Wedding Blog
Since apparently all I talk about is my own family history, let me just get one more tidbit in. My great-great-uncle invented the Adirondack chair at the house where we’re getting married, meaning several of the original chairs are still there!
So when I saw these online,
I couldn’t exactly not buy them, could I?
We aren’t having place cards, so I can’t use them for placecard holders (their intended purpose), but they are just too cute not to use somehow! I bought 12 (totally arbitrary number) in the unpainted wood. What do you think I should do with them?
We’re going to have a buffet, so my initial thought was propping up little cards saying what each dish is on them. I am open to any other suggestions as well. I would also be fine just strewing them about randomly on the buffet table or putting one as a part of each centerpiece… who knows.
What are you doing to spice your decor up a bit with personalization? While I love, love, love beautiful flowers and candles and linens and vases, I really wanted something a little more relevant tossed in there too.
And speaking of vases… the house being nearly 160 years old, has about ten million different vases of all shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. I’m thinking of just putting bunches of flowers (the same for each table) into the varying vases? What do you think?
|
Share this post: Unique Decor Accents
I’m not too good with vases, since I go from one idea to another almost instantly, but may I say I am so JEALOUS of your history and lucky cool location?! Those little chairs are adorable, are you going to be resting cards on the arms of the chairs?
Hehe sorry Amber!
But yeah, that was the idea, a business card sized card across the arms. Only now Mr. Bluebell is bitter because some of the really crappy plastic Adirondack chairs we saw had a slit in the top of the back so you could fit a card in there and he wants us to do that. So depending on how strongly he feels about that we might have to buy a saw……
wow ms. bluebell! your family is very special 
Not at all, just bend the card so the corners are between the two end slats at the back, you know what I mean?
using the variety of vases sounds great. i love those chairs, btw. too cute!!
How about hot gluing the cards to the back of the chairs - right along or on top of the support rail?
why don’t you use those for your favors? maybe you can fit a small candle on the chair. but i really think the chairs are neat.
i love the different vases idea. and if you already have it, even better!
Hehe thanks everyone!
And I am going to propose both hot gluing and foldy-bending to Mr. Bluebell and see if one of those might be acceptable to him. Although I admit, part of me was looking forward to sawing things….
Miss Violet - the favor idea just crossed my mind recently too! I sort of wanted to do something Chinese-y so the wedding isn’t ALL about my family, but the chairs are SO CUTE! Hehe, sorry, I am just too in love with them. They’re so well made too! But I was thinking…would ANYONE not related to that guy actually leave a mini-Adirondack chair out? Wouldn’t everyone just toss it into the back of their closet until it got smushed and they threw it out?
So Cool!
You could also put your guys’ pictures on the chairs… around the guest book or at tables…
You could even put your guys’ rings on one of the mini chairs and take a picture of it. Instead of the traditional ring picture.
I think Chinese favors will help even out the wedding~ They’re small but make a big impact, you know?
Ariel - LOVE the ring shot idea! Definitely going to do that!!!
And that’s what I’m thinking about the Chinese favors…except that I’m worried his relatives might just think they’re kitschy…depending on what we get of course.
I love the adirondack chairs, and that’s such a neat personalized detail…and I like the idea of using them for part of your buffet!!! And nice idea about the vase, too. Your wedding will certainly be unique.
OR… maybe combine a Chinese favor WITH the chairs… like a shoe or mini fan on the chair or a bag of Chinese candy (? sorry, not Chinese )… so it’s the perfect merging of you and your FI! Just a thought…
that’s SOOO COOL! heh. i like those chairs! i wish i had taken pictures of my friend’s place cards - they are origami birds with the information cut to match the size of the bird’s wings - one side with the bride/groom - the other side with the guest name.
so to steal from them… i was thinking…
perhaps a mini sign with the guest’s names for the front of the chair? and a sign on the back with your names and date of wedding on it?
I’m Chinese, and I think you’ll be fine not doing a Chinese style favor unless it’s meaningful.
Chopsticks: there’s no point in just having 1 pair. It’s not a decorative item, and can’t use it to eat unless you live solo, but if it’s a family, most people use a matched set.
Fortune cookies:actually created in America by a Chinese guy, but fortune cookies aren’t authentic Chinese. If you do food, look into “bridal cakes” called “lao po bing”. They’re traditionally given out by the Bride’s family during weddings, so it’ll have a nice reason behind it and it tastes good
Fans: Unless you get a really pretty fan that can be used for decoration, the regular sandlewood ones are very common.
Incense: Not sure if it’s sacriligious/bad luck to give incense since you only light it to pray (often times to deceased ancestors).
Just my thoughts. You could add some nice touches by offering pretty paper parasols to guests, hang colorful (not white, color of death and mourning) lanterns on stringed lights, conduct a tea ceremony to both parents…
Ever looked into Chinese poetry? They’re very romantic. Maybe you can find someone to do beautiful brush calligraphy and make mini scrolls for gifts.
Oh, I meant to add…you could sit a cute little “bride pastry” in the chair and then it’ll be a nice combo of both cultures! Or have a little Chinese doll holding the caligraphy scrolls!
And I think your vases will be lovely! You could fill them with Plum Blossoms, China’s national flower.
Ooh, Debbie & Snot, I like both of your ideas!
Audrey - thanks for all the info! I had already outruled most of those favor ideas which is the problem; there’s not much else I can think of! And I don’t want his family to just thing we’re crazy white people giving away fake Chinese things they would never do themselves! GAH.
We were already planning on red lanterns (& maybe table runners?) and a few other assorted red/Chinese decorations around, and I keep telling my fiance we should do a tea ceremony but he SWEARS his family doesn’t do them…not sure if he’s just dense and didn’t realize it or if he’s right.
We’re having Mr. Bluebell’s dad play the erhu during the ceremony and I was also considering having someone READ a Chinese poem, but I LOVE your miniscroll idea!!! I will definitely look into that one - thanks!!
whoops…maybe it’s not Plum Blossom. I always thought it was because of the song, “muo li hua”. Apparently it’s the Peony. Well, peonies are beautiful and smell wonderful!
if they’re big enough, you can use them as table number holders…though i am quite fond of the buffet holders. that’d be cool too. or find a way to mix it in with your centerpieces…if you haven’t already picked those out. you can even add something that represents mr. bluebell’s history/family too!
Audrey, that was great, and very informative! I never knew any of that stuff! I love the scroll idea!
You could also find someone in his family who writes Chinese, or you could try and do it yourself, and maybe paint some chinese symbols on the chairs…(I’m not sure how big these are, so this might be a bad idea….)
hehe thank you thank you. I was trying to think of favors for myself. Miss Bluebell…your FI is probably right that no one in his family does tea ceremonies anymore. No one in my family has done it since the 50’s but lately, the buzz is to revive the forgotten traditions. My parents laugh because my wedding is going to be more traditional than theirs!
I think it would be awesome if you made little cardboard figures of yourselves to fit the size of the chairs. They could be used as just a little personalized touch, set here and there among buffet items, near the guestbook and the card box and such. You could even have them holding up signs, indicating whatever you need labeled, or wearing teeny hats and holding paper umbrellas. I don’t know how this would enhance your Chinese theme, but still! I would enjoy looking at the miniature sized couples lounging on teeny chairs.
Hahaha Laura, that is my favorite idea yet!!! I am totally going to do that now at least to amuse myself if not for the wedding! Yay new project!
[...] as our cake topper, we used two Adirondack chairs from Escape Concepts, since my great-great-uncle invented [...]
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Bluebell, New York
Age and Occupation in 07: 26, Finance Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Playing with the cat and/or Consulting
Engagement Date: December 25, 2005
Wedding Date: June 2007
Venue: Bride's family summer home in the Adirondacks
About Me: Trying to find the perfect balance between family tradition (marrying at the house everyone else in my family gets married at), making our's modern, interesting and different from everyone else in my family's, and incorporating some Chinese tradition for my Chinese fiance. I really have no idea what it's going to end up looking like!
Also, I picked Miss Bluebell for my name because I have blue eyes and I'm a loser like that.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics