Vintage Leaf Cone Update

I finally found a photograph to show my faithful readers the desired effect we are going for! It looks here a bit like rose petals, but you can see some leaf outlines. I hope it goes well!

I bought twice as many leaves as I originally was considering, and have decided to use the 8" doilies instead of the 10". Hmmm. Let's see here. Twice as many leaves in less space....

Lastly, I looked up how to yellow paper. I must have forgotten from middle school, all it takes is a pot of tea! The difficult part is going to be finding a place for 120+ doilies (because of course for everything I make I need to remember to make an extra one of for us!) to lay flat to dry in our one bedroom apartment. This is going to be a long process! But fun. I love the hands-on aspect of weddings and cannot WAIT to really delve into the DIY projects and get to see the final product!

We "Fell" In Love

This is what I worked on today. I'm not sure if this is really feasible, but it fits really well in our vintage theme. They are little toss cones for our guests to throw the contents of on us as we walk up the aisle after the ceremony.

The one above is of course a very rough sample of one. I chose doilies because the lace around the edges creates a vintage, old-fashioned feel. I wasn't sure whether to use the 10" or the 8", but looking at the finished product, I think if we go this route I will switch to the 8", as I don't think an awful lot need to be put inside each one, and the smaller doily will give the finished cone a fuller look.

As for the leaves, from what little literature I have been able to find on the subject, it seems the experts say to use fake silk flowers, as the real leaves crumble too easily and may stain my dress...Yikes! It's so hard to know how many to put in each one, so few brides have done this before! I was thinking to put six leaves in each one, but now am thinking that may be too few. Hmmmm....

Back to the doilies. Tomorrow I'm planning on researching how to create that yellowed look on paper, to give the stark white doilies a more romantic, vintage feel. More to come on that later.

I hope this turns out alright! I'm very excited to have something different and unexpected!

Remembering Our Loved Ones

So many family members are unable to be with us on our wedding day, despite how much they would have loved to attend. We would like to remember them on our special day, without making it seem like a memorial service. We have come up with the following ideas:

First, my bridal bouquet will look something like the one above. Of course, as Matt has already pointed out, I need pink flowers, not white (I am well aware that white is traditional. I am not a traditional bride). That said, I love the brooch bouquet aspect of the one that is shown, and the main focus is on the ribbon in the middle that will be holding my father's wedding ring. This is meant to symbolize that he is with me as I walk down the aisle.

Second, the ring bearer will hold a homemade "copy" of Last of the Mohicans with our rings placed inside. As a future librarian, I love the book idea. It is also a nod to Cooperstown and its namesake. But most importantly, this is my father's favorite book. And so it only makes sense to use this one.

Third, the cake topper is my grandparents'.

Fourth, each bridesmaid, in addition to their bouquet, will carry a white rose which they will place in an antique vase as they take their place at the front of the reception. These flowers are meant to symbolize those who cannot be at our wedding. Nothing will be said about this at the ceremony, but we will say something tasteful in the program.

Finally, our favors will be mini bookmarks. On the front will be our engagement photos. The back will say something to effect of, "to show our thanks to you for sharing this special day with us, we have made a donation to the We Move Organization, in loving memory of Richard Haan, father of the bride.
Mr. and Mrs. DeCarr
Oct. 9, 2011"

Our Vintage Wedding Cake

My mom just offered us the use of my grandparents' wedding topper!! I love this for two reasons: first and most importantly, because my grandparents cannot be there to see us get married and so I would like very much to know that they are there in spirit, and secondly, because it takes the modern aspect of having cupcakes and gives it a vintage spin.

While I am on the subject of the wedding cake, we'll definitely do the cupcakes on a square tower, but will still have the single cake layer on the top for us to cut, which is where the topper will sit. We've been thinking of yummy fall flavors to offer our guests. So far (only as ideas, nothing is concrete, we need a baker first!) we have: gingerbread, pumpkin, carrot, spice, and for our chocolate-lovers out there, red velvet (as it was brought to my attention this afternoon that it is simply a chocolate cake with red food coloring! I was aware of this, but it's enough of a change to make me think it's ok...must be the same disfunctional brain cell that thinks cupcakes taste better than cake)

Homemade Vintage Postcards

This is Poipu beach on Kauai, HI. We took this photograph while we were there last year, and through the magic of photoshop, surprise! It looks vintage!!

What do I plan on doing with a bunch of faded photographs, you may ask? Well, dear reader, let me tell you. We loved the idea of naming our tables instead of using table numbers. That way, no one feels like they are at the "leftover table", and it adds a bit of interest. We are using names of places we have visited that hold meaning to us in some way. For example, we spent a week on Poipu beach. We will also be using 3 Mile (where we got engaged), and multiple other locations that we haven't thought of yet!

As for how to let the guests easily locate their tables, we are going to create "vintage postcards". After using photoshop on each picture, we will print them out and then stick them to brown cardstock. On the other side of the cardstock, I have found some lovely deep pink polka dot cardstock that has words written on it in lightly visible cursive, made to look like someone was writing a postcard. Over this cardstock we will place small plaquards that state the name of the table in a fancy, yet readable, script.

So far this is quite a fun project, and I am looking forward to many more to come! If anyone would like to know how I created these photographs, please feel free to leave a comment or email me and I will be happy to forward the directions along!

Snips and Snails and Walrus Tails

As a vintage touch, I was thinking of having a Brooch Bouquet for myself. I love the old-fashioned look of the feathers and antique pins so eloquently placed throughout the arrangement, and it gives a very vintage feel for what is to not only be my bouquet, but also our sweetheart table centerpiece. I'm hoping to create this using bright pink flowers to add the modern flare I crave.

As for its use as a centerpiece, I would very much like to find some sort of 1920's vintage vase (perhaps sterling silver? I'm undecided on this at the moment) to place the bouquet in for the reception. I don't know how many brides reuse their bouquets in this way (I've seen the bridesmaid bouquets get reused for centerpieces at multiple weddings, but have never paid close enough attention to the bride's), but I love the idea that we would have a different centerpiece from everyone else.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have A Theme!

I will keep this one short, as the next multitude of posts are also concerning our theme. I originally thought we were too eclectic of a couple to acquire a theme. Looking around our apartment, we don't particularly have a style to call our own. But then, most of our furniture has been inherited or gifted to us from family members no longer in need of an IKEA bookshelf, or the coffee table given to them as a wedding present, 60+ years ago. But despite how we may not have chosen these items, they still describe us. As we pick other items to accent our first apartment, I've noticed we select modern pieces that have a vintage feel to them. And so, our wedding is: Vintage With A Modern Twist.

More to come on this later.