Manzanita Branch Centerpiece Decor

To continue tutorial time, (I recently posted about the pearl bridesmaids bracelets as well!) today I wanted to share with you the process for completing the manzanita branch centerpieces we used for our wedding reception.  :)

I had the idea for the branches long ago, but exactly how to construct and complete them didn't really hit until about a month ago.  A few friends went to a wedding and posted pictures of what would be the final inspiration for our centerpieces:

As you may (or may not?) recall, I purchased 12 branches inexpensively from a Californian seller on eBay.  All 12 branches shipped were like $75 or something silly.

The rest was really easy-

We used 5" cedar fence boards cut to size for the bases- these we hand picked for straightness (7 of them) at Lowes, which is also where we picked up the paint too.  Originally we were going to glue them together, but ended up using a nail gun and finish nails and they were done in a snap (Z did the leg work on these, Love you!)

Yep, check out that price: $1.89/ea.  Love it!

After the boxes were built (we ended up with 14, and wood left over) they were coated twice with black semi gloss paint... another great find!  I was about to have the paint counter mix up black for me, when they took too long and I started poking around the paint section... Low and behold, there was a quart of BLACK Valspar semi gloss for $2.50 on the "oops" paint rack.  SCORE!  My friend Gina painted one coat, then later that day, Z painted another coat on the boxes, giving them a nice sheen.

I purchased 12 packs of floral foam at the dollar store, and spanish moss at Joann's (I used way less than I thought I would- I purchased 4 bags, and have 2 whole bags left- could have just purchased the same stuff at the dollar store!)

The branches were secured in the boxes with the floral foam- each one took about a whole package of the foam, and luckily it was already cut into 4 blocks (each "pack" was $1 and had 4 small bricks in it).  Some of the branches required a bit more support, and a stuck a river rock or two in with the floral foam.  Those also came from the dollar store, and I have extras!

After the branches were secured, the next day we added the spanish moss around the top of the boxes to cover the base of the branch and the foam.  Then, we used the pom poms and simply hot glued 1 at the base of every centerpiece, and a few throughout the "branches".

 There's my sister contemplating the next pom pom location.  Please excuse the messy garage background.  :)

The colors turned out perfect- and they looked exactly how I had hoped.  :)

All in, these 12 centerpieces, which we gave away to guests cost just about $110, or $9.50/ea.

Here's the breakdown:
12 manzanita branches: $75 shipped from eBay listing
7 cedar fence boards: $14
1 quart black semi gloss paint: $2.50
2 packs of tissue paper (for pom poms): $3
2 bags of spanish moss: $3
12 packs of floral foam bricks: $12
TOTAL: ~$110 (or about $9.50/ea)

When I have some good photos from the photographers, I'll post those, but for now, heres an action shots from the reception where you can see them on the tables (sort of):

Oh, and I found out that people loved "winning" the centerpieces!  One of my family friends getting married in January is even going to make them for her wedding!  I hope we get to go and see them :)

So, what do you think?  Pretty thrifty, eh?  It's the name of the game I tell ya- champagne taste on a beer budget.

Whew!

What.a.weekend!

To recap, yes, we got all of our craft projects done with plenty of time to spare before the wedding.  If you recall, there was quite a bit to do still with a week left till the big day!

The wedding ceremony went fabulous- of course, I cried walking down the aisle with my mom and seeing Z standing in his tux at the end.  Gosh, what a handsome guy.  :)

We did have the help of an awesome, just graduated from college event coordinator- we really couldn't have done it without her.  Luckily, she took the reigns (just what I needed) and scheduled everything.

The reception was nice too- a few minor glitches that probably to everyone else were nothing... Yes, I've got some phone calls to make still, but for now I'm sitting here with some new sickness, so those will have to wait... ugh. 

I will be cataloging the "how to's" shortly.

Here's what you can look forward to:

Tile coasters tutorial
Manzanita branch centerpieces
Tissue paper pom poms
Wedding program fans
Bridesmaids & flower girl/ring bearer packages
Pearl Bracelets
Card Box

While we don't have our photographer's photos back yet, here are a few sneak peaks at the finished products that I'll be featuring over the next little bit:

So stay tuned for some new tutorial posts, plus more nursery progress coming soon!

Busy Craft Weekend Ahead

I've been sick, and man has it been the WRONG time.  Now that we're a week out from the wedding there are lots of crafty loose ends to tie up.  I think now that day 3 of this sickness is here, and I'm sleeping most of the time, it may be rounding it's final corner.

This weekend is fixing to be super busy, but luckily I've got a great set of friends and a wonderful fiance that will help make our day special!

So, left for this weekend is the following:

- Finish coating, matching, foam backing and packaging tile coaster sets for favors (we've already made around 250 of them for the first pass.)  What, have I not told you about these before?  See this link for my inspiration.  :)

- Re-glue & assemble program fans (spray adhesive was a great idea, but didn't hold properly on the cardstock.  good ole glue sticks are in order)  Remember, I discussed this project, here.

- Make about 60 more pom poms (which would double the number I have now)  This project was discussed on this post as well...

- Nail boards to make boxes, paint, and assemble manzanita branch centerpieces.  I told you a little bit about the branch centerpieces, here, although there's the best picture of what I'm going for at the bottom of this post.

- Trip to the dollar store, (woohoo!) for floral foam, and to gather supplies to make activity kits for the few children attending

- Final dress fitting

- Bridesmaid/flower girl gift shopping, even though I believe this can be knocked out at one local shop

- Wrap and apply ribbon to "card box" for reception (oh, and find a box that works for this purpose!)

- Find Tulle for the floral that will be tied to the chairs at the ceremony


Doesn't seem so bad, or am I just lying to myself?

Oh, and Shhh... if you're one of my bridesmaids, you should turn away right now.  But for the rest of you that were ever in a wedding, what was your most favorite bridesmaid gift/token you received?  I'm considering bracelets from the local jewelry shop, but want it to be a fun gift as well.  Thoughts?!

HELP me!

Wedding Details: Reception

So far in my wedding series posts, I've shown you the colors we're using, some info about the dresses and tuxes, and about the location of the outdoor space...

This post is all about the reception.  :)

Because we're getting married in downtown Walnut Creek, CA, there's really an abundant amount of good food choices for the reception.  However, since our list grew from 50 to around 70 people, we needed to find a fun banquet space that could accommodate.  I've had my heart set on a buffet style (so much easier when you're the guest, I feel...) so we found Pyramid Alehouse to be a great fit!

We've rented one of the large dining rooms for the night, and will set it up buffet style with not only food (which the menu can be found here) but also a drink buffet!  We're talking all you can drink- beers, wines, sodas even.  They replenish the pitchers all through the night.  Ironic though, to have our wedding reception somewhere where I can't FULLY enjoy the surroundings!  I'm totally ok with it- I love being pregnant, and our wedding day is going to be filled with so many great people, it'll just be a blast.

Here are some ideas of the place:

One of the next things I had to work on was our decor in the room.  I had this crazy idea to use manzanita branches in tall glass vases, probably filled with clear stones, and the branches potentially adorned with small floral.  I'm about 30% there... I have the branches, which I ordered from a local farmer off of eBay (here's a sample posting of theirs) and they look great.  I've purchased one sample vase so far, $10 from IKEA, but need to go back for more.  That was the best price I could find for a 15" glass vase!  I think I'll need around 10 of them, so 9 more to go...

Here are some manzanita centerpieces I just love.  Ours are going to be simple- after all, it's a summer wedding, with a reception in a brewery...  How formal does it need to be?!

Next, ah, the piece de resistance- our cake!  While I don't have an ACTUAL shot of OUR cake yet, here are some ideas, that may help you visualize.  First off, we're using master pastry chef, Katrina Rozelle (website here) out of Alamo, CA (also in Oakland) for our cake.  As much as I'm having a diversion to sweets right now, cake tasting at Katrina Rozelle was fun, and yummy!  I settled on the "Erica Torte" which is a chocolate cake with a caramel ribbon through the middle of the layers.  We're doing a three tier cake.  Katrina even came out herself and helped me design it with the images I had brought.

We're talking:
3 tiers
Rounded (always thought I'd have a square...)
Fondant
Quilted
Green color bands on each tier
Pearls and star accents in the quilting

Very simple, clean lines, the way I like it!  This cake is going to be decadent.  I can not wait to try it!  Our only issue is size... since our list grew, I may need to order a larger size!  Yikes!  Or maybe cupcakes to supplement?  I always thought I'd do that option anyway from the start...

So basically, that's our reception in a nutshell.  Of course, I'm looking forward to finally using the services of a recently graduated, sister of a friend to be my coordinator.  I just kind of started freaking out wondering who was going to actually get everything where, and on time, and so on.  I'm giving up control, and going to ask for help.  :)  Thanks in advance, Lynn!

So, is this too cliche and trendy?  I'm hoping the colors work, and that the small details don't really matter.  We've got so many things to look forward to this year that I'm just not taking the whole thing completely seriously in terms of getting worked up.  For godsakes, one of my friends got married 4 days after September 11th, 2001 and they pulled it together.  I think we can make it happen too.

:)