whatever we could fashion into a centerpiece or a fake flower, we bought it. But then we got home. And things got real. Suddenly, we were at the helm of hurricane DIY without any idea of what to actually DO with it, and we were indeed screwed. But I’m not a quitter. If I say DIY or DIE, I mean it. So we re-grouped. Realized we needed less crafts and more raw materials… like recycled bottles and vases… stuff that we already had in our house even. Then our brains started to get more hip to the crafty jive, and we started to clean out our closets. We found endless amounts of re-usable stuff that was just begging us to make centerpieces with. For example, we found buttons, shoe boxes, sheet music, cardboard, magazines, boxes, T-shirts, vases, frames, bottles, misc containers, CD jewel cases, etc. etc. The jewel cases in particular, are what initially ignited my fire to craft hard… Oh yes. When I saw those puppies collecting dust in the closet, I had an urge to craft hard with a vengeance… then live free and craft hard! Yeah, I know. Serious centerpiece inspiration exploding in my face… and that’s when the idea to turn them into lanterns was born! And it didn’t stop at jewel cases. I soon discovered that any flat surface with an opening for light to shine through would do the trick. SO, I present to you one of my scrappy decor tutorials:
affordable, green and creative - the broke-ass trifecta of crafts!
“HOBO LANTERNS” I find it hilarious that I am about to teach you how to DIY a lantern when I literally flew by the seat of my pants during initial construction. But lucky for me, I made something pretty cool that actually works! Materials:
- CD Jewel Cases, sans sleeves. TWO for each lantern. Or any flat surface that can be glued together to make a box. Just make sure parts of it allow light to shine through.
- A glue gun.
- Tissue paper (don’t think you need to go out and buy this new… look in old shoe boxes and shopping bags)
- Re-usable paper: i.e. sheet music, old books, outdated maps… your class notes from Spanish 101 even!
- Battery-powered mini-tea lights. Candles. Light strings. The glow of your cat’s eyes. Anything that shines a light.
- Paint (optional)
- Yarn, string or something of the sort (optional)
- Pants (always optional)
STEP #1 Glue your jewel cases into a box shape, leaving the top and the bottom exposed. Pssst! This is a FANTASTIC task for the men to do. Mike was all over gluing these things together. For him it was like putting together the world’s easiest puzzle over and over. He was a jewel case-gluin’ beast. STEP #2 Glue tissue paper on all sides of the jewel case that are clear (some cases will have all clear sides, and some will only be clear on half. Using both kinds totally works). STEP #3 Cover the non-clear jewel case sides with some of your re-usable paper. Then cut out shapes like hearts or stars, and glue them on the tissue paper sides in whatever design suits the style of your wedding. I chose to paint flowers on some of my lanterns to give a them a little more color. STEP #4 Place your chosen light source under the finished lantern, and there you have it! A scrappy, but beautiful alternative to illuminating your tables or your outside reception. The best part about hobo lanterns is that they can sit on a table, or be hung from above. That’s where the yarn or string would come in.
You can stack them, or let them roll solo.
These hobo lanterns use recycled chinese character paper and outdated maps...
And scaps of wood leftover from which we built 3-D animals with!
What are some other reusable materials we could use to make Hobo Lanterns?
April 6th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
I have lots of strong feelings about weddings. I don’t believe they should result in debt. Why not try to stick to your budget and create a chic look for a cheap wedding? It doesn’t need to LOOK cheap! I do believe they should be a celebration of your personalities, and sing with details that say something about your love. And generally, I don’t believe there are rights or wrongs in weddings, because really… who are we to judge what’s right for you, or the next couple?
But today, a really bad-ass post by my friend Emily at Eco-Chic Weddings (& Good with Style) reminded me that one of my strongest feelings about weddings is something I’ve not posted much about… yet. I kept telling myself I’d do it when I hit the ceremony part of our recaps, but who am I kidding yo? You and I both know those recaps are taking their sweet-ass time and I am bored of waiting. (sorry about that, they will come. sometime) So, in the spirit of continuing where Emily left off….
Holy crap, we're getting married!
Your wedding isn’t just one day. It’s no carriage gonna turn into a pumpkin at midnight, people. It is the beginning of your life as a married person. As a couple. As a team. It’s kinda like, your wedding is like the ultimate new years eve. Out with the old… and in with the new – resolutions vows and all. Heck, there’s even usually champagne toasts and kissing involved just like new years! It is not about expense. It is not about purchases, or timelines, or gratuity envelopes. It is not even about beautiful dresses and photographers and music. It is about you, your partner, and your love. It’s the beginning of a new phase of life, but now you’ve got a buddy who wants to be there every day with you. PS – how freaking rad is that?!
It goes lightyears beyond what kind of partner you want to be to your mate. If you haven’t already, now is the time to decide how you want to approach life together, as a unit. Whether you’ve been together for 5 minutes or 5 years, it’s up to you to decide what the next 5 minutes or 5 years or 5 decades will be like (beyond the to have and to hold business). This can be so fun (and it doesn’t cost a single dollar)! Look back at your relationship, and think about what elements you can infuse into your wedding design and your ceremony, as reminders to yourselves and to communicate to your posse, the kind of life you’re creating together. So…. eff tradition and let your unorthodox light shine, if old-school ceremony doesn’t suit your style. Or revel in the ritual of convention and history, if that’s what makes your heart sing. There is no right or wrong, as long as you’re being true to you. So be straight up with yourselves and don’t compromise. This is a rare moment in our adult lives, in which you really get to set yourself up for the future you dream!
When we wrote our ceremony, we were hellbent on making it extremely personally unique, and wanted to really use it to set up the life we want to forge together. If we were going to make a solemn, lifelong vow to each other, we decided it was best to put everything into words and actions that personally embody our priorities as a couple. And it went beyond the vows to each other. We invented symbolic gestures to replace ones that didn’t resonate with us, or we borrowed inspiration from others and made it our own. The internet is rich with cool people who’ve designed personal and rad weddings, and we made good use of their legacies.
My daddy, imbuing our rings with his love.
At the top of the ceremony, we invited our guests to join in a group blessing, to commit to support and protect our relationship – and then continued their involvement with a ring warming ceremony. We wrote personal statements to each other, and customized our vows completely, looking boldly at our strengths and shortcomings, weaving in ways to keep us strong, grounded and connected. We also dedicated a section of the ceremony to making vows to the universe – pledging to be conscious caretakers our earth and her people, and to lead by example in an effort to help others find a way to greener, kinder lives. Later, our guests showered us with compliments about our ceremony. Many said they’d never been to such an unique or personal wedding, and they absolutely loved learning about us through the event. The best compliment we heard all night? “It was so YOU!”
The same can (and should) apply to your design. Let your spirits sing, yo! Some of your guests may never have met you before, or perhaps the last time they saw you, you were rocking pampers. You’ve invited this specific group to witness your marriage, so what do you want your wedding to say about you, and how can you include your guests? Have fun with it, and see how many ways you can infuse what makes you YOU into the day.
And please, lets not underestimate the valuable life lessons hidden in the wedding planning process. If you’re self-planning, there are some bad-ass skills that you’ll acquire that can easily be applied to your life in ways that you’ll never imagine! From budgeting and negotiation, to creativity and design, to research and logistics, don’t just abandon all those useful talents you’ve been building up once you reach the end of that aisle! Use them to make your life better, easier, more fulfilling, and sweeter, every day!
Every couple has a different personality. A different set of priorities, or personal doctrines, by which they lead their lives. So why should your wedding be a one-size fits all, fill in the blanks script or design? Let your wedding day serve as a reflection of and launchpad for your life, and live its lessons every day, for as long as you both shall live.
And, just because I’m feeling hella guilty about our recaps being so slow… here’s a taste of our ceremony – the repeated vows that we handcrafted together:
I Dana, take you Hunter, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To love you without reservation and to demonstrate that love in action, as well as word. To turn to you and not on you in times of trial; and to practice honest and thoughtful communication, especially when its most difficult to do so. To challenge and inspire you to be all that I believe you can, and to welcome the same from you with an open heart. To make passion a priority, and faithfully work to entice and attract you through the years. I vow to trust in your love and put apology and forgiveness above ego. To take ownership of my health and to care for yours; to celebrate your joys and share your sorrows as long as we both shall live. From my hand to your heart, I thee wed.
How will you use your wedding as a launchpad for your life? What life lessons will you take with you?
(update: I changed the title to “can be” after (the ever-astute) Liene brought it to my attention that it might insinuate that everyone is waiting for a wedding to come along before they start their life. Oh no! My true point is that a wedding is an opportunity to reevaluate your priorities, and consciously decide how you’d like to step into the next phase of life. And that the vows one makes and lessons one learns in the process should never become secondary to things like flowers and invitation wording. They should live on long after that day, and always! The best part of life is that every day, we have the chance to change it, and ourselves, for the better – married or not!)
March 30th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
The Green-Ass Bride & Groom have struck again! Dishing our best tips to help you save more green while being green, yo, and saving green on your green wedding!
Hey, they look familiar!
Come over and check out our article in the new Spring Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings E-zine, laying down some bad-ass Eco/budget-friendly Honeymoon tips:
Eco-Beautiful Weddings, Spring 2010 issue
And then also pop over to the EBW blog, to check out our latest post: Restaurant Weddings – The Ultimate Value Menu!
Go on, put some green-ass in your broke-ass! All the cool kids are doing it
