Time for Wedding Bliss 001

Even though I got married in May, I still love to peruse the wedding blogs. You can't beat the delicacy, loveliness, and thoughtfulness of weddings details and crafts. Snippet & Ink, 100 Layer Cake, and Style Me Pretty are three of my faves. So clearly, when planning my nuptials, these were my daily reads.

Needless to say, as a crafter, my wedding specifics were a big deal; nothing was decided on lightly. I pulled out my Martha Stewarts (both Living and Weddings), Marie Claire Idees, and obsessively visited the blogs. Here are a few details in Part 001 of my Wedding Bliss...

  

   

We got married at the amazingly lovely Osborn Castle (Cat Rock) in Garrison, New York. The forecast was bleak on May 16th, but amazingly, the rain held out until after we tied the knot and went into the tent. The last photo in the grid above was the seating chart that guests found when the walked into the castle. Amazing photos by one of my absolute favorite photographers, Heather Weston.

   

  

Once the guests found their table (there were 6 long wooden farm tables), they were greeted with a ceramic rock place card at their seat. Ours read Bride and Groom and our nieces and nephews got heart-shaped ones. Each of our 90 guests got their own rock—needless to say it was a crafting feat. I used air dry clay, letter stamps from Making Memories, black ink architecture pens, and once they were dry, I coated them with a glossy varnish. Our flowers were by the incredible Brooklyn florist, Saipua.

We didn't want a traditional guest book, so we went to the Strand to find an interesting substitute to use in lieu of the traditional blank-paged album. We decided on this old, hardbound copy of the Sears catalog. People found pages that applied to their tastes or interests, and wrote notes on top of the listings with Sharpies. After the initial confusion, our guests had fun with it. (To explain the inscription pictured, Michael and I met at Staci and Matt's wedding.)

Ok, so that is all I can muster for Part 001 of Wedding Bliss, stay tuned...

Comments

[Amy]

I love that clock/date stand that says '16'...what is that and where did you find it?

[Amy]

Also, your wedding looks just beautiful and it seems like your photographer captured it well. How will you put together your wedding album?

[Melanie]

That setting looks beautiful and that guest book is a perfect idea.

[The Violet Hours]

Thanks, Amy, for your comments! To answer your questions...
1. I bought that vintage desk calendar at a flea market. Just search "vintage perpetual desk calendar" on ebay and you'll find similar ones.
2. Like most brides, I've put off my album. I'll most likely use Blurb.com to make my book. I'll get started on my one year anniversary :)

[Jamie]

How beautiful! I am intrigued by your place card rocks. How wonderfully creative! Do I dare ask you how time consuming they were?? I have a guest list of about 85, and I wonder if I should tackle this or not :) You wedding is fabulous! Congratulations!

[The Violet Hours]

Thanks Jamie!
Ok, yes, they were time consuming. We had 91 at our wedding including us, and I started these months in advance. Perhaps I'll post a tutorial next week on how I did them. The did take some time, but I got such a good response from my guests!

[chatie]

hi there, your rock place cards ROCKS! Can you share how you did it?...please...

[The Violet Hours]

Chatie,
Thanks for the compliment! Yes, next week I'll plan a stepped out post of how I made them! Thanks for reading!

[The Violet Hours]

Just wanted to let you all know that I've posted a tutorial for these rocks! Take a look!

http://theviolethours.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/time-for-diy-rock-placecard-tutorial.html

[Manuel]

Sow much class and criativity. Congratulations

[Angy]

All seasons are perfect for the wedding ceremony, planning must begin well in advance of the wedding date in order to make sure every detail is in place and exactly how you want it.

[Flowers Melbourne]

This is a beautiful wedding. Well prepared. Beautiful venue, beautiful concept. I love it.

[Wedding Photographer Melbourne]

Nice photo. Love that ceramic rock with the guest name. I find it really unique!