DIY Wedding Invitations

Because I'm kind of a lunatic, I decided it would be a good idea to make our wedding invitations myself.

Our save-the-date postcards were pretty simple.  They looked like this on the front:  

And this on the back:  

I made them by scanning a vintage postcard of North Hero, VT (our wedding location) into our computer.  (Funny Story: My parents have the same postcard framed on the wall of their Vermont cabin and I didn't even know it until I visited in June.) I added the lines, "Meet us at the Lake" using a font called "Vacation Postcard"  through Adobe's Photoshop Elements, 

The back of the postcards were made by using a template from Wedding Chicks.  They have several free save-the-date and invitation bundles.  You just plug in your information and viola!  Easy, cute, and free.

Once the save the dates were mailed, I turned my attention to the invitations.  They were a bit of a project.  

Seeing these amazing inviations from Nothing but Bonfires is what started the madness.

"I can do that!" I thought.  Well....sorta.  Ours weren't nearly as professional looking, but I was happy with how they turned out!

The invitation itself is, again,  a freebie template courtesy of  Wedding Chicks.   It's a really great resource if you're thinking of your own DIY wedding.

The website allows you to choose from a variety of colors, but I ended up tweaking things further through Adobe's Photoshop Elements to match my GUAVA color palette.

Using the Wedding Chicks' template as a starting place, I made two RSVP cards.  One was for the wedding itself, and the other was for the welcome dinner the night before.  I changed the colors slightly once more.  I also created a polka dot background instead of the retro pattern the freebie provides because I had polka dots on my wedding dress.  Finally, I added some extra text to provide my guests with all the information they needed.

The last piece of the invitation package was a schedule of events for the weekend.    

Once everything was designed, I used my home printer and some white card stock to get everything printed.  This created some temporary frustration on my part because colors on a computer monitor look very different from the printed product.  The exact shade of guava I wanted on the monitor was coming out really dark through the printer.  

My solution was to build a color palette on PSE.  I made a grid of varying shades of pinks and peaches then printed it out.  That way, I could get a better idea of what the colors would actually look like on the invitations.

After adjusting the colors a final time, my printer got the workout of its inky life.

Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the pocket envelopes I ordered from Paper and More.  They looked a little too white, so I line the inside flap of each envelope with patterned paper.  I bought a pack of paper on sale at Michael's.

Then we set up an invitation-building headquarters in our living room for my Maid of Honor, Amy, and I to get to work.  Snacks were provided.  Obviously.

 We had to cut the different parts of the invitation to size.  Then we had to cut all the card stock to size.  I'm pretty sure I cleaned every Michael's within a twenty-mile radius out of guava-colored card stock.

Then we had to mount the invitations to the card stock.

What I'm really trying to say is that this was a long-ass process of measuring, cutting and gluing.

 Luckily, we had Dawson to keep us company.  Joey and Pacey for life!!!  Woot!  

 Finally, when all the parts were glued and cut, we organized an assembly line for envelope stuffing.  

When everything was properly stuffed, the invitations looked like this:

 We closed the pocket envelopes with a piece of guava ribbon and a sticker.  I designed the stickers on PSE and printed them on some Avery labels from Staples.  They feature a silhouette of the state of Vermont with a heart in the upper corner near where we got married, our initials, and our wedding date.

Finally, after about two and half days of nothing but blood, sweat and Dawson-flavored tears, the invitations were ready to go.  We slapped on some fancy Martha Stewart address labels and stuck them  in the mail.   

And yes, I did invite the president.  And no, he did not come. 

 

Our Little Wedding: Color Palette

Early in the wedding planning process, I told my Maid of Honor, Amy, that I didn't care what her dress looked like as long as it was the right color.  What color was that exactly?  Well, it's hard to describe.  

Simply put, it's pink.  But it's not just any old pink.  I tried to explain to Amy that it wasn't baby girl pink, or carnation pink, or Barbie pink, or Pepto Bismol pink.  The closest I could get to an accurate description was salmon, but who wants to look like a fish when walking down the aisle, am I right?  

Then I told her I wanted to mix in some peach and bright yellow and maybe some lighter pink.  That's a whole lot of color!  

Every time we went shopping she'd ask me, "Like this color?" when she saw something in a pinkish hue.  And I'd either nod yes or no, or respond, "Sorta....but warmer.  Coral-ish, but darker.  Like pink and orange had a baby..."   

