Real Wedding Planning: Save the Dates

We've been MIA lately, and for that we are truly sorry. Between school, work, Hurricane Sandy, holidays, and wedding planning, we're finding ourselves stretched thin! But here's an inside look into what we've been working on.

Once wedding planning is well underway, the bride and groom have to bring their guests into the loop with the almighty Save the Date. Saira and Henry are getting married in June, which used to mean that the Save the Date would be mailed out in January. However, in real life, couples send Save the Dates very far in advance, some even giving their guests one year notice. While we think sending a Save the Date that far in advance may be a little much, we do understand the urgency in getting it out as soon as possible. First, if you have guests traveling from afar, the sooner they know the better, as they need to work out their own logistics. Second, if you're a 20-something bride, it's very likely that your guests will end up having more than one commitment on your wedding day, so whoever sends their Saves the Dates out first, wins! 

 We started off with a picture of Henry and Saira that we wanted converted into a drawing. After more than a few efforts, we were able to come up with a decent shot of us both. A word of advice to future brides -- get a friend to photograph you, as self-portraits are a hassle!

The next step was commissioning a professional artist to make a portrait using the photograph. Unfortunately, this proved to be harder than we thought and after a few failed efforts, we took matters into our own hands. With the help from Toon Paint, a super cool iPhone app that converts photos into drawings, we were able to make a cartoonish, but realistic looking portrait.

 The next step involved the genius talent of Jen. After several attempts
with a graphic designer friend, we again decided to take matters into
our own hands. Lucky for us, Jen is a bit of a wunderkid when it comes to
graphic design, and she was able to design us a very simple, but
elegant, Save the Date. We then purchased cardstock, note cards and matching envelopes from Paper Source,
which is pretty much our dream store. Of course, we do realize that we could have saved some money buying paper online, which is something we will
consider when designing our invites.

 We thought once we had the designs made, the hard part was over. Alas, this was not the case! The first problem was printing as many of the design on a page as possible, in order to save paper. After some painstaking design work, we were able to evenly lay out the designs on the page and include subtle cutting lines for easy assembling. Then, as neither of us own a high quality printer, we took our order to Kinko's for some quick and dirty printing. Unfortunately, due to the thickness of the cardstock, our print-out did not come out as vibrant and clear as we hoped. Nonetheless, we were satisfied with our results and went on to the next step!

 Thanks to the carefully placed cutting guidelines on the print-outs, and our handy-dandy paper cutter, cutting the Save the Dates down to size was actually pretty easy! Sure there were some mistakes, but overall it was a quick and painless procedure.

 We then glued the cut out Save the Dates on the pre-cut Paper Source 4 Bar shimmer gold note cards (along with matching envelopes), to give it some depth, color, and glitter.

And voilà! We were able to create simple, yet creative, Save the Dates which cost us less than $200 altogether, which includes paper, envelopes, supplies, and printing.

Overall, this process taught us the importance of planning ahead and working independently. Of course, we realize that not everyone has the genius talents of Jen at their disposal, but you can still hire someone to do a design and then assemble the Save the Date on your own in order to save some dough. We definitely learned a lot from this experience, and are excited to begin working on our invitations! 

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Wedding Shower Inspiration: Daniela's Vintage Tea Party

Every girl dreams of her beautiful wedding day with formal invitations, lush flowers, elegant  details, white dresses, and ever so helpful bridesmaids.  But, would you dream that your bridal shower could be the scene stealer?  Today we are pleased to share Daniela's "vintage tea party" themed bridal shower, exquisitely put together by her thoughtful and creative bridesmaids.  From homemade Vanilla extract favors to handmade doily garland and paper pom poms, this is a shower is full of charming personal touches that helped to create an elegant and sophisticated day for the bride to remember.

We asked one of the bridesmaids to give us her take on how
they went about planning this event and here are some of the thoughts and
insite she shared with us:

Was
there an overarching theme for the shower?

