Mrs. Hamster, New York CityAge and Occupation: 28, Finance GalFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Finance GuyEngagement Date: March 9, 2009Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: The Pierre HotelAbout Me: I'm an original Jersey girl living it up in the big NYC! I love baking for others, hosting brunches, and exploring NYC with my mans. Besides Mr. Hamster (of course), I'm attracted to shiny things, bold colors, snacks, matching and coordination, pork and duck fats, miniature versions of things, corny jokes and puns. We are planning a swanky Spring wedding in the heart of NYC, followed by a second reception in Singapore. From one city that never sleeps to another - I can't imagine a more exciting ride!
Like several bees before me, I was enchanted by accordion-fold programs. When I saw a packet of 11″x17″ paper on sale at Paper Presentation, I knew it was meant to be. I purchased some navy cardstock (both glittery and matte), pulled out the trusty Gocco, and got to work on the covers.
Mrs. Ribbons, Washington D.C./Bloomington, INAge and Occupation: 23, Research Associate for an international development firmFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Proposal Coordinator for contractor
Engagement Date: May 2, 2008Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Indiana Memorial UnionAbout Me: I'm an Indiana transplant living in DC with my fiance and our pretty kitty. I enjoy the color pink, I'm obsessed with the Dior New Look and tulle, and I heart my level 80 paladin. I'm a sucker for bad TV, literary theory, and cakes of all persuasion. I also happen to be marrying the cutest closet nerd around! It's all about Bloomington for us because it's where we met -- on the college paper. If there's a theme for our small summertime wedding, it's Dior meets Dorothy Draper on a lark in Bloomington; think poofy, plus graphic prints, bold colors, and a whole lot of prettiness.
The fun/tedious part of planning is the evolution of ideas. At one point I thought I had a clear idea for a ceremony program and then I fell victim to second-guessing. The cover was changed, more information was added, and did I mention I only got these printed today? Oh yes that happened.
I had these printed on text weight paper, i.e. crap. I had big ideas about tying them with a black grosgrain ribbon, yadda yadda, but that felt silly when it was basically photo copier paper. Instead, I busted out the twine.
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
A while ago, I asked you if we should attempt to make program fans, despite New England’s notoriously fickle (read: cold and rainy) Junes. In the end, we decided to forge ahead with it! Here’s how I (and I use “I” loosely) did it:
1. I found a template for program fans here. I chose a shape and used a very advanced computer program called Microsoft Word to type in the information. I used two classy looking (free) fonts from Dafont: “Jane Austen” and “Summertime”. And yes, I chose those fonts primarily because I liked their names.
2. With the Word file in hand (or in flash drive), I headed to my crafty mom and explained the idea: print the front on white card stock, print a back on patterned card stock, stick the whole thing together on a wooden ice cream spoon. I should explain that my mom loves this kind of stuff and I was not forcing projects on her, I promise. Read more…
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
Inspired by Mrs. Joey’s fabulous accordion fold programs, Mr. Dolphin and I embarked on a long and labor intensive journey to create these babies. Wait… I have to stop for a moment and just tell you all how much I love the hive—there is so much help and inspiration here. When it came to actually getting our programs to sit properly in our little basket, Miss Cola had already come up with the perfect solution and shared it with us. She is so clever!
I had been coveting sweet accordion fold programs for MONTHS (should I say years?). But, time and time again Mr. Dolphin would say ’no’, deeming them expensive and too much work. I somehow convinced him that we should do them about 4 weeks ago, and he jumped right on board. We have this saying around our house (especially when it comes to wedding DIYs)—if you’re going to do it, then you better do it right.
Following the instructions given by the sweet Mrs. Joey in her post, we made our accordion inserts legal size (so that we could print them on our laser printer). Now, I would reveal the inside of our programs, but I’d rather leave those a mystery for now, as Mr. Dolphin and I have included a few things in there for our guests’ eyes, and we’d like to keep some part of our wedding a secret (I know… this is sorta difficult when you blog)!
But, I shall show you the cover, ’cause I loves it, and it makes me happy. Read more…
Mrs. Parfait, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Senior Online ConsultantEngagement Date: February 14, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Signature EventsAbout Me: I have a soft spot for all things sweet and romantic. Desserts, love songs, sappy movies? Yes, yes, and ohh yes. My fiance and I enjoy singing to our dogs, creating crazy ice cream sundaes, and generally being lovey dovey cuddle bunnies. We also do socially acceptable things like dancing, throwing Frisbees, playing high stakes board games, and taking unreasonably fun road-trips. We're planning a Korean/Serbian wedding with plenty of playful, personal touches!
We’re back from our honeymoon, and I have so much to share with you! While we’re waiting for our professional pictures, I’ll take you back in time to the weeks leading up to the wedding.
Between the two- and three-week mark, I worked on printing and assembling all the paper pieces for our wedding. My cousin Julie designed our invitations, menus, programs, table numbers, and photobooth signs. She is amazing, and I credit all the following gorgeousness to her! Here’s a look at our coffee table during paper-project-mania:
The place cards were simple—a pretty gray font on white cardstock, mounted on silver cards. Read more…
Mrs. Pug, New York City/Half Moon Bay, CAAge and Occupation: 33, LawyerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, dittoEngagement Date: July 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon BayAbout Me: The Mr. and I are two 30-somethings who enjoy tasty sweets of all kinds, our neighborhood wine store, and cuddling with our pug. NYC is where we live and the city we love, but we’re doing the deed out in Northern California. We are trying to keep the affair small, intimate, and manageable. Our motto is: the less people, the better! (I’m kidding.)
While we were having our paparazzi moment and I was pretending that Edward Cullen was watching us from the treetops, guests began to gather at the ceremony site.
Naturally, they would be poring over our ceremony programs, killing time before the big show began. And where did these programs come from? The Pug wedding elves.
Let me come clean and say that I did not physically make the paper goodies for our wedding. I designed and typed them in Microsoft Word, but then promptly shipped the materials to my sister and brother-in-law (aka elves) out in California for assembly.
The Pug wedding elves swooped down on my wedding prep and with a wriggling of their magic fingers (and hours of hard work), they turned my ideas and blank paper into wedding reality. They were hands-down unbelievable and we absolutely would not have had the weekend that we did without their incredible help and generosity (with the paper products and far far beyond).
Mrs. Lamb, NorfolkAge and Occupation: 25, Homeland Security ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: January 2009Wedding Date: January 2010Venue: Trinity Presbyterian Church/Harrison Opera HouseAbout Me: I’m a Homeland Security Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m training for half marathons and the Escape from Alcatraz swim. Or moving for the third time this year. Or baking. Or wedding crafting. Or crying about wedding planning. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Our big fat Czech/Baptist/Jewish/Italian wedding is a combination of vintage eclectic, DIY, and little spoonful of sugar from our Event Coordinator. It’s going to be a Norfolk flavored wedding with the verve of an only-daughter-blow-out bash!
Lamberdoodle’s sweet cousin handed out programs on the day of our wedding. She was so excited to be part of the festivities and took her duties quite seriously. Read more…
Mrs. Cola, Mountain View, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Product Communications and PromotionsFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Managing Partner and Senior DesignerEngagement Date: March 5, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Mountain Terrace, Woodside, CAAbout Me: I’m a Washington State native, enjoying life in Silicon Valley California with my fiancé, our three kitties and one leopard gecko. I like reading wedding blogs, Photoshopping wedding design mock ups, making lists, and planning, planning, planning! I’m a bit of an anomaly, on one side I’m a very girlie girl, I collect shoes, I lay out my outfits 4-6 weeks in advance, and I’d never leave the house without my hair curled and makeup on. But on the other side, I’m a total tomboy, I love to go camping and hiking, play drinking games (hey, I’m Irish!) and most of my closest friends are guys. My fiancé and I are planning a DIY-focused wedding with a balance between easygoing (what he wants) and chic and stylish (what I want), and are tying it all together with elements in lavender, sage, butter cream and chocolate.
Our programs are FINALLY done! I really like how they turned out, but they sure took a long time to make, which was not at all my first intention.
I really didn’t want to spend too long on the programs, since I know that half the guests don’t even take one, and the ones who do take one definitely don’t keep them. But the design of these programs got away from me!
At first I thought, “I’ll just glue some ribbon on them, and be pretty much done,” since that’s my go-to easy DIY move—throwing ribbon on things.
