My Photoshare cards

So not the greatest pic of them, the card is business size and I just printed these on spare invitation paper and rounded the corners. Not that exciting, but its made to be simple so guests can put it in there wallet or purse!

I did want it bigger originally but I was limited on paper and needed to make 100.
(I've just put it on orange paper for picture purposes to make it stand out a little bit more.)

I found a website called www.irave.com from a blogger on www.weddingbee.com who had used this site for people to upload on the day. So big Kudos to wedding bee!

Biggest plus, no password or id for people to get in and upload! Free and easy to use..

I highly recommend it girls!! This card isn't fancy, but the more piccies of our wedding day the better!! This was an optional DIY, if I had thought it out a bit more. I would've printed them out like a Polaroid with orange window but time is running out!

11 days to go!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Completed Ribbon Wands

Another DIY off the checklist..

Just finished these wands last week these are for the ceremony/reception. Easy to do.. We created 50 of these using leftover ribbon from our ribbon pomander balls and also we purchased the wooden dowel at $1.00 per metre. 1 metre makes 3. bringing the total project to $16.60 :) put them together with a hot glue gun! simplest DIY project so far!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

My inexpensive BM Gifts!

Since I have done alot already in our budget for the BMs. I had to come up with a way for an inexpensive DIY gift for the girls. Simple solution.

A Thank you poem. Left over damask print scrapbooking paper as the background and left over frames that I had purchased for signs for the reception. I wasn't going to do these cheery (in reds and oranges) as most of the girls decor on there house is either black white or silver. So went with a little elegance or tried to at least.

Each poem will be different but this is for my BM Aimee.

Hope you like! The paper looks a bit yellow?? I cant figure out why, but it definitely isn't!

Coastal City Bride - Charis x

Guest Book... ha your like a merry-go-round.

So instead of a traditional guestbook I was going to have a mazanita guest tree... epic fail, scrapped that and went to a wishing guest board I posted it a few months ago and I thought that was the end of that..

Not! The more I looked at the board.. the more I didn't like it! So back to the drawing board and I saw guest books like this! and decided I wanted the same....

Photos courtesy of amariem25 off http://www.weddingbee.com/



So I started my search for templates... and one of the brides from weddingbee.com posted this and was sharing this as a template, so this is what I'm using, the only difference is that ours is orange and has our name up the top of each page.



I printed out the guestbook sheets and I love it. However it isn't photographing that well. All to do now is finish decorating the album but I wont start that for another week or so. My friend Susie is going to help me :) So I'll post it up when that's done too, so you get the full affect.

In addition to our non traditional guest book I made these direction signs to sit on the table.

They are framed using black plastic frames from a discount store for two dollars each,and the mini easels I used were a dollar each. Thought they were pretty cute once completed!!

Total cost $9.00


and Yes I am aware that I used the wrong 'Your' in the last frame and it has been fixed since taking the photos! oops!

Simple! (however, its taken me 10 months to get here!) What are you doing as your guest book?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

My cute little pail buckets for my buttons...

or rather large button balls!
Last week for $5.00 a pop I found these little buckets... I was looking for white ones, but I couldn't find any!! I found these that blend together quite well with my button balls.

So for 5.00 I couldn't refuse. So the button balls will sit on top like pictured, and be located in the garden (if you look a few posts down you will see what I mean lining the aisle...) Group shot!!

I will remove the handles as it makes the button balls sit kinda awkward. :)

Even tho they aren't white like I pictured in my head, I'm very happy with these as the alternates.

Anything you really wanted get changed? and your happy with the alternative?

Coasta City Bride - Charis xx

Button ball aisle decor. COMPLETED!!

I finally finished my button balls.

I only wanted six to line the aisle of were the girls and I are walking down. So if you can picture red carpet, the button balls themselves on white little pail buckets and raised from the ground and positioned like this

and imagine an archway at the end. White chairs to the left and right.. and arch way hanging in our initials.

If you pictured that ok, I think I might have just done my wedding planning right! Thank goodness these button balls are done! Here's a close up!

Do you like??

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Program Mock Up Take 2

So I had an email from a friend of mine asking how I was going with the programs.So I thought I had better try again!

Well my first attempt was posted about a week or so back, and I wasn't super happy with it. I'm having the hardest time making things flow through the wedding.

So a new idea took over. I took my flower design that I had on the invites and printed it on A4 sheets and cut them in half. Fold them punched the holes through and added ribbon.