I found this color palette on Pinterest, which helped me solidify the whole thing...in my mind at least.  

Source: theperfectpalette.com via Summer on Pinterest

Then we started looking at dresses.  David's Bridal finally provided a name for the color I was trying to describe....GUAVA!  

So, maybe you don't want to walk down the aisle looking like a salmon, but a tropical fruit sounds perfectly acceptable! 

Once I had a name for the color, I had a much easier time explaining what I wanted to the florist.  

"I want lighter peaches and pinks in the background with pops of bright yellow and a pinkish color.  I think it's called....guava?"  

"Oh yes, guava. I know exactly what you mean," she responded.  

Score.  

Who knew guava was an actual color?  There was guava card stock at Michael's to use for our wedding invitations.  There was also guava ribbon to make ribbon wands!  Triple score.  

From there, I just had to figure out what to dress Eric in.  He found a perfect shade of light gray for his suit, and his sister, who acted as best woman during the ceremony, found a great dress to match him.  

Together, I think grey and guava look pretty perfect.  

I love the way the colors ended up looking against the green, grey and blue backdrop of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains.  

Photo by Jaclyn Schmitz Photography

Photo by Jaclyn Schmitz Photography

Photo by Jaclyn Schmitz Photography
Flowers by Alison Ellis at Floral Artistry Vermont

Our Little Wedding: The Overview

I've been suspiciously absent from the ole bloggy wog for the past week not because I was too busy stuffing my face with lobster, cheese and cupcakes to waddle to the computer...which I was...but also because I was busy getting married.

After over six years as a couple, a house, and a Maddie Bear, we finally decided to make a damn commitment already!  Watch yourselves, friends, that cool chill you just felt may, in fact, be hell freezing over.

There's a LOT to say about the past few days.  My plan this week is to provide more details and crafting instructions, but for now, let's reflect shall we?

We got married on the banks of Lake Champlain in Vermont.  We wanted to keep it simple, small and fun.

 On Friday night, we hosted a dinner cruise aboard The Spirit of Ethan Allen, which provides tours of Lake Champlain out of Burlington, VT.

Friday nights are their "Lobstah on the Lake" themed dinners, which strikes Eric as funny since there aren't any lobsters in Vermont, but I say, "Don't ask questions, hurry up and eat more lobstah before they realize their mistake!"

Unfortunately, it was raining, so our sunset cruise did not provide much of a sunset.  There was, however, lots of drinking and dancing so I don't think anyone minded.

Our wedding ceremony took place on Saturday morning as Shore Acres Inn in North Hero, VT.  The sun graced us with its presence for a few hours that morning, which was just long enough for us to get married out on the lawn beside the lake.

Here are a million and a half pictures to give you an idea of what took place:

After our reception, my parents had everyone back to their lakeside cabin for a cookout.  It rained a lot, but eventually it cleared up and we got to see some rainbows.  The food, drinks and good company distracted us from the bad weather, and I think everyone had a lot of fun.  Mission accomplished.

Best part?  I got to marry my best friend.  Second best part?  All my favorite people were there to see it.

Maddie Bear Says....er....Sings...

We hear from the back seat of our car:    

"At last see the lights.  Lights in the sky.  Lights in the sky.  Now she's here!" she sings her own version of a song from Tangled.    

Eric joins her singing, "A whole new world!  A whole fantastic point of view!"  

Maddie pauses and scowls.  "No, Dada.  No.  Don't do dat.  Don't sing dat!"  she shakes her head violently.  

Eric and I die laughing from the front seat.  

Madeline continues, ignoring our laughter, this time with a lot more emotion and depth, "Now she's here!  Now she's HERE!  Now she's HERE!  I see the lights!"  

Happiness Is...

If you're happy and you know it, comment below!  What's been making YOU happy recently?

Baby Gymnastics

Unless you live under a rock, you may have heard that there's a little competition called the Olympics going on.  Well, I say...Olympics Schmaimpics.

Forget Gabby, Jordyn and Aly.  Baby gymnastics?  Now that's where it's at, people.

My mom signed Madeline and I up for a parent/tot gymnastics class after finding a good Groupon deal.  Someday, when Madeline wins a gold medal, thanks go to you, Mimi.  I probably never would have thought of signing Madeline up on my own.

Weeks before the class started, I was worried we'd be bested by a group of overly competitive toddlers with names like Svetlana, Sergey and Xui Li.  Baby Svetlana would be doing back flips through the door blinding us with her sequined diaper and false eyelashes while Xui Li's mother timed how long it took her baby to climb the rope to the ceiling.  Meanwhile, Madeline and I would be all like, "Yo, when's the next break?  I need a dang rest!  And are there Cheerios involved??"

Luckily, my worries were unfounded.  We have a small group of very nice toddlers who are all equally awkward and uncoordinated.  The most competitive we get is learning how to wait in line for the bubbler.

Have you ever tried to teach a kitten to play the violin?  No?  I'm sure someone on YouTube must have.  Well, a kitten orchestra must be a lot like baby gymnastics.

If medals were handed out in baby gymnastics, here's how I'd rate Madeline:  

Pretending You are an Airplane:  Bronze

When we run around pretending we are airplanes, Madeline usually forgets to put her arms out.  When she does remember, she shoots them straight up above her head Superman style instead.  Therefore, although she may not be technically proficient in this category, I still feel she deserves a medal for creativity.  

Balance Beam:  Gold

Madeline rocks the balance beam! The first time the teacher showed us what we'd be doing, I thought she was mad.  (You want my baby girl to walk across that thing?  Really?  You do realize that she falls for no reason walking on normal ground right?)  But Madeline has surprisingly good balance.  She only has to hold one of my hands instead of two, she can bend over to touch her toes, and she can throw beanbags into hula hoops all from the balance beam.  Total gold, baby.

Trampoline:  Bronze

Madeline hasn't quite figured out that she's supposed to bounce across the trampoline.  Instead, she yells, "RUNNNNNNNNN!" while going as fast as her little legs will take her.  Due to the lack of traction on the trampoline, Madeline picks up enough speed to strongly resemble a whirligig.  By the time she gets to the other side, her momentum causes her to face plant into the mats.  Every. single. time.  She doesn't mind.  She giggles.  I've given up trying to show her how to bounce across.  She's just so happy, and I like her style.  

Donkey Kicks: Silver

For a long time, Madeline would just stand there and watch me demonstrate donkey kicks with a wicked little smile on her face that seemed to suggest, "Mumma, you literally look like a jack ass."  But after a few lessons, she's starting to get the hang of it.  She still only kicks one leg up in the air instead of getting both feet off the ground.  Sometimes she sees me through her legs while she's upside down and gets distracted.  "Hi, Mumma!  Hi, Mumma!  Up. Side. Dooowwwn. *Giggle*"   She's getting there though.

Foam Pit:  Gold

The gymnasium has a giant pit filled with foam blocks that we spend the last ten minutes of each class trying not to drown in.  It's deeper than me, so I'm pretty sure there could be some lost gymnasts buried under there.  I'm even more certain that the thing hasn't been cleaned since 1994.  I caught a whiff today.  Next time, I'm tempted to yell "Doody!" in an attempt to reenact the scene from Caddy Shack.

Madeline doesn't care that the mob may have disposed bodies there.  She's just uber excited to be tossed into a giant pit of foam blocks.  Really, who can blame her?  Sometimes she starts to sink and I have to pull her out by an ankle, but mostly she's light enough to wiggle across the surface.

I'd say, all in all, baby gymnastics has been a success so far.  Daily Madeline asks for "Nastics?"  so she must approve.  

It makes me wonder.  Is this where it all starts?  Fifteen years ago while I was learning marching band drills and making out at the bowling alley (cause I was awesome) were the current Olympians doing donkey kicks with their mothers?  Did they fail at trampoline bouncing, or were they like baby Sergey doing back handsprings before they reached twenty-four months?  
 

It's Still a Mess...

I did not have a "Monday Morning Messes with Mumma and Maddie Bear" this week.  Bwomp, bwomp.

I had planned on making a butterfly windsock out of paper towel rolls and tissue paper because we visited a butterfly garden on Sunday, and I thought I'd stick with the theme.

Instead, this happened:

Madeline helped me tear up some tissue paper and then insisted on dumping it everywhere.  She buried one of her stuffed animals in it a few times, poured it on her head, refilled the bowl and repeated the process of dumping it.

She was as happy as a clam, so I didn't try to take the project any further.  Madeline still made a mess and she still had fun.  Mission accomplished!