Homegrown Wedding

One Sweet Message

{Image via Creature Comforts}

With a sister as a baker, I am always on the lookout for cute baking products.  I spoted these Message-in-a-cookie cutters the other day & thought they would be perfect for making bridal shower or wedding favors.  The set includes seven premade phrases {like Happy Birthday & I love you}, but also includes three sets of the alphabet + extra vowels.  Couples could spell out their names or other appropriate, short phrases.  Place a few cookies in a simple glassine bag, tie it with ribbon, & you are done! 

p.s. The cookie cutters are on backrder until June!  I think I will have to check out my local store to see if they are in stock. 

More S'mores

{Image Elizabeth Anne Designs} 

S'mores are the best treat & one of our favorites!  They seem to be popping up in all sorts of weddings as favors & desserts.  I saw these latest ones & they are so cute!  Twine + kraft box + muslin bag + sweets = amazing!  I also saw these kits which are adorable as well.  We cannot have a fire at our wedding location, so we are thinking of alternatives, like these kits.  The first kit even has a tea light & matches, ha!

Come Back Here With my Vase!

{Image via MSW}

I was reading a post on The Bride's Guide recently about guests taking centerpieces.  I have been to a few weddings where there have been "contests" to see who will "win" the centerpiece.  At a recent wedding Rich & I won a centerpiece because he was the oldest person at the table.  Nothing like reminding people of their age.  At a wedding this summer the mother of the bride was encouraging the last remaining people who were there to take a centerpiece home because they were going to be thrown away {I took two because I could not stand the thought of the gorgeous flowers in the trash.  Ack!}.  My mother did the same thing at my sister's wedding this past July.  Another wedding we attended had centerpieces consisting of record albums that no one touched {though the lilies might have been up for grabs I do not remember}. 

All of these centerpiece scenarios got me thinking about our centerpieces which will be comprised of three elements: 1.  Rich's record albums; 2. My milk glass vases; & 3. Flowers in the vases.  We do not want people to walk off with the albums, however we will take the actual records out of them & leave them at home {just in case!}.  I also do not want everyone walking out with my milk glass vases I have been collecting.  I will make some exceptions say if an aunt or close friends really loves one, then of course they may have it. 

Okay...so if you do not want people to take the vases, but were so upset over your friends flowers getting thrown in the trash...?  Enter cute custom-printed cellophane bags & pretty ties!  Last spring MSW ran this idea of centerpieces pulling double-duty as favors.  Small waterproof bags with a message inviting guests to take the flowers home with them can be placed on the table towards the end of the night.  This way the flowers will still be enjoyed by the guests & I will still have my vases!

Have You Met Miss Jones

{Images from Have You Met Miss Jones} 

The Bone China collection from Have You Met Miss Jones is so pretty.  The bird pair & log vase would make for lovely reception decor.  The acorn & feather ornaments would make for perfect bridal part gifts or favors for a small wedding {or a wedding with a rather large favor budget!}.  I always love simple white porcelain, china, & ceramics.  I am thinking I would love the vase & tiny bowl with the flying birds as a wedding gift.  Speaking of which, Rich & I have not set any type of registry up yet.  We started thinking about items we may want.  We will most likely set-up a Wishpot account to collect all of the random things we see in specialty shop & etsy.  

A Wedding Candy Buffet

{Images by Snapshots By Clare}

Oh the sweetness that was Jess & Jay's candy buffet.  Jess spent months finding the perfect apothecary jars & glass vessels to hold all of the candy.  She found this article very helpful in creating her candy buffet & sourcing bulk candy.  She purchased all of the candy during the winter & early spring to avoid shipping candy in the warmer weather.  The chocolate lighthouses & chocolate covered pretzels were homemade by my sister, mom, & aunt.  Jess did the entire set-up herself the day before their wedding {like I have said before, the girl has a knack for working with all things sweet}. 

I design the candy labels to coordinate with their invitations & coasters.  We attached the labels with some cute pink & green grosgrain ribbon.  I also designed a little sign that invited people to enjoy the candy buffet.  I created a PDF template of each that is free for you to download!  Just click the links below.

- Candy Labels with Text
- Blank Candy Labels
- Candy Buffet Sign {this is 5 x 7 with crop marks to help you cut}

As you might imagine, the candy buffet was a huge hit!  By the end of the night everyone was carrying around their own pink or green takeout container filled to the brim with sweet treats. 

It Must be the Paper

 
Because I have never tasted the chocolate.  Mast Brothers - Leaders of the Chocolate Revolution...& pretty packaging with Italian papers.  From all the articles I have read, it sounds like people would give their left arm for a tiny morsel of this goodness.  I am completely charmed by their process.  The brothers clean, sort, roast, & refine the cacao beans in small batches themselves & develop the flavors, like almond + sea salt.  They also hand-wrap & tape each bar closed themselves {my favorite part}.

In the brief & fleeting moments I have thought about our favors, I think an edible one is the way to go, especially when they are this pretty.  Many people will be traveling to our wedding & to give them something such as a small plant or flowers {our first choices} will only be appreciated for a day or two, then left behind.  Plus, who does not want to nibble on a bit of chocolate before their dinner comes?

But back to the paper.  I actually own some sheets of the same paper.  Which makes me think...maybe I should do this myself.  If I did it myself, I could
1. customize the paper as well as the label; 2. Buy chocolate bars from local shops {such as my favorite, Haven's, in Maine}; 3. Then I would not have to travel to Brooklyn to get these chocolate bars; & 4. Not spend $7 - 8 per bar {well, I will have to crunch some numbers & get back to you on that part}, even though I am quite sure they are worth it. 

Now I want some chocolate.

{photos from Shop Composition}