Well first of all, the eyelet punch I bought, way too big!! making that ribbon disappear. The overall look tho is great. I love the invite design on there and the style. So I need to find a smaller punch. (I'm heading to the local craft store today)

On opening I would like it to be a bit like a book. First page just a monogram (believe it or not I'm having trouble designing my own, too picky!) and on the back of that starts the order of service bridal party and on the last page on the back, our thank you.

So I have started to get things finalised with the ceremony, I have been back and forth with our officiant but I still need to delegate of whose doing what. So until that's done I really cant print much. But I'm working on it!

Am I on the right track?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Aisle Runner for my friend Jasmine

My friend Jasmine asked me to make her design for her aisle runner. Im happy to oblige and finished it today. :)

Looks pretty good I think :) Anyone doing their own aisle runner??

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

We need signs....

I created my signs over the last few days. It was a bit of tedious work, but I needed 5 signs for directions to our wedding, that will be put in stakes on the roadside to guide guests to the ceremony.

I thought they turned out pretty good!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

My Arch Way letters

Hello, meet my arch way letters.. Looking a little pink in the lighting... BUT there actually Burgundy.. (I know right, doesn't look that way) these were made using artificial rose buds, hot glue and wooden letters.
I'm planning of spraying the back of them so you cant see the wood of the letters.

These archway letters will hang from the archway we are getting married under and I really like them. I also entertained the idea of spray painting them red.... But I thought I would wait to at least a month before the wedding before I do it, if I do it. (Everything with our decor for the ceremony is red) (Decor for the reception is orange)

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Meeting Mrs Needle

So want to see the results of my dress fitting? Something like this maybe!! (photo below:robo bride) describes exactly how I was feeling on the day of my fitting.. a little stiff, a little tense and a little powder puff.

but needless to say it was a success!! YAY! I actually met Mrs Needle (no play on words here or cute shop story) her name is actually Mrs Needle, she inspired me with the confidence I needed.

Sweetheart neckline achievable. Panel in the back, that's a goer too! yay!

I just need to find 1.5metres of matte satin in my dress color. I have contacted a friend in our nearest capital city and sent her a sample of my dress! that will also create a tie for FH to match my dress. Mrs Needle thinks of everything she does! (I actually just like typing Mrs Needle, I still find it funny.. lame I know huh!)

Dress need to be taken up? Nope.. not an inch. Apparently with the cute heels I'm rocking there at the appropriate length. (10cms)

The two flowers well one of them is gone and I'm going to keep one. I'm using the other as a hair accessory that I will make! (another DIY to add to the list!)

So success!

How did your dress fitting go?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Freebie: Wedding Invitation

Found these super cute invites they are printable textured garland wedding invitations, RSVPs, and table settings by Kristen Ketola of Dear Clementine Invitations.

If you would like the link for these to download go to:

http://www.nonpareilmag.com/downloads/issue-02-diy-printable-textured-garland-suite/


:) I love freebies!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Rethinking program layout

Amen for mock ups!

I did the layout for my programs and well and the colors just do not look right.

So I have a few concerns.

(This is a mock up and I realised after I printed the program stuff inside I used a different heading font than what I intended.Also the wording in the program is a fib, I'm missing a groomsmen! woops! we haven't finalised the order or service or content of the program I just wanted to work on the aesthetics)

I think the program looks really short on the background card and I may have misjudged my measurements. oops!

Also I wrote our thank you on the back of the card. and I'm realising now that its not a good idea. It really should be in the program. Because I don't think many people will realise to flip over the back.

Also another concern is that I think many people will take the bands off and let them fall on the ground and not pick them up again.

I think I may just need to simplify it and tweak it a little bit more! Even tho the band is really nice, I may just have to loose it. But I don't want a boring program, as my relatives keep it as keepsakes!

Have you ever done a project your not completely happy with? did you tweak it or leave it?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

My cake stand, my stupidity and my stupid glue gun!

There is a bit of a story to my cupcake stand. My idea was to create a stand myself wide enough to fit at least 80 cupcakes and our cutting cake on top, with the rest of the cup cakes on bought teird cupcake stands. So I went down to our local craft store, purchase some styro foam boards and proceeded to be a DIY goddess and to start gluing the fabric and got half way there....

My glue gun burnt me because I was stupid and put my hand back and forgot it was there... OUCH!

The result 1hr up at the local hospital.... extreme pain, two injections and now a puffy looking hand :( which stopped me from going on our planned camping trip and completing my cupcake stand....

My puffy hand!! so sore!

after coming back from the hospital FH has disappeared in the study for a couple of hours and yells out and says to come have a look at this..

I walked into the room, FH has completed my cupcake stand.. and it looks fantastic. He has told me never to go near a glue gun again!! because I'm such a clutz!


I love my future hubby! what a DIY pro! it is a little different on how I pictured it, but still a good job!

P.S I glued all the fabric on to the boards, and FH did the ribbon.. I think he is proud as punch and saying look what he created :) in this case, I'm going to give him credit for it lol.

Vintage Paper Templates- freebie!

E.M Papers have provided this black and white printable Wedding Invitation Kit and it contains an editable PDF template for every piece of stationery you will need for your wedding. This free, downloadable wedding kit includes a templates for: a wedding invitation, a save the date card, a response card, a wedding program, a menu, place cards/escort cards, table numbers, a seating list and a thank you card.

Here's the link:
http://www.empapers.com/wedding/free-black-white-printable-wedding-invitation-kit-bike

Pretty cute :) I really like the whole set, makes me want a vintage wedding just to use these!
Enjoy!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Favors, home stretch!

So I finished wrapping our favors! yay!!

and the last section of this job was to create our favor tags today. Using a free template from http://www.prettychicky.com/ I adjusted the design to suit us and changed the font and things to tie it all in and pictured is the end result. Here is a pic of what the original template looked like.

And here is what ours look like:

Anyone DIYed there favors tags? did you use a template or create your own?

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Invitations,favors and bridesmaids!

So this weekend I finished assembling invitations, all that is missing however is the accommodation card, we haven't quite put that together yet as we haven't blocked off hotel rooms (I know, 5 months till the wedding and I haven't done it, oh dear!) its on the to do list for next week.

I also started work on our favors with the packaging, as you may have gathered from previous posts that we organised to have our favors for guests as playing cards...Well they arrived!
My next task is to package them. I thought about just wrapping them in plain ribbon without doing anything with the box but that Idea just did not sit well. I also thought about wrapping them and putting a sticker on them. Well I didn't have the motivation or the creativity to even think of what to do for a sticker. So I took an easy option. I wrapped and tied it with ribbon.

The end result looking cute! So far 20 done... 160 more to go. its actually not a bad project, a little fiddly but I have been out in the lounge room with FH talking away and having a good laugh so its been enjoyable. Hoping to have this done by the end of the next week.

Also this weekend my BMs and I are catching up for a bit of a day shopping for accessories and shoes to go with their dresses also they are helping me out with a few DIY things and flower choosing.... I haven't shown you pics of their dresses yet but I promise to do that next week.

So its an exciting week coming up. I feel alot better than last week but still quite crook so I'm hoping to have the energy for when the girls come round next Saturday.

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

I have been taken over... by my invites

or they have at least taken over my study anyway... 110 down... 60 more to go! least they are getting done! even tho they are a pain in the butt to step around!


Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Fabric Flower wrist corsage.. SO CUTE! Tutorial

I found the the Instructions for making this beautiful corsage on elizabeth anne designs blog and thought I would share.

1. Cut a 4×18 inch strip of fabric - you may need to play with the width and length to get the look you are going for.

2. Fold the fabric hot dog style (so the long edges meet) with wrong sides together. Press with an iron.

3. Using a loose straight stitch sew the open long edges together (leaving about 1/4 inch)

4. Pull the bobbin thread to gather the material. The more you pull the more it gathers. You will have to kind of play with the fabric to make it gather evenly.

5. Once you are happy with the amount of gather begin rolling the strip up - so it looks like a spiral. So start at one end and just roll. The tighter you roll the more open your flower will be.

6. Once you are happy with your flower hand sew the bottom together (the bottom is the edge with the seam - the folded side should be the open part of the flower). Be sure you get through all the layers - don’t worry this part doesn’t have to be pretty.

7. Once your flower feels like it is secure and will not unravel use a hot glue gun to attach it to a piece of ribbon. Voila! You have a corsage.

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx

Cuttlebugging my heart out!

Just a quick post; My friend Sue let me borrow her cuttlebug today and Ive been cuttlebugging our invitations and putting them together. Been a busy week with these invites and glad to see them on there way to completion. I LOVE the cuttlebug effect. The paper is actually gold but in the pics its looking a little brown, and the invite is orange not red. The lighting in my study isn't that good!

I haven't been making many posts as I'm struggling a little health wise and its been a rough two weeks at work with deadlines. Hopefully I will be on track soon!

Coastal City Bride - Charis xx