Wedding DIY

The word DIY has nearly put wedding planners and wedding decorators out of business.  Why pay for something you can do yourself? I love all the creative ideas that are taking your average wedding to a creative and romantic expression of the bride and groom.  This weekend my cousin married his sweet bride and while I appreciated every single DIY they included there was one person who took this concept to a new level...my Mom!

Like every good Auntie she started shopping for and planning her outfit for their big day the moment she found out they were engaged.  She started with a cute dress but when it came to shoes and accessories she started wishing she just wore something she already had.  (Fashion Faux pas... don't be the Auntie recycling dresses at your nephew's wedding...just kidding!  New accessories can bring new life to any outfit).   Anyway, she finally secured shoes, nail polish and jewelry but she could not find a purse that would work...enter wedding DIY!

My Mom fashioned a new purse from one of her grandmother's old purses and a pillow case she no longer uses on a toss cushion.  She explained her plan to me as I drove home from work one day and my response was "I'll be there in 5".  Not sure which was the greatest draw, my extreme respect and excitement for her creative genius OR my extreme uncertainty of whether she would be able to pull it off.

She started with her old purse and her pillow case.   We planned her attach and she drew cutting lines about an inch from the purse to allow sewing room.

She cut along the lines then sent it home with her favourite daughter (me...) to sew the rounded edge, connecting the front and the back of the purse.

She then hand stitched gathers into the purse tucking her stitches under the gold clasp of the purse.  (Not my project so I don't have pictures of this)

Next thing I knew she is ready to go.  Look at this beauty?  To say I was impressed is an understatement.

 What a wonderful weekend as a family celebrating the extension and the growth of our family.  Speaking of DIY's one of our favourite parts of the wedding we were at was the photo area.  Even Granny (she's 87) got in on the fun!

Another fun "DIY" if you will,  was when my cousin and I showed up rocking matching sock buns.  Not a word of a lie, our hubby's had no idea until we told them, that we had socks in our hair.  For some reason they thought it was gross...we were hot until we told them!

Congrats Robyn and Joel!  Thanks for giving us a reason to get dressed up and spend time as a family!  We had lots of fun being part of your day!

Linking up here:

Sugar and Dots

Cottage Country Wedding

This is a blow-dryer, not a vacume....I know right?  I was shocked too.  You can imagine my surprise when I walked into my hotel room this weekend and found this, but I am getting a little bit ahead of myself.

Mr. D and I attended a wedding for our friends this weekend.  The wedding was about three and a half hours from our house in a popular area of cottage country up North. Excited to celebrate our friends and for the opportunity to get away, we decided to make a weekend of it.  My parents gladly took The Girl overnight, who unfortunately for them, had a fever all weekend (teething).  We packed our bags and headed for the boonies!

After what seemed like the longest drive in the world, down busy highways and twisty cottage roads, we reached our destination.  The hotel was not quiet as it appeared on the website (we've all been there) but we were with our friends and baby free so we decided to make the best of it.  We later found out, when we visited our friends hotel, that our hotel was a palace compared to the only other hotel in the area.

Gotta love cottage country!

While our hotel did not exactly meet our expectations, the wedding we attended exceed all my expectations.  The ceremony was outside at the Bride's parents restaurant with the reception at the Groom's parents house.   Both locations were breathtaking, and the decor super chic. Just take a look for yourself, it looks like a movie right?

I was in love with their seating chart, and the wooden signs they painted to direct their guests.

There were so many other beautiful touches.  The cakes on the centre of the table looked beautiful and served as dessert after dinner.  One guest at the table served the others just as marriage is about serving another person and demonstration of love.

They used green apples as their thank-yous to their guests and scattered throughout the decor.  I loved the bright splash of colour.  The other guests seemed to enjoy them as well.

They also had an amazing band!  We definitely danced the night away, probably one of the most fun weddings I have ever been to. 

Us with some friends and the beautiful couple.

The best part of the whole wedding???  Travelling with this guy!  You think he looks hot here...you should've seen him on the dance floor!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Today Mr. D and I celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary!  

I cannot believe it has been 3 years already!  

Where has the time gone?

I remember this day like it was yesterday.

So romantic but even more fun!

I actually went to this cafe today while I was at work...I was thinking about our photo shoot and how the ran just made our photos that much better.  (These were taken in an indoor mall made to look like the outdoors...perfect for a hot, humid rainy wedding day!)

My nephew who turned three yesterday and came to visit us after his date to Cars Two with Mommy and Daddy always reminds us of how our marriage has grown.  We started as a baby couple and now we are a 3rd old couple.  We were young and with each year we get older and stronger as a couple.

Tonight I am looking forward to an evening alone with my hubby.  Last year we had dinner with the girl then put her to bed.  This year we will put her to bed and then have dinner.  

We will save our evening out for the weekend!

Love you Baby!

Royal Wedding

With the Royal Wedding just around the corner the media is in a total frenzy reporting live from Britain.  While I am just as excited as the next person to see the gorgeous gown and the over the top decor I can't help but feel sorry for Kate and William approaching their big day.  As I think back on my wedding and all the festivities leading up to it I cannot even begin to image the added pressure of virtually the entire world watching me.

I can only imagine it is many girls dream's to marry the heir to the thrown, but I wonder how many people actually sit back and think about what exactly that means.

I wonder...

Did William and Kate choose the guest list or were told who would be attending?

Did Kate have a lingerie shower with her girlfriends celebrating her marriage and talking about her upcoming honeymoon?

Did Kate visit bridal stores with her Mom and girlfriends and try on dresses or does she have to wear something custom?

Did William and Kate get any say on the marriage service or is it all chosen for them?

When you don't register for gifts, and you have very little influence on where you live and how your everyday life will pan out...how do you build a life as a couple?

I loved my wedding...

I loved my dress,

I loved my shoes,

I loved  my flowers,

I loved our guests.

I loved our church,

I loved our venue,

I loved the size of our guest list,

I loved the intimacy of the event.

I loved our decor,

I loved our mini cakes,

I loved my caterer,

I loved our mid-night dessert buffet.

But Most of all I loved my groom,  and fleeing to Mexico for a week the next day.

Tell me about your Wedding!  In honour of the Royal Wedding, post your favourite things about your wedding either past, present or future.  Just be sure to post my button on the bottom of your post and encourage your friends to join!

Join in: