Wedding DIY

Finding decorations for the wedding reception was pretty tricky. Everything was so expensive so I decided to either borrow or make it myself. The only thing I rented was tables and chairs and I found those here for super cheap! (At least way cheaper than other venders.) Thank goodness for the most patient mom and wonderful bridesmaids. So I thought I would share some things we made! Hobby Lobby was awesome and usually had really great deals on things. Anyways here are some easy things you can make!

First off I used a lot of pallets. We found different businesses trying to get rid of some and used them to make quite a few different things. 

Here's one of first things we did. My bridesmaid Heather found a very similar idea on Pinterest and so we decided we would try it! We put it right inside the gate people walked through and stood in line. Not only do I love the wood/pine contrast but we were able to put different things onto it that described Zach and I.

Here's how we did it. We found a few picture frames from my brothers wedding and the dollar store and then I decided on a few different pictures or sayings that I felt best described us and our relationship. We used twine and looped it through where a nail would hang. Then, to keep it in place, we took about a two inch long piece and tied it around where the twine was looped through. This kept the picture frame in place. We had to hold up the picture frames and kind of adjust them to where we wanted them and they could slide a little bit if we needed to but it turned out to all fit really well. To keep it on the pallet I would wrap the twine around the end of that wood piece and then tie it. We then used some extra burlap and lace to add some texture. Heather had the amazing idea of getting fake weed flowers? I don't know how what you would call them but we used little clothes pins as you can see in the picture below. 

We also used pallets to make little signs we put on the corners directing people to the reception. My father-in-law is really good with wood so he was able to cut the planks in half and the use the back of the pallet for what we stuck in the ground. Zach and I were going to spray paint them but then that was a bad idea. We were also going to do a cute saying but realized there wasn't enough room. Putting these together was quite hilarious, but it worked! We made three of them like the one below and then other one was at the entrance of the gate and said #ZachandJan it really turned out a lot better then we thought. It was so easy and cheap! People sell these for like $45 on etsy. Maybe I'll start a business. 

The next idea that we did I got on Pinterest and then added my own kind of flare. Hobby Lobby always has these great sales on glass jars and bottles. My mom and I had to go a few different times to get all that we needed for the center pieces on the tables but it was just fine. Zach spray painted the mason jars a soft gold/champagne color that we used for flowers (as pictures below). We also found these bottles that you can see below and filled them with sand to hold twigs that we just used from trimming our trees, to hold pictures. We also used some twine around the bottle to mark how much sand we needed but also just to make it tie all together more. Since I wanted to use hints of gold throughout decorating I decided to put Rolo's on all of the tables. I was a little worried they would melt and get gross but since it cooled off a little for the evening they ended up being just fine. We also borrowed the burlap and navy squares from my mom's aunt that I refer to as my fairy god mother. She has everything wedding. 

Here's another view. The above one didn't have the wood piece under it yet. We borrowed these as well. You can also see the candles in the picture below. These are just battery candles that we turned on. It gave it a nice warm feel. 

For little favors we did burlap bags that we found in bulk online with Hugs and Kisses Hershey's. Then we printed out the saying, cut in squares, and tied with twine.

Since the reception was held in my backyard we had to figure out a way to keep everything lit up. I wanted the light to look natural though. Not just lots of spot lights. Again my mom and I went to Hobby Lobby and found some lanterns we could hang in the tent! (We borrowed the tent from Zach's sister's in-laws). Setting this part up was a whole lot of chaos. We needed to be able to do all the draping before hanging the lanterns and people were trying to set up tables and chairs and we had this huge latter that we were trying to move all over, it was crazy. BUT it turned out PERFECT! We used thinker twine to tie the lanterns in the tent. We then also borrows lights from Zach's uncle and strung them across the yard. You can see that in the following pictures.

Here's another shot of the side of the tent. We used burlap and navy ribbon to tie the fabric around each pole of the tent. Also the chars and tables are all from the link given at the beginning of the post. They were AWESOME to work with. 

Another little DIY project we did was with large tomato juice cans. We used tomato juice because it was the cheapest. We washed them and set them outside to air out for a few days before using them. We also had a few tiny lanterns so we decided to line where the line would go. We filled each can with a little water, drilled hole into the side and the used twine (of course) to hang it from each rod. SUPER easy.

The above picture led to a table (pictured below). The chair and table rental came with two long tables and a high table. Plus all linens. Here's how we used one table.

We used the other long table for gifts. We found these letters again at Hobby Lobby for a really good deal. We put them on the gift table along with a little bird cage thing for cards.

For our sign in book I wanted to remember and see the faces of the people who were signing our book! So we did a little polaroid picture area. We made the sign (in the picture below) by getting the little flags at party land (for like a dollar) and then my cousin cut out the vinyl for us! This is where people stood as my cute cousins snapped their picture. (isn't my husband the most handsome guy ever?)

I think I'll stop there and not bore you any further :) but if you weren't able to make it to the reception here is basically a tour of how it all went. I wish I could relive this day over and over. It was one big party with great music, amazing food, and lots of love.

Hopefully this helped get your creative juices flowing. If you would like to borrow something let me know! We still have all of it I believe. If you have any questions about other things I would love to answer them so don't be shy!

And with that I think I'll wrap up the wedding blog posts and wish to relive the best day ever.

All photos taken by Alixann Loosle Photography.

a little update on the newlyweds.

I use my blog as a journal and since getting married I promised myself I would be better at keeping the little memories that i know one day I will want to read over again. 

Marriage is quite something. It's hard but it's so wonderful. You learn you do things a little weird and your spouse definitely does things a little weird. Learning about those odd things though can be so entertaining. 

Zach and I have now been married for a whole two months plus a few days. I feel like when I say that out loud it doesn't seem that long but it's felt like a lot longer. In a very good way. Anyways here are somethings we have encountered within the last few months and memories I want to always remember.

- I oddly like to pick scabs. Don't judge. I know it's so gross. Zach, however likes to go mountain biking and always comes home with a new scratch or two. A few days later we will be snuggling while watching our favorite show (details to come) and I will feel the scab and i just have to pick it. It usually turns into a wrestling match which I lose. Gross right? Hilarious all the same.

- If I don't put Zach's clean cloths in the drawer they won't ever get there. They will end up on the dresser or desk or floor or back in the dirty cloths. So we've decided I'll put away the laundry so it's a win win. 

- Changing your last name is like trying to get out of North Korea. Plus we lost our marriage license already. Winning.

-Suits. No not the clothing. The TV show. Have you watched it? No? Do it. Right now. We are slightly obsessed. When we returned from our little CA get away (details to come) we came home to HOURS of homework. We decided we just needed one episode before we started the homework. Then we decided we could do our homework and watch another episode. It turned into a lot more then just 2 episodes and needless to say we were both up past midnight trying to get the homework done. whoops. But that's living right?

- One of my favorite things about Zach is that he can be so goofy. We will be getting ready to leave and he will grab me and start dancing in our little living space. Sometimes it will be crazy country dancing and sometimes its just slow but he always has a song that he will sing as we wiz around. 

- We recently took a little trip to California and I was so excited because Zachary has never, I repeat never, been in the ocean! When we pulled up to a beach by the pebble beach golf coarse and the sun was shining and there was no wind and it was PERFECT weather i squealed with excitement! The most perfect day! So Zach and I grabbed hands and raced into the ocean. It was awesome. We then went to Santa Cruz and did the board walk and ate good food. We spent the next day tandem biking to the golden gate bridge, eating Thanksgiving at the Hard Rock Cafe, having our minds blown by the amazing Circ Du Soliel, and driving to Santa Rosa. The next morning we explored where my dad spend most of his life. We were able to visit his friend, Bob, who owns a surf shack at Bodega Bay, walk through the house he lived in growing up, going through his high school, meeting more friends, and ending the night with treats and some good ol' BS. We played BS every night of the trip. Zach took the cake for the most wins by the end of the trip. Saturday we went shopping at Union Square. There were still a lot of black Friday deals so that was nice. My feet weren't too happy with me by the end of the day but I still enjoyed shopping at my favorite places. Later that night we found a great burger joint in Oakland and then ended the night and the trip with visit the temple. It was great. I loved spending time with my family and creating more inside jokes. We all have a lot of fun together.

- Since getting home school as hit real hard. Finals are coming up here right around the corner and it's stressful. Plus i decided i didn't (and couldn't really knowing myself) do 17 to 18 credits a semester in manufacturing engineering. My dreams of graduating by 2016 were a little crushed but as soon as I allowed myself to create a better schedule that really only added a semester and a half I have felt so much better. Zach is so good at being a supportive husband. Every time I am so worried about school he lets me cry and talk and still makes me feel like I can get through this crazy thing they call college. 

- Christmas is coming up and i am so excited! I LOVE this time of year! I wish it would snow already so that as I'm listening to my Christmas music I really feel like it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 

- we are learning. more and more everyday. sometimes it's hard but the hard parts make the good ones even more worth it. Tiff one of my dearest friends who got me through my senior year of high school and has taught me so much about life recently said, "Getting married is strange because you just up and leave the life you've always known. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's hard. I like to say that I'm learning how to newlywed & I'm really glad that Quinn and I can be so patient with each other." When I read this I thought it was perfect. I still do! Marriage is a weird thing. But it's the best thing. 

I often think to myself: how lucky are you to be in love with the best guy around?

Sometimes life is just so good and I think it's the little things that made it that way.

Here are some good ol' iPhone pictures from the trip.