Rustic & Romantic Wedding Reception

This wedding reception was AMAZING! 

The bride really didn't want a "cultural hall" reception at the church but decided to have it there anyway out of convenience and affordability. It turned out incredibly beautiful and proved that even a basketball court can be transformed into a magical scene.

How darling is this couple?  They are not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside.  I can't even tell you how incredible they are.  They will have a wonderful life together.

Entry area.  They used a piece of furniture from their future home.

Rustic and Romantic Wedding Luncheon

Two of my son's best friends were married and it was a wonderful day. We love this adorable couple!

The luncheon that the groom's family provided was delicious and the decorations were beautiful. They served pulled pork with BBQ sauce, homemade rolls, honey butter, potato salad, baked beans in little cups, corn, and fresh fruit.  White cloth tablecloths had a burlap topper and then fresh flower arrangements.

The fruit structure in the middle of the tables was really fun.  It was also smart to have two serving tables with the exact same items to help with line control.

The awesome wooden sign in the backdrop was made by the groom.  I heard rumors that it could become their headboard later.

 Lemonade, water, and IBC root beer hit the spot since it was a super hot day.

They served desserts and drinks on the same table.

What a cute little "Happily Ever After" sign to dress up the table.

They served small servings of brownies and bar cookies labeled with chalkboard signs.  My favorite thing was the mint brownies (not pictured). Yum!

They also played a fun game in front of everyone at the reception.  Bride and groom were seated back to back.  They gave each other one of their shoes so they each of them had a bride shoe and a groom shoe. Then the cute couple was asked questions such as "Who said I love you first?" and then independently they had to hold up the correct shoe to answer the question.

I'm not sure if the game coordinator created their own questions or found them online.  Here's a website that I found online that explained the game well and listed a bunch of questions. (The picture is from their website too).

Red, Black and White Wedding Reception (with a Nod to Comic-Con!)

Loved attending my friends' daughter's wedding reception.  This couple loves Comic-Con but they didn't do the reception in that theme (although they were tempted!).

Here are a few subtle Comic-Con things at the reception:

These characters were in a cute frame on the sign in table.

Notice the Batman symbols on the cake.

Can you spot the Batman symbol?

Wedding Chalkboard Graphics

 Here are some random wedding-related things that I designed using the chalkboard style theme.

This is for a cake table for my friend's daughter.

These were for a bridal shower for a friend of mine.  I used these on small chalkboard easels next to some candy jars.  One jar full of Riesen candies and the other had mints in it.

Simple and Stylish Wedding Reception (with Donuts and Milk Bar)

One of our good family friends married her sweetheart this month.  The bride has some serious graphic design talents and the mother-of-the-bride is a professional photographer (as well as a full-time 6th grade teacher).  Love the style and simplicity of this reception.

Sign-in table.  You could leave words of advice to the newlyweds in the little wire basket.

I'm guessing the bride designed this.  Too bad I don't have decent photography skills judging by the glare on the glass!

Gift tables.

A spot for cards in between the two gift tables.

Backdrop for the receiving line.

Giant pictures on the wall were very simple and tasteful.

Black, White & Gold Wedding Reception

I attended an awesome wedding reception last month and thought I'd share some pictures and ideas for all you future brides out there.

They had this cute chalkboard sign in the entry area near the sign in table.

This was the sign in table.  

Instead of a traditional sign in book, they had a fingerprint activity which was so fun!

Western Themed Wedding

I loved attending my dear friend's daughter's wedding.  It was held in a barn that had been repurposed as an event venue.  The whole thing was beautiful and I am so happy for them.

I thought I'd share the pictures in case people want some ideas.  I'm going to skip writing captions since I just attending the wedding and had nothing to do with making or designing anything for this wedding.  Enjoy!

Pastel Wedding Luncheon

Here are some pictures of the wedding luncheon that my friend Karri hosted after her son's morning wedding.  She created all the decorations and had all the food ready so all I had to do was set it up for her (along with my friend Tanya).  The bride loved pastels so Karri did the luncheon in that color scheme.

The serving table set-up was one long rectangular table in the middle with two round tables at either end.  It was attractive and balanced looking.

They ordered BBQ meat from a local vendor and it was delivered to the church.  That made things really easy.  She baked homemade rolls in advance and froze them.  We put them out to defrost the day before the luncheon. They were heavenly paired with the BBQ meat and sauces.

I made little faux chalkboard signs for each of the meats.  I designed the labels and then printed them at Staples from a memory stick (because who wants to print at home and use that much ink).  I designed them in PowerPoint using free chalkboard-looking fonts and a free background that I found online.  I also made the menu sign that way.

Black & White Wedding

I was honored to attend my brother's wedding this past weekend and it was awesome!  He married the love of his life and the "Happily Ever After" theme was quite fitting.

ENTRY AREA: 

The guests arrived and we had a table set up in the entry area of the yard.  The table served a few purposes - gift table, water station, and also sign-in area.  I didn't get a picture since I was the one greeting everyone.

This was the sign that we had attached to a folding easel that I painted white:

Here's what we put on the table:

- A glass water dispenser filled with water, lemon slices and strawberry slices (and clear cups on the side).  Surprisingly almost everyone wanted water as they entered.

- A picture of the bride and groom.

- A tall, antique looking lantern to put cards in.

- An area to place the gifts.

- A vase to sign (instead of a guest book).

- A basket full of wedding keepsake fans (framed with white cardstock and attached to a wooden handle; people loved them and used them).

Front of fan

Back of fan

WEDDING CEREMONY AREA:

They were married next to the pool in SoCal and there was a beautiful ocean view from the backyard of my aunt and uncle's home.  They used a simple metal arch and added flowers and off-white, sheer fabric to it to make it pretty.  We used white pipe cleaners to attach all the froofy stuff (is that even a word?).  The put urns filled with ferns at the bottom of the arches to secure the structure since there was a breeze.

TABLE SEATING SIGNS:

We had the table seating signs posted between the ceremony area and the reception area.  I designed these signs on the computer and printed them at Costco as 16" x 20" pictures.  I put them in frames that I spray painted white so they looked like chalkboards.  Believe it or not, people thought they were real chalkboards and were quite impressed. I 'fessed up that they were easy to make and I didn't have those awesome penmanship skills. You can get the chalkboard fonts for free on THIS WEBSITE.  You can also find free chalkboard backgrounds on Google.  I will do another post about how to make the signs.  (Note: names on the seating charts are fictional in case you were wondering ha ha).

BAR & APPETIZER AREAS:

We used my aunt's existing pool furniture to arrange a little area to hang out at near the bar.  It was a nice place for people to relax if they needed some space away from the crowd.

We had some fun photo props out in case people wanted to take pictures while they waited.  The wedding planner said sometimes she provides a photo booth area but we had a more casual approach and people could do their own thing.

Appetizers were served on a banquet table.  They served pulled pork, rolls, veggies and fruits.  There was also a cheese and cracker tray with fruit over by the lounge area.

Here are some close up pictures.  For those who struggle to make fruits or veggie platters look nice, you can look at these and get some ideas.

SERVING AREA:

We had the serving tables shaped like an "L" and a chalkboard style menu sign at the front of where the serving line would start.  My brother's friends did all the cooking (they are HUGE BBQ fans) and it was truly delicious and plentiful.

DINING AREA:

My sister-in-law found good deals on the glass plates, glasses and silverware so she bought them instead of renting.  I think she shopped at the dollar store and IKEA.  She's one smart cookie!

We made chalkboard style table numbers and put them in glass frames on the table.  Everyone loved how the chalkboard theme ran throughout the whole wedding (including the wedding announcement that is not pictured).  You can't really see it but there are tall glass things in the middle of each table and a fancy electric candle inside that we used at night.  There are also little battery-operated candles around the table.  They added white rose petals spread around the table at the last minute so they wouldn't blow away.

We had nine table with about 10 people per table.  I believe my aunt made a lot of the black table toppers out of black sheets which is a frugal idea, plus it looked great.  They rented all the tables and chairs and borrowed the white tablecloths.  What you can't see is all the lights on the trees and walls. Totally beautiful even if it did take my relatives about 10 hours to put them all up.

BRIDE & GROOM TABLE:

Aren't they such a cute couple!  We hung that sign on the tree as a whim but it sure looked great in this picture.  They had another arch with lights behind their table.

 MUSIC & DANCING:

This DJ did a great job.  He does lots of events in Orange County and if you would like his contact info, I can get it for you if you email me.  We had a dancing area near the food serving zone.  Not huge but it met our needs.  I'd post a picture of my brother dancing but then he might kill me so I won't.

My sister-in-law saw this concept on Pinterest so I copied the theme and made a sign.  She bought the flip flops at the dollar store and people loved them.  She tied each pair together with black ribbon.

DESSERT BAR:

The candy bar was well-received.  They had cupcakes placed on tiered platters (I'd bought the platters at Costco a while back).  The glass jars all held different candies.  The glass cake platters held lemon cakes and mini-brownies from Costco.  They put candles in the white tins from IKEA and it looked great at night. You can't tell but there are white Christmas lights underneath the white tablecloth so the table was lit up at night.  It looked quite fancy. Unfortunately the dessert table ended up crashing down at the end of the wedding after most of the guests had left.  We suspect one of the legs wasn't locked in completely.  We'd cleared about half the stuff off the table but some of the jars were crushed and we lost the extra treats.  Thank goodness that didn't happen DURING the party!

 My brother doesn't eat sugar or white flour so they made a watermelon wedding cake instead and put a topper on that.  It was perfect for them.

Overall, this was an awesome wedding if I do say so myself.  Susan was the wedding planner and she did a fantastic job and I learned a lot from her.  I know my brother and his wife are grateful to her and all the others who helped out.