Wedding Guest Welcome Boxes

We were so humbled by the number of family and friends that traveled to be at our wedding and it was very important to us to make their stay as comfortable as possible. I've seen a lot of great ideas for hotel welcome bags but thought it would be fun to do something a little different and have a welcome box instead. 

Paper Mart has a variety of box dimensions and gives the option of ordering box lids and bottoms separately. It was nice to be able to get a box that would snugly fit the items we wanted to include so they wouldn't flop all over the inside. 

 There was paper left over from the paper cones we placed on the chairs during the ceremony and it was just too gorgeous not to use! I cut the gold textured paper on a diagonal and layered it on the front of the box. Next, I wrapped a band of gold and ivory ribbon 3 inches from the top of the box. My friend, Aly, of Rust Belt Love printed our names and design from our wedding invitation on textured paper. After cutting them, I layered them on a piece of light green card stock and placed the finished label over the gold and ivory ribbon. 

Next it was time to organize the items for the box. There were two bottles of water, trail mix, animal crackers, ibuprofen, breath mints, a map of the area and an information booklet. I used Gartner Studio's water labels and my own template to personalize the water bottles. The cute fold over bags are from Paper Mart and I created the labels using Avery's label and my own design. I picked up the map at a local tourism stand and the breath mints and ibuprofen are from Costco. More details on the information booklet to come, but it included a welcome message, weekend itinerary, San Diego attractions, local restaurants, and transportation information.

The box was lined with tissue paper and the items placed inside.

Finally, the box was wrapped on all sides and a secured with a knot on the front. The boxes were a big hit! Everyone appreciated the goodies inside and liked the unique spin on a welcome bag :)

Personalized Goodie Bags - Candy Bar

Who doesn't love candy?!? I love the idea of candy bars at wedding and thought it would be a great way to display a wide selection of yummy treats for our guests - especially since open bars often lend a need for late night snacks :)

I found the glass containers at Save on Crafts. They had so many beautiful glass containers it was hard to choose at first! Once I decided on the candy it was easier to figure out which containers would work best. Michael's had scalloped labels from Gartner Studios. I downloaded the corresponding template from their website to create the labels for each candy jar.

Paper Mart had the best selection of goodie bags (I also bought the boxes for our Welcome Boxes here). These bags are supposed to be great for printing directly on, which is fantastic! Our colors were green and gold and since the candy was primarily green I thought gold ink would be a nice touch. Unfortunately, gold ink from a regular house printer turns out more "brown" than gold. Thankfully Love to Create Stamps has the nicest owner, Todd, who designs the most gorgeous custom stamps. I have to give a shout out to Todd. He was really responsive and very helpful :)

Once I received the stamp, which was in about 5 days - again, Todd was amazing! - I bought a couple gold ink pads and started stamping away. It took a few tries to figure out exactly how to press on the stamp so everything was even. All in all, it was a fun project and nice personal touch that I was really excited to have for the wedding.

Missing In Action

Sheesh! I can't believe how long it's been since my last blog post, but it's even harder to believe how many fantastic things have happened in that time! Several amazing custom orders, a new embroidery machine, and three family weddings later - including my own - it's almost July!

I've learned a lot over the time that I've been gone and plan to share lots of wonderful DIY projects. I also have used quite a few vendors and Etsy sellers so I'll be posting some reviews as well. Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone planning upcoming events or just wanting to try some new things. Stay tuned!

5x7 Folded Card

Storybook Wedding Announcement

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Special Clutch

Unfortunately, the exact clutch fabric in the photo is no longer available, but it is available in different colors (not black and white/cream) and I did try to find fabrics that resemble the clutch in the photo. Let me know if any of these appeal to you and your friend. If not, no worries - I will keep looking until we find something you love :)

Damask in Grey

Suzani in Honey

Suzani in Powder

Ribbon Damask

Belle

Swiss

Navy Links

Nigella

Suzani Grey

Leanika Scroll

Bridal Party Clutches

Bridesmaids Clutches

The dresses are gorgeous and oh so elegant! I found dupioni silk fabric that will fit into the budget of $30/clutch. It is a truly rich fabric and will compliment the upscale style of the dresses. It also comes in a variety of colors so it gives us some creative freedom :)

So, first we need to decide on a clutch style. Do you prefer a kisslock or open channel frame?

kisslock

open channel

Option 1

After seeing the bridesmaids dress the first idea that came to me was having a solid color clutch - with or without pleats - that has handmade chiffon flowers similar to the ones on the dresses. The clutches could be navy, hydrangea green or silver silk with any combination of flower color (navy outside with navy flowers, silver outside with navy flowers, etc). 

chiffon flower

clutch with flowers - would be same style flowers as on bridesmaids dress

This floral style would look nice either with a plain fabric overlay or pleats to match those in the bridesmaids dresses (and your dress!) 

plain fabric overlay

pleated exterior

 I also thought it might be fun to have a "pop" of color for the interior fabric. For example, if the outside fabric and flower detail are navy maybe having hydrangea green on the inside. 

pop of color

Option 2

Bling, bling! I could add cascading beading to the exterior. This would look particularly nice if you do prefer the pleated style clutch. If you're looking to have the bridal and bridesmaids clutches coordinate somewhat this might also be a nice choice.

cascading beading

 The colors again would be totally customizable. Navy fabric and silver beads, silver fabric and navy and silver beads, etc. 

Bridal Clutch

First. Oh.my.goodness. Your dress is stunning!! Definitely going to have to step it up with the clutch to keep in line with your dress :)

Option1

I really liked this style. The bow is just lovely. It inherently has a subtle pleating to it and the brooch in the center gives it a truly elegant look. If the bridesmaids clutches have any type of beading in them, this bridal clutch would look coherent with them without being matchy matchy.

Option 2
In going with Option 2 of the bridesmaids clutches and the beautiful detail of your belt, I could add rhinestones and beading all along the top of your clutch. Again, this can be done on either a plain fabric overlay or a pleated exterior. The example below isn't the best, but it's the closest I could find and hopefully gives you some idea of what I'm meaning. 

clutch with beading

Option 3
This clutch is a modern play on the pleated and beading detail of your dress.

ruffle and beading detail

Option 4

pleats and flowers with rhinestones

Please let me know what you think of these choices and if you like the style of a kisslock or open channel purse frame. Of course, if none of the bridal or bridesmaids clutches are what you were hoping for please just let me know. There are certainly different styles we can look at and it's important to me that you have something you love :)