Terrarium Wedding Centerpieces

I cannot even express how excited I am that I finally made the terrarium centerpieces today! I've been waiting for literally months, and even though the wedding is (eek!) just two months away, I am still scared that they might die before then. Alas, this is the ONLY time I have left between now and the wedding when I could actually make them, so they are made! I followed the directions from the Indie Bliss website and I will sort of explain my steps here and show pictures of each step along the way.

STEP 1: I filled the bottom of the 32-ounce mason jars with smooth river rocks. I wasn't sure if I was going to run out of stones, so I basically just put enough that they whole bottom of the jar was covered. In retrospect, I wish that I had put a thicker layer of stones so that they would show more, but I am still happy with the result.

STEP 2: I put in about 1/3 cup of horticultural charcoal. This helps with drainage and also helps remove yucky gases from the jars.

STEP 3: Added a good layer of potting soil. I made sure not to get any kind that had fertilizers in it, because I read that moss likes very simple dirt to grow in. I measured out about 3/4 cup of dirt.

STEP 4: Added the moss. I bought these adorable little dots of moss from silknparachute on Etsy and they were absolutely perfect for this job. They were mostly small enough to fit through the jar openings and the ones that weren't broke apart gently.

STEP 5: Miniature animals! Of course I had to use animals of the Northeast so they would fit with our wedding theme! The terrarium that will be featured on our sweetheart table has two special animals in it just for us.

STEP 6: Using twine, I added tags with care instructions so our guests will be able to take the terrariums home and keep them thriving!

Tweet

Reception Tables: A bit of Adirondack inspiration

moss table runners, birch candles, and tree slices with carved initials:
Bragging Bags

Tweet

Rustic Blend: Birch Bark Frames

In keeping with our rustic Adirondack theme we didn't want to forget about the table numbers.  Many couples create table numbers that match the look of their invitations or escort cards, but we wanted to do something different.  I found an amazing shop on Etsy called Rustic Blend that makes birch bark photo frames - and the best part is that the owner lives in the Adirondacks!  This is just perfect for us, because not only are we able to keep with our visual theme, we are able to keep with our environmental theme by purchasing from a local craftsman!

I started a conversation with the owner, Faith, through Etsy and we came to the agreement that she could make us ten frames that all look slightly different but are the same size and made of the same materials.  We intend to use most of them for table identification, two will have information about favors and escort cards, and the rest will have photos from our "I Love You" photo shoot.  I say table identification instead of table numbers because we are actually going to name each of our tables after a favorite campground.

I love these frames!  They are high quality, sturdy, and beautiful.  Each frame holds a 4 x 6 photograph.  They came with little dowels to be used as stands, and can rest vertically or horizontally based on our needs.  

Faith even gave us a cute little ornament with our initials on it! ♥

Tweet

Etsy Treasury

Maybe I am behind the times, but I just discovered Etsy Treasury, and I love it!  Treasuries are listings of 16 items that a person has chosen to group together for a specific reason, such as items of the same color, theme, or search word (and sometimes for no reason at all).  An individual can create as many treasuries as she wants and then choose to share them with the public or keep them private.

I had a lot of fun playing around with it and I decided for my first treasury I would find items that reminded me of a woodland romance (just for fun).  This is what I came up with:

Then I thought - why not create a treasury of items that I love from Etsy which fit my wedding theme?  So I did!  I chose many of the items that I have already purchased for the wedding from Etsy sellers, and I chose a few others that fit the theme and I loved.  I wanted to embed the treasury into my blog, but Etsy does not have an embed code for treasuries, so they suggested that I add all of the items to my favorites list and share what is called an Etsy Mini. Have fun and create one yourself! I'd love to see what other people come up with!

Tweet

Place Card Holders: Straight out of the woods

"I got a box of wood in the mail today!"

In keeping with our wedding theme of the Adirondack woods, and our goal of having as many eco-friendly components to our wedding as possible, I went in search of place card holders.  I looked at some websites and in some craft stores, but I couldn't really find anything I liked that really spoke to me.  We discussed the idea of little Adirondack chairs, but all the ones I could find were white and looked like they belonged on a beach rather than at a cabin.  Inevitably I turned to Etsy, because it seems that no matter how hard I try to look in other places first, I always end up back here.  I'm glad I did, because I found the most awesome place card holders from This Fine Day.

They are sawed chunks of branches from a fallen tree, with slits carved in to hold the place cards.  I don't think I could have found something more "Adirondack woods" or "eco-friendly" if I tried!  I intend to make our place cards out of recycled card stock, and include a note on the back encouraging our guests to reuse the wood for something else in their home.  We plan to use any extras that we have as photo holders around our house.  If we have a lot left over, we might even let our gerbils chew on a few.