So I printed out the covers, folded them in half, and hot glued ribbon around them, leaving about an inch overlap on the inside. Read more…
Mrs. Ramen, PhoenixAge and Occupation: 26, Optometry StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Industrial DesignerEngagement Date: January 3, 2009Wedding Date: December 19, 2009Venue: Phoenix Art MuseumAbout Me: I'm an SF-born, Seattle-raised girl, transplanted to Phoenix where I'll be getting married, and planning all the way from Orange County where I go to school (yes, it feels as crazy as it sounds). I loooooove Yogurtland, am slightly very obsessed with all things paper, am heavily addicted to wedding blogs, deeply desire a puppy, thoroughly enjoy cooking, cry when I watch (almost all) movies, thrive on solo car-karaoke, can't stop being sarcastic, am neurotic about taking pictures of almost everything I eat before I eat it, and aspire to travel the world. My super-talented fiance and I are attempting to DIY a majority of our massive (~350 guests) "clean & modern, yet romantic, but completely unexpected, with a teeny dash of vintage" wedding, stay within our not-so-massive budget, and somehow get a really luxe (but still fun!) look/feel at the same time. In music terms (since we're both really into music) think Coldplay meets Motown meets Kanye meets Sinatra.
Lame title, I know. I just have no creative juice left in my body after the wedding…
It is no small understatement to say that I LOVE paper. Have I mentioned my childhood habit of smelling paper (especially Sanrio paper)? I have no idea why that stuff smells so good to me, but it does! I can’t resist smelling that stuff when it’s near me. Helloooooooooo Kitty!
One of my fave paper resources is Kelly Paper - they have a ton of different paper in different weights, textures, and colors. You can purchase paper by the sheet or by the ream, which is super handy if you need a ton of paper for a large wedding, or if you just need to see (and smell) the paper in person before purchasing.
Mr. Ramen and I headed over one of the Kelly Paper branches in Phoenix to pick up some paper for our programs, escort cards, and other paper miscellania. Read more…
Mrs. Sewing, San Mateo, CA/Honolulu, HIAge and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Electrical EngineerEngagement Date: June 27, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Anela Garden Chapel & Japanese Cultural Center, HonoluluAbout Me: I'm an easily entertained, compulsive idea-scheming machine who loves good art, good food, and a good engineering challenge. I'm planning a half-destination wedding on the beautiful island of Oahu - imagine a plethora of movies, art and games; savory Hawaiian food; blended Chinese and Japanese cultural details; lush, fragrant tropical flowers and all the air conditioning a NorCal native could want! And once I marry the love of my life, we'll come back to the 'mainland' to party it up all over again in my hometown of Salinas, the salad-bowl capital of the world!
Several months back, I mentioned a little something about making a mini-manga to stick in our programs. I know many of you had voted for ninjas, but in the end I chose to go with Mr. Sew’s request that I keep it as true-to-life as possible.
And since neither you nor I want to read about the ridiculously long process it took me to reach the end, I’m just going to reveal the finished pages!
We’ll start with the cover, which will be a two-page spread. On it you can see all our anime convention costumes of the past, and the location in the back is the San Jose Convention Center as seen from Google Maps.
Sorry for the small blog-picture sizes, hopefully some of it is still readable! Read more…
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, DallasAge and Occupation: 28, Special Projects CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity TraderEngagement Date: March 19, 2009Wedding Date: April 2010Venue: Marie Gabrielle, DallasAbout Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
The plan for the program was slowly developed. At first I tried to do it on my own with templates I found on the internet, but none of them were turning out exactly as I had envisioned them. I realized quickly that I needed a little help. I had the words and idea down, but I needed some help with formatting and adding special touches. That’s when I decided to call on Mrs. Gloss through her Etsy shop Fourth and Folded. She helped with the layout and developed a special little couple information page for us.
I decided that I wanted to create a burlap cover for them once she sent them over, and although it was quite a process, I’m really excited about how they turned out:
But before we really get into it, here are all the tools I needed to make this work:
Ms. Potato Chips, Boston/Narragansett RIAge and Occupation: 29, PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Personal Trainer/Business Owner/Physical Therapy AssistantEngagement Date: January 1, 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: The Narragansett TowersAbout Me: A semi-professional bookworm, if I could be a literary character I’d be a cross between Jo March and Jane Eyre, only better accessorized and much lazier. My hobbies include sleeping in, seasonal brews, running, Trader Joe’s, and watching Unwrapped and Good Eats with Mr. Potato Chips. I harbor an irrational fear of tulle, crafts, things that are fussy, and overuse of the phrase "Your Special Day". After a year or seven together, down the aisle we go, slouching toward adulthood and planning a Rhodie party with equal parts whimsy, cheer, and pizza.
A long time ago, we settled on the idea of ceremony program fans. Fans! Nothing says easy-breezy like some card stock glued to a Popsicle stick (that’s all I’d have to do, right?).
Mrs. Trail Mix, New YorkAge and Occupation: 26, PE TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, MBA StudentEngagement Date: March 2009Wedding Date: June 2010Venue: Tannery Pond at the Darrow SchoolAbout Me: I'm a country girl who somehow found herself living in the Big Apple and loving every minute of it. I'm planning a rustic, country-chic wedding in my hometown in upstate New York and it's going to be a Party with a capital P. White wine, flea markets and running keep me happy and my friends, family and fiance are my world. I'm a little bit crafty, a little bit crazy but mostly just crazy in love.
I don’t know if anyone’s noticed this but when it comes to DIY projects, I’m all about K.I.S.S.
As in, Keep It Simple, Stupid! I lack the crafting skills of say, Miss Hot Wings or Miss Cola. They (along with many many other bees and many of you lovely readers) are ridiculously talented. I, on the other hand, am not. I know my limits and most of the time, my desire to craft requires simple projects in order to keep everything from looking like a 5-year-old had a hand in making it.
Literally, every single one of my DIY projects have been blessedly simple. Drink flags, paper flowers, signage, favors, none with more than 5 steps at the most. Yes, while I have not been gifted with craft talent, I am at least smart enough to figure out ways to simplify things so I can make ’em work.
Thus, our programs were born, and in keeping with the mantra of K.I.S.S., they are short, simple and sweet.
First, I had to figure out the content. After meeting with our Rabbi and figuring out an order of events, I simply listed the order of the ceremony on one page, along with an explanation of Jewish wedding traditions below and on the other page, put the list of the major players (bridal party, Rabbi, etc.). Read more…
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
Mr. Argyle and I are trying to incorporate several green and eco-friendly ideas into the wedding. This is one thing that was really important to us while planning our soiree. A few of the ideas we have come up with so far:
Printing our invitations front and back (saves paper!)
Using postcards for the RSVPs (no need to waste envelopes!)
Attempting to use recycled paper whenever possible (invitation suite, escort cards, menus, programs, envelopes, etc.)
Our ceremony venue (is a greenhouse, essentially, so there is no need to purchase additional floral arrangements)
Purchasing carbon offsets (To make up for all of the traveling our guests will do to spend our special day with us)
Our biggest dilemma lately is that we have been wavering back and forth about the use of programs. Our ceremony will be fairly short with really no readings and no songs, so it does not seem necessary to have programs. Read more…
Mrs. Cheeseburger, Baltimore, MD/State College, PAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentEngagement Date: June 28, 2008Wedding Date: March 2010Venue: Catholic Church Ceremony & Hotel ReceptionAbout Me: I'm a passionate girl from Pittsburgh, currently living in Baltimore for school, who loves Penn State, seeing movies, football, thunderstorms, black and white photos, Christmas, good beer, my amazing friends and family, and of course, my mister! We met, fell in love, got engaged, and will be married at our alma mater (go lions!) in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a hotel reception with lots of DIY details. It means so much to have our families and friends meet at our favorite place on earth to celebrate our love for one another - I truly couldn't ask for anything more!
Assembling these programs has turned out to be quite the time suck - good thing we’ve had two blizzards and lots of snow days this week! There are a lot of steps. They’re not hard to complete, but when you’ve got to do each step 200+ times, things get old - fast.
But I dare not abandon you, hive. Here you are, the final steps to complete the Cheeseburger Programs!
1. Cut out your program covers. Remember how the dots were hanging over the edge of the circle? This is why it doesn’t matter - you cut them away! I chose to use scalloped scissors - I think they add visual interest and also give you a little wiggle room in the event that you screw up (though remember, you are following along a circle)
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
