Make Your Own Table Numbers

If you're looking trim some money off your wedding budget and get crafty at the same time, peep this tutorial and find out how to easily create your own table numbers like these for your wedding.

Step 1 Print out numbers from your computer onto card stock (or hand letter if you feel confident!) along with some kind of border which you will use to cut them out. We could fit 2-up on letter size paper and thought this was a good size. Remember you will need a front and back so print out two of each number.

When you are done printing, cut the numbers out with an x-acto knife (recommended) or paper scissors.

Step 2 Buy a pack of wooden skewers (the dollar store kind will do) and trim them down to about 6" in length. We painted them green but you can leave them raw if you prefer.

Step 3 Now place the skewer in the middle of two same-number panels so it comes up about an inch from the bottom with the number sides facing out and glue them all together. Use a hot glue gun (recommended) or Elmer's etc.

Step 4 Cut a cylinder shape from a brick of craft foam big enough to fit snugly inside your mini flower pot.

Step 5 Place the foam cylinder in the flower pot and stick the skewer with the table numbers attached in the center.

Repeat for all your tables and viola, you are done!

Illustrations by Scott Palmer

Kraft Paper Table Runners

Many of you have asked us how we produced our table runners for our reception. The truth is, it was borne out of necessity. We first had the idea of creating a dreamy summer night in the barn. I was searching high and low for specific lace fabric to cover the generic rental tables, but as it was SO expensive, we had to think of another option. The caretaker of the barn had just enough plain white table cloths that we could borrow for our event. Phew! The problem now was, how were we to cover them? We had found a way to cover the tables, now we had to figure out a creative, inexpensive way to evoke our dreamy table setting.

Since the cloths were white, it was a challenge in creating the warmness, as they were a stark, generic white. But alas, we could do it! We were thinking about creating another fabric runner but after numerous hours in fabric shops, we were stuck. Then we found a roll of Kraft paper in our apartment. Yes!! How could we forget about Kraft paper? After we agreed that this would be the perfect solution, both financially and creatively, the rest came together pretty quickly. I had met with the florist already so I knew the color scheme of my flowers.

In the coming weeks, we began searching for all the components needed to put together the sweet bird's nests. After that, we gathered as many mason jars as we could find, different colored tea lights, and our table number flower pots!

In the last days we decided on the moss and the final result was even better than we imagined!

We will be putting up a tutorial for how to put together easy (and inexpensive!!!) flower pot table numbers tomorrow! Stay tuned :)

Wedding Reception Dinner Napkins

A lot of people have asked us what kind of napkins we used at our wedding. At first, we were prepared to just rent cloth napkins from a vendor. But after we started refining our ideas for the look of our wedding, we realized that they would look out of place with our compostable tableware theme. We tried to think of another solution that might be more interesting.

And viola! What started out as an exhaustive (and fruitless) search for kraft style, natural, unbleached recycled dinner napkins ultimately led us to the simplest (and cheapest!) solution: plain old recycled paper towels. Now, I know what you are thinking...what kind of classless couple uses paper towels for their once-in-a-lifetime reception dinner at their wedding?? Well, I guess we did. But, not in the traditional sense. Our friend Kirsten came up with a lovely way of wrapping the utensils in the paper towels and then tying them with ribbon so that they looked beautiful in the end. Since our theme was BBQ/barn wedding, this idea actually lent itself. Obviously, a more formal, white cloth, china affair would probably not be as appropriate.

With vendors charging almost $1/napkin to rent, this creative solution saved us some money which we were able to use in better ways throughout our wedding.

Total cost: $4.82 (two rolls of paper towels)

Groom Style: Groomsmen Gifts

Ah, this is a topic that I once found daunting before our wedding. I wanted to get my groomsmen a unique gift. But what?? Well, perhaps its easier if you are dealing with a more typical caste of guys who would appreciate a fancy pen, or a monogrammed money clip. But, alas, my male friends are different. They don't like sports. None of them wear formal attire very often. None of them work in any kind of office...and none of them would appreciate an NFL engraved pint glass.

At first, I considered getting a monogrammed liquor flask for them, but then decided it was too typical and cliché, so I reconsidered. I even thought of getting them a boot-shaped pint glass just as an ironic joke but, regrettably, I know that no one would really use it. In the end I thought of the perfect gift: a pocket knife!

A nice, ivory-handled, double-blade folding pocket knife from Knife Depot.

Success!! They all loved the knives I got them and remarked at how original (and functional) their gifts were. So, if you are in the market to buy some unique gifts for your favorite guys, try to think of it as a more personal thank you rather than a cheesy token that will gather dust in a closet...or worse, be re-gifted to someone else.