DIY Wedding: A Peek at My Pasadena, California Wedding
Our Special Day Has Finally Arrived!
As I look back at all the DIY Wedding preparations for our big day, the day that united him and I. I am impressed and proud of what was accomplished. Figuring out that although we wanted a small wedding, we wanted it to be something that shared apart of us with our guests. We wanted them to feel loved and cherished, just as they have made us feel all these years. We are proud to say that everyone that joined us on this special day, one that we will continue to celebrate year after year as our wedding anniversary, we will look back on this day with who was present and was able to take part in our lives. We have shared memories with them that mean so much to us. Only our family and close friends will know the bond we share through these memories. We wanted to incorporate our love for something old, rustic, chic and my love for lace and yet allowing it to be something not over the top but simple.
Not only did I plan to use these items at our wedding but we have also incorporated them into our home decór.
So, we set a budget and stuck to it and through the lens of our wedding photographer, William Joya, of Joy And Love Photography and our guests, our vision of our special day will always be in our home displayed for all of us to relive each and everyday.
Feel free to view, ask questions and recreate. These are what made us happy and get through the planning process of our wedding with a smile.
1. DIY Wedding Letter Marquee
This was the first creative idea I set forth and although it can be time consuming and a bit messy, it turned out exactly how I wanted it. Click on the DIY Wedding Letter Marquee to view the before and how to.
2. DIY Wedding Succulent Favors
I incorporated my new found love for succulents. Click on the DIY Wedding Succulent Favors to view more.
3. DIY Wedding Thank You Notes
Now, I cannot take all the credit for these. Wedding Chicks was a savior when it came time to think of how we were going to thank all of our guests at the wedding. I simply went to their website, picked a color scheme and downloaded the template.
4. DIY Wedding Invitations
Having a friend who owns a printing business helped when we needed invitations. We had a great time figuring out the font and style we wanted. These invitations were provided by Extreme Print.
5. DIY Wedding Ring Box
My sister brought me back a jewelry box from Spain years ago. Living miles and miles away down under in Australia, she wasn’t able to make it for our wedding, so I incorporated this beautiful box engraved with florals that remind me of the lace on my dress and we used it to hold our rings while our ring bearer held on to it tightly. (Secretly, the officiant already had the rings, so no fear.)
6. DIY Wedding Table Numbers
I researched many ways and ideas to incorporate table numbers with the centerpieces. To go with our seating chart, I looked up ways to make mini chalkboards that could be inserted in the center pieces so that it was just above the floral arrangements. Of course, at the time, any arts and crafts store did not carry them and not until after our wedding did I see so many cute ideas. But I was pleased on how well they turned out. This was something cost efficient, simple and easy to put together.
7. DIY Wedding Cocktail Sign
We use this frame in our home. I used it for my bridal shower and it added a touch of color to our wedding. Thanks to Homegoods, with the help of my lovely husband and learning photoshop, we created a cocktail sign for our guests that I just taped on to it.
8. DIY Wedding Instagram/ Wedpics Sign
We had our quests upload photos to our Wedpics account along with creating a #Hashtag for those who had Instagram. It was very nice to go through all the photos and collages our guests took and created. I also printed them out and put them in our scrapbook. It is a great way to see your wedding day through the eyes of your guests.
9. DIY Wedding Modge Podge Initials
Modge Podge is so much fun to work with. I bought the letters and stenciled our initials on beautiful scrapbooking paper that matched our color scheme. They are also hanging in our home which make for a perfect home décor.
10. DIY Wedding Sparkler Send Off Sign
Homegoods is the best place to find signs and chalkboards. Again, my freehand skills came into play while drawing the sign. I purchased the sparklers from Superior Fireworks that last 4 minutes long! Perfect for our grand exit with our family and friends. (They also make for the great 4th of July sparklers with the kids.)
11. DIY Wedding Guestbook
We spent an evening under the Santa Monica Pier for our engagement photos taken by our fabulous friend at Apple Rose. We went online, sorted through all the pictures, uploaded them to Shutterfly, which is a very inexpensive way to go for picture books and it was fun reading all the sweet messages from all of our guests who signed in.
12. DIY Wedding “Whom My Soul Loves” Chalkboard Sign
I purchased this chalkboard at Homegoods because I loved the grey border and knew it would go well with our color scheme. I got creative with a quote that we loved and also included it in our invitations.
13. DIY Wedding Day After “Wifey” Tee
This was something I saw on Pinterest but instead of using the printer and searching for the correct font, I used a sharpie pen to freehand “wifey” on one of my old favorite grey t-shirts. I loved waking up the morning after our wedding and putting it on.
14. DIY Wedding Seating Chart
I wanted to incorporate the chalkboard style with our seating chart as guests walked in. It made it really easy for guests to search for their last name by alphabetical order.
15. DIY Wedding Cake Topper
This was something I saw shared around, pinned on Pinterest and on Etsy courtesy of Creative Stamps. I even thought about creating this on my own, but I left it to the pros. The cake topper is unique and simple, sharing with our guests our love for one another. We are in it together. We love each other and on that special day, We both said “I DO.”
Cake made by Fantasy Frostings.
