Two-step Tutorials: Veil and Table Runner

I know I have been promising to write a veil tutorial forever, and I just have been putting it off. Plus, tulle-on-ivory-carpet is not the easiest thing to photograph. Today's explanation of how I successfully made a walking length double layer veil for $16 will be pretty sparse on photos; rather, I'll describe the tutorials and references that helped me. Next, I'll explain the easiest sewing project you can take on for your wedding: table runners.

The Veil

My DIY veil ambition began when I started reading other tutorials about how easy (and cheap) they are to make, looonnnng before I was even engaged. I thought it was a phenomenal idea even as my ideal veil style changed from mantilla (expensive) to horse hair trimmed (very expensive) to this simple two layer/two length veil I tried on at David's Bridal:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Two-tier-Walking-Length-Veil-with-Raw-Edge-VW370025

When I found my dress, we paired it with a very similar raw-edge veil with a more rounded shape. Ultimately, that's what I ended up re-creating.

This tutorial was one of my most helpful references - I'm so sorry I don't have the patience to spell it out step-by-step like the lovely blogger did. Then again, she wrote her tutorial after her wedding, so maybe I'm not completely hopeless. In any case, she provides some extremely helpful links and I referred to this one extensively/exclusively while measuring and cutting my tulle. I ended up purchasing 108" wide ivory tulle, a metal hair comb, and see-through thread from Jo-Ann's. The hardest part was definitely sewing the gathered strip across the top of my veil fold and then sewing the veil to the comb, as clear thread is REALLY tricky to work with! I used regular fabric scissors to cut and round the edges of my giant tulle rectangle. Make sure you don't round the wrong corner when the tulle is folded in fourths like I initially did! Luckily, I had plenty of extra tulle to work with, and it's cheap anyway. Like the old saying goes, "measure twice, cut once."

In short, if the professional seamstress who has been altering my dress thinks my veil looks good, any one who does a little research can definitely make a simple veil for much less than you'll find in a store. And hey, if you're really anti-crafty, I'll bet your mom or aunt or friend Nicole can help you out.

Table Runners

I think table runners can really add a rich, elegant feel to your reception tables, even on a budget. To keep my budget (and sanity) in check, I opted to only make a few table runners for the "King's Table" (head table), dessert table, and card table. Plus, if you're going for a 12" wide table runner, 54" wide fabric should give you 4 table runners with plenty of room for hemming the edges. I waited for this fabric to go on sale and ordered 5 yards (15 feet) of it - partially so I'd have some extra and partially so I could qualify for free shipping.

Our king's table is going to be 9 feet long, and I wanted a 1.5 foot overhang on either side of the table. The gift and dessert tables will be 8 feet long, so I decided to simplify things and make all of the runners 12 feet long - the overhang can just be a little longer on the shorter tables. Luckily, the straight lines of the fabric made it quite easy to cut and eventually sew. After I cut the fabric into 4 equal runners, I got out my iron and pressed and pinned one long edge of one runner, then sewed it before I repeated for the other side and the short ends.

Without a kitchen table in the new house, I had to improvise. Today, I am sewing on a confusing piece of furniture that resembles both a standing-height hamper and a bedside table, and it's working out great.

My sewing machine is a $50 mini-guy from Big Lots with a f-ed up bobbin winder, but I'll bet if you have a real sewing machine you could press/pin/sew all 4 edges at once. It's a simple project that I think will add a lot of impact for not too much money - and of course, I'll definitely attempt to sell them on Craigslist after the wedding.


Sewing might seem a bit old-fashioned, but I think it's fun to be able to create easy (read: straight-line sewing) things like curtains, table runners, and pillows. What would you sew for your wedding?

What is HoneyFund? and other registry musings

Since I've had a few people ask me about our registries, I thought it would be helpful to do a quick rundown on our less-traditional HoneyFund registry!

Ben and I recently celebrated 2 years of living together and with our fur baby Gypsy. In that time, we've accumulated a lot of the household items that hallmark true adulthood: a Kitchen Aid stand-mixer, non-hand-me-down pots and pans, a good vacuum cleaner, a food processor, and more pint glasses than we know what to do with. We have bedding, shower curtains, a rolling pin, and a meat thermometer. Thus, we wanted to keep our registries realistic about what we truly need. I am terrified of household clutter so we really evaluated what household items we were lacking and which needed to be replaced before making our Target registry. It literally had 10 things at first, but we slowly added a few more as relatives began to request that we do so!

Lake-of-the-Ozarks, MO: Amazing, but not quite Caribbean.

However, what this bride and groom are truly hoping for is a dream vacation to Jamaica. Enter HoneyFund: the honeymoon registry! In a nutshell, HoneyFund is a methodical way of itemizing and collecting pledges toward your honeymoon. As the website advertises, some couples have been gifted with the funds to travel to places as exotic as Bali, Paris, New Zealand, and Africa! We chose a January/February 2015 Jamaican honeymoon because a) two meteorologists traveling to the Caribbean during hurricane season seems like a poor choice; b) escaping Wisconsin during the winter will feel amazing! and c) we want to do our first international travel at a relatively 'close' destination. We selected an all-inclusive resort because...well, it's easy! That, and Ben likes to eat.

We organized our HoneyFund registry into various price ranges: sponsoring part of a night of resort stay, a romantic candlelit dinner, our airline tickets, excursions to Jamaica's natural wonders, and scuba diving lessons are all options! I think that often, a non-material gift can feel impersonal. With HoneyFund, the gift-giver knows which part of the vacation they are sponsoring and can directly connect with the experience that results from their gift.

With all of that said, attending a wedding is time-consuming and expensive. I used to think registries were kind of selfish until I realized they are really more of a convenience for the busy guest who wants to give a gift, but doesn't want to get the bride and groom something impractical. Some of our local guests are graciously contributing homemade desserts to serve at our reception dessert bar, and that is the perfect example of how love can go so much farther than a traditional gift. We hope that no one feels compelled to bring presents, but rather, understands how much their presence means to us!

First and Final meetings

We just got home from a busy weekend in St Louis, and it feels great to have accomplished so much! The 5.5 hour drive from Milwaukee is a lot easier than the 8 hours from Oklahoma, and for that I am thankful.

First, we went to our venue, the 9th Street Abbey, for a meeting with our event manager. She was wonderful! We went through a long checklist of details and she was more than helpful in suggesting ways to make the day run as smoothly as possible. She is going to be on-site for our whole event, which I feel is really an added benefit to choosing an experienced team like Patty Long Catering Company. We essentially got a Day-of-Coordinator included in the cost of our venue and catering. Then, we made a quick stop at Square One Brewery and Distillery to meet the event coordinator for the rehearsal dinner. Although new to the position, she was also delightful and we were happy to snag some refreshing beers - try the Oh Hawaii, brewed with pineapples! - before moving on to our appointment with the pianist, Dave Becherer. He played through our song selections and was amazing. Once I told him I had played in many wedding quartets, he really spoke to me like a musician and was open to my ideas. I can't wait for him to unveil (har har) our unique song choices on October 5!

The following day, Ben was off playing golf with friends, so I spent the rainy morning coordinating RSVPs and decor ideas with my future mother-in-law. Since it's a hobby of hers, she has generously offered to make us wreaths for the beautiful green Abbey doors. Speaking of floral projects, Ben and I also made a trip to Harold's Wholesale Florist to scope out flower quantities. I came in with a spreadsheet of approximate quantities and types of flora I will be using in the bouquets and boutonnieres, and the employee who helped us was so enthusiastic and encouraging. The $75 second prize we won from the Blooms By the Box contest doesn't go nearly as far as it would at the local wholesaler, so if you have one in your area I would highly encourage checking there first! I left feeling really confident about this DIY project and I look forward to doing it! I will have to do an update about planning for bouquets after I place both orders (which should come in at around $100 out-of-pocket! For reference, some bridal bouquets alone cost that much.).

Finally, we got to see a few close friends (including the bride and groom in the photo below) for puppy playing, dinner, and birthday drinks. I can't believe it has been 2 years since this picture was taken and that now it's almost our turn!

Checking off the to-do list

Since the 2-month mark has come and gone, I have been on a mad dash to check some things off of our To-Do list. Here's a quick rundown of what I've accomplished!

• We're going to St. Louis next weekend to meet with our venue and rehearsal dinner venue, deliver more supplies to my gracious in-laws' basement, and get a few other plans in place. I can't wait to visit the 9th Street Abbey in the summer since we have only seen it with dead-ivy and empty flower garden!
• Remember the green split-pea vase filler I decided on for our centerpieces? I found almost the exact amount I was looking for on Craigslist from a seller in Rockford, Illinois - which happens to be on our route to St Louis. We'll pick them up on our way next weekend, and I'm thrilled with the deal! 
• Speaking of Craigslist, I also found two 49" tall vases being sold for $50, which was half of what I had already paid when I bought the identical vases at Pier One just a few weeks prior! I returned the originals and saved $50. 
• I also purchased a cake knife and server from Pier One for $13, which is just $3 more than renting them from our venue. I thought about borrowing these from a friend, but figured that since they are generic-looking we'll have use for them in the future.

• I found the final touches for my Bridesmaids' gifts. My goal was to find something practical, non-cheesy, and still reminiscent of our wedding theme or St. Louis itself (without being overtly '10-5-14 bridesmaid #benandnicoleforlife'). I should have known that Target would have the answer. Let's just say that my solution is both seasonally-appropriate for autumn and adorable.
• I laid-out for the first time in Wisconsin. Oh-my-gosh I needed a tan. It's still a work in progress.
• I found turks-head cuff-links for Ben for $10 at Stein Mart. He likes the style because of his experience with knot-tying as a Boy Scout.
• We got a lot of RSVPs, and I began the seating chart using The Knot's guest list manager! At this point, I can estimate the remaining responses and guess that we will have around 150 guests, which is what we budgeted for (phew!). But hey, if you're one of the ones who hasn't responded, we'd still love to hear from you! You've got 3 more weeks!
• Aside: I am so sorry to every friend who has ever suffered from my RSVP procrastination. When I knew my response had to be disappointing, I waited as long as possible to reply. I think that's human nature to not want to "let down" your friend or loved one. What I know now is that declining two months before means the bride and groom can re-designate funds to a toasted ravioli bar; declining two days before the RSVP deadline doesn't help them much at all. Sometimes guests really do need as much time as possible to decide if they can make it, and sometimes it's better to just rip off that band-aid. I get it now.
• I started collecting music for the playlist. It's been so fun to see people's RSVP responses to "what song will get you on the dance floor?"
• I sent some feedback to our officiant regarding the first draft of our ceremony script and started working on my vows. After all, that 'getting married' part? THAT'S the important stuff.

We Did It: Dress Fitting #1

Even though "we" did accomplish a big milestone this weekend, Ben had nothing to do with it! Rather, my friend Kristen came to visit from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area so that I would have someone to attend my first dress fitting with. She was immensely helpful and I was so thankful she was able to visit.

First, we attended my fitting in downtown Milwaukee at Zita Bridal Salon. The seamstress there welcomes gowns purchased outside of the store and I felt really comfortable talking to her from the first time I called to inquire. Once we arrived, my worries about picking 'the right' dress increased, as every gown in the store was more beautiful than every dress I had looked at - I bet they were also more expensive than every dress I looked at, too. But, I put my dress on and I still loved it! The pinning began, and then we experimented with accessories. The seamstress was great at suggesting jewelry and had some insightful observations about styling that I never would have considered; she even complimented my homemade veil, saying, "Good for you - you only wear it for an hour anyway!" [I know, I know. I still owe you all a veil tutorial.] We celebrated the fitting success with drinks and bruschetta, but unfortunately, thunderstorms cancelled our plans to attend a food truck beach party near downtown. We spent the rest of the weekend laying out on the beach, grilling, shopping for bridal accessories, and watching Animal Planet's Too Cute on Netflix. It was a great weekend spent with a great friend.

Luckily, Kristen is able to join me again for my second fitting before we head off to the Chicago bachelorette party that my friends from Oklahoma planned. Speaking of which, can you believe that all 6 girls traveling to Chicago will be running the Magnificent Mile Women's 5k while we're in town?! I think it will be an amazing girls' weekend and I can't wait!

Wedding Wednesday Roundup

We have gotten a lot of planning done in the past few weeks, and all the work so far has culminated in sending out our online invitations last night. It is awesome to already see RSVPs in our wedding email inbox, complete with hilarious song requests from our family and friends (infinite loop of Soulja Boy, anyone?). I am using The Knot's guest list manager to cross-check our responses from Paperless Post and to include those relatives that received paper invitations. I am going to try and stay on top of this process so that it doesn't become a huge headache two months from now, but so far I am really happy with the advantages of wedding interwebs tools.

Our officiant Ruth Ellen Hasser also sent us a rough draft of the ceremony last week, and it is a great start! Despite how much I enjoy writing, I have always been hesitant about creating our own vows as unstructured statements to each other; how can you possibly find the right combination of words and emotions? Ben, however, had a strong preference for writing our own vows and I eventually agreed to it. I look forward to having an element of surprise in the ceremony.

My dress arrived in Oklahoma several weeks earlier than estimated and it was then shipped to our new Wisconsin home. Yes, I did screech and run outside barefoot as I saw the UPS truck pull up. I have scheduled an alterations appointment for the end of July and my lovely friend Kristen will be visiting from Minneapolis-St. Paul that weekend to join me for it! Although most of it fits extremely well, I can't wait to see the dress at length I can walk in.

And, believe it or not, I finally did make my veil. I will dedicate a separate post to it, although it won't actually be an in-depth tutorial; I was so unconfident about it turning out alright that I purposefully neglected to take pictures of the process! After being eaten alive by too many yards of tulle and making one wrong cut, I thought I'd never finish the project. However, it all worked out and I think the veil looks exactly like what I tried on in the boutique where I found my dress.

The photo/guest book arrived, and unfortunately it did have a few printing defects (like ink splotches on intentionally-blank pages). However, My Publisher's customer service was outstanding and quick-to-respond with a replacement order. What should we do with the less-than-perfect copy?

Finally, we spent this week's Wedding Wednesday updating our registries at Honeyfund and Target. We wanted to keep the Target registry pretty minimal since we already have most things for our home (we did, in fact, give in and buy an awesome Shark vacuum last week rather than waiting 3 more months for one) but have had trouble deciding on a few items we really need (actual dishes, knife set, etc). We really don't want to go overboard and add a 3rd registry, so we may just drop some detailed hints to our parents. ;-) We are also considering purchasing an upgrade for our Honeyfund registry in order to remove the ads and give it a more professional look.

Since Ben is still on training shifts in his new job, he gets the holiday and weekend off. We can't wait to finally get our new furniture and explore Milwaukee's celebrations. Have a great 4th of July, everyone!

We Did It: Engagement Photos

Our engagement session in Cleveland followed a remarkably close timeline to that of moving chaos. While at the airport to depart Oklahoma City for Cleveland, Ben received an email requesting his first interview for the National Weather Service in Milwaukee. Our awesome photographers (check out their new website!) sent us the sneak peek of our photos as Ben received his first job offer and participated in the Spring commencement ceremony (during which time we also hosted his parents and a big graduation party); we got access to all of our epic photos while packing up our house. Dare I say there might be an excuse for this untimely post?

Despite planning the engagement session from 1,000 miles away, it went off without a hitch. It had been raining for days, but the sun came out for our afternoon downtown with For the Moment Photography's Dustin and Amanda. I had the cutest outfit of shorts, embellished sandals, and a button-up planned.... until I remembered what May in Ohio can be like (read: super chilly, especially on the Lake when it's also extremely breezy - did our hair NO favors). I ended up wearing jeans and buying a blanket to use as a practical photo prop at the last minute, and we braved through the beginning of our session on the beach.

We then headed to quaint Ohio City where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and took photos at Market Garden Brewery and outside Great Lakes Brewery. Although the original plan was to take the bulk of our photos at the more-iconic Great Lakes, I was completely unfazed when we realized that their brewpub turned out to be closed on Sundays; I love the photos we took at Market Garden and actually prefer their beer anyway! Because I had dreamed of taking wedding photos with my veil blowing in the wind on Lake Erie, we ended the session on the East 9th St Pier in downtown Cleveland at 'golden hour.' Dustin and Amanda were so patient as we went from location to location and we felt like we were just hanging out with friends, which made it easy to avoid a stressful session. We are completely gracious for the time they spent traveling to photograph us in my favorite city. Please check out their blog post or visit our Pass Gallery to see more photos!

My advice for any couple planning a long-distance engagement session is to spend time researching where you want to be photographed and communicate with your photographer. We planned the order of our locations based off of proximity to one another and the opportunity to change outfits at the restaurant half-way through. Speaking of outfits, make sure to plan accordingly for the weather, says the meteorologist who froze her butt off on the beach. I had my doubts about the long-sleeve, flow-y blouse I chose, and I should have listened to my gut as I don't think it photographed in the most flattering way. A form-fitting but light sweater would have been a better option [currently kicking myself for not thinking of my favorite gray cowl-neck, which I had already packed away in my 'out of season' box during the height of warm Oklahoma spring]. On the other hand, I LOVED how the green dress and accessories I chose turned out in the photos. The colors really pop and look great against a variety of scenery.

The engagement session was a great way to practice being in front of the camera and I think the experience will help us tremendously when taking photos on our wedding day. I recently purchased a My Publisher Groupon and made a photo book/guest book using the engagement photos so that our St. Louis guests can get a taste of Cleveland, too. I think we will look at it more often than a traditional, sign-on-the-line guest book and I can't wait for it to arrive.

Thank you again to For the Moment Photography!