I’m combining these two crafts into one post because they are so stinking easy that I can’t justify talking about each one individually. That said, they both deserve a mention.
First off, let me just say I’m not the robe-wearing type, not that I don’t wish I was, but it’s not my thing. Needless to say, I won’t be getting ready for my wedding in a silky or plush robe. But I still wanted something special and fun to wear the morning of my wedding and that’s how I stumbled upon bling’d out tank tops.
Over the years my friends and I would decorate tank tops for special occasions, such as birthdays, class trips, and later, Superbowl parties. Tight and trashy, I always say! (I never say that, but as I was typing this post I realized how juvenile and funny it is that I prefer tight tanks to luxurious robes. HA.)
Anyway, I knew I wanted to wear a cute white tank top that said “Bride” but I also knew I didn’t want to pay a ton of money for one, so when I found these appliqués at JoAnn I snapped them up and took them to MN for MOH Big Eyes to assemble.
I wish I could say this is a really budget-friendly project, but it is not. Each appliqué is $4.99 and each shirt was about $8.00—$10.00 dollars depending on my coupons and where I bought them. I ended up making a total of seven getting ready shirts. One bride tank top for myself, a Maid of Honor tank for Sister, three bridesmaid tanks, a flower girl tank, and a t-shirt for Mom Sword.
Speaking of Mom Sword, her shirt is special and does not say Mother of the Bride. Mom Sword and I share a similar sense of humor, and her idea of being “funny” is calling herself a Queen, if I’m going to be the Princess of the wedding. She also enjoys joking about how young she looks and how myself, MOH Big Eyes, and her look like three sisters. Umm, yeaa. Riiiight. (She’s kidding but it’s a running joke in the family now.) Luckily I found something perfect for her, but she (and everyone else) will have to wait until the wedding day to see it!
Early on in my blogging, I shared with you how, as a bridesmaid, I put together a goody bag for a bride’s entourage at her bachelorette. Well, as my bachelorette approached, I started brainstorming gift ideas for the lovely ladies that would be joining me in the sun.
It started with a couple themes…blue & green + weekend away. Blue & green are our wedding colors and, since we were all flying down to Florida, it worked! The first item I found was a frame that fit perfectly.
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| Lilly Pulitzer frame |
I thought it would be fun to have a framed picture from the weekend for everyone to display….which matched with the online description “strike a pose and frame your favorite photo in colorful patterns that will bring a bit of Palm Beach to your mantel” (even better…Jupiter is right by Palm Beach).
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Bees,
I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve had a few days off work, or maybe I am in a bridal-bubble, but this week just keeps getting better and better. Last night bridesmaid sis and I had a sleep-over at Mama-Aardvark’s and worked on crafts and bonded. I took her to school this morning, ran errands, took a nap and made a few practice bouquets.
Yes, in a fit of insanity, I decided, since it was spring and all, the bridesmaids should have real flowers. I also came to this decision because I could not pick an alternative. There were just too many! Of course, I didn’t decide this until…ohhhhh, a week ago. Too late to find a florist. So I decided I would try to put some flowers together the week before the wedding. If I could do it in a timely manner, not get frustrated, and liked the out-come, I would make some bouquets the morning of the wedding. Like all DIY tasks, my secret to feeling good while working on them, and liking the finished product, is low expectations.
After a bit of fiddling around, I came up with this:
When I was thinking about gifts for my bridesmaids, I knew I wanted them to be something that would come in handy on the wedding day, something they could enjoy in the future, or possibly both! One of the first things that came to mind was glassware. I don’t know about y’all but I definitely plan on sipping on a celebratory glass of champagne or mimosa with my ladies while we get beautiful pre-ceremony. Enter personalized champagne flutes.
Materials used:
I started by cleaning the glass with rubbing alcohol and taping the letter I printed to the inside of the glass.
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I’ve mentioned a few times that I will be having two maids of honor. I think I always knew I was going to have two, even before Mr. Coyote was in the picture. I don’t have any sisters, but I can say that MOH A and MOH D come pretty damn close. I met BM D in 5th grade and BM A a few years later. For all of middle school and high school we were completely inseparable. Sleepovers, movies, trips to the mall, even vacations… Whatever it was we did it together. We were the epitome of BFFs.
Toddler Coyote and friends circa 2000.
Of course after graduation we went our separate ways, but we kept in touch and made sure to visit each other as often as possible.
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Middle Sis Woodpecker was home from Boston this weekend, so we figured it was the perfect time to kidnap her and throw into all the wedding planning fun. I wasn’t trying to put too much pressure on the weekend, since Mr. Woodpecker’s sister isn’t coming up for another month, but thought it would be good for some general ideas for bridesmaid dresses. Bridesmaids dresses have been something I’ve never changed my mind about since I began wedding planning: I’ve always imagined them navy and short.
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| Image via Style Me Pretty/Photo by Jill Thomas Photography |
One thing I’ve learned from my time planning a wedding thus far is that no matter how far in advance you plan, things still come up that will stress you out and throw you for a spin.
In an extended effort to keep things real and not just give you all fluff (as wonderful as said fluff may be), I have to briefly delve into a recent stressy and unfortunate situation.
Part of the reason I waited so long to even write a tidbit about my bridesladies is because I wasn’t sure if the original five I asked to be in the wedding…would actually end up being in the wedding. Friendships naturally go through their ups and downs, some people grow apart and some grow closer—and all this absolutely holds true when your engagement is over two years long and you have your party set from day one.
I won’t go into details because it’s really not necessary, but one of my original five is no longer in the wedding party. Things are still fine between us—there was a short guest appearance from the drama llama, who was sent on his merry little way rather quickly—and at the end of the day, after all other situations, my one friend ultimately had to decline from remaining in the wedding due to possible travel and school plans in the future.
I had so many ideas of what to give my bridesmaids as a thank you for being there for me on the big day. Then I had a thought: Maybe the greatest gift of all wouldn’t necessarily be the most unique, most beautiful, most thoughtful gift. Maybe the greatest gift would be not having to spend so much money. Being a bridesmaid is expensive! Not to mention the fact that ALL SIX of my bridesmaids are still in school. I hinted about this thought to Sister Lioness and Bmaid Emily, both of whom agreed that they would rather have me cover some of their expenses, even if it meant missing out on this:
Source: Fine & Fleurie
Back in February, after Mr. Poodle and I started our visa petition, we couldn’t wait to share the news of our engagement with everyone!
Because not all of my girls here in Chile can buy a ticket to go to our wedding in California, I decided that my side of the wedding party would consist of my little sister and best friend from Chile, along with my other 2 ‘maids from California. I wrote everyone an email and asked them to be my ‘maids, but just like Miss Bear Cub, I did that months ago—but I needed to let them know in a more “official” way that I REALLY wanted them there with me 
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SO, I jumped on the card bandwagon!
