DIY Ribbon Wreaths

Around Halloween, I saw this great idea for ribbon wreaths via Design Crush, originally found on thelongthread.com:


I didn't have the time to create any then, but I kept the idea in the back of my mind, and with the hopes of having a semi-homemade Christmas, I decided to make some wreaths as gifts for some family members. I am really excited at how they turned out and everyone seemed to like their gifts (at least I hope so!). This is an easy project that could possibly spruce up a ceremony or reception space, bridal shower, or newlywed nest, or perhaps it would be a nice hostess gift for someone who hosted a shower for you... so I thought I'd share the how-to with the hive!

I started with a 12" round wreath form from JoAnn and some grosgrain ribbon. The instructions called for 1.25" wide ribbon, but I went with 1.5" as that's what I could find online for the best price. It didn't make much of a difference. I purchased this ribbon from PaperMart and was able to make two wreaths from each 50 yard spool. (I went with a spool of wine and a spool of ivory. Here you'll see what the ivory wreaths looked like in the end.)


Beginning with the ivory ribbon, I first cut two long pieces of ribbon at 48" long — these would later serve as the large loops for hanging the wreaths. Then, I cut the rest of the ribbon into 16" long strips. When I was done, I counted them out into two even piles so I knew what I was working with for each wreath. (If you're only making one wreath, you need only cut one 48" long piece of ribbon, and about 45-50 16" long strips.)



On wreath numero uno, I started with my 48" long piece — I tied one end to the wreath and made a double knot; I did the same to the other end right next to the first end, so there was now a large loop of ribbon hanging from my foam wreath form.


Next, I began knotting the 16" pieces of ribbon. It doesn't matter how you do this, as long as you stay consistent all the way around. I did right-over-left:


... then pulled it tight:


... and then did left-over right to make my completed knot:


One trick I learned was to tie the knots snugly but not TOO tight — if you tie them too tight, you will need more ribbon all the way around to fill in the space (otherwise you can see the foam wreath form peaking through).

Once I had my knot-tying-strategy down pat (very high-tech), I just kept tying! Round and round and round...



Voila!


Now, I wasn't quite finished yet. From all the man-handling of the ribbon (I guess we'd call that ribbon-handling), the edges got a bit frayed.


Very slowly, in my true OCD form, I worked my way around the wreath and trimmed very carefully. Using grosgrain ribbon helps as you can just follow the straight lines of the ribbon as your cutting guide. Just make sure you have some nice sharp scissors so you don't keep fraying them even more!


Once all the ribbons were trimmed, I was really excited at how pretty it looked. I spent a little time maneuvering some of the ribbons so they sat nicely alongside each other, and it all came together much like the picture (which I find to be very rare when tackling DIY projects). I really like that the wreaths can be hung any time of year and I hope my loved ones appreciate the craftiness that went into them. I may have to make a few to hang around our apartment.

We don't have a very pretty front door, so I hung the finished product from our china cabinet-turned-storage shelves to take a picture. The benefit of moving into an apartment at the same time that your mother sells the house you grew up in — you get all her fancy dining room stuff, even if you don't have a dining room!

Here's the cost breakdown of this project, not including the shipping for the ribbon:

Ribbon: $11.99 per 50 yard spool / total for two spools: $23.98
Wreath forms: $5.99 per 12" form / total for four forms: $23.96

Total for all supplies for four wreaths: $47.94
Total cost per wreath: $11.99

A success, I think! What are some ways that you would use this project?

Post-Wedding Non-Chop

Lots of bees have done the "post-wedding chop" — after growing their hair out for the big day, they got out the scissors after the honeymoon to don a new (easier) look. Me? Well, I have straightened my naturally curly hair for about the last 7 years, and in doing so I have always kept it shorter so it was easier to straighten (but I no longer liked it curly while it was short — it created an unattractive triangle-head effect). Since growing my hair out a bit longer for the wedding, it became more time consuming to flat iron, so I started wearing it curly again and I've been getting lots of compliments. I'm still getting used to it and trying to decide if I like it, but since it's a little longer at least I don't look too much like a triangle-head.


Now I'm just not sure if I should keep growing it out and go back to my curly roots for good, or chop it off like all the other fabulous brides of Weddingbee past (and go back to my daily flat iron addiction, as well). One of the reasons I started straightening my hair to begin with was because when I turned 21 and started going to bars, I found that I was given a much harder time getting in with my curly hair — apparently it made me look younger. When I would straighten my hair, I would never have such a hard time, so when it came time to get a job post-college, I decided that the straight hair made me look a bit more mature. Now that I'm a little bit older (28 — what an old lady! ;-)) I guess I don't have to worry about that as much. And, Mr. Cupcake seems to like the curls (and he especially likes that I can get ready a lot faster when I go au naturale).

What do you think I should do? Keep letting it grow and stick with the curls, or follow the trend and chop-chop-chop?

Downsizing Christmas

Mr. Cupcake and I have always been pretty realistic with our Christmas gifts for each other — we don't go overboard buying each other frivolous items that we don't need, and we always have a modest spending limit for each other (I think our highest ever was $150). This year, due to the suffering economy, we decided to cap things off at just $50 each; times are tight and neither of us really needs anything, and, as we all know, it's the thought that counts. We were trying to figure out lots of ways to simplify the holidays this year and not go broke. We had many discussions about buying a tree this year, wondering if it was worth spending the extra money when we won't even be home on Christmas day. And then, the unthinkable (but frighteningly possible) happened:

Mr. Cupcake got laid off.

It has only been a few days since we got the news, and it is still a little surreal. We have been very aware of the dwindling economy, but we thought we were safe in terms of our jobs... when Mr. Cupcake called me with the news, I really thought he was joking at first. The timing is pretty unfortunate, but, then again, no time is really a great time to get laid off. (But seriously — less than three months after our wedding and two weeks before Christmas??? Certainly I can say that it's just a tad bit depressing.)

We are doing our best to stay upbeat, and we already have a pretty great repertoire of unemployment jokes to keep the mood light ("eat up... this is our last meal for a week!" is a favorite of the day). We are certainly learning firsthand the meaning of "for better or for worse," and it is humbling yet reassuring to know that we are in this together, no matter what. A few tears have been shed, and we are doing our best to support each other during this difficult time. Many resumés have already been sent and now the waiting game has begun. It is all a very real reminder of the curve balls that life can throw at you.

We have no choice but to focus on making the holiday season about family and togetherness this year, and not about material things (which is how it should be regardless). This is the first time since living together that we haven't had a real, live, beautiful Christmas tree in our apartment, but yesterday we found a charming $6 tabletop tree that had our names written all over it (and fit into our new, very tight budget).

Mr. Cupcake took this with his iPhone, and I like the ethereal glow it gives our mini tree :-) You can see that the "tree stand" is really a wine rack in our living room... some of our favorite heavier ornaments are sitting under the tree made to look like toys... and the tree is kept company by some vintage angels that belonged to my grandmother (on the left) and the Ralphie bobblehead I got Mr. Cupcake for our first Christmas together. The lights were so extremely long that we ran them from the tree over a doorway!

A close-up. Isn't she lovely?

We got out our lights and ornaments and chose a few lightweight ornaments that wouldn't cause the whole thing to tip over :-) We got a kick out of the fact that our tree fit in a plastic bag at the store — Mr. Cupcake joked that he had them throw in some twine just in case we had to strap it to the roof of our car. We have already spun our situation into the sob-story we'll tell our kids in fifteen years: "The year we got married, Daddy got laid off and we had to walk 10 miles barefoot in the snow to buy a fake $6 Christmas tree that we paid for with nickels we found in between the couch cushions!"

Our $50 gift budget has now decreased to a card and maybe a mix CD for each other, unless we come up with anything else creative (but not necessarily artsy, as that is more my department than Mr. Cupcake's). I had already been procrastinating on my Christmas shopping so I had not yet bought a thing for the rest of our family members when we got word of the layoff; now it looks like we'll be keeping things simple with a few handmade items and baked goods. As cheesy as it sounds, we need to remember that it's not the presents that matter when we are already blessed with the gift of each other and our fantastic families, and we have absolutely no reason to feel bad for ourselves.

Other bees have had similar stories of unemployment, and now I am realizing firsthand just how real this recession is. How have the recent financial hardships taken a toll on your wedding plans or newlywed life? Has it affected you more than you expected?

Will Not Attend

Every bride knows the rule of thumb that about 20% of invited guests will decline your wedding invitation. I'm not going to say that we weren't a little relieved that all 227 of our invited guests couldn't attend our wedding -- we were very pleased when our final count came in at 182, just about exactly the number of people we had hoped for. However, having now had some time to reflect on those who were there to share in such an important day in our lives (and those who weren't), it's hard not to take some people's absence a little personally.

It's funny how we "hope" for a certain number of "will not attend"s, but don't realize how much some declines can hurt until faced with them head on. I mentioned in my Post-Wedding Vows that I now vow to never send a response card back with a decline without including a personal note. There's something about receiving a decline with no explanation that makes a couple wonder if the guest has a reason... or do they just not want to come? There's a point where you stop looking at the numbers (of guests and dollars) and you start to realize that no dollar amount or extra room at a table can take the place of the people you wish were there for you on such an important day.

Don't get me wrong -- we had an absolutely amazing day surrounded by people who truly love us. But I have to admit that I am still really hurt by a few family members who didn't come at the last minute, and a few other invitees whom we think just didn't want to come, perhaps because they wouldn't know many people, didn't have a date, didn't want to make the drive, etc.

It has made me rethink the importance of accepting invitations when someone has cared enough to invite me somewhere. Whether it be a wedding, a shower, a dinner party -- whatever. Knowing how much time and energy goes into planning an event and how much thought goes into the guest list makes me realize I should never decline an invitation unless I am absolutely unable to go somewhere.

How have your feelings about accepting or declining invitations changed while planning your own wedding? Have you been surprised by how hurt you felt when receiving declines?

Post-Wedding Vows

Now that I've been a bride, I feel as if I have peered into the world that only brides truly know. You know the world I mean: the world in which you feel the frustration of waiting for those last few late RSVPers... where you wish people would stop asking you questions that they could figure out for themselves if they would just look at the wedding website you spent weeks making... the world in which you curse the day that you slaved over making 200 ceremony programs, when in the end only half of them were ever used. If you have not experienced these frustrations yourself, you have surely heard other brides express them at some point or another.

Since I can now tuck the role of "bride" under my cap and I've experienced the many tribulations that come along with the title, I am vowing to do my best to be the least high-maintenance and most generous wedding guest I can possibly be. Ladies, if you'd like to join me in my quest to make the lives of brides everywhere just a little easier, please, repeat after me:

I, {state your name}, hereby vow to never return a response card after the "respond by" date. If possible, I shall return the card immediately upon receipt of the invitation, knowing how fulfilling it is for the bride to be able to fill in "yes" or "no" next to my name on the Excel spreadsheet that she spent weeks refining. (One down.... two hundred twenty-seven to go!) If there is room on the card (front or back), I shall write a friendly note to the happy couple, letting them know how excited I/we am/are to attend, or how disappointed I/we am/are that we will not be there to celebrate with them. I will never, ever send back a response card with only a hasty X next to "will not attend" because it is likely to hurt someone's feelings.

I hereby vow to make my hotel reservation (if necessary) as quickly as possible; I shall remember that the bride likely wants to provide welcome bags for her guests, and that she would like to know if she has to make 13 or 43 bags, preferably prior to the week before her wedding. I shall make her life just a tad bit easier by acting promptly so she knows that the time and energy she spent securing room blocks did not go to waste.

I hereby vow to never ask a bride in the weeks before her wedding if she is excited. She is likely very excited, but also extremely on edge, sleep-deprived and emotionally exhausted from juggling a million details. If I shall ask her anything, it will be "can I help you with anything?"

I hereby vow to refer to the couple's wedding website before ever calling the bride and/or groom with any questions regarding their big day. If I still have unanswered questions, I shall only call or email the bride and/or groom as a last resort if no family member or member of the bridal party is able to answer my question.

I hereby vow to take a ceremony program, and continue to take it home with me. I shall not throw it out, fold it, or destroy it in any way. If, when the ceremony is over, I see that there are programs leftover and my husband has not taken one, I shall make sure he does, so the bride is not left with the guilt of creating/ordering too many programs that went to waste.

I hereby vow to sign the guest book, wish board, note for wish bowl, wine bottle, etc. I shall know that the bride and/or groom put a lot of time and thought into what kind of guest book to have, and they will be devastated if they go home with only a few messages.

I hereby vow to approach the bride and groom to say congratulations and have a moment to chat with them before they have to approach me. I shall remember that they have several — perhaps hundreds — of guests to visit with, and they want to be able to enjoy themselves during the celebration, as well. By approaching them myself early in the evening, I am ensuring that they will not feel guilty later that they did not have the chance to talk to me, nor will they have to put aside the time to talk to me later in the evening. I shall keep our chat brief as to not steal time away from other guests, but I will be relieving the bride and groom of any further obligation to talk to me.

I hereby vow to dance. That's why there's music.

I hereby vow to eat a piece of cake and tell the bride and groom how amazing it tasted (and how amazing it looked before they took a knife to it).

I hereby vow to stay until the very last song has played and the "ugly lights" have been turned on.

I hereby vow to tell the happy couple what an amazing time their wedding was the next time we see them (and perhaps even a few more times after that). Although it may seem like forever ago to me, it is still fresh in their minds and it means the world to them to continue hearing about what an amazing time they provided for their guests.

What do you vow to do as a future wedding guest, now that you've planned your own wedding? Is there anything you used to do as a wedding guest that you would never do again now that you've walked in a bride's shoes?

The Eve of Our Big Day: The Rehearsal Dinner

Our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner made everything feel really real. After all of the planning and coordinating and nitpicking of details, the first "official" events of our wedding weekend were upon us, and I was completely excited. Our rehearsal at the church went smoothly (and was actually really fun, I thought!), and afterwards everyone made it to the Ship Inn in time for a delicious dinner and a lovely time with our families and bridal party, hosted by Mr. Cupcake's parents.

All photos by the lovely, talented and delightfully sweet Alison Conklin (who also shot Momma Cupcake's wedding in February!)

I love this artsy shot that Alison captured of the restaurant

Of course there had to be a ship at the Ship Inn!

We love the atmosphere at the Ship Inn — it was warm, cozy, and bursting with conversation. Of course, that had a lot to do with all of the wonderful people surrounding us.

My cousin and bridesmaid, Coleen.... so glamorous!

FIL Cupcake... always smiling and laughing! I love this shot of him.

Bridesmaid Chrissy (my favorite dance partner... sorry, Mr. Cupcake!)

Mr. Cupcake's little cousin, who was a little pooped at this point in the evening!

Our friend, Beth — her husband was a groomsman. They both went to college with Mr. Cupcake and Beth and I have become great friends, so I was so glad she could join us at the more intimate setting of our rehearsal dinner. (I first met Beth at her wedding four years ago... at The Desmond, the same place where we had our reception!)

A great candid of SIL and Brother Cupcake

Stepdad Cupcake

Cousin and bridesmaid, Michele. She and Coleen (sisters) both live in New Orleans.

SIL Cupcake looking fab!

Daddy Cupcake

MOH Nicole and her boyfriend, Thomas. They live in Austria and came home to Philadelphia just for our wedding. We were touched!

Mr. Cupcake's Uncle Kevin. He was a groomsman and has always been more like a big brother to Mr. Cupcake (who is an only child). He wins the award for trekking the furthest for our wedding — he lives in Bangladesh!!

Mr. Cupcake's parents, my new in-laws. I love this photo of them... I am a very, very lucky girl to have such wonderful in-laws who love me so much!

