Save the Date - DIY options

After spending the greater part of last night pouring over existing save the date card options, and then after hemming and hawing about the cost of them, I decided to try a little DIY action.

I'm now accepting votes for the favorite option.  Let's call the top left #1, top right #2, bottom right #3, bottom left #4.  It's going to be hard to choose!  PS- they're a work in progress....

Inspiration boards-away!

Came across this 'Cinco de Mayo' wedding inspiration board on my favorite wedding site: greenweddingshoes.com...seriously, love that site!

I would especially like to take note of the floral arrangement and the Jarritos beverage options - so colorful and delicious!  And, of course, papel picado = amazing....

http://greenweddingshoes.com/inspiration-board-25-cinco-de-mayo/

Keeping Guests Entertained...

Wedding ceremonies and receptions tend to have a bit of built-in down time, during which the bride and groom are often occupied with photos and/or greeting each and every guest (yes, we really are going to try to greet everyone!)...and what are the guests doing during this time?  Usually waiting...and thinking about how hungry or thirsty they are, wishing they were at a different table closer to other friends, or trying to strategize dance partners for later.

Well, we are hoping to keep our guests entertained, even when we're not right there with them.  Here are some creative ideas I've come across that I would love to do during a wedding, and that wouldn't be too expensive to provide:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/summer-good-things#slide_9

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/wedding-good-things#slide_47

Dominoes, anyone?!

We will also have sets of dominoes at each table to keep guests entertained with one of Rodrigo's and my favorite games!

http://images.travelpod.com/tw_slides/ta00/9be/cec/mexican-dominoes-riviera-beach.jpg

Reception Photo Scavenger Hunt: 

http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/79692/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=79692
template at Martha Stewart Weddings: http://images.marthastewartweddings.com/images/content/web/pdfs/2009Q3/msw_sum09_photoscavengerhunt.pdf
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226645/i-spy-conversation-starter-game

Each table gets a disposable camera and a list of items or people to find and photograph.  An extensive list of ideas for that list can be found here:  

• http://www.weddingbee.com/2005/03/04/camera-scavenger-hunt/

• 
  

Centerpiece Ideas

This past weekend, we made some major progress on centerpiece materials - we bought 10-15 antique mason jars with the idea of filling them with fantastic flowers, and we also bought a few more small glass candle holders (in fiesta colors, of course!). 

I've been struggling a bit to try to come up with a vision for what our tiered centerpieces might look like, and I figured I'd do some research and post a few ideas here to ponder...

Unexpected Centerpiece Idea: Monochromatic Clusters

Three unrelated objects -- a cactus arrangement, old books and some bottles of soda -- become a stylish centerpiece when brought together with a common color, like lime green.

Photo: Jen Huang Photography

Unexpected Centerpiece Idea: Fresh Fruit

Opt for some bright, sweet smelling fruits. Go for anything citrus. You can also stuff mint leaves or other savory herbs in with the fruit to create a very fragrant centerpiece.

Photo: Alisha Clark/ Clark + Walker Studio

from The Wedding Channel

Flowers and Cake examples

While perusing the web for save the date card ideas, I happened upon the following blog and loved the ideas for the flowers and the cake....

Just some food for thought as we progress toward planning those things!

http://www.savethedate4cupcakes.com/2011/05/mexican-fiesta-wedding.html

http://www.savethedate4cupcakes.com/2011/05/mexican-fiesta-wedding.html

The blog is called Save the Date 4 Cupcakes and these photos can be found at the following link http://www.savethedate4cupcakes.com/2011/05/mexican-fiesta-wedding.html.

Notice how the flowers are inside Corona bottles...this wedding also had SW inspired names for the tables, including Cactus.

Who knew I'd be such a sucker for the details???  OK, that probably wasn't a surprise to anyone.....

Photo Feature - Engagement Photos!

We had such an amazing time at our engagement photo session - it was so fun, relaxed and true to who we are....what more could we ask for?! 

After the session, we had two thoughts running through our minds:

1. When can we see the pictures?!
2. When can we do that again?!

Imagine our excitement when we received a package from our photographer, Natalie Champa Jennings, after only a week!  And let me tell you that the quick turn-around time was not the only thing we were impressed with!  Our photos look so lovely - with bright, vibrant fall colors, and lots of great shots....I think we will have a hard time deciding on which ones to use for our save the date cards!

I was even more thrilled when I woke up this morning to find that our photographer had emailed us with a link to a national wedding blog that had chosen to feature several of our engagement photos today!

Check it out below!  You won't be disappointed :)

Andrea+Rodrigo Photo Feature

PS - I love that tags for our photos include the following words: sunshine, autumn, leaves and Mississippi River!

Who knows..... maybe a billboard feature is on the horizon!?!

Other Fiesta Weddings!

Check out these fiesta weddings for more ideas and inspiration:

• Green Wedding Shoes

http://greenweddingshoes.com/real-wedding-maya-daves-eclectic-fiesta-wedding/

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• Green Wedding Shoes

http://greenweddingshoes.com/fiesta-wedding-inspiration/

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• http://www.stylemepretty.com/california-weddings/2010/04/01/wedding-rehearsal-fiesta-by-details-details/ 

Favors: Maracas?

Just stumbled across this photo of small maracas as wedding favors and an alternative to glass-clinking...sorry, Dad (a famous glass-clinker)....

http://graddyphotography.com/blog/playa-fiesta-love-destination-wedding-photographer/

Papel Picado Banners

One must-have for our fiesta wedding is a colorful decoration scheme.  Papel picado banners could be at the foundation of our decorating!

I have come across a few great resources for papel picado banners:

• DIY papel picado banners: Green Wedding Shoes

http://greenweddingshoes.com/diy-papel-picado-flags/

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• Purchasing papel picado banners:  MexicanSugarSkull.com

It's even possible to custom order the banners with our names and the wedding date:

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• Purchasing papel picado banners: Ay Mujer! 

 

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• Purchasing papel picado banners: Mi Fiesta 

 

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• Purchasing papel picado banners: La Mariposa Imports

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 With all of these choices (and more) available, the next step will be price comparisons!  I'll keep this post updated as I shop around and begin to price things out for our specific wedding ideas....

An idea is born: Fiesta Wedding!

It would not be stretching the truth to say that as soon as we got engaged in August (August 16, 2011, to be exact!), I didn't waste any time before starting to plan our special day....the wedding date, the ceremony and reception venues, an initial guest list, and ideas for the caterer and photographer were all detailed on a spreadsheet within one week of our engagement!

Our priorities for planning are the following:

• Make it meaningful
• Keep it small
• Stay in our budget
• Have a great time

With our planning priorities established, I am constantly consulting various wedding blogs and websites for ideas, photos and resources to adapt, adopt, and or blatantly copy.  While searching on TheKnot.com, I came across a link for a fiesta flair-themed wedding.  As soon as I saw the bright colors, papel picado banners, and chocolate-covered churros, I knew this was going to be the theme for our wedding!

Check out this link to see more of what inspired me:
Fiesta Flair


Now all we have to do is personalize the fiesta theme for our special day! 

This blog is dedicated to documenting the constant flow of new, must-have ideas we stumble upon or dream up on any given day so that we can be sure to incorporate them on our wedding day!