Swoon: Guestbook Alternatives!

How about these fun and creative guest book ideas from Etsy?! s-w-o-o-n!

The first one is a banner that you could frame after your wedding.
{spreadthelove}

A family tree poster.
{ Lavatican}

A piece of bark with your family tree engraved on it.
{ inspiredbymarie}

Have your guests sign a piece of the family tree.
{ TheWeddingPerch}


A silhouette poster!
{sweetcarolinadesign}


family tree poster
{sweetcarolinadesign}



And of course there is the ever popular Photobooth Guestbook idea...

{image via girlhula}


why not add some fun props?

{all from MaroDesigns on etsy}

No Foolin' it's as easy as Click, Add, Buy!

Sometimes a brides gotta do what a brides gotta do. As I mentioned in my last post, I had high hopes for creating many DIY elements for my wedding. Some things I just didn't have time for, but I didn't want to give up on having some of these details-- so I did the next best thing to DIY... I DDIY (didn't do it myself!) and decided to knock some things off my list by purchasing them from around the web! It really was as easy as click, add, buy!

Take for example these beauties from For Your Party:



With just a click of a button, I had personalized napkins and coasters . No Fuss No Muss.
I originally had plans to hand-stamp napkins and coasters with my Gocco , but that would've taken time wouldn't it? The fine people at For Your Party have a section called "Grab and Go" that makes it easy to buy ready-made products, and not have to make any more decisions on color, type style, blah blah blah...

I also was obsessed with the idea of having wooden signs pointing guests this way and that! Here is a picture of one of the signs I bought from the lovely SignsByDiane seller on Etsy. Once again, I could have easily picked up some wood from the hardware store and painted the letters on myself, but why would I when this sign was exactly what I was looking for:

{Photography by Dorothy Hatchel}

Ladies, instead of slaving away on your latest project, why not see if its already made and available from crafty gurus around the web. You may find just what you are looking for. And with all the time you are saving, you could be doing more important things like playing dress-up in that gorgeous dress of yours! After all, a bride needs her sanity and instant gratification is so much more fun!

Happy Hunting!

Fête champêtre

Ah the french. Everything they say sounds so lovely, doesn't it? Fête champêtre means simply a "garden party" or "pastoral feast" according to Wikipedia. "A fête champêtre was often a very elegant form of entertainment involving on occasions whole orchestras hidden in trees, with guests sometimes in fancy dress during the age of Versailles..."

You know, the fancy parties people like Louis XIV or Marie Antoinette threw just because they could?! Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about the budget or concern yourself with the word 'no' ? Or even better, not do everything yourself just to stay within budget?

Ah yes, I think many a bride might like to indulge just like Marie and not worry about how every wonderful detail was put in place.

Well in the world of weddings, it may sometimes be hard to not want your day to have *everything* and even harder to not do it yourself. I was guilty of wanting many little details that I thought I could-not-live-without. The trick is to find your most beloved details and find someone who can make them for you...on the cheap! There are many options out there that do not have to break the bank. AND better yet? You don't even have to make it yourself! How's that for knocking items off the to-do list?

I'd like to coin a new wedding acronym--Why not DDIY? (Don't Do It Yourself?) Make sure to scour places like Ebay and Etsy, or even Craigslist. These are tried and true favorites of many a DDIY girl like myself. Recently, I found a few more to add to my repitoire-- try 1000markets, shophandmade, mycraft or madeitmyself (even though you didn't!)

These places are like beacons in the night when it comes to finding wonderful homemade details that you do NOT have to make yourself. Genius. You know the phrase, It wasn't expensive, it just looks like it is? Well, how 'bout I didn't spend hours on all my wedding details, it just looks like I did?

So go get 'em girl! You can have your cake and eat it too for half the price and time! I hope your wedding is a Fête Champêtre that you didn't do yourself.


Source pic1

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