I wish computers had smell-o-vision, 

because opening this box was like stepping into summer...

Tweet

lessons of the day

Here was today's plan:
Drive to Jimbo's Club at the Point for a 10:30 AM meeting with their wedding contact.  Pick up some lunch at Lake George Village and maybe shop or sit by the lake to kill some time between appointments.  Drive to Dunham's Bay Resort for a 3:00 PM meeting with their wedding contact.  Go home and reflect.  I had printed out all the maps and phone numbers we would need and I had even remembered to bring my wedding planning binder and my camera.


Here's what actually happened:
About two-thirds of the way to Jimbo's we got stuck behind two people from New Jersey driving pretty slow, which made us start to run late.  Up until that point we had been on perfect time and even had a chance to stop for some iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts.  We were driving on a beautiful road through glacial valleys with little streams and fantastic foliage, just enjoying the ride.  However, I think these two cars from New Jersey were sent to us straight from hell with the sole purpose of throwing a wrench into my perfectly planned day.  It was around mile 6 of following behind these people that I started to become nervous that we were going to be late.  It was around mile 7 that my husband and I both realized we had bathroom emergencies and weren't going to make it.  So, put yourself in our shoes for a moment (we've all been there at one time or another): we are running late, stuck behind really slow drivers, on a road that twists and bumps and continuously requires us to hit the brakes which puts pressure on our seatbelts - and we have to pee like it's our job.  Eventually (but not soon enough) the people from New Jersey pulled off at a lookout - and we resolved our bathroom emergency (no one wants the details*).  After taking care of business we were approximately 7 minutes late and according to the map we had about 5 more miles to go, so we booked it.  I thought we could make it without being so late as to look like idiots.


Lesson #1: Double-check your internet map before you go... and don't trust the GPS either.

The map I had printed out from Google was totally wrong and the GPS is Google-powered so it was giving us the same directions.  We drove around for another 15 minutes trying to find the place - turning around and going back and forth I can't even tell you how many times (we even stopped at a community building to ask for directions, but it was closed) before I realized the truth about our map.  And all the while I was looking for a cell signal so that I could call our contact and let her know we were running late and couldn't find the place.  The map had taken us to addresses in the 9000's on Route 8 and we needed to be in the 7000's.  In a city this isn't such a big deal - but we're talking the Adirondacks here.  Half an hour late, I thought we would get there quickly - we didn't.  We finally arrived at our true location just to realized that it is a camp for girls.  There were kids everywhere.  I may have seen this on the website a month ago, but if so I forgot.  *sigh*  We pretty much knew that we had missed our meeting and wouldn't be able to be shown around the location, but figured it was worth a try anyway.  Once we realized it was a camp we just did a quick drive through and waved goodbye.  This was not the place for us.  I never even managed to reach our contact person - so if she reads this... I'm sorry!

Back on the highway to Lake George Village.  On the way I decided to call our second appointment to see if possibly we could have it earlier, since we'd had such a joyful morning.


Lesson #2: Confirm every appointment - even if it was scheduled over the phone.

The conversation went something like this:
Hello, this is ---- at Dunham's Bay Resort.  How may I help you?
Hi, ----, my name is Kristen.  I have an appointment today - I believe it's with you actually - at 3:00 to discuss wedding options.
*silence* Hmm... really?  That's strange - I don't have any appointments today because I have a wedding at 3:00.
Um... oh... ok... *silence*
I'm not sure who you talked to when you set this up -- (*allow me to interrupt*)
I spoke to you actually.
Really?... *silence*
So, can I reschedule?
Yes, of course!  Let me see...
Well, I'm actually in the car right now and I don't have my calendar, so I'll call you tomorrow.

Cue the crying.  I had confirmed 4 out of the 5 appointments we had planned this weekend, except for that one because I scheduled it over the phone and all the others were scheduled through email.

We were so stressed at this point that we opted for McDonald's for lunch - which we never eat.  Of course this couldn't be easy, either.  The McDonald's didn't have a parking lot (have you ever heard of such a thing?) so we parked at the motel next door at the risk of getting towed, then brought our food back to the car and ate there.  Not the lunch I had in mind.  While eating we decided to drive up the east side of the lake and drive through Dunham's Bay anyway just to see it, and also see what was at the lake.  Turns out we hated the place anyway, so in a way it was good.

I didn't even get to use my camera.  Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful!

Tweet