Our initial thought for a theme was an elegant, soft, vintage
inspired tea party, but we didn't want to take it too literally and serve just
tea and put pictures of tea kettles and cups on everything. We wanted to keep
it as elegant and sophisticated as possible. Towards the end it had felt like
we broke pretty far away from our initial "tea party" idea but then
seeing it all come together and looking at the pictures now, I think it
translates as just that.

How
did you come up with the ideas for the theme/decor?

Most of the ideas stemmed from things we knew
Daniela loved and then we used our own ideas and inspirations found online to
embellish on that. 

It
seemed there were a lot of little details. How long did it take you to plan?

It's hard to say how long it took to plan since
I'm sure we both had been thinking of ideas since before Daniela was even
engaged. But I believe our actual planning probably began about 6 months ahead
of time. For example, our favors (Homemade Vanilla Extract) had to sit for
4-5 months before being bottled and ready to use.

How did you choose the venue?

We knew we wanted to host it at a place where we had complete control and constant access so we could be planning and setting up in the months, days, and hours beforehand, so that is why we decided to host it in Sheryl's backyard. We felt having it at a hall or restaurant, although less work for us in the long run, would limit us.

How long did it take you to set up?

As for the set up, we did a lot of prepping in
the months and weeks before the shower and stored everything in Sheryl's
basement. We began setting things up in the yard the evening before (once the
tent was set up and tables & chairs delivered) and spent the day of the
shower doing the final touches. After the shower and the following day was the
clean up...which with a lot of helping hands was a breeze!

What
types of games did you play?

For games there was bridal bingo, a word
search, and a Pat & Daniela quiz. We also placed LRC (Left Right Center)
games along the table for people to play at their own will, but I think people
were too busy chatting, eating, and drinking to be bothered to play .

Did you do it all yourselves?

We (Sara and Sheryl) did all of the planning and coordinating ourselves and tackled the majority of the decor and details. Thankfully both Daniela and Pat's mothers were very eager to help and were very generous in their contributions (tent, tables, chair & linen rentals, catering, and tons of additional desserts).

Was it a surprise?

The date, time and location of the shower were not a surprise to the bride to be -- we actually even placed an invitation to her own bridal shower on her front steps spruced up with some flowers. But we didn't let any of the details slip. 

Want to throw a shower like this?  Check the links these ladies have posted on Ruffled and Craig's List if you are interested in purchasing the china, glassware, server ware, and other items for your very own tea-party themed event!  Not all of the items are for sale, but it will certainly get you off to a great start!

Thanks to Sara and Sheryl for sharing these photos and detail with us and warmest congratulations to Daniela, the lovely bride to be!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Festive Decor: Paper Garland

Paper or fabric garlands (aka banners, bunting, etc.) are all the rage these days when it comes to decorating for weddings, birthday parties, barbeques, or any other festivity you happen to be planning. They are particulary great because they make an excellent style statement but are seriously simple to put together (yay, DIY!) and are very easy on your budget. Here are a few of our favorite paper garland creations:

This lighted paper garland is a great why to add a little style to your wedding while being fully fuctional by serving as a light source as well!  See the full tutorial over at OnceWed!

 This garland, made from vintage paper, is an absolutely charming twist on traditional paper garland.  We are loving the sweet heart cut outs and think this is something that is extremely doable in terms of DIY decorating. You may not be able to make it as beautiful as CoriKindred does, with her lovely vintage paper, but you can certainly take old books or newspapers to try to create a similar effect. 

We apologize, but we simply cannot get enough of dual purpose items... and Martha Stewart, for that matter!! Save money, paper, etc. by combining your decor into something that is useful. Having a fancy sit down dinner? Why not eliminate the need for table cards and let your beautiful paper garland also serve to display seating assignments! And, as a bonus, the above colors are so perfect for this spring and summer season.

