Creating a Lovebird Inspired Wedding

Love is in the air with this month's Lovebird theme wedding. There are endless possibilities with this theme and we hope you're inspired to pick up your crafting tools and start making a design a design of you're own!

First things first we start with the Save the Date. We chose the colors of chocolate brown and a light mint green - of course you can infuse your own colors here!


Here's what you'll need to complete the project:

*Patterned Paper
*Bird "Hole Punch" (We used Martha Stewart's that you can find at any Michael's store)
*Solid Color Cardstock
*Solid Ivory or White Cardstock
*Craft Glue
*Magnets (the self-stick kind you find at any craft store)
*Gold Paint
*Thin Paintbrush
*Thin Gold Wire
*Wire Cutters
*Paper Cutter
*Double Sided Foam Tape
*Mini Hole Punch (1/8" inch hole - purchased at Michael's Martha Stewart Crafts)

1. Cut your solid color cardstock into 3x4 rectangles (the brown paper in our example)
2. Design and print your save the dates so that they will fit on a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card. You should be able to print 6 cards per page.
3. Cut your ivory cardstock into 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" sheets.
4. Using your gold paint, paint a birdcage around the lettering of your save the date & let dry.
5. Once dry, punch the two 1/8" holes at the very top of painted cage.
6. Cut 1" of gold wire and wrap around a pen to create a cirle - wind the two ends together a few times to hold the circle shape.
7. Place the two ends of the wire through the two holes you just punched on the save the date. Take double sided tape to tape down the edges to the back of the ivory card.
8. Add two extra pieces of double sided tape on the left and right sides and paste to the solid 3" x 4" card stock.
9. Attach a magent to the back and you're done!

Tip - if you purchase ivory or white note cards instead of cardstock, envelopes will come with the cards which you can then send your cards out in! You can find them in craft shops at 20 for $5.99 ($0.30 each). The whole design will take about 5 minutes per card.

If you love the design but don't have the supplies... or time... they can be ordered and custom made though etsy at http://www.etsy.com/listing/52230333/lovebird-theme-wedding-save-the-dates for $1.06 - $1.25 per card depending on quantity.

Best Wishes for a Beautiful Wedding!

Pretty in Pink and Mocha Wedding Design Theme

Nothing says Spring time more than a pretty pink wedding inspiration board. Stuck up here in MA (where it's currently 43 degrees and downpouring... gross) we can't help but think warm thoughts... thus our Spring inspired light pink and mocha inspiration board for March.

We're drawing inspiration from a real wedding in MT as well as 3 fabulous artists at Etsy.com. I'll post the DIY projects for you all soon!

Enjoy!

Ribbons of Green & White - DIY Ribbon Belt Place Card

Green & White Ribbon-Belt Place Cards

Total Cost for 150 Place Cards: $44.75 ($0.29 each)

Materials Needed per place card:

12 inches of green ribbon in a shade of your choice, 1 1/2 inches wide (to make 150 you'll need 50 yards of ribbon. Buy your ribbon in bulk at createforless.com at 50 yards for $41.00 or $13.80 for 10 yards)
1 sheet of white cardstock (creates 8 name tags) Download the template from Martha Stewart Weddings. Get a pack of 25 sheets of white cardstock at createforless.com (you'll need 20 pages for 150 tags) for just $3.75.
Instructions:

Get the step-by-step instructions and template for these place cards at Martha Stewart Weddings, as seen below:

1. Print template onto white card stock.

2. Cut at crop marks using a metal straight edge and a craft knife (don't cut all the way to the paper's edges; this will leave the crop marks intact for each subsequent cut). Write or calligraph guests' names on cards. (If you want to print them using a desktop publishing program or Microsoft Word, import the full-size PDF into your document as an image, and layer text boxes over it. Then print out, and cut into cards.)

For Each Place Card
1. To cut the slits for the ribbon "belt," first measure the ribbon's width (we used a ribbon that was 36 mm or 1 7/16" wide). Use a craft knife and a metal straight edge to cut slits at the ends of the card about 3/8" in from the colored border; the slits should be only slightly wider than the ribbon itself. (Use the tip of the craft knife to make small indentations to mark the beginning and end of each slit, if you are uncomfortable cutting it freehand.)

2. Cut the ribbon into a 12" length. To notch the tails, pinch each end of ribbon in half, and cut at an angle to make a deep V. Slide the ribbon ends through the slits in the card from the back, and adjust the spacing. (Use a spare napkin the same size as your dinner napkins to estimate the positioning of the card.) Fold the ends of the ribbon back away from the card, and finger-press along the fold. If the ribbon doesn't lie flat, use double-sided tape under each tail to secure.

3. Slide the practice napkin out from the middle, and make the rest of the napkin "belts" following your first sample.

4. To slide the "belts" into place just before your wedding, bend the folded napkin slightly along the middle, and slip it into the ribbon loop, then flatten it back out.

Ribbons of Green & White - DIY Wedding Table Decoration

Green & White Table Ribbons

We love this look, but most weddings have ground tables instead of square ones... and having a ribbon at each setting will not only make your table look like a pizza pie... it will also cost you tons of money in ribbon.

Instead we suggest you get the same look for less by using these ribbons as a table runner instead, creating one long strip down the middle of the table.

Total Cost for 16 72" round tables (for 150 guests at 8-10 guests per table: $187.94 (or $11.75 per table)

Materials Needed per table:

84" (or 2 1/3 yards) of 7/8" Emerald ribbon (2 rolls of 20 yards @ $18.40 at createforless.com)
84" (or 2 1/3 yards) of 1"White ribbon (2 rolls of 20 yards @$18.20 at createforless.com)
84" (or 2 1/3 yards) of 1 1/2" Emerald ribbon (1 roll of 50 yards @ $41.00 at createforless.com)
2 sets of 84" (or 2 1/3 yards) of 3/8" Charteuse ribbon (5 rolls of 20 yards @ $13.99 at joann.com)
Double Sided Tape (300"Scotch Double Sided @ $3.79 at createforless.com)
Instructions:

Cut the ribbon at an angle in 84" segments. Mimick the pattern as seen in the picture above. Drape the ribbon 6" past the edge of the table. Secure the ribbon with double sided tape.

Green & White Wedding Design Theme

This wedding theme was inspired by a real wedding featured in Martha Stewart Weddings. We love the fresh look of green and white together for a spring or summer wedding.



We show you how to create this beautiful table setting on our wedding DIY Projects page and where to find the rest of the products (and how much they cost) on our wedding design theme page - check it out!

Personal Coaches for Brides

What do "Personal Coaches" have to do with planning a wedding?

The answer is simple. If you've come to this site it means that you're planning a wedding... and you're probably juggling many things at once. You're not just booking a reception site, picking the perfect invitations, figuring out your guest list and staying within budget... you're probably also trying to keep a good relationship with your "Mother-In-Law" to be, you're trying to stay focused at work while a million wedding tasks are keeping you preoccupied. You're reminding yourself to go to the gym and not eat that extra double-stuff because "you don't alter Vera to fit you, you alter yourself to fit Vera" all the while trying NOT to be the Bridezilla you see on TV!

Brides and Mothers Of The Bride are now hiring a Personal Coach, which is a branch of Life Coaching. And trust me from someone who's hired one, they are miracle workers. They specialize in coaching the bride in all aspects of her life - not just planning the wedding - but coaching the bride in the whole picture - from planning the weddding to living... well... "Happily Ever After". They take the stress out of wedding planning, allowing you to enjoy the time of being engaged & planning your wedding, while building the blocks you need to start this new chapter in your life.

Check out our bran-spakin-new directory for wedding coaches that can help you on your way to a balanced and bridezilla free life!

http://weddingdesignonadime.com/personal-coaches

Wedding Planning Guide- Getting Started & Staying Organized

If you're planning a wedding on a dime, you need to know the in's & out's of the wedding business... and you're going to need all the help you can get. Staying organized and on schedule is not only going to make your life more sane, but it will also save you money if you've got the time and insite to ask the right questions and find the right vendors. So what are the right questions and how do you stay organized, on time... and best of all... learn how to negotiate with vendors for lower bids??

Get a wedding planner book that will help you stay on track and give you the insider advise.

After lots of comparison shopping, we recommend one planner in particular. It's just about the size of my outstretched hand, which makes it really easy to toss into your bag and be on your way to meet a vendor, or bring with you on your lunch break from work. Even better, after spending an afternoon in Barnes & Noble, we compared it to just about every other wedding planning book on the shelf and it had more tips and questions to ask & compare vendors than almost all of them combined - all in a bite size package.

Written by the former editor of Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine, Amy Nebens, The Bride's Book of Lists: Things to Do & Questions to Ask has the most comprehensive overview of what a bride needs to know to plan her wedding. Top it off with pockets on both the front and back jacket pocket, business card holder sleeves and an elastic strap to hold it all together - you're sure to stay organized and save money... and stay on budget for your wedding!