July 29, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Photography

In thinking about our guestbook, you know me, I wanted something different. But of course that something different comes at a premium cost. Ideally, we’d do a photobooth like the ones at The Photobooth Company, but at $1000 for the least expensive package, that’s clearly not in the budget. So, I found an alternative.

Polaroid Pogo Instant Camera

The Polaroid Pogo camera. This is Polaroid’s new instant camera that’s so new, it’s barely even available in stores. This digital camera prints 2″x 3″ pictures with sticky backs. This would be perfect because guests could print their own pictures, stick them on a page in the guestbook and sign them. But alas, this little camera is $200.

I know $200 is a lot less than thte $1000 for the photobooth, but when you’re working with a 12k budget, thats $200 too much.

So what should I do? Any suggestions for an alternative?

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Technorati Tags: guestbook, photo booth, photobooth, picture, polaroid

Ringbearer Pillow – A DIY Tutorial

July 25, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Wedding Party

Ringbearer pillows often fall into the too lacy, too traditional category. After doing some searching I found a few that fit my more modern sensibilities but you know me, I didn’t want to shell out the dough for them. So, of course I went the DIY route, and my trusty sister and sidekick came through with her sewing machine and crafty skillz.

Step 1: Cut out enough fabric for your pillow plus about a half inch for your seam. Pin along the edges so the material doesn’t slip when you sew.

Fabric for Ringbearer Pillow

Step 2: Sew along the pins. We sewed in an arch instead of straight across. I can’t really tell you why but I thought about pictures of other pilows that I’d seen and I always was drawn toward the ones that curved in on the sides. Sew all the way around the pillow except for the last 3 or 4 inches. You’ll need this space to stuff it.

Seamed Fabric for Ringbearer Pillow

Step 3: Turn the pillow inside out and stuff your pillowcase with polyfill. Stuff it pretty full and make sure you push the fill into the teeny tiny corners too. As you stuff, flatten the pillow out to give it the shape you’re looking for.

Pillow Stuffed with Polyfill

Step 4: Whipstitch the final few inches of the seam after filling the pillow. A whipstitch is just a hidden little stitch done by hand with needle and thread sans sewing machine.

Whipstitch on a Ringbearer Pillow

Step 5: Decorate your blank canvas of a pillow anyway you’d like. We wrapped our pillow like a gift in wide ivory ribbon with a half bow on one side . And we added a piece of then red ribbon to hold the rings. We pulled apart some silk hyndrangeas and put pearl buttons in the center where the plastic pieces used to be. All of the ribbon and flowers were sewed into the center of the pillow by hand just to make sure everything was secure.

And voila! A ringbearer pillow!

Ringbearer Pillow

Rings on a Ringbearer Pillow

Have you tried your own DIY Ringbearer Pillow? Any tips or tricks?

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Online Photosharing with Picurio – Free Trial for 12k Readers!

July 24, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Photography

Picurio is a newly available website dedicated to online photosharing and they’ve offered a free 2 month trial account for 100 12k readers! That’s even better than the 2 week free account on their site.

Wedding photo sharing has become all the rage lately and it’s easy to see why. Of course, you’ll probably have a professional photographer, but that can’t person be in every place at every moment.

Here’s how Picurio works:

Sign up and get a personalized url
Tell guests where to upload pictures
Wait for aforementioned pictures to pour in

I mean really, if your Aunt Cindy can figure out how to upload her profile picture to Facebook, this should be easy as pie.

To take advantage of the free 2 month trial account:

Go to www.picurio.com
Click Get A Room
Enter Promotional Code: promo12kwedding
Come back here and comment on your experience

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Technorati Tags: free trial, online photosharing, photo sharing, Photographer, Photos, photosharing, Picurio

Wedding Cupcakes It Is!

July 21, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

We just recently decided to go to with cupcakes instead of cake for our wedding. We’ve talked about it before but kept going back and forth. After getting a quote from our preferred cake baker and listing the pros and cons in this most recent conversation, we’ve decided cupcakes are probably best.

Cupcake Pros:

Cheaper than cake, at about $2 each
No cake cutting fee
Allows for a variety of flavors
Opportunity to do a DIY stand (!)

Cupcake Cons

I don’t get to use any of the cake inspiration pictures that I found

So as you can see, cupcakes are the way to go. I posted one inspiration picture that I really liked before, but on second thought the frosting kind of reminds me of piles of poop on the cupcakes. So, needless to say, I need more inspiration. Here’s what I got so far:

Source: The Forever Wedding Blog

Source: Prima Donna Bride

Source: WeddinGo

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Technorati Tags: Cake, Cake Cutting Fee, Cake Stand, Cheap, cupcake stand, cupcakes, DIY, Inspiration

Upcoming Wedding Posts

July 16, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: News and Notes

So here’s the thing – Lately I’ve had to decide between posting about all the stuff I have to do and actually doing all the stuff I have to do. I have so much to write about but so little time to write about it. So just to whet your appetite a little here’s a taste of posts to come:

Invitations
Embossed Envelopes
Ringbearer Suit
Ringbearer Pillow
Groom and Groomsmen Suits
Flowergirl Baskets
Card Box
Post Office Mailing Regulations
Penny Candy Store

I’m sure there’s probably more that I’m just not thinking about right now. I’ll fill you in soon. Promise.

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Tall Centerpiece Ingredients

July 12, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

What about a mixture of these four items for the vase? The vases wouldn’t be completely full, but I think that might be okay.

Source: IKEA

+

Source: Save-On-Crafts.com

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Technorati Tags: Centerpiece, Centerpieces, money tree, thistle, Vase

Tall Centerpiece Help Needed

July 11, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

Our venue has very high ceilings. Therefore, I’d love to use tall centerpieces cause I don’t want the room to feel empty. I found some vases at IKEA that I think I can use. Meet Blomster. It’s 17.75 inches tall!

I just don’t know what to put in it. I need something inexpensive that I can get in bulk of course. I’ve played with apples oranges and lemons, but I don’t really like how they look. It could be because of the dots on the vase or its shape. I’m not really sure, but it’s not working for me.

I know a lot of people use branches to add height, and I like them but sometimes they look a little too rustic for me. Plus, they’re not really cheap. And yeah, I could go outside and get some from my yard, but they’re not really that nice looking.

So, I need ideas from all of you. What can I put in my vase that will total no more than $5 per table?

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Technorati Tags: Branches, Centerpiece, Centerpieces, curly willow, Vase

Red Satin Shoes

July 9, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: The Bride's Stuff

I would really love some red satin shoes, but alas, the feeling isn’t mutual. At least not for the price of the ones that I like. Mr. Blahnik, Mr. Weitzman, Mr. Louboutin, can’t we all just get along?

Red Satin Shoes

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Real Wedding: Ja’Lisa and Jaye

July 8, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Real Weddings

So I’ve been waiting for these pictures from our friend and photographer, Elton, for a long time. We actually went to school with Ja’Lisa and Jaye. I already knew their day would be beautiful and whaddyaknow, I was right. My favorite, by far, is the last picture. Just something about all that empty space that I really love.

Check out the original post at Elton’s blog, complete with his commentary.

Enjoy

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Technorati Tags: Detroit, Detroit Wedding, Photographer, Photos, Pictures, Real Weddings

Group Wedding Photos

July 1, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Photography

We have an 18 person wedding party. So not quite as many as this party with 23, but I love how everyone just looks so comfortable and in their element. This is exactly how I’d love to have our group wedding photos taken. It’s right up my alley.