This super feminine flag garland would be the perfect element to add to brighten up any girl's bridal shower, birthday party, afternoon tea, girls night, etc. The colors are bright and cheery and the patterns and prints are fun and eye catching!

And, it's obvious to see why we love this one, by Etsy's ModernJune, and it's not just for the festive, bright colors. The chalkcloth on one side makes these customizable. This garland can be used over and over, just wipe it clean with a damp cloth and write your new message! Today it says "Barbeque", but tomorrow it could say "Congrats", "True Love", "It's a Boy", "Bachelorette"... the opportunities are endless!

 Papel Picado banners are Mexican inspired banners that are made out of hand-cut tissue paper (and in this case, recycled paper). These banners, by aymujer, are so vibrant and will certainly add to your decor in a fun and exciting way. The "Love Sweet Love" banner, shown above, can be made in any color corresponding to your event, but you can also order custom made banners to include special designs, specific names, & dates. Keep in mind she requires 8 weeks for custom orders so if you're planning you event, be sure to order well in advance!

This wouldn't be a good summery post without a fun nautical element! This nautical garland, again by our girl Martha, is perfect for your nautical themed wedding, party, or summer BBQ. Navy and yellow is one of our very favorite combinations and we are liking the square flag, as opposed to the usual triangle flags we've been seeing. 

And, of course, we couldn't forget to mention that paper garlands do not always need to be in bright colors to make a beautiful statement. This ivory bunting is so simple, yet packs a big punch in terms of elegance and romance. This is the safest option for a lot of weddings because it will add the touch of fun and whimsy that you need without your whole event looking like a day at the circus.

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Save the Dates!

Save the Date cards are traditionally sent out a few months before the wedding to notify guests about their wedding day. They tend to be more informal as compared to wedding invitations, and are a great way for couples to express their unique style. Ranging from pretty and sweet to funny and kooky, here are some of our favorite one-of-a-kind ideas for Save the Dates:

Buttons are a fun and cost effective way to spread the word about your upcoming wedding! Zazzle allows you to design your own buttons by uploading your own images and choosing the pin shape and size. Or you can always invest in a button maker, and create buttons for every special occasion! 

A popular Save the Date is to take photo booth pictures! The best part is that you don't necessarily have to go to a professional to do this -- just run over to the boardwalk and bring lots of quarters, or get creative with a digital camera and photoshop! You can then have the photos printed on magnets, or just make copies and create a makeshift frame out of cardstock.

Magnetic Save the Dates are very popular, as the fridge is often the unofficial message board in most homes. But to make your Save the Dates stand out, you can go for something more creative like this lego Save the Date. This is definitely a more detailed undertaking, where you need to design and search for your own prototypes. However the end result is pretty spectacular, as you get something very fun, unique, and personalized.

For music lovers, these faux concert posters and tickets make a great Save the Date notification! All you need is a printer and some cardstock, and you're set for a unique way to show your guests that your wedding is THE event of the year. 

Of course you can always send out Save the Date notecards, but personalize it by reflecting your personality! We love this mock Spiderman comic book Save the Date, which reflects the bride and grooms' love of comic books -- and each other! 

A super cute (and functional) way to announce your upcoming wedding is through Save the Date bookmarks. You can make them as detailed or simple as you like, and your guests will use them years after your actual wedding date. Of course, this process is a little more involved than the other "ready to order" options, but if you are creative and are willing to give it a go, then this is a great option. 

Happy planning!

Jen & Saira

Wedding Style: The Guest Book

Wedding guests books are a keepsake of your wedding, something that you traditionally would take out and look at on your anniversary and then tuck it back inside it's storage box until next year.  It's always nice to look back at the words of advise and well wishes of those who where there to witness your special day.  But, just because a guest book is a lovely tradition does not mean that yours needs to be traditional!  Nowadays people are turning their guests books into decorative, meaningful items that can be enjoyed year round.  Put that boring old book aside and take a look at some of our favorite fun and fresh guest book ideas:

A wish tree is a unique alternative to a guest book.  Have your guests sign little paper pieces and hang them on manzanita branches for a decorative look. Color coordinate it to your wedding colors for a totally put together look, add crystals for extra sparkle, and be sure to leave out instructions so your guests know what to do! 

This is a similar idea to a wish tree, but instead, guests sign small cards that get placed into an envelope and into a decorative glass jar.  During the wedding it will serve as a modern, decorative piece and afterward you and the hubby can have fun opening all of your little notes to see what people wrote you!

 

Signing a vase is another great alterntative.  Place your bouquet in the vase after the ceremony and have guests sign the vase instead of a book.  We love how practical this is!  Also, think about how nice it will be when your hubs gets your flowers for your anniversary and you can put them in this vase that was used for your wedding day! So romantic!

The Platter is probably one of the most popular guest book alternatives.  One issue with platters is that they are nice for decorative purposes, but would you ever want to actually use it and risk ruining such a beautiful memento?  With this platter, there is no need to worry!!  They come with special pens so the guests sign it, you bake it in the over for some amount of time, and the ink actually bakes into the platter itself so you can enjoy it, permanently.

This typewriter idea is just simply adorable.  Typewriters are mostly a thing of the past, but we have to say they bring a very charming, retro, and fun feel to the usual boring guest book table.  Here were see a cute old fashion type writer with pieces of paper for guests to type onto. This is a very unique alternative that guests will find interesting...or at the very least, they'll be entertained trying to figure out how in the world to use a typewriter.

The Coffee Table Book is for the couple that wants easy access to their memories and is not looking to have a guest book that sits in a box it's whole life.  Take your favorite coffee table book, something that is important to you or that you both enjoy and have your guests sign that.  Here they have chosen Calvin and Hobbes, which we think was a brilliant choice! You can keep it on your table all year, every year, to remind you of your loved ones and your special day!

This is by far our favorite idea for a wedding keepsake as it has serious family heirloom potential.  Have your guests sign small pieces of fabric (coordinating with your wedding colors, of course!!!) in lieu of a book.  Then, hire a professional or friend who is good with a sewing machine to stitch the pieces together for you and create a cozy quilt that you can cherish for a lifetime! 



XOXO,

Jen and Saira

Real Wedding: Jen & Tom

We think one of the best ways to capture the beauty and romance of weddings is to share the pictures of our friends and readers. To kick off our blog, it seemed most fitting to share the pictures of our very own Doll, Jen!

 

Jen and Tom met our freshman year of college, and it was pretty much picture perfect from the start. They were best friends, a few months later they fell in love, and the rest is history. Their wedding style reflected their personalities: fun, energetic, quirky, and sweet. Set at the Morris Arboretum, a historic carriage house and garden just outside of Philly, the wedding was a nice mix of traditional and whimsical. The officiant was the groom's roommate, there were assorted pies and a candy bar in lieu of wedding cake, mini cheese steaks and a french fry bar for hors-oeuvres, a DIY photo booth, and a wish tree as an interesting twist on a guest book. A perfect beginning for a perfect couple, here's a glance at Jen &Tom's wedding:

Details about Jen & Tom's Wedding after the break!  If you'd like to share pictures from your special day, please send us an email at paperdollromance@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you and possibly feature your wedding in a future post!



 

Venue: The Morris Arboretum

Dress: Maggie Sottero - Elaine - Purchased from The Bridal Suite in Hamilton, NJ. Our friend & shop owner, Kim, is wonderful. NJ &PA Brides/Bridesmaids/etc. please check them out and tell them we sent you ;)

Groom's Suit: BCBG

Bridesmaids: Jasmine Bridals

Groomsmen: Suits from Men's Warehouse

Photography: David Difuntorum

Flowers: Whole Foods

Food: Catering by Bruno's

Hair and Makeup: Daneene Jensen

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira