All That Was Wedding

I figured while it was on my mind, I'd should to do a post about all the craftiness that I did for my brother's wedding in September. There are things I'm just not good at or have zero desire to do (yard work, sewing, and shoveling old ladies' driveways of snow for example), but I like to think I make up for by sharing freely the talents I do have with those that I love. So whenever an opportunity for doing something like making invites and taking photos occurs with friends and family, it's something I try to give freely. I was so very happy to contribute in the ways that I did.

So...wedding. 120 people invited, I think 80 something RSPV'ed they were coming. At the University of Delaware's Goodstay Center, which was gorgeous. They were able to have the ceremony in the garden, drinks on the patio, and dinner/dancing in the mansion. Sarah picked juicy orange and a fresh green for her colors. Wanted something very simple and elegant for the invites. Single panel flat cards. Which was hard at first, but I managed to embrace the simplicity without much effort. I made about ten different examples and this is what she went with....





Friends' Til the End stamp set and Melon Berry/Fresh Snow Ink by Papertrey Ink. The little extra touch was paper scoring to the edges of the stamps. Envelopes and colored paper in Papaya and Eco-White from Paper-Source. Text was printed in a dark gray. Found that the black was just too harsh. Invite was 5x7 and I think the info cards were 5.5x4.25. Also did RSVP cards and place cards. Don't have copies of those any more, but they all follow the same idea. Sorry there are little bents in these examples. They were the proofs that I dug up out of my disaster of a craft room.


Also did favors. I was saving one to photograph until my husband decided to eat it. Simple clear pillow boxes filled with Jelly Bellies in the Spring mix, tied with green ribbon and sealed with a scalloped circle that said "For You". Very simple as well.

I think by the time it was all said and done, I did 60 invites/RSVP/info cards, 80 place cards all with appropriate envelopes, and 80 favors for around $160. That's EXCELLENT. Certainly cheaper than anything she could have had printed.

Been asked since to do it s few times for friends of friends. Turned it down. Honestly something I just do for close friends and family because I don't want to charge for my time. When you factor that it, it's the same as having them printed. Plus, like I said, it's something I like to share of myself for ones that I love. Need to leave it at that.

Photography wise, whenever I do go to a wedding (especially a family wedding), I offer my services as an axillary photographer. I'm not in any way comfortable yet in taking on the whole job by myself (too much pressure...can you imagine screwing that up?), but enjoy providing the candid and casual shots free of charge for anybody who wants them. And being a member of the family, I find that I can often be close and intimate enough to get some shots the professional photographer just can't get.

This time out, I put together a Blurb photobook as my wedding gift. Mom also ordered several copies to send out to family who couldn't attend. You can see a preview here. I thought it was a nice touch to have formatting on the opening page match the invites:).



And just for ducks, it's always nice to hand your camera to others and get in a few shots yourself. I will not feign modesty and act like my sisters and I didn't bring it in spades. We looked pretty darn good! Jewel tones were pretty popular this past fall and we managed to show up coordinated without discussing it beforehand. Didn't plan it, just happened. How cool is that? Sigh...being EXTREMELY pregnant now, I can't imagine fitting into that dress again. My belly seems to enter the room five minutes before the rest of me.





And last but not least, where was the video camera when you needed it? We could have made it on Wedding Disasters for sure. That's my graceful husband taking out the bride on the dance floor. Lordy. What am I going to do with that man?