Wedding Gifting Guide 101

What a happy couple they are!
Let's help them stay that way with any of these lovely gift ideas

1. ANYTHING from their registry

Seriously... anything. As an engagement gift or as part of their wedding gift, it's good practice to grab something from their registry. I mean, it's there for a reason. When we were engaged, I checked our registries more than I checked Instagram. Any bride will tell you it's like Christmas morning to see things disappear from your wish list knowing someone truly understands that you need that kitchen Aid or those Kate Spade toasting flutes.

If you're not sure where to check for the engaged couple's registry, try these popular retailers first:

www.nordstrom.com

www.potterybarn.com

www.crateandbarrel.com

2. Honeymoon Treats

Find out where they're going on their honeymoon and if they have a honeymoon registry. If so then you can go to that site and select a treat for the couple to have while they're there (like a candle light dinner for 2 or bottle of bubbly). If the couple is going to an all-inclusive resort, but didn't register, you can go through their resorts website to pre-pay for the gift of your choosing. They'll love it, I assure you!

In the case that the couple is traveling abroad or to a local spot, you can call ahead to their hotel and have chocolate strawberries or wine waiting on them when they arrive. You'll be the FIRST thank you note they send out once they return. 

Honey Fund

3. Things everyone can love!

The gift of no carpel tunnel 

They'll stamp your thank you note extra straight. Self-inking address stamp here

The gift of their love story

Caution, this will cause happy tears. Custom wall hanging here

The gift of chic barware

They'll be pleased as punch!
Classic Mint Julep Cup from Reese Witherspoon's Boutique, Draper James

The gift of a cozy guest room

 Thirsty guests will be a thing of the past with a water decanter like this from Pottery Barn.
(Add the monogram option for a more personalized gift)

The gift of laziness

Why pass the salt when you can spin it?
Personalized lazy susan found here

The gift of 'Firsts'

 Break out the cheese plate for this one....A DIY gift with a bottle for each 'first' 
'Wedding night, first fight, first dinner party, first Christmas, first anniversary, and first baby'

The gift of comfort

Personalized pillow for the love birds' nest like this one

The gift of lost ring prevention

One ring to rule them all... unless it's down the drain.
Prevent the couple's first fight with this ring dish

Of course the GREATEST gift of all will be your presence at the wedding festivities, but to secure your seat at the head of their dinner party table, any of these options are a great go-to.



Happy shopping!

DIY Pallet Bench

I have like pallets on pallets on pallets right now and have been in search of ways to turn them into furniture or functional pieces.

So I found this....

From here 

...and thought, I can definitely make that. Just cut a pallet in half, add legs, add support and you've got yourself a bench.

Supply list:

For the Bench:
-1 decent, not rotted, pallet
-2x4 left-over pieces in our garage
- 3" wood screws
-Power drill
-Primer (like my go-to Zinsser 123 for all surfaces)
-Paint brush
-Interior Paint + Primer (left over from painting walls in our house)

 For the Cushions:
-3 yards duck cloth fabric ($15) or buy king-size pillow cases you like
-2 king-size pillows (from Ross, $17 for the pair)

Happy crafting!

Cool Trunk Turns Side Table

I love rethinking the use of everyday objects and re-purposing them into something else useful.

I was handed down this really pretty silver and gold trunk and for years I used it as my living room coffee table. Once I had more space, I obviously needed a bigger coffee table and began to brain storm on how I could make use of this trunk. It was too pretty to just put in the closet.

Then I came across this....

From this blog

 You just add pretty feet to the trunk's bottom and voila! Table. I don't like all my furniture to be super matchy-matchy, but let them compliment each other.  This trunk is perfect for our guest room as a bed side table since the color scheme is pretty, but earthy and a metallic accessory would be the cherry on top.

I used the legs that were cut off left-overs from my crate coffee table project and just so happened to be the perfect height of 4 inches. I attached them with super glue... no lie... and that was that. Super easy, functional for pillow/ blanket storage, and a little metallic flair all in one. You can find wheels or legs at any Home Depot or Lowes and make the table as tall as you'd like.

Had I purchased legs specifically for the trunk, I would've needed to drill holes in the bottom for the legs to screw into and reinforced stability with super glue. I may be doing this in the near future to a couple other trunks I have :)


I hope this inspires you to remake something in your own home

Cheers

Anthropologie Knock Off Wall Hook

Dolls, feast your eyes on this tiny treasure

When I saw the price tag of $128, I almost died... which is usually my reaction with anything from Anthropologie, unless it's on super sale.

So I came up with the 2 hooks below for pennies compared to the original

Anthropologie: $128

vs.

Knock Off: $30-$60

(depending on your choice of mineral)

 Depending on what kind of rock/ mineral you choose will make the cost of your project fluctuate. You can find some beautiful samples all over the internet or at a Gem and Mineral show.


To make your own Anthropologie hook you'll need:

-Rock, Mineral of your choice
-Gold jewelry wire
-needle nose pliers
-Wire cutter/ strong scissors
-Iron hook, found mine at Hob Lob for $3 and it was a flat spiral shape which makes a good base for           the rock to lay against
-Gold spray paint
-Hot Glue

Step 1. Spray Paint hook
Whatever color you choose, spray the entire hook front and back and let dry over night so it's perfectly set when you handle it

Step 2. Hot Glue Rock to hook
Position your rock on the hook so that the majority of the backside is as flat as possible to give the glue something to stick to. Set that position by squeezing a generous amount of hot glue on the hook and press/ hold your rock in place for 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Step 3. Fasten Jewelry Wire to rock/ hook
This takes a little coordination. Begin by cutting 5ft (60 in.) of your wire, find the middle by putting the 2 wire ends together and pinching downward. With your hook laying face-up, lay the middle of the wire right under the base of your rock and wrap criss-cross-style around the hook at least 4 times. twist 3 times, like a twist tie, to make a stable base.

Now, begin looping your wire around the hook and rock in a criss-crossed X- style while keep tension. Right side over and around, then left side over and around, then right... left.... etc... until you feel the rock is secure against the hook and will not shift. I used my needle nose pliers to pinch the wire around the rock in some places to better secure it.

Step 4. Hang hook
Hang your hook with a drywall screw for best results. You could even attach them to a long piece of pretty cut wood for a towel/ hat/ or key rack or by themselves as pictured above.




Happy crafting!

Create Your Own Wedding Schedule

All my little precious bridies, let me introduce you to your wedding LIFE. SAVER.

Being organized makes everything run smoothly and leaves zero question to where everyone and everything is to be and when. 

This simple tool will be what you can send to your wedding planner, venue planner, photographer, DJ, Bridesmaids, family....everyone really...which will give you more time to focus on important things like finding your dress and sipping  mimosas. You're a few steps away from worry-free planning!

1. Create an Excel Spreadsheet.

I literally use excel for EVERYTHING in my life. It's just so easy to organize and reference.

Create the following tabs: 

-Guest List

-Invites (For list of invitations you'll need to get ready)

-Vendors

- Music

-Wedding Week Check List

-Rehearsal Day Schedule

-Wedding Day Schedule

Naturally, edit this list to fit your own needs and you can make it as organized or as basic as you'd like.

2.Add Details

Guest List:

 I color-coded mine and added columns for other events like bridal brunch and rehearsal dinner so all of your events are in one spot and you can use the same list of names/ addresses. I made a separate tab for addresses as it was the solution to simplifying the couples and families with the 'one lives here, but the other lives there' issue. Add a column for addresses here if it makes more sense for you to do so.

Yes, I'm the OCD human who put a key to categorize our guests, but we wanted to see the breakdown of family to friends and so-on for planning reasons. You obviously don't have to go that far lol.

Invites/ Prints:

I was very DIY and did all my own design and prints. Even if you're outsourcing your printables, it's good to have a list of deadlines and when they're completed. Trust. The 'P Party' was a sleepover I threw for my sweet bridesmaids (Pinterest, Pizza, and Pj's!) since they offered to help put programs and wedding projects together. We all honed our bow-tying skills for sure lol. 

Vendors:

Self-explanatory pretty much. Keep all your vendor's info in one place and you'll never have to go searching for numbers or addresses.

Music Preferences:

You'll send this to your DJ/ band. First dance, garter/ bouquet toss, intro/ exit music will all need to be chosen. We also had a handful of songs we didn't want to be played even if requested and some we definitely HAD to have which I included as well. 

Wedding Check List:

The week before my wedding is what I focused on here, but I would suggest to list as far out as possible to make sure you're not missing anything. TheKnot.com has an excellent timeline of when to do what here.

Rehearsal Day Schedule:

My favorite of the tabs thus far because anyone involved can easily see when and where they're you'd like them to be. You don't have to plan minute-for-minute (despite what you plan something will run under/ over your time plan), but I suggest planning a gentle timeline that conveys meeting times or points of interest. These were included in the welcome bags at check-in for out-of-town guests who were involved in the rehearsal.

Wedding Day Schedule:

This was given to my venue planner, DJ, bridal party, house party, parents, and photographer. They were all very happy to not have any confusion on when to be where and everyone was on the same page. Big weight off your shoulders so you can focus on having fun with your gal pals. With everyone having this schedule, they ended moving me around when I needed to be somewhere which was nice because I didn't even have to think about it lol. 

Address Book:

Yall, I use this to this day. No lie. You're wedding is when you'll be collecting your nearest and dearest's addresses and, if you didn't already have a list of addresses like me, is your master list for all future Christmas cards, party invites, change of addresses, and general correspondence. If someone moves/ changes addresses or we get new friends and add their addresses, I update it here so I will always have a running list of who to send cards and things to. At some point, I had a column for thank you notes, so consider adding that to help you track who you've thanked for your awesome gifts. Also, invest in an address stamp or some labels to print your return address as it'll save your time (and hands) in the long run.

There you have it! Super easy, but will save you so much worry and time during your wedding adventures and beyond. If you amend anything, let us know in the comments for others to see your awesome ideas :)

Cheers!