I helped out a little bit with the visual details, because you know I just can't help myself ;-) MIL Cupcake had asked me to make little tags for some favors she was working on, but she wouldn't tell me what the favors were. I made the tags to coordinate with the invitations I had also made, and at the size that she had requested. I punched holes in the top left corner and sent them off to her to work her magic!


The favors were so sweet and clever! Each guest got one of the cute little packages above (wrapped in teal or green tulle) that contained a Zagnut bar and a KitKat bar — Mr. Cupcake's and my favorite candy bars. (Can you guess whose is whose??)


I had also helped MIL Cupcake come up with a seating arrangement, so I made place cards for each guest as well (which you can see at each place setting above). I always get into a little bit of a tizzy when I go somewhere that has limited seating and I don't know that many people, so we thought it would be nice to ensure that people could sit with the people they knew and/or people we thought they would have a lot in common with (as some of our bridal party didn't really know our families or other friends).

Alison also captured a few nice shots of our invitations.... much better than the shots I took a few months ago!




The night went by so quickly, and it was hard to believe that it would be my last night as a Miss... surreal and very exciting!

Don't I look excited?

Mr. Cupcake... I like him :-)

Awwwwww

A good shot of my ring!

I wore the string of pearls that my Nana gave to me years ago

My dad gave a very sweet toast before dinner.... although I'm usually very emotional, I enjoyed listening and didn't get too emotional that night (and even on the wedding day). I was just so happy and I think I had anticipated being so emotional that I had over-prepared myself! It was really nice to just be able to listen to such kind words without getting emotional and risking missing anything. Mr. Cupcake, on the other hand, did not lose sight of his sensitive side ;-)

You can see him starting to well up a little bit here!

...Then we were able to laugh and the tears cleared up a bit

A nice moment with my dad after his toast

A fun shot of the back/bottom of my last-minute (but absolutely perfect) Anthropologie dress

I love this shot of Mr. Cupcake.... I think it has a very vintage, old movie vibe

A sweet shot of Brother and SIL Cupcake

My mom and I with one of her sisters/my fabulous aunt (bottom left) and my two cousins, all from New Orleans. I'm the pale brunette, if you can't tell ;-) I obviously look more like my dad's side of the family!

Alison stole us away for a few moments to get a few shots in some booths at the Ship Inn. We were just talking and laughing and she captured our personalities perfectly!

This one is just so "us"

Brother Cupcake also gave a very sweet toast. True to form, he read it from his iPhone :-) We are both designers and Mac nerds at heart!

SIL Cupcake admiring her man

I don't remember what it was, but he made some joke at Mr. Cupcake's expense!

I really love this shot of me looking up to my big brother... someone I've always looked up to my whole life. (And not just because he's older than me :-) He is extremely talented and generous, and he is now a very successful menswear designer!) He said some very sweet things about looking up to me, even though I'm younger than him. It was so nice!

Cheers!

Then it came time for gifts. We had something for our parents, Mr. Cupcake's grandmother, and everyone in our bridal party.

MOH Nicole reading the note I included with her gift

I got each of the girls one of these makeup bags that can also double as a clutch. They are super cute and made of a very durable canvas material.

A little glimpse of the jewelry that I had custom-made for the girls (more details and pics to come once we have our pro wedding photos!)

One of Mr. Cupcake's groomsmen opening his gift... a bottle of fancy Scotch

We also got each of the guys a tie and argyle socks to wear at the wedding (which Brother Cupcake is checking out here)

We got Momma and Stepdad Cupcake a few tokens, including this glass pear ornament. It is from Simon Pearce, where they got married in February and had a "perfect pair" theme, so it was perfect!

Mr. Cupcake and his mom got a little teary-eyed when she opened one of her gifts — a vintage handkerchief that we had embroidered with her monogram and our wedding date

Mr. Cupcake's grandmother also got a vintage embroidered handkerchief

We had such a delightful evening, but it flew by way too quickly. Not that we weren't excited for the next day to arrive (!!!!!), but we tried our best to savor each moment and enjoy the company of our closest friends and families, since the following day would prove itself to be overwhelming (but fantastic) and filled with many more people to see.

Our last night as fiances.... soon-to-be husband and wife!