Pinterest

Having discovered Pinterest, I can’t decide if it’s a new toy or a new tool. Whatever it is, I’m in love. It’s a way to plan parties, save ideas, get exposure to new and different products, etc. Now instead of saving tons of stuff on my computer as word documents, I can just “pin” it to one of my boards. Not only could you use a Pinterest board to plan your wedding but you could have a board for each category such as Ceremony, Reception, Bridesmaids, Gowns, Jewelry and so on and so on. I’ve started a wedding board for great ideas that I’ve come across and want to share with you. You can find it here.

Birdhouse Card Box

Ok girls and boys, here is a card box I can support. And talk about timing! After my last post, I stumbled upon it. So if you want to use the paper birds instead of butterflies, carry the theme to the card box. It comes with one roof which has a slot for cards and another which is solid for use in the garden after the wedding. You have a choice of house colors to match either your wedding theme or your current home or the house of your dreams. This just couldn’t be sweeter. Here’s the Etsy store: Clegg Farm Creations

Butterfly Wall Guestbook

At most weddings, the bride and groom want a way to record the names of their guests. This has traditionally been in book form. There are lots of great ideas floating around these days for alternatives to the book but we still don’t have a cool name for the new collective. That means of course that when I post an idea, I’ll still call it a guestbook even if it’s a poster or a sail on a boat.

Today, I came across these butterflies and birds on the Etsy shop  Hip and Clavicle  and it got me to thinking…   
What if you used re-positionable double-sided tape on the backs of paper butterflies or birds? You could then create a gorgeous wall of fluttering wings over a side table. You could make it appear that they were flying out of a bowl or vase. What if there were a photo of the bride and groom with outstretched hands? The butterflies or birds could appear to fly right from their fingertips!! The possibilities are endless. Then start thinking about all the fabulous papers available. Oh my! To sign a butterfly, a guest could either pull it from the wall and then replace it or just sign it where it is. After the wedding, perhaps someone special could be responsible for gathering the butterflies and placing them into their new home of an album or poster or book of some kind.  Oooo, Ooooo, LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!!   What about displaying them in a large shadow box the way gorgeous butterfly specimens are mounted????

This is just screaming CUSTOMIZE ME!!  What if you used a mirrored back in the shadow box as in the photo to the left of real butterfly specimens.  Then you could select paper which is patterned on the ‘back side’.  When framed, you could read all the guests names but have the reflection of all those lovely patterned wings.  Or choose a stunning paper or fabric background to set off the paper of the flutters.

I’m sure you could request that the paper art come without adhesive so you could apply your own or ask the artist to use tape to your specifications.  Be sure to get creative with pen inks as well.  Just think how pretty white, silver or gold would be on dark paper.  If you have a light color and a dark color in your scheme, make your paper and pen reflect them.

Consider Charity

First written in December of 2009, the following post not only bears repeating but has new significance which you’ll discover at the end:

Have you thought about wedding favors? Do you love the idea but think they are beyond your budget? Do you think favors are a ridiculous waste of money because people usually trash them? Whatever your views, I hope you’ll find inspiration in this idea. Lots of couples these days are contributing to charities in lieu of favors. My husband and I added a new twist to this for our wedding. We chose our five favorite charities (that was harder than you might think) and gave our guests the opportunity to select their favorites from the five.

What you’ll need:

One bowl for each charity (we used crystal but you could use wood or ceramic or whatever fits your theme)

Glass gems or buttons or twigs, etc. to fit your theme (just something small to represent a vote)

Small tent cards or placeholders with cards

8 ½ X 11 decorative letter paper (find this at your local office supply superstore) to fit your theme

If you want scrolls, you’ll also need some ribbon or string

What we did:

We printed out the name and a brief description of each charity and glued it to the cards. The cards were inserted into placeholders which then stood behind the crystal bowls. At the reception, we lined the bowls up in a row in a spot away from other activity so it wouldn’t get too crowded.

We came up with the wording to express our feelings regarding our guests sharing our special day and stated that in lieu of favors we wanted to donate to our favorite charities but asked our guests to decide which ones. We printed that on the decorative paper. We then placed our letter on each plate, at the reception, with a glass gem on top. As everyone sat down to dinner, we expressed our gratitude for family and friendship and directed everyone to choose a charity by placing their ‘gem’ in one of the bowls. We also shared with everyone our reasons for choosing the charities we did. At the end of the reception, we counted the number of gems in each bowl and gave respectively to each charity. Here’s the great part, based on your budget, you can decide how much each ‘gem’ will represent. Your guests do not need to know how much you are donating, only that you are doing so. That way, everyone feels good about it. We received soooo much positive feedback from our guests. A few even said they were going to steal the idea.

Of course if you aren’t having a meal at your reception, you could roll your letters scroll style and place them in a container next to a container of ‘gems’ and the row of bowls. Alternatively, you could print just one, frame it and place it on an easel by the bowls. Have fun with this and add your own twist. We felt great that our guests were assured of our gratitude and the guests felt good about the interactive nature of the gifts to charity.

If you are interested in saving animals and elephants in particular, I’d like to introduce you to a brand new charity. We have a cousin, best friend and personal veterinarian who, along with his brother, are building a special needs elephant sanctuary in a small community in Maine. Please offer them your support at: http://hopeelephants.org/ and on their Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/ikY7FM.

I wish you the very happiest of wedding days.

Lyana

 

 

 

Make Certain You Are On The Same Page

The oft used adage (primarily in retail) “the customer is always right” just simply does not apply to the world of contract law. When the vendor you’ve chosen presents you with a contract, my best advice is to actually read said contract. If you have any questions about anything be sure to ask before signing. Yes, I know this sounds like a no-brainer but you might be surprised to learn that brides sometimes come back later to make unreasonable requests which then turn into demands. The vendors I know really do want to make brides happy and avoid any unpleasantness. With that in mind most professionals will offer explanations and/or alternatives if they cannot fulfill those requests. It is in our best interest to make people happy. That said, there are some folks who simply dig in their heels and nothing the vendor does (short of becoming a doormat and setting aside all principals) will ever make them happy. These are usually the brides who start out trying to cajole but quickly begin to find fault and finally threaten to tell everyone they know just how horrible their experience has been. These are also the brides who typically want to book something last minute, who are late for appointments, who are slow to reply to correspondence and who want something for nothing. In some cases perhaps the bride did go back later and read the contract only to discover the vendor is not at all obliged to acquiesce to her whims. At that point these brides can exhibit bully behavior.

DON’T BE THIS BRIDE!!

Make certain you are on the same page by choosing your vendors wisely and by reading the contracts. What made you choose particular vendors in the first place? You saw their work right? That means you are familiar with their style. It is unreasonable to later expect that the very traditional vendor will produce for you something from the mind of Dr. Seuss, for example. The reverse is also certainly true. If you select a photojournalistic style photographer who applies textures and exaggerates colors to create bold, creative, whimsical images, don’t act surprised when those are the very photos you get. Think about it this way—-don’t select your future spouse with a plan to change him or her to suit you. Choose that person because he or she is just what you’re seeking.

Be respectful. Return correspondence in a timely manner. Professionals do and most are very, very busy. Arrive on time. Accept the fact that your vendor scheduled a certain amount of time for you and your tardiness cuts into that—like it or not.

Many vendors include clauses in contracts dealing with subjective interpretation and creative rights. If you don’t understand these—-ask questions beforehand. Make sure you know who owns copyrights.

Most importantly, if you signed the contract and the terms favor the vendor in your dispute, then suck it up and move on. Be the bride everyone wants to feature and brags about for years. Don’t be the one everybody hates to see coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flash Mob Wedding

Just sayin.

 

 

 

 

Posters

For some of my couples, I have created images in poster format as fun artwork to hang on the wall. Wedding photos don’t always have to take the form of portraits or reception action shots.   If you want something more creative, be sure you have a photographer who is willing to take the time to play.  Let’s talk about how creative we can be in documenting your special day.   Shoot me an email      lvotey@live.com

 

 

 

Groomsmen waiting at the church

 

 

A beautiful spring on the venue site

 

 

Special effects added to amplify the blown bubbles

 

 

A tribute to the rustic lodge where the ceremony was held

 

 

Family members setting up the reception with a border matching the color theme

 

 

Special effects added to emphasize the private nature of making wishes on pennies cast into a fountain while the viewer peers through a window

 

 

 

 

 

Custom Wedding Jewelry

While at the Vermont Handcrafters’ Fine Craft and Art Show, I met an amazing artist by the name of Tossy Garrett. Tossy creates gorgeous pieces of jewelry with gold, silver, pewter, bronze, gemstones and pearls under the name of Storm and Sunrise. As I drooled and dreamed, Tossy enchanted me with her designs and her artist’s soul. She produces custom engagement and wedding rings for savvy clients. Her original pearl necklace designs are available in your choice of pearl shapes and colors. One of her pearl strands will be coming home with me soon!!! For those of you interested in a destination winter wedding to Vermont, you just must see the “chair lift” jewelry. As if she doesn’t offer enough designs to covet, Tossy also offers classes. How about making something special for your fiance to gift on your wedding day? Cuff links jump to mind. Or you could make each of your attendants something unique as a thank-you. Not everything in her line is reflected on her website Home_Page.html or in her Etsy store tossydawn and the pictures don’t do justice. This is an artist with whom you need to meet and see her work personally. It will be worth your while.

Don’t forget to email me about photographing your special day. Now go play in the snow!

Stuffed Animals

Most girls love stuffed animals. Some of us outgrow it and leave them behind as parts of our childhood but some keep a few around even as adults. Guys may frown on the cuddly little things in the home but here’s a teddy bear everyone will love: custom.html
Tammy creates memory bears from personal clothing items. There are so very many options for one of these precious collectibles. If you plan to “trash the dress”, have a bear made with the parts of your gown which aren’t stained. If you are having your wedding gown made from scratch, save some of the fabric to use on a bear. If you can’t wear your mother or grandmother’s dress for whatever reason, consider having a bear made from it. If you have sisters, have bears made for them too. Winter wedding? Make a bear from your fur (faux I hope) stole or coat. Have a t-shirt from a camping trip the two of you took while dating? Use that and give the bear to him. If you aren’t really into stuffed animals but want children one day, think ahead. How special would it be to have a bear for your child made from clothing you wore on your wedding day? Does he have a ratty old flannel shirt from college that he just can’t throw away? Have a memento created just for him. The possibilities are endless. Tammy’s bears articulate at the head and all four legs. You can have names and/or dates embroidered on the paws or clothing. Go ahead–indulge that little girl in you.

Saving Your Precious Photos

Here’s an unsolicited tip for everyone regarding treasured photos: Keep your albums in plastic tubs. I learned this from a relative who went through Katrina Hell. The items she had in plastic tubs floated and never got wet or damaged in any way. Everything else………toast! Anyone can have a flood or a tree come through the roof with rain and snow pouring in. Protect your memories.