DIY Wine Corks On Display

When it came to planning our wedding, heaven knows I wasn’t a DIY goddess like some of you fabulous ladies out there. But in our own way, Stephen and I personalized the day and enhanced our theme by adding fun do-it-ourselves touches wherever we thought we might be able to pull them off.

I guess we must have done a pretty good (or at least decent) job, because one of our projects – wine-cork escort-card holders – was recently featured on Lollipops & Paper, a new party-planning and craft blog I love. Check out our step-by-step instructions, and be sure to follow this blog for tons of fun tips and ideas!

If you’re including DIY as part of your wedding, what’s been your favorite project so far?

(Photo Credit: Alex Neumann Photography)

Reception Décor & More

After over a year of planning and prepping, walking into the venue to see our vision brought to life was one of the many incredible highlights of our wedding day. Once again, our team of vendors absolutely shined, with everyone working together to not only meet our expectations, but to truly wow us on top of that. Here, a few of the elements that made for a beautiful reception.

Our DIY escort cards looked so pretty when arranged in front of the golf club’s indoor fountain, flanked on each side by bunches of grapes.

At each dinner table, our postcard table names and wine-bottle holders were a huge hit with guests. Plus, they matched up perfectly with the romantic centerpieces and floral votives created by Lei-Ann at Happy Flowers.

The staff at Los Robles Greens, along with Cari from All Occasions Event Planning, tied everything together to create just the simple yet classy vibe we’d imagined.

Our white chocolate favors, photo-share cards, and puzzles greeted guests as they took their seats.

The cake table, decorated with fresh rose petals, our custom knife, server and flutes, as well as pearl-studded “I Do” letters from Creative Custom Cardboxes, looked absolutely gorgeous. In the first photo above, photographer Alex even captured a creative shot of our invitation balanced between the two glasses.

Though we didn’t spend much time actually sitting there, I loved our sweetheart table, which was decorated with petals and our lovely bouquets.

The dance floor, featuring our custom decal, was packed throughout the night.

LESSON LEARNED: If you can, take a moment to walk throughout your dinner venue as a couple, while your guests are still enjoying the cocktail hour, so that you have a chance to fully see the room decorated and your vision brought to life. Once dinner starts, everything will likely be so fast-paced and crazy that you won’t have another chance to take it all in before things start getting moved around, used up, and so on.

(Photo Credits: Personal Library & Alex Neumann Photography)

Real Wedding Inspiration: Simple Meets Trendy

Though I'm destined to be a June bride next year in California, I love the fall wedding season on the East Coast. The cool weather and lush colors in nature make it a popular time for tying the knot, including in the Washington, D.C., area.

Here are a few fun and inspiring ideas I picked up while celebrating our friends' marriage last month. Theirs was a wedding truly intimate in its simplicity and beautiful in the use of deep apple red as a signature color. To add a modern twist and keep things trendy, the bride and groom also added classy black and white to their color palette, along with a few touches of damask.

At the church, red candles encircled by rocks cast a warm glow.

One of the best signature drinks I've ever had at a wedding! It combined 2 oz. black cherry, 1 1/2 oz. raspberry vodka, 1 oz. syrup, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and a lemon wedge for garnish.

The bride carried a simple red bouquet, which matched the sash on her gown.

The bridesmaids' white bouquets popped against their brown gowns and red sashes.

Instead of numbering tables, the couple named each one after a favorite Washington, D.C., museum or monument. Photos of the two of them at each location served as table markers.

I loved these simple but elegant fishbowl centerpieces, which featured floating flowers and stones.

The centerpiece at the sweetheart table included two floating red flowers to symbolize the couple.

Instead of a traditional cake, the bride and groom went with a pretty cupcake tower, with a single round layer of cake at the top for cutting. Each cupcake was topped with a mint marked with the initial "S."

Our friends can display this fun alternative to the traditional guestbook in their home.

Martini glasses filled with chocolate candies were colorful, easy favors.

(Photo Credits: Stephen Walrath & Heather Warren)

Postcards = Escort Cards

To put a fun spin on our table markers and escort cards, we recently had an idea to use postcards depicting our favorite California cities.

Here's what we're thinking:

Each table will be named for a city or place in California that has meaning to us. But instead of simply printing the city names on cardstock, we'll use postcards to identify each table.

So far on our list, we're including Disneyland, Stephen's hometown of Sacramento, and Napa - one of our favorite places to visit on vacation.

To get a table assignment before entering the ballroom, each guest will find a postcard with his or her name on the back. To personalize things, we're planning to also include a special message of thanks to each guest on the backs of the cards.

And to add even more of a twist, rather than using traditional escort-card holders, we've decided to go with wine corks, since we've always loved visiting wineries.

Check out these samples we put together, and let me know what you think!

(Photo Credits: Stephen Walrath)