DIY: Fun Votive Candles

Since our wedding reception was at night time E and I wanted out reception to be filled with candle light. Some tables had lanterns instead of floral centerpieces and all of the tables had small votive candles. We wanted to have unique votives not "your average wedding votive" (whatever that may be). I was able to purchase 96 votives on http://www.craigslist.com/ for only $25.00. Craigslist is a wonderful site for finding wedding items such as candle holders that are often cheaper to buy than to rent from a venue but you probably won't ever use 96 of them again.

We then purchased 6 packages of 16 votive candles. We found our candles at Wal-Mart but you can find them at other stores. Wal-Mart actually also has a package of 96 unscented votive candles for only $29.97. Something to think about: most peole think about small tea-light candles when they think about weddings. There is a difference though between tea-light and votive candles. Most tea-light candles are small and often sit in a small metal wrap. Votive candles are thicker and are wax with no metal. Our venue suggested that we should buy votive candles because they last a lot longer tea-lights and we didn't want to risk the candles burning down before the party winded down.

Now that we had the candle holders and the votives we needed a little zazz! I had read about Washi tape in Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine so we decided to look into it some more. The major Washi tape website that I found was http://www.cutetape.com/ We chose five different tapes so that there would be different votives on each table. We chose pink, green, yellow, and orange tapes with varying patterns. We bought a 3-pack for $8.25 and then 2 separate patterns for $4.00 each with $2.97 for shipping. I should also mention that we did not use all of the tape. We had lots of Washi tape left over for other fun craft projects.

Once we had all of the materials it was time to put them together. We originally wanted to have the tape go straight around the candle holder in a horizontal stripe pattern. We soon realized that in order to do that you need straight votive candle holders NOT the traditional tapered "shot glass" shape which we had purchased. We decided that instead of fighting the candle holders we should just work with them. We decided on a shape that looked like a lemon or orange twist. We made sure to cut the tape at an angle, begin near the bottom of the glass and then roll it following the shape of the glass and then cutting it again at an angle up towards to top of the glass. This was one of the more fun DIY projects for our wedding because it did not take a lot of time and it was fun to make each glass unique rather than stressing about making them all look the same.

Materials
Glass candleholders
Votive candles
Washi tape
Scissors

Cost
Glass candleholders- $25.00
Votive candles- $29.97
Washi tape- $8.25 + $4.00 + $4.00 + $2.97
Total: 96 unique votive candles for $74.19

Local Vendor Spotlight: Fotovitae Photography

If anything from our wedding peeks your interest and you decide to maybe check them out for yourself please make sure that Fotovitae is at the top of your list! Brandon Schmidt of Fotovitae was one of my favorite vendors from our wedding. Here is the story of how I came to find this amazing photographer: I was just checking my Facebook when a sidebar advertisement caught my eye. I have never given the sidebar a second thought but there was something about that little photo. I clicked the photo and it led me here: http://www.fotovitae.com/ and I was hooked.

Brandon shot his first wedding in 2004, is a member of the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers, and a Wedding Photojournalist Association International Award Winning Wedding Photographer. Brandon studied photography in Johannesburg, South Africa and received a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of Oregon.

Brandon describes his style of wedding photography on his website: "I'm considered a wedding photojournalist. I approach a wedding with the goal of documenting it with hundreds of individual stories. That is, each photo depicts a real, emotional, and unforgettable moment opposed to a staged, stiff portrait. I try to stay out of action working unobtrusively in the background." Although, he will happily set aside time for family portraits on your wedding day if you would like.

Brandon's photos pulled me in, his philosophy and work style sold me, but his client's kind words sealed the deal. One client said, "I just wanted to say thank you again for capturing our day just perfect, it's crazy how many things you caught that I don't even remember." And another said, "You captured some priceless moments, and we never knew you were there (in a good way)."

We wanted a photographer that would take beautiful, artistic, and REAL photos to document our big day. We got all that and so much more. The wedding package that we selected included engagement photos. I am so glad that we did our engagement photos with our photographer because it gave us a chance to get to know Brandon and for him to get to know us and how we photograph best. What did we learn from our first experience with Brandon? He is fantastic and most importantly he is a Beast. Brandon gets the shot no matter what. At one point he waded into the Willamette river just to get a good picture.
When we took our engagement photos I was suffering from a terrible stomach flu and was so miserable. You can only imagine my surprise when the pictures were A-MAZING!

I thought we had seen the best out of Brandon from how amazing he was the day of our engagement shoot, but he still had a few surprises up his sleeve. The day of our wedding Brandon was definitely the MVP of the day. When he arrived at the school I was running around outside pruning some vines to get a good picture of my dress, while trying to get my outfit ready, while also dressing my flower girls. Brandon came out, took the scissors from me, and told me to just relax because he would take care of it (and he did). Brandon ran between Eric and I (and from the school to the church and back) to help coordinate our First Look photos. During our family portraits before the wedding I was the closest I've ever been to having a "moment". I was so stressed out by trying to coordinate who was in what photo. Brandon caught my eye right as I was on the verge of tears and gave me a look that told me to just calm down, he would take care of it (and of course, he did). Brandon ended up being our photographer, AND a bit of a wedding coordinator, AND our "go to" person for anything that needed to be done. At one point Brandon even took some last minute gifts that some guests handed off. After the wedding, Brandon took us to the site where we took our engagement photos, to have some alone time before the reception. It was so nice to be able to get away and just be together, we got to walk around outside, and got some wonderful photos in the process.

After our wedding, E said he would like Brandon to photograph our lives. We know Brandon specializes in engagements and weddings but we are hoping someday when we have children to convince him to take some family shots. Brandon was so much more than just a photographer and we are so blessed to have gotten to have him as a part of our lives.

Saying "Yes" to Your Dress

 This weekend I had the privilege of going wedding gown shopping with a bride. Before our excursion we talked over the phone and I reminded her of all the things to remember when she decided to go shopping. So here are my tips for dress shopping:

1) BRING YOUR OWN UNDERGARMENTS! If you do not come prepared then they will put you in store undergarments that other people have worn...recently! I suggest wearing a nude colored strapless bra and nude or white underwear. Remember: the salespeople will be helping you dress so they will see exactly what you are working with. Wear a thong at your own risk. If you are planning to wear any shapewear on your wedding day then it is a good idea to wear that as well. I highly recommend Spanx http://www.spanx.com (can be purchased at Coldwater Creek, Torrid, Freudian Slip, and Sports Authority?) or Assets which is also a Spanx brand (can be purchased at Target).

2) Request to try 1 of every style. Common styles include:
Sheath: this dress is very fitted and follows the lines of the body.
Empire: this dress has a high waistline that cuts just below the bust with a slim skirt.
A-Line or Princess: this dress is cut close to the hips and then flares out at the hem making it have the shape of an uppercase "A"
Ball Gown: this dress has a fitted bodice and waistline that lead into a full skirt.
Drop Waist: this dress has a fitted bodice with literally a "dropped" waistline which elongates the torso with a skirt that flairs just below the dropped waistline.
Trumpet: this dress has a fitted bodice with a skirt that flairs at mid-thigh level.
Mermaid: this dress has a fitted bodice with a skirt that flairs below the knee.

3) Try dresses you actually don't want to.
When I went dress shopping I went to a dress shop that made you try 1 of each style. The saleslady took me around to each dress section and helped me pick. She walked me over to the these A-line lace only dresses. I told her they were too plain and I didn't even want to try one on. She picked one out anyways and I told her no again. My mom then stepped in and told me to just try it. So I did... and I refused to take it off. That dress that I threw a mini fit over became MY dress. It is true what they say: You don't pick the dress, the dress picks you.

4) Look at no more than 7 dresses per visit.
People can only handle so many choices before their decision making skills fall apart. Limit yourself to just 7 dress options so that you do not become overwhelmed. This will also make it easier for you to actually remember the dresses you tried on so you can think about them more at home.

5) Don't bring an entourage.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Too many cooks in the kitchen"? Well, you do not want that when dress shopping. Take just 1, 2, or 3 people that know you well and who you trust to be honest with you (yet kind). Once you actually decide on your dress then bring your entourage to ooh and aah.

6) Trust that you will find "the one".
When I went for my first wedding dress excursion I found some nice dresses but none that made me act like those girls on TV who just seem to KNOW. I was almost in tears that night talking to my fiance telling him that I wasn't sure I would ever find the right dress. As mentioned in tip number 3 I did find my dress, or actually, it found me. Trust that it WILL happen. Relax and enjoy playing dress-up until the right one comes along.