{guest} of honor

remembering your guests, and the special place that they held in your heart on your wedding day is priceless. Simply writing your name in a book, doesn't seem to cut it for the bride of today. with the availability of the internet, and an abundance of creativity, there are so many wonderful options for a bride to choose from. I have seen so many amazing ideas for guestbooks for a wedding. I remember going to my friend's wedding and it was the first time that I saw the tree with the guest's fingerprints.



photo courtesy of Etsy


if my friend hadn't used this fabulous idea for her wedding, I would have loved this idea. I love the idea of seeing the fingerprints of your guests, and having a beautiful piece of artwork after the big day. as I searched for a unique idea for our wedding, I stumbled across many great ideas that I loved and wanted to share.

photo courtesy of Emmaline Bride

the possibilites are endless for the font & style of the letter. I love that this is simple, