Wednesday, December 30, 2009

RSVP - So are you coming??




(pic above: RSVP sitting pretty in the invite!)

My RSVP cards are done! (you have no idea how good it is to type the word DONE!!)


Just posting piccies! We made a mistake tho - we put the options down for RSVP, so they can call, they can log online or they can send the card back, but we forgot to write the word OR in between them all, so if someone RSVPs three times, we know why! So I have to come up with some creative little poem or tag or something to fix it. But I will worry about that in February. (I've got a timeline for these things jk!)





(RSVP ready for its close up!)




(quote on the wrap holding RSVP together)



I'm not quite sure what happened with the lighting in these photos, but they are the same papers. :) I have still yet to complete accommodation card and map! Still to come!


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

My candle bargain- light my glittery fire!



Today on my way to do a few errands in town, I noticed a local homeware store having an after Christmas sale ,the thoughts in my head turned overdrive and I just started thinking centrepieces!! (even tho I'm not having a sit down meal wedding but I am having a few tables)

I almost feel as tho I have to walk into any homeware store or gift store since I have started planning our wedding) Anyone else feel this??


Well in the first 30 seconds of walking into the store, I found is what I think a great bargain and some very pretty candles. So with a reduced cost from $10 AUD down to $5 AUD dollars for a set of six, I felt this obligation to buy!!! After a quick call to FH explaining want I found, I walked out of there with 30 candles for $25.00! These I think we will use these on some of the smaller tables - guest book so forth.




I like them alot!


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Crepe Paper Flowers - Part 2 - How 2!


So I had an inquisitive poster on Weddingbee.com asked if I could post instructions on how I did my crepe paper flowers.

I think alot of it once you have the basic concept, the possibilities are endless. Also I would like to say that I will be the first to admit I'm not the most fantastic at explaining how I do my DIY projects but I give them a shot. With this I tried to include a lot of visual. So excuse the picture heavy post!



(Tools needed; Scissors, wire cutter/pliers/, 28 gauge wire, PVA glue, Skewers, Floral Tape, Buttons and crepe paper)

My Crepe paper that I'm using is GALA brand which is 240cm long x 50cm wide. I find I can either make four big ones out of these or 17 small ones.




(slide your crepe paper out of the packet sleeve)



Place your template over the top. This can either be a circle, a heart shape, or leaf shape. Those are the three main ones that will get you variations.You can combine them all in one, or just use a particular shape for each flower.

Also, use a template in regards to how big you want your flowers. So i.e the bigger the flower, the bigger template you use when cutting your crepe paper, and in reverse. The smaller template the smaller the flower. Logic right?


Cut around your template.
Also some people at this step here "prepare the petals" Prepare means by either stretching them a little, cupping them or rolling the edges in with a pencil, so they take more of a curve. It's up to you tho what you would like to do. I don't usually do anything on my small flowers but on my big flowers cup them a little so they don't just lay flat.

Now would be the time to cut your flower tape into three 10cm pieces for later use, as your hands will probably be covered in glue.


I'm adding a button for the bud. (You can also use a different coloured crepe paper and cut a small section and glue it to the skewer then wrap it around so the top 2cm of the skewer is covered.)

To add the button I take about 15 cm of wire and thread the wire through like you were sowing on a button on a shirt. (you will need the pair of pliers as this can be a little fiddly).



Wrap the wire around the skewer so the button is attached.





Place your skewer like the picture below and add a small bit of glue.



Cinch it around the skewer


So it looks like this or something similar. :)


My original instructions that I gathered when I was doing the research for this was to glue all the petals to the skewer. Well this just ended up in a sticky and soggy situation and my flower looked a little sad! So this is the only part that you will use glue to secure the first petal. From now on in I reccommend using floral tape.


Start adding your petals around your bud.



Then secure it with your floral tape by wrapping it around the base. (Now you wont need glue with the floral tape, as floral tape stretches and secures it itself. I admit I sat there for about 30 seconds when I first started going.. Whattttt.... as I had never used floral tape before. I may be the only person ever in history to do this tho.)



Add more petals if you want to make it bigger, using the same process with the floral tape. I usually use three pieces of floral tape in my creations.


End Product :)

If you have any queries on the above, just leave me a comment and I will clarify or alter my instructions.

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Crepe Paper Flowers - I may be crazy but I'm game!

Well I have been inspired by the creator of a blog called A Very Chocolate Wedding http://www.averychocolatewedding.blogspot.com/ and hers were awesome!! I decided about a week ago to tackle the crepe paper flowers for decorations and I'm even using them for the ceremony (depends how my confidence goes with it all)
So here is my progress so far;





I have the next few days off work so hopefully I will be able to get a few more done. Practice makes perfect. What you think?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Invitations - 75% complete and many redbulls later..



My own DIY invitations are nearly done!!

Warning: my instructions aren't that great, but you can get the idea!

I thought since I stress out easy to get my stationary underway- 6 months before they need to be sent! (how is that for organisation!)

Find an inspiration, with mine it was envelopes. (They say you should always choose your envelope size before you create anything, as their is no point in producing something and then having to search high and low to find an envelope to fit your pretty creation).

Choose paper that reflects your theme, you should have one main colour, a contrast colour and then if optional a print pattern that you can be coordinated throughout your wedding.

I chose my main paper to Burgundy Stardream Mars and the contrast colour to be a light gold in the Stardream selection.

My print came from a download of my fave wedding websites Styleguide.com.au http://styleguide.com.au/pdfdocs/WSGIssue3ModernSpicePatterns.pdf it was originally an inspiration on there to be used for wrap for candles, but I decided that instead of paying $2.10 a sheet from a paper store for a patterned paper was a little bit rich and that I could print this design on to gold paper and I could save a few dollars.


I found my gold paper at K-mart (similar to walmart?) for $4.00 AUD dollars for 25 sheets. I bought 7 packets.

Next step was to make a template of my design. (I went for a simple DL size with an angular cut at the front, to create a little interest instead of it being a straight cut)


I cut my printed design to fit the middle section of my DL invite and secured it with double sided tape.

After looking at this FH decided, that was a little boring and that we needed a bit of "edge" to the invitation, his words. So we went to the local craft store - Spotlight (like Michaels) and I purchased 15 x 7m x 3mm ribbon in a terracotta colour and 20 x 7m 10mm ribbon in the same terracotta colour, like so. I placed the 3mm ribbon along vertically of the middle of the invitation and the 10 mm along the edge on both sides from the middle to the angular fold as seen below. I sealed the edges of the ribbon with a lighter to stop the fraying.





We decided that having a blank front was boring and we would need a monogram wrap! The wrap was simple to create. I designed the monogram using Microsoft publisher and it simple square as this would be easier to cut than a round monogram, using my printed design and the burgundy as backing.

(I had to sharpen the image to put it on here as it didn't show to well on original photo)



(150 of them later)



(ta da!)

I have just finished the rsvp cards that go in the invitation, but that will be another post. I have also yet to do accomodation info, the actual wording for the invitation and map. I'm putting them on hold for another month or so!

Coastal City Bride - Charis

Free Paper Template from Styleguide!



I'm not having a black wedding but I found this flower paper template and well personally I think it's adorable. So I'm giving you the link if you like it and you want to download it!

Styleguide.com.au have a great selection of free downloads, from favour templates, to invitations, to thank you cards. 4/5 for their website!

http://styleguide.com.au/pdfdocs/WSG0707BlackMagicFlower.pdf

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Dress - It has been found and bought!

So when I got engaged, as we all are, very excited. Then the reality set in that I would have to find a dress, that would suit me... oh dear!!!! (lots of things pass through my mind and mostly they were all negative!)

I have one of those figures that no matter how hard I try sometimes, it is really hard to find something I feel OH WOW in! So I'm glancing through all these wedding books, researching online bridal stores and I'm umming and ahhing and going oooo I like that and I think it got to the point were I couldn't take it much more of looking, it was time to try. My MOH and I bit the bullet and decided to go to our one and only bridal store in the coastal city.
In my head I'm thinking I'm going to have the worst time ever - the choice, the sales assistant, and having to make a decision on style! However I had a blast, trying on dresses making me look like a hippo to some that I liked the style, to the wrong colour and I walked out of there after 2 1/2 hours knowing what I DIDN'T want. The sales assistant and my MOH had a fab time we had some good laughs and some inspiration! (so I guess I have my MOH to thank!)

So after that Saturday, two months later, I had managed to leave our coastal city and make the drive with my mother to Perth. After visiting one bridal store with a sales assistant less than helpful, I really didn't want to continue. 2nd store I went into and the fourth dress I tried on..... I found my dress!!! EXCITING!!!!

My budget for my dress was a maximum of $1200 dollars and I managed to stick to the budget, the dress was reduced more than $1000 as the dress is an odd (and I mean odd in a nice way) colour and also it had a funny neck line - the neckline had a lace section leading right up to the throat, but the sales assistant convinced me to try the dress on a and to get the neckline altered. So the alterations are to be that and the length of the dress as I'm a short bride! No other alteration needed!




I forgot to take a picture of the back, but its a zip disguised with a panel of buttons. I paid my deposit that day as it was a sale item and not a dress made to order. Was it an impulse decision? Yes, however, I fell in love with the dress and I have no regret in buying it then and there. When you know, you know!

I was actually a little disappointed that there wouldn't be more dresses to try on! I also selected my veil, which arrived recently. So I will post pictures of that soon. The pictures of the dress are it hanging on the door which doesn't do it justice for the shape, but I hope you like it, because I love it :)


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Accessories - Hair Slide - Adorable!


I found this hair slide on sale at a store called "The Glitter Co." I am not sure if I am going to have my hair up or down yet, but I couldn't walk past them.
One of my bridesmaids is conveniently my hairdresser and she thinks they may not go with the hairdressing style she wants to experiment with but she said its always great to have accessories in reserve and we will find out at the trial run, if we will put them in or not.
Also I have just picked up my veil and that also will have a deciding factor on my hairstyle.


They were retailed at $75 AUD dollars and I purchased them for $10 dollars each! I bought two. They match my dress perfectly (I will post the dress soon, I promise!)
Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

DIY - Named Cake Tablecloth! Twice Done!



Last weekend after being inspired by a blog called Becoming his Mrs, I decided that if this lady could do it. I could do it too!!



Such a fab inspiration, I highly recommend her blog.


My FH and I are happy with how it turned out, it was a bit of a process as I had to do it twice (reason explained below).

Things you will need;

  1. Table cloth to match your cake table, or suitable one that can be adapted. We picked ours at our local discount store ($10.95 AUD).
  2. Acrylic Paint (Acrylic is not water proof) of your designated colors or what you would like to paint. I picked up 2 tubes of Jo Sonjas's Matt fluid acrylic paint. Burgundy series 1 and Pale gold series 2.
  3. A fine quality paint brush.
  4. Printer that you are able to enlarge your design on. Either in the Program Publisher or word. You can print this out on A4 and have it blown up to A3 size or however big your project.
  5. Plain scrap paper - if you are thinking printed newspaper will do, I would think again as it could leave marks on your tablecloth. Another suggestion is use waxing paper to line the table.

I set our design underneath the table cloth (so you can see your design underneath) with the plain paper as a backing to stop paint from going through to your perfect dining table (I was tempted to trace the outline in light pencil but I didnt have a eraser to undo it).

With a steady hand and nerves of steel on Mum and Dad's dining room table I painted. The whole process was nerve wracking due to being afraid of spilling paint and not being able to wipe it off without leaving a mark! It took me about 1hr to complete the design.




The paint was very quick to dry so after impressing myself with my DIY project (I am not a pro at this DIY thing but I find I'm getting better with each project) I took it home and hung it up on a high table for it to set overnight.

Unfortunately, I own a moggy of a cat called Raz who decided while we were sleeping to use the rest of the tablecloth which she had pulled conveniently on to the ground and used it as a resting spot.

We woke up in the morning to find stains on the table cloth and one very guilty looking cat!





I was very emotional and it took me about a week to warm up to the cat again. Needless to say I had to chuck the table cloth out because you can't wash it and had to go buy another and redo the whole process again!

The new table cloth with its fresh painted design is now locked away from the putty cat, so its paws may never touch it again!!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Shoes - The best buy a girl can make!

In November the girls and I departed our coastal city to make the drive to the states capital on a mission to;
  1. Pick up my dress - EXCITING!! (the girls had not seen it yet)
  2. Try and find dresses for the 3 lovely girls
  3. If the girls didn't have shoes to purchase a pair.
  4. to have a fab girls weekend!

After finding the girls dresses on the first day, the second day in the city we decided to cruise a few shops and we headed in a few different directions, one of the bridesmaids had never been on a train before so she had to indulge!

Since picking up the dress, I thought now was a good time to go searching for the shoes. I didn't want to spend alot of money but after searching about 15 different shoes stores, I had no luck, and thought stuff it, I'm heading to a boutique!

The store was a called Wittner and what a fab shop it is! We have nothing like this in the coastal city!

My shoes that I selected also came in a fab red! Which I was tempted to buy, I think tho that my mother would have a heart attack if I walked out with shoes like that! For $140 AUD dollars I'm sure I made a great buy. I hope you like them too!





They also have an online store if your interested;

http://www.wittner.com.au/shop/shop.aspx?catid=114


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx


Sunday, December 27, 2009

Team Burgundy and Gold!

Oh dear, How forgetful of me! We decided on our wedding colors since July and now!

Our Main colours are Burgundy and Gold for decorations and stationary and sub colours light blue and tangerine(burnt orange) For the bridesmaid dresses we chose something different but I will post that as soon as I get a good picture!





They say colors can either make or break a wedding. Honestly it wasn't a too bad experience for me. My original colours were Burgundy, Black and Silver. Then as soon as I found my wedding dress (another post you will have to wait for!) is a light gold colour. I realised those colours would just not go!


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Save The Dates - Template Included!



Most of you probably have visited the weddingchicks.com website and seen that they have some pretty awesome stuff and freebies! I downloaded this freebie below...(in case you like the design, you can go get it yourself i have included the link)


I decided to use the dahlia response card as my template, using photo shop I changed the color to red instead of yellow and also erased the wording they had so it was blank template :) Because weddingchicks.com own the template I am not able to provide you with the red template because I created it for my own personal use and it would be an infringement on copyright if I gave it out. Pity I know!

  1. Printed the design on some white gold paper I found in K-mart (like the local walmart)for 4 AUD dollars for 25 sheets and printed the design out on the home printer.
  2. I had some packets of blank cards that I had saved for cardmaking. I decided to cut these cards in half and use them as my backing card for the wording to be glued on to add a bit of contrast. These cards a plain beige.
  3. Using my hole punch I punched holes in the corners and threaded red ribbon through and secured with a knot at the back so the ribbon wouldn't fall through

The ribbon is purposefully done loose so it can be hung from anyone's fridge or memo board... FH idea!

It is really easy, it took me 3 days after work to complete these with help from FH. I have done 95 in total.

All they need to do is just the envelope to be addressed.. I am feeding them through the printer and using fonts from www.dafont.com (because my handwriting is shocking!) They are due for posting mid january.

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx


That bit of bling!!

When it comes to jewellery I am shocking! Literally its like taking a duck and putting it at the beach. I'm always looking around and going.. what the!

So when FH had proposed and I looked down at the ring, I didn't know what to expect. But oh boy when I looked down, I found a second love!





FH chose it all by himself and I'm not very good at explaining the four C's of diamond hunting.

So I hope the pictures will explain it all. Its part of a white gold bridal set and the wedding ring fits in underneath the engagement ring.




Coastal City Bride - Charis xx



Reception Venue - I do love.

As I became engaged in July the next few posts is to clue you in to of what I have done since being engaged till now- I'm not superwoman and have done all this overnight! (however many times in talking to wedding vendors I wish I was and could do this all myself!)

FH and I have decided on our criteria for our venue;
  1. fit 150 people for a cocktail reception (we don't want a sit down meal as FH and I love to mingle!)
  2. able to bring in our own caterer (as being in a small coastal city people think that because they have a venue they can charge exorbitant price for minimal food so selecting our own caterer was important!)
  3. able to BYO drinks. (A family friend has graciously volunteered to provide the wine for the entire wedding. We are ever so grateful for this generous offer so in order to take up the offer we needed to be able to BYO drinks.)
In a small coastal city there were not too many venues that could fit this criteria. But after about 2 months of on and off searching we found our venue;

Flinders Park Lodge (a bed and breakfast) that will!

On our booking we are able to have the whole venue to ourselves allowing us to be there at 10am to get ready and our package provides accommodation for the night for 8 couples! (we are asking some close out of town guests to stay as well as spend our honeymoon night there)

Our only reservation was the price, They had a package for two nights but we negotiated for us to only have the one night to halve our cost.
We also had to have a marquee over the deck due to the possibility of bad weather. The Lodge have negotiated with the local Marquee hire to give us a discount of more than half price for a marquee to go over the deck. We were very excited as to see a vision become a reality. We had gone to the Marquee hire place previously and been given a rough estimate that it would cost $1000 dollars for the marquee to go over the deck. After receiving that news we were devastated but resilient to the fact that sometimes we will need to find the alternate option. So Flinders saying that they had negotiated the price for us and had it considerably marked down, we were thrilled.
We have verbally booked but due to make a payment soon (Mid January)



Since making our booking we have found out that the husband that runs the business with his wife has passed away. He was only in his mid 40s. We have not called to check booking as we would like to give the wife her space over the busy period of Christmas in New Year and follow up with a phone call soon.We hope we can still go ahead with the booking, if not our backup plan is a to have a marquee on a friends vacant block in secluded area of our coastal city.



Coastal City Bride - Charis xx