DIY Flowers by Carly

Ladies and Gentlemen, she has done it again.  Carly is back with another incredible way to save money without sacrificing fabulousness! 

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As I mentioned in a previous post, we are going to DIY the flowers for my wedding. Bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, you name it. Why? Because flowers are expensive and not very high on my priority list. So when I was back home in PA for my best friend’s wedding a few weeks ago I extended my trip a few extra days to do some things for our wedding with my mom. The most important (and daunting) thing on our to-do list was a flower trial run. We knew we wanted hydrangeas to be the main flower in all our arrangements. Not only are they big (big flowers= fewer flowers needed=less money) but you can get a great price buying them in bulk from a place like Sam’s Club. We also want to use roses (preferably big, peony-like garden roses), ranunculus, lavender or other purple buds, and probably some green hypericum berries and dusty miller for fillers. These are my main inspiration pictures:

both via

For the trial my mom bought hydrangeas from a florist and two different types of roses, plus purple wax flowers, dusty millers, and some eucalyptus from the grocery store. I watched a few YouTube videos on flower arranging, and took some advice from those who did their own flowers. Other supplies needed: nice sharp gardening sheers, vases, floral tape, ribbon to wrap the bouquet, and a glue gun or pins to keep the ribbon in place. Oh yeah, and the sticks.

Manzanita branches and other curly sticks are really “in” right now in the world of weddings. Case in point:

left / both on right

I love the look of that bottom right picture, and it’s actually serving as the inspiration for my centerpieces. But branches are expensive! Like, ridiculously expensive. Sorry, but I am not paying $15 for one bunch of branches. And those aren’t even the Manzanita branches, which retail for at least $10 per branch. So my ever resourceful mom had been eying a tree with very pretty, curly, perfect-for-centerpieces, branches on her daily walks with the dog. Problem was, these branches were not in our own yard, they were in the yard of a neighbor she didn’t know. So she did what every great mother of the bride would do- she walked up to their house, knocked on their door, and asked the woman if she could cut the branches off her tree. And the woman said yes. So my mom went back the next day in her SUV, armed with a saw, and cut those babies down. Unfortunately I deleted the picture she sent me of a trunk full of curly branches. But you can imagine my surprise getting that text!  {hooray, we finally get to hear THE story that Carly eluded to so many months ago!}

Awesome. So those were part of our supplies too. A tip for anyone else going this route: cut the branches in the winter before they start to bloom again in spring, and then store them in a dark, dry place. We had most of them in the garage, and also some under our back deck. The ones in the garage stayed dried, but the ones under the deck start to bud. We are planning on spray painting them a dark brown to really make them “pop.”

So after a little prep work and an hour or two of assembling, we ended up with these:

bouquet - close up - all together - boutonnieres

Overall I am really happy with how they all turned out. {Ignore the brown spots on some of the hydrangeas. We asked the florist a few days later why that happened and she apologized profusely, saying we must have gotten a bad batch.}

A few changes: I want to add more color to the bouquet, mainly purples and greens. The bridesmaids bouquet especially are a little too white for me. Plus once we get all the flowers we’re actually using (garden roses, ranunculus, etc.) it will give the bouquets added detail and variety. I also want to add more sticks to the centerpieces. I’m glad we did a trial run, because not only do I now know the changes I want to make, but it also helped us determine exactly how many flowers we need to order. We stored everything down in our finished basement since it was nice and cool, and all the arrangement lasted several days and looked great. Doing the trial run made me more confident that we can do this.

You can also do this. Some yourself some moolah and be really proud of yourself when you carry that beautiful bouquet down the aisle. Some suggestions:

1. Make sure you think over all the logistics. We are going to order the majority of our flowers from Samsclub.com and fiftyflowers.com. They recommend Thursday delivery for a Saturday wedding, to all the flowers to rehydrate and open up in time. This means we need to be home when they’re delivered, unpack them, and put them all in water. This requires manpower and lots of buckets.
2. Think about where you will do all your assembling. Fortunately, our venue told us that as long as there is no event there on Friday (which so far there isn’t), that we can assemble there on Friday. The process does get messy (lots of clippings, petals, glue gun gunk, etc.) so be prepared for that.
3. Know what flowers are in season during the time of year your wedding will take place. I love peonies (who doesn’t?) but for an August wedding they are just not happening, unless I want to pay an arm and a leg. Which I don’t. Knowing what’s in season will keep your costs down and also mentally prepare you for what is realistic and what is not.
4. Do a trial run, do a trial run, do a trial run. How else would we have learned that the eucalyptus we used in the centerpieces would turn the water bright green by morning? Yikes.

Any other brides out there having any DIY flower tips and tricks?

Guest Blogger: Carly and Bobby

You remember Carly and Bobby right?  We voted for them, they won, and then had an adorable engagement photo shoot?  Well, Carly is going to be sharing a bit of her wedding process here with us!  We are so excited to have her blogging and cannot wait to hear what she has to say.

When Shannon asked me to write a few guest blogs about my upcoming wedding, I was thrilled! My fiancé and I got engaged in October of last year, and are getting married this August in my hometown. Which happens to be about nine hours away from where we currently live. Oy. So needless to say, the planning process has been a little tricky, but at the same time, a total blast. We’re DIYing as much as we can and shopping for lots of good deals (I consider bargain shopping one of my hobbies anyway, so it’s really no different than my everyday life), all while trying to not get overwhelmed with the pressure to have a “perfect day”. Let’s be real, we all know nothing is perfect, weddings included. We just want our wedding to be us; classic, casual, and fun, both for us and our guests. We don’t have a wedding theme, our guys aren’t wearing tuxes, and we’re doing our own flowers instead of hiring a florist (brilliant idea or disaster waiting to happen? Time will tell).


Fortunately we’ve had a lot of help along the way. I’m very thankful for my super creative and crafty mother, who is probably making crepe-paper flowers as we speak (or hacking pretty curly branches out of a neighbor’s tree. But that’s a story for another day). I am equally appreciative of my future mother-in-law, who is a coupon champion and has happily taken on a few projects that involve hunting down the best bargains possible. Combine that with my dad who makes a mean Excel spreadsheet, my future sister in law who sends me regular emails with various price comparisons from different websites, and my darling fiancé who is great at reminding me what matters and what doesn’t (aka- no one will care if the invitations are printed on “white” or “pure white” cardstock), I am one lucky lady.


Of course, I’ve also taken a lot of help from various blogs. Google “wedding blog” and you will get a zillion results, but I’ve found a few favorites along the way. I prefer blogs that offer inspiring pictures of real weddings, lots of doable DIY projects, and words of wisdom to keep this whole wedding thing in check. I try to stay away from blogs that insist I must wear a tiara, have a 7 tier cake, and dictate my bridesmaids’ outfits, down to their nail polish color. No thanks. My top favs are four blogs that are regularly recommended right here on Calligraphy by Shannon:

www.stylempretty.com

www.apracticalwedding.com

www.weddingchicks.com

www.greenweddingshoes.com

I hope these can be of some help to the future brides (and grooms!) out there. If Shannon allows, I will continue to write some updates throughout the next five months or so until our wedding. If you’re lucky, I might even tell the story of my mom, a saw, and an SUV full of tree branches. Happy planning ☺


{Carly, we totally want you back!  Write more, please.  And do tell about your mom.  What I am picturing is not very wedding related...}

Jen and AJ: Chapter 2

Have you been following Jen and AJ's story? Here are the previous to posts: Intro and Chapter 1.

Chapter 2:

AJ has given me flowers nearly every week since we’ve been dating. Yes, it has shocked me too. People have asked me whether receiving flowers each week has made them less special… I have grown to expect them on Tuesdays when he will typically pop by my office with a bouquet (my co-workers now watch for him) but it has never made them less of a gift. In fact, it has proven that he consistently cares about me and the little things I love. He is looking for ways to make me feel special even though he doesn’t need to “pursue me” in the technical sense of the word anymore… and I value that far more than the actual flowers.

As I’m working with floral designer Erica Thebarge it has been fabulous to have so many gorgeous options at my fingertips. She was wonderful at our first meeting and let my mom, sister and I look through all of her floral books; she knew every flower and how they would look in arrangements. I’m looking at my choices with the question: “what would have the most meaning?” Does the flower I choose make any difference in how happy and healthy our marriage will be? Of course not, but it is fun to honor a tradition that AJ started about 45 weeks ago!

Right now I’m leaning toward an arrangement of ivory flowers with an adorable tag hanging from the vase that reads: “Hydrangeas: The First Flower AJ Brought Jen” or “Roses: Given for the First Time at the Proposal”.

The flowers in the photograph were done by Erica Thebarge for Danielle and Warren's wedding.

Photograph taken by Faith Hall Photography.

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Jen and AJ: Chapter 1

Do you remember Jen and AJ? I introduced them to you in January and promised that you would hear more from Jen.

Jen is going to be a frequent guest blogger to share the insights of an event planner orchestrating her own wedding. After reading through this, I cannot wait to hear more from her! Here is the first chapter of her wedding planning adventure:

Since high school I wanted to be a wedding and event planner. I have issues from Martha Stewart Weddings that date back to 2002. Before I got engaged I had a wedding planned for each season, not because I was desperate to be married, but because planning a fabulous event was a creative outlet. I could have a winter black and white wedding held at the Boston Public Library or it could be a tented wedding held in a barn during the fall... or it could be what I decided on for my summer wedding when AJ proposed in October (blues like the sea (we will live 2 blocks from the ocean), salt water taffy, a clambake...)

What didn't factor into my detailed plans was how emotional the planning would be. The planning wasn't just about me, or even just about AJ and me. The planning was, and continues to be, far more an exercise in love and communication than just working through the details. AJ cared a lot more about details than I anticipated he would. My mom wanted to be an active part, or at least know about, every detail. I had incorrectly assumed that because AJ was a guy and because my parents were moving houses that I would be taking a load off both of their shoulders by doing a lot of the work. Because a wedding is not identical to the events I coordinate for work, I couldn't plan it that same way. I had to learn that I wasn't just taking a load off my parents shoulders but I was excluding them from being the hosts of the event they were throwing. I had to learn that communicating about the wedding with AJ was, and is, an excellent exercise in how it will be for the rest of our lives.

Because planning this event has been far more emotional than any others I've planned it's also been a better growing experience. About two months into the planning I came to the realization that if I didn't have my "dream" wedding and yet I had grown in my relationships with AJ, my parents and my bridesmaids than it would be worth it. That realization has made this process so much easier than it initially was because I wasn't holding so tightly...

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Custom Colored Jewelry to Coordinate Your Wedding

For brides, one of the very first decisions made is the wedding color scheme. This will affect the entire wedding’s choices from the season, table linens, bridesmaids gowns, bouquets and so much more. Once a bride decides on her color pallet, all of the fun details can be decided upon.


One of the smaller details that can bring together all of your wedding colors is the bridesmaid jewelry that you select. Although it used to be that brides only chose one or two colors for their wedding, now trends are turning to adding a third, fourth and sometimes fifth color to the pallet. In this instance, the bridesmaid’s jewelry is a great place to pull all of those colors together for a vibrant and unique look.


Finding the right pieces is key to finishing off the look and coordinating all of your colors together. A great place to start is to find a jewelry designer or company that uses the Swarovski brand of beads. Swarovski creates the most beautiful hues of colors in over 130 crystal color options and over 30 pearl color options. The thousands of color combinations allow for brides to truly coordinate their wedding colors with their jewelry. Whether you find the exact color or a similar color that coordinates with your color pallet, Swarovski will give you the best color and sparkle that will last a lifetime.


Don’t be afraid to mix all of your colors into your bridesmaids jewelry. Lush pinks, oranges, reds and browns all mixed together are one of this spring seasons most popular color pallets. Although this may sound like a mesh of colors, but put together they add a bright and deep pop of color that is both dimensional and beautiful. Whatever your color pallet, try to find jewelry pieces that allow a few levels of color customization so you can coordinate all of your wedding colors into one beautiful and unique piece.


Lastly, find jewelry pieces that are trendy, but also timeless in nature. Pearls and crystals work well for this because they are always in style and can be mixed together for a complimentary look. Your bridesmaids will love to wear their jewelry again for other celebrations or with a great blouse. You too, as the bride can wear your bridal jewelry again. This is one nice way to relish the memories of your most special day again after the wedding.

(these are my favorite! I may just have to get them as a special gift to myself!)

For more inspiration, visit BonitaJ or e-mail Bonnie at: info@bonitaj.com

15% Off Discount Code: BLOG15

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Earings for Your Wedding Day

A bride goes through the trouble of accounting for every single detail of her wedding and most importantly the way she looks. Of these details, is the selection of her bridal earrings. There are many varieties and designs of bridal earrings available online and in retail stores. Use some of our tips below to help you decide on your bridal earrings.

The first item to consider when selecting your bridal earrings is the details of your bridal gown. Take into consideration the embellishments and design. Does your gown have lace, pearls, rhinestones, crystals, a big bow or colored ribbon? Use these items to help determine the materials that will be included in your earrings. If your gown has lace you may want to consider a more elaborate earring such as a chandelier style earring that carries a pattern. If your bridal gown has pearls or crystals sewn onto it, then select bridal earrings that include these same materials.

The second item to consider when choosing your bridal earrings is the color of your gown. While most gowns are traditionally white or ivory, there are newer versions that are light pink or perhaps have a vividly colored waist, ribbon or design in them. Find materials that coordinate or match perfectly with your gown color selection. For instance, a white gown will not look as pretty with ivory pearls, while white pearls will match perfectly.

Finding a style of earring that matches your wedding look is the final stage in selecting your bridal earrings. If your dress is very simple and you want something more elaborate for your ears, choose a full clustered earring that dangles or an intricate chandelier style earring. If you are looking for a simple look to finish off your accessories, choose a simple drop style earring or a stud earring. This will coordinate your look together in a more subtle and simple manor.

Whatever bridal earrings you decide to wear, pick a pair that makes you feel beautiful. This is supposed to be your most memorable and beautiful day. It is important to finding the final details that best finish your look.

Lastly, when you’ve packed away your tiara, gown and shoes, keep those bridal earrings out. You can wear your bridal jewelry for years to come after the wedding to keep those memories alive.

To see the full collection of Bridal Earrings available from BonitaJ, click: Here. For more information or to request a custom order, e-mail Bonnie at: info@BonitaJ.com

15% Off Discount Code: BLOG15

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Red: The Color of Love

Red is a popular color many times throughout the year including Independence Day, Christmas and now for Valentines Day. Whether it’s decorating, a card you send, a dress you wear or the perfect piece of jewelry, red is universally recognized for meaning Love. Finding a nice piece of jewelry for a gift idea for your special someone in red may be the perfect way to send that message to them.

There are a wide variety of reds available in jewelry. There is hot fire red, deep garnet red, light raspberry, ruby red and even bright cherry apple red. Your special someone may have a particular red they love or wear, but they all represents love. Combining various shades of red together creates a dimensional color pallet that works well to mix and match with outfits on numerous levels. Taking a raspberry red and mixing it with a deep garnet red and maybe a light pink creates a jewelry piece that can be worn with a great dress, jeans and a t-shirt or for special occasions like a Valentine’s Day dinner.

A truly unique piece of jewelry is the most custom way to give the gift of jewelry. Finding a designer that offers an array of color choices that you can mix and match, as well as sizing for bracelets and necklaces gives the most custom fit available. Further customizations like various clasp styles, earring styles and the option of sterling silver or gold filled metals are also ways to make your jewelry gift more special and a better fit.

Finding a perfect red jewelry accessory piece that your special someone will cherish for a life time is one of the nicest gift ideas. Whether you give your jewelry for this Valentine’s day or for any other special occasion, select a jewelry piece that is timeless. Go to BonitaJ to check out more jewelry now!

For More information about the jewelry you see here, e-mail Bonnie at: info@BonitaJ.com

15% Off Discount Code: BLOG15

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Guest Blogger + Wedding Jewelry Discount

Next week, I will be featuring Guest Blogging from Bonnie at BonitaJ. She makes gorgeous wedding jewelry and is a delight to work with. As a special treat to our readers, she is offering a generous 15% all of her jewelry! To find out the coupon code, check back next week! It will be listed at the bottom of each of Bonnie's featured posts!

PS - Check out her "sponsor" button on the right sidebar. It will take you to her website anytime you are interested in browsing her collection!

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