Red Pattern

Saturday, October 27, 2012

This Is It!


Hello, wonderful hive! Today is the big day! I am sitting in our hotel suite with all of my lovely ladies waiting to get our hair and makeup done. MOH L has some chill music playing to get us up and ready. Mr. Coach already sent me a text message this morning to assure me he wasn’t getting cold feet, so we are good to go ;)

Thank you all for the support and inspiration you have provided me over the last few months. It’s been such a fun journey up until this point, and I am so glad I have been able to share it with y’all! I’ll be absent for a bit while we get some quality time with Mickey, but rest assured I will be back soon with lots of pictures to share our day!

You guys are wonderful!

xo,
Miss Coach

Thursday, October 25, 2012

To Put Things in Perspective

The Coach wedding weekend is officially upon us! Mr. Coach's parents' flight is due to arrive this afternoon, and from there the excitement begins. I have been able to take care of a lot of last minute tasks this week, and even squeeze in a project here and there. On that note, I started getting curious about what all I have accomplished during this entire planning process. It's been really easy lately for me to feel like I didn't make enough items for the wedding decor, or I didn't tackle enough projects I saw on Pinterest, and I was hoping to shoot those thoughts down by doing a little recap of what I've been able to accomplish.

If you remember, I posted a while back a short list of DIY items I was hoping to tackle. Three months out from the wedding, I was hoping to tackle this list:
  • sew/create the ring bearer’s pillow
  • design some sort of holder, probably a frame, for the escort cards at the reception
  • put together a gift/care package for my lovely bridesmaids
  • create table numbers for the reception
  • decide on our exit from the reception, and then put together whatever “supplies” will be needed
As mentioned previously, it was nothing too crazy, but definitely some things that would make me feel like our wedding had a personal touch. You guys, I am so happy to report that I completed all of this things! The only small exception being with the ring bearer's pillow, but that's a story for after the wedding :)

We decided on bubbles for our exit, and I hand tied one hundred tiny bows around the bottles. I know it doesn't look like that many, but believe me, it is. I also created a fun sign to let our guests know what time we will be making our exit (if you look closely, there's even little bubbles in the background!) My hope is that some of the older folks will see we aren't heading out too late, and they'll decide to stick around :)


You guys probably remember another item on the list, our glitter table numbers, which I am still very proud of.


And recently, I showed you all how I made our DIY escort card holder, one of the main items I wanted to check off that list.


Overall, I am really happy with the items I was able to complete, and I honestly didn't realize until I looked back at the list that I hadn't left even one off. Of course, there will always be those extra details that you see on Pinterest and wish you had time to make for your own wedding, but I highly recommend to those of you early on in the planning process to make a list of tasks and projects you really want to achieve, and use it as your main inspiration. It helps put things in perspective when you're two days out and need some encouragement :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Last Minute Project: Thank You Banner

It's official: we are less than a week out and I am in über bride mode. When the seven day mark hit, I was completely overwhelmed with the urge to craft, plan, and prepare. This might be the final project I get to share with you guys before the big day, but I just finished it up and I'm really excited about it so I wanted to go ahead and let y'all take a look!

With my recent burst of energy came the desire to create a cute thank you banner to hang on the table that would hold gifts from guests, favors, and (spoiler alert!) bubbles for our exit. Luckily, there is so much wedding banner inspiration online it's almost overwhelming!

pink and white love banner held between the adorable flower girl and ring bearer yellow and pink bea
CarolineLimaPhotography_Nov2011_030
However, as you probably already know, a lot of the wedding banners being made are using burlap. And, if you guys have been following this journey for a while, you know I'm going in a bit of a different direction with our wedding style. So what did I decide on? Well if you remember from our table numbers, I do love some sparkle!

All this project took was some glitter card stock, glue, ribbon and scissors, and it was actually a lot of fun! I started out by outlining the letters on the white card stock, I then cut out the white letter, and used it to trace the larger background letter onto the silver. For the style of the letters, I just found a picture I liked, similar to those above, and did my best to copy the font!





After I had traced and cut out all the letters, it was time to stick them together. I originally tried double sided tape, but because of the texture of the glitter, it wasn't holding on as well as I would've liked. I did a little research, and picked up a bottle of Zip Dry Paper Glue. Apparently this stuck will stick just about anything to paper, which is just what I needed, and luckily it worked like a charm! I covered the back of each white letter with the glue, pressed them firmly to the silver letters and let them all sit for about ten minutes before I started hanging them on the ribbon.


There is no rhyme or reason to my gluing. Don't judge!
I used a craft punch with a narrow slit to make holes in each letter, then sloooowly threaded each letter onto the ribbon, starting at the end. This may have been the only part of the project I wasn't too crazy about..


Finally, the end result! I added a heart for good measure between the words, and chose to use only the silver paper for a little contrast. This is how it will hang on the gift table at the wedding, obviously not held up by our new wedding dinnerware :)


The table the banner will hang on is covered in a dark linen, so I'm hoping that it will actually stand out a little more like it does in this picture.


Any other brides getting married this week who are on a crafting frenzy like me? We're almost there you guys!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

DIY Escort Card Holder

So, I may have let this project sit on the back burner for a little too long (I first mentioned it over two months ago... oops.) Since it's been a while, I'll do a little recap.

I was inspired by photos like these, and I really wanted to find the perfect frame to make my own escort card board for our reception:

Image via The Knot / Photo by Laura Novak Photography
Image via Brides
So, I set off to find a frame I loved, and ended up settling on this beauty:


Aaaand, that's it. I stopped any and all productivity on this project for over 11 weeks. In my defense, I really couldn't finish it until I knew how many guests we were going to have, but now that we know  I can finally get back to business.

First things first, I gathered up all of the supplies I would need. This included the frame (obviously), a large foam/poster board (not pictured), batting, fabric, ribbon, exact-o knives, staple gun, staples, straight pins, and a tape measure. Also not pictured are the nails or screws you will need later on.


The first thing I did was turn over the frame and measure the inside. It's a 22x28 frame, but I just wanted to be sure! Next, using the exact-o knife, cut your foam board to size. Obviously my cuts are not very pretty, but as long as the board fits snugly into the frame, you're okay!

Next up, cut the batting to size. Lay down the board on top of the batting, and leave a few inches on each side to be folded over. I will say that this step is somewhat optional. If you want to use push pins to attach escort cards, definitely do it. If you will just be hanging your cards on ribbon, and you don't mind a flatter look of just a board, that's great too. I chose the batting because I actually just like the more plush look on the board.

Fold your corners over almost as if you would when wrapping a present. I put one side down completely flat, and then form a nice crease with the other side before folding it down as well.



Then, measure your fabric of choice the same way you did the batting, and wrap it around the board as well. I attached the fabric with pins initially to make sure it liked it, and then went back around with the staple gun.

Excuse that terrible bottom left corner - the staples were giving me such a hard time

At this point, you need to have a pretty good idea of how many cards you will have, because it makes a difference for spacing out your ribbon. For us, the magic number was 7 rows, so I cut the ribbon just long enough to wrap around, and pinned them to be sure I liked the looks of things. After getting everything just right, I went back with the staple gun and made things a little more permanent.

This picture shows the temporary pin to the right, along with the staple to the left. Obviously, the pin can be taken out after stapling! 

All of the ribbon in its proper place!
After the ribbon is attached, it's time to attach the board to the frame. I originally thought I would use nails for this, but after one had been hammered in, it was obviously going to be a safety hazard:

Yes, that is a sharp nail sticking out of the front of the board, and it would probably scare our guests away before they even made it to their assigned table...
The nails we had on hand were much too long for the thin board, so instead of going out for more, I just switched over to a screwdriver and screws because we luckily had some tiny ones that were just perfect.

The inside of open back frames such as this one have a small lip on the inside, where the glass and backing would go if you were to put a picture in it. I just used this as a way to attach the board. A few small screws around the edge of the board, and it is all one piece!

For reference: I used the smallest ones, up in the top left corner!


The only problem this created was a bit of wrinkling with the fabric, due to the twisting motion of the screwdriver. Because the cards will be covering up most of the fabric, I decided this wasn't much an issue. If this would bother you, I just suggest using small nails instead, like I originally planned to do!

And, here she is, in all of her card-holding glory!

The lighter ribbon is hard to see, but it's there!

Most importantly, Memphis approves!
Our florist is bringing along a few blooms to complete the look of the board, so just imagine a few pretty flowers filling in some of the gaps! Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I even saved a little money. Similar boards on Etsy are selling for literally HUNDREDS of dollars.

Here's a little budget breakdown:
22x28 Frame - $25 (50% off)
Foam board - $4.99
Fabric - $6 (two yards)
Batting - $5
Ribbon - $2.99 per color
All other items - already owned
Total: $46.97, including a nice frame that can be reused later on!

I'm pleased!

Question - Do any of y'all know how to keep the cards from sticking out so much when I hang them? I really wanted them to lay more flat against the board. Do I need to get smaller cards?

Monday, October 15, 2012

So, Who's Attending This Little Get Together?

When I initially started working on our guest list, one of the big questions that came up was, "How many people that we invite will actually show up to this shindig?" Of course, when I turned to my trusted friend, Google, I found many contradicting answers. Some websites said to expect 10-20% guests to respond with a "no" while others insisted that your declined list would be closer to 40% of those that had been invited. However, something that I noticed as I jumped from page to page was that the number of total invited was significantly different for each of these statistics. If you are inviting 500 of your "closest" friends to your wedding, I'm sure you can expect the decline rate to look a little different than a guest list that includes only you, immediate family, and your BFFs.

So, while our number of guests that responded "no" actually fell somewhere in the middle of the numbers I found, I think it's important to share our RSVP breakdown with you guys, because it could be similar to your experience, especially if your list of people to invite looks similar to ours. Or, our numbers could be the exact opposite of yours, and my stats would be totally irrelevant. Either way, the graphs are fun to look at :)

So, here's the breakdown:

  • We invited a total of 135 people to our wedding, including the bride and groom. 
  • Our maximum occupancy in the reception ballroom was 120, meaning I was praying to receive some "no's"
  • Of those that were invited, 53% fell into the Bride's family or friends categories.

  • After tallying up all the yes's and no's, 93 people will be attending our get together, with 42 people celebrating from afar. 
  • Out of the 93 who are attending, almost 60% of them fall into the "Bride's side category"; a large majority of the guests on Mr. C's list live out of state and just couldn't make the trek.
The info about RSVP's time of return is some of what I found most interesting. We had an almost frustrating number of people not send their card back on time. I may or may not have gotten anxious and started texting & Facebook messaging people just a few days after the deadline, but really people, when did etiquette completely go out the window? *rant over*
  • Just over 100 people sent back their RSVP card or let me know they were coming before October 1st (our deadline). Okay, I guess that wasn't that bad.
  • Of the 30 or so who didn't RSVP on time, 20 of them either responded to my message, or sent their card in just a little late - most were actually a combination of both a text and then a card in the mail a few days later.
  • Eight people did not give me any response whatsoever as to whether or not they would be showing up. Not receiving an RSVP card wasn't too terribly disheartening, but not responding to my friendly text or FB message was a little upsetting. But hey, I'm over it! And our catering headcount went down!
A few other notes:
  • Only 15 people on our guest list (including us) are local to the DFW area, so it's semi-destination (driving or flying 2+ hours) for everyone else. 
  • Thirteen of the 15 locals invited will be celebrating with us at the wedding! Woo, DFW peeps!
  • Of the 135, 12 are kids under age 18, and all but one of those are family (the other might as well be!) The majority of the kids are involved in the wedding somehow, and we didn't invite children of other guests.
  • Of the 93 attending, 4 that I counted are our wonderful videographers and photographers, who are included in the overall number because of the vendor meals we'll be providing.
  • And finally, out of all of those wonderful RSVP cards we received in the mail, THREE did not have names on them, and two forgot to check yes or no! I have since been in touch with those who forgot to mark their response, but for the no-name problem, I highly suggest numbering the back of your cards and having a document with a numbered list of guests! It saved me from a good bit of stress.
I'm so glad you are excited to attend our wedding, but... I have no idea who you are! 
Did any of y'all have similar numbers to ours? Any late October brides who still haven't heard from a guest or two.... or three... or eight..?


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Just Hangin' Around

Yesterday, when I returned home from running a few errands, I found the most interesting package waiting on our doorstep.

Wanna see?


Now, what in the world could be wrapped up in that shape and have traveled all the way from Canada? Well, if you guessed my fancy wedding hanger, then you would be right!



Wedding hangers are another one of those items that I never even knew were a "thing" until I jumped into the world of wedding planning. They are certainly not a necessity, but have really become a common occurrence in so many wedding photos. I really love all of the different styles; from the wire Mrs. New First Name to pretty painted colors, they are all so much fun!

Classic green and white wedding 1

Photo by Dapper Images via Wedding Chicks
A few other bee's have DIY'ed hangers - Miss Lyre made a beautiful wire hanger for her bridesmaid's wedding, and Mrs. Dragon and Mrs. Hyena personalized painted hangers for their weddings. However, this was a not a project that I thought I could successfully DIY, and I really wanted a beautiful hanger to hold my wedding dress on the big day, so I ordered this beauty and called it a day.


One of my favorite things about the hanger is the ornament that is included to hang from the top. It's such a nice little touch, and there were multiple shapes to choose from.

I ordered the hanger from Kelly Jonsson of Black Scrap Cat over at Etsy, and I was so pleased with the quality of her work and the experience of working with her. So, if you're like me and don't want to DIY this particular item, I highly recommend her pretty wedding hangers!

Anyone else going the personalized hanger route? It's really so weird seeing MRS. Coach, and realizing it's me!

Don't Let Your Vendors Starve on Your Wedding Day

Let's talk about our wedding vendors for a minute, shall we?

You know, all of those super talented people you've hired to document your day, play the perfect song to get everyone on their feet, and make sure *everything* runs as smoothly as possibly. The people you researched and religiously stalked their blogs to decide whether or not you liked their work. The professionals you anxiously waited to receive an e-mail from, letting you know whether or not they had your wedding date available. The ones who are really going to make your day exactly what you've always wanted to be.


So, these vendors (I really kind of hate that word, but it's the easiest way to group them together) will be "working" for you for the majority of the day. I know our videographer will be filming for about 10 hours, and our photographer will probably be there even longer. They're going to do their best to document as much of the day as they possibly can, including the time it takes for my bridesmaids and I to get ready, aaaaall the way until we make our grand exit, and everything in between. Now, at some point during the day, my bridesmaids and I will get hungry. We'll grab a snack, or Momma Coach will pick up some lunch for us and bring it to the hotel suite. Later on, after the ceremony, we'll enjoy a nice cocktail hour and some yummy hors d'ouvres. Finally, that evening, we'll get to taste the  menu that Mr. C and I "worked" so hard on.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

All of the bridal party, family and guests will have a chance to grab some grub, but when/where/how are our vendors, specifically those who are there 8+ hours, going to eat something?

cocktail hour wedding

Y'all, I have been pondering this for weeks now. I finally got smart and just Googled it, which provided a little help through the way of wedding boards and whatnot, but it seems to be pretty up in the air. I always knew our vendors would eat at some point, in fact one of them even included a meal in their contract, but I guess I just never took the thought any further than that? Now that I'm working on final numbers and seating assignments, I realized, Oh hey, we actually need to provide a meal for them, and they might actually want to sit down to eat it!

So, the question is not so much what - we will include them in our head count for the catering - but when and where?

Deciding when they should eat was a little more difficult, because of course we want them to be photographing, filming, or being a part of everysinglemomentofthewholeentireday. But let's be real here, how exciting is Aunt Sue going to be while she's chomping on her fresh mixed greens salad?

grass and vines centerpiece

The time frame while we and our guests are eating dinner is obviously the best choice for the vendors to eat as well. It's a nice break in the evening, and more than likely the least exciting time for photo ops. (I think the only exception to this would be if you wanted pictures taken of each table, and if that's the case, maybe you could work out some sort of overlapping schedule, like the photographer takes pictures of the tables during the first 15 minutes of dinner, but won't get pictures of the first few people who make it on to the dance floor after everyone is done eating? Just a thought.)

Finally, where are you going to seat these important people? This is where my Google search (sort of) came in. Most folks said they either a) sat the vendors at a guest table, b) set up an alternate space/other room for the vendors to eat in, or c) gave them their own table to eat at, but kept them in the reception area with the guests.

I liked the idea of the vendors getting to eat in another room, because I feel like they would get to "relax" the most, i.e. set down their cameras, step away from the guests for a bit. However, our ballroom is not connected to any other rooms, and there's not really and secluded space they could be put in. I also worried that they might miss an unexpected moment because they were out of sight. Seating the vendors with some of the guests was something I really wanted to avoid, if at all possible. I just didn't feel like it would be a good experience for the vendors or the people we've invited to our wedding. That leaves us with the vendors having their own table in the reception ballroom. I was  100% okay with that IF we had enough space after we got all of the RSVP's back. Luckily, that seems to be the case, as we have had a good bit of people tell us they won't be able to make it (Boo!/Yay! - such is the contradiction that comes with planning a wedding).

BUT. (Of course you knew there had to be more.) Which table do we seat them at? The table in the corner, where their equipment can "hide" a little easier? Or the table closest to the edge where they have the most accessibility to get up if needed? These are the things that a bride-to-be must ponder. As of right now, I'm thinking not completely tucked away in the corner, but not in a super visible, million dollar view seat, either.

Are your vendors getting a quick dinner break at some point during the big day? Where are you going to seat them? And who thinks we could make a drinking game out of the number of times I said "vendors" in this post?