{ photo by Mary Kate McKenna Photography }

Thomas hunts, so Melissa wanted to incorporate antlers into the decor without taking it too far! She still wanted a very classy, vintage, rustic, and snowy winter look! I have been playing around with some ideas for her table centerpieces and came up with an idea using cross-slices of logs, moss, snow, mercury glass, and of course the antlers!

{ some dusty miller and snow peeking out of the wood slices }

{ cute idea for a snowflake looking placecard…but who knows what Briana will come up with! She is a graphic design magician! }

{ burlap + lace around vintage brown bottles }

{ mercury glass votive }

{the antler takes center stage!}

She is also using an antique horse drawn snow sleigh as a photo booth, and a gorgeous  white distressed buffet server for her wedding cake table. Oh, and did I mention the awesome custom stationery that her sister in law  {a graphic designer } is creating for her?  What a beautiful wedding for a beautiful bride!!! I can’t wait to put everything together!

You can  see all of the “Naturally Rustic” products that are currently available at www.traditionalbynature.etsy.com  I’m also in the process of getting them listed on the main website www.traditionalbynature.com This is a constantly expanding line of products, so keep checking back. There is no telling what I’ll come up with next!

Milk Glass

The best place to buy Milk Glass (or Faux Milk Glass) is thrift stores (Goodwill, Value Village, Savers, Salvation Army). In my personal experience, you should never spend more than $4-$5 on a piece of milk glass.  Search for 1/2 price days and send $2! I bought a Milk Glass cake stand for $9 once, but it was worth it. Start early on your hunt, and go often. They are usually in the “nicknack” aisle, but also in the dishes.  Real Milk Glass, has an almost transparent white look. Faux milk glass almost looks like porcelain or plastic, and is solid-looking. For something like a wedding, I really wouldn’t worry too much about it being “real”. If you are not one to shop at thrift stores, then both Etsy (in the Vintage section) and Ebay have LOTS, but you will have to pay shipping and it will be more expensive (as it’s being sold to collectors). Craigslist is also a great place to find large lots of Milk Glass.

Oversize Balloons

These balloons are NOT average size balloons filled to max. These are actually extra-large balloons. They are also not the traditional balloon shape (like an upside down tear drop) they are ROUND. To give you an idea of size, and average birthday balloon is about 12″ while these giant balloons are usually 26″- 36″ in size. They run around $4-$10 a piece plus helium. I have yet to find a store that carries them (even a party store) although large party stores might. Your best bet is to buy them online, and either rent a helium tank or buy a small one. Also be ware that you will need to fill them on site, as they wont fit in a car safely.

Sites that carry large round balloons (compare prices and colors):

Balloons Fast

Bargain Balloons

Balloons Express

COD Wholesale

Balloons Direct

Tissue Garland, Fans and Balls

Martha Stewart must have stock in the tissue paper decorations business, because girl is making them classy! And they are cheap too! Things to keep in mind when using tissue paper, is steer clear of using it in the traditional “streamer” type way. Stick to one color, and hang in BULK. Bulk makes more of a unique statement. I would also completely avoid party supply stores or trendy shops for these items. Buying in bulk online is the best bet. Be careful when selecting colors, as tissue paper is often only dyed on the edges (letting the dye bleed inward) so the colors may not be as rich as you would think. Also avoid shapes like Bells and Hearts.

Devra Part Corp in my opinion has the best selection, best prices and fastest shipping on tissue paper items. I have ordered from the 3 different times and have always been VERY happy with their product and service. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else.

Gift & Favor Boxes

First a word to the wise. If you have 200 guests, only 100 of them will take home their favor…IF YOUR LUCKY! I have yet to meet a bride who didn’t have a million leftover favors. You do not need one for each person, go with the “one per family or couple” rule. That being said, if you do need to put a favor in a cute box, or you want dessert boxes, or little organza bags, let me recommend SAVE-ON-CRAFTS for all your favor making needs. Seriously folks, they are the way to go!

Candy Bar Treats

If you are doing one of the very popular Candy or Dessert Bars, here are a few things you may need. First off RENT do not BUY Apothecary Jars. You will not need them later, they are expensive, fragile and take up a lot of room. Most wedding rental places rent them for around $5, it’s so worth it. If you do decide that you want to purchase some, go to Ross, Marshals, TJ Max, do not buy them at Michael’s, you will pay twice as much. Also remember that most of the candy you will buy will go un-eaten. The amount of candy it takes to fill an apothecary jar is a LOT. Stick with inexpensive hard candies, and prepare to throw some away. Also think of alternatives to candy that you may actually eat afterwards. Things like dried fruit and nuts can look cute, and be consumed later.I also really recommend buying colored candy in bulk at inexpensive grocery stores, NOT at party stores. Last buy vases, containers, and other decorations at thrift stores, and spray paint them to match your theme.

Some great online sources:

-How much candy do I need?

-Scoops and Tongs

-Dried Fruit, Nuts, and Candy

-Bulk candy by color

Straws, Cupcake Wrappers, Coasters

First off, let me say that YES those striped paper straws are MAD CUTE, however they are completely disgusting and get soggy in 3 sips. A total waste of money unless it’s purely for looks. I bought them for my wedding for that very reason, so no judgement. As for cupcake wrappers, the dollar zone at Michael’s has the cutest cheapest cupcake wrappers around, and they change the styles every month or so. Etsy is a great place to buy party supplies in small amounts, but for a wedding, don’t waste your money. Those Etsy sellers are buying that stuff in bulk somewhere else, and you can too! Here are a few places to check out:

-Think Garnish Has the most unique and useful party packaging/supplies ever.

-Amazon seems to have the cheapest paper straws. Do not pay $5 for 25, that’s silly.

-My Wedding Reception Ideas  Best price for custom printed coasters and for custom matches.

-Gifts International Inc for Cello Bags

-Larry Newman Printing are the least expensive custom printed fan programs. (I have used them and was very satisfied with quality)

Feathers, Moss and Wood

If you are going with a nature theme at your wedding, I really suggest you actually hike your party planning booty out into the woods and get some REAL nature. Although don’t pluck a goose or kill a tree! But pick up sticks, collect rocks, grow some succulents. However I know it can be difficult to find ENOUGH nature without really harming the planet, so here are some tips for where you can get faux nature.

First off, wood slices. This is hard, because they are all the rage, but where do you get them? Yes you can buy them online like Etsy, or Save-on-Crafts, but you’re looking at $10 a pop or more, PLUS shipping. You can also buy them at Joanns, but they are tiny and around $13. Here is what I suggest, and what I did at my own wedding (seen here) look in the phone book and find a local Mill, the smaller the better. Call them up, or drive out there ans ask if they can cut you some 12-20″ rounds about and 1.5″ thick. Chances are they will think you are a little crazy, but that’s ok. For my wedding I got 30 rounds (about 20-25″) for $65. It took him 1 day, and we loaded them in my trunk. Done. Easy. And at less than $3 a piece, so worth it. One thing I will note is to get the bark to stay on, the wood needs to be treated. The bark fell off mine immediately. Also have them done with 1-2 weeks of your wedding, because they will split if they get too dried out.

As for Moss, again you can buy it at Save-On Crafts (which is absolutely the cheapest online) or you can look in the “floral department” of the Dollar Tree. Seriously they sell moss rocks for 4 for $1!! Seriously the Dollar Tree has a pretty awesome floral supply department, including super cheap ribbon!

For Feathers, again buy online, not in stores.

-Swalef and Son  has a weird website, but when I ordered peacock feathers for a friend’s wedding, they were the cheapest.

-Save-on-Crafts has a pretty good feather selection

I also bought feathers from this Etsy seller, and was very pleased.

Candles

Again I vote thrift stores for candle holders. If they aren’t in a color you like spray paint them. If they have leftover wax residue just boil them clean. For candles themselves I recommend Ikea for simple unscented candles. As someone who cleans up after weddings, I’m also a BIG believer in Jar candles! They are safer, deter guests from playing in them, and don’t drip on anything. Chances are your linen rental company will charge you big time to remove wax (god forbid it be red wax!). Some jar candles I love are tall glass jar candles, often found in Hispanic foods aisles. Some have catholic images on them, but you can also get ones that are just plain white. They also sell a lower quality version at the Dollar Tree.

-Quick Candles sells lots of basic white pillars at a reasonable price. Plus lots of basic holders (VERY IMPORTANT!)

-The Candle Depot also has great prices on basic white floating, tapers and more.

I would also really recommend looking at Craigslist and Amazon for flameless candles.

Mason Jars

Mason jars have become very popular at weddings for candles, centerpieces, flowers, and drinking. People love the vintage feel, and the low price of them. Some things to keep in mind, don’t buy them at the grocery store. Like everything else, check thrift stores first. They have tons at less than $1. If you’re looking for uniformity you should buy bulk online, try Amazon or Kmart.com who both seem to have the lowest prices.  If you’re wanting the hanging candle holder look, you can buy them premade on Etsy at shops like this, this, or this. Or you can follow these simple directions and make your own.

If your really wanting the infamous blue mason jars, SAVE YOUR MONEY! If you buy these at antique stores, you’re looking at $12 a pop, but did you know you can make them too! Sure it’s not authentic, but it’s for one day. Here is one tutorial, and here is another. Easy and cheap.

Another way is to spray them with chalkboard paint and write table numbers. You can buy chalkboard paint at any hardware store.

That’s all the tips I have for now. I’ll have more advice on where to find items and how to save money in future posts. I hope this advice helps, and feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

XOXO

Tied Bow Events

This morning I have already cleaned my house, finished all of our Bridesmaids/Groomsmen/Mom Gift bags. Went to the Farmers Market to look at flowers for bouquets, AND convinced myself to eat a bunch of Greek Yogurt so I don’t die on my first alcoholic beverage tonight. Nerves make it hard to eat, which is not something I have ever found difficult….eating that is.

But now my house is clean and quiet and I have time to relax and share a few pictures with you. In one week, I will be 3 hours away from being Mrs. Gaunt (and not in the skinny sort of way).

First up is these cute little Photo Clips I got in the Dollar Bins at Target. They will be used to hold little signs that say what food items are and if they are vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free etc. However the color would NOT do! So I took ‘em outside and spray painted them Mustard! It took like 4 coats to hide the neon. They aren’t super durable (like I could scrape all the paint off if I really tried) but they were cheap and will do for 1 day.

That Mustard colored spray paint was actually well worth the $8 I spent. I’m glad I got a color I wanted and not some yucky bright yellow. I have painted a number of things with it, including a bunch of frames I got for a Dollar at the salvation Army. I’m using them to put little signs in to tell people where to sit and what to drink and the number of the cab company (NO DRINKING AND DRIVING AT MY WEDDING!)

And a bunch of other little projects, the cats are Hula…duh, they will be stuck in our succulents as Table numbers.  The wine bottles are recycled from my moms bar, and labeled with little H2O Rain drops I printed off. There are some cake stands I made from little Sundae Dishes glued onto plates (and wooden trays) and spray painted, so easy so cheap (if you get the dishes from Goodwill like I did). Also there are the Boutonnieres I made for “Family Members” to wear. Lastly there are a few sneak peeks of bigger projects! Prepare to have your eyes overloaded with DIY projects.

I’m off to shower and get dressed up! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. If anyone wants more specific details on any of the projects they see here, let me know and I can do a full post after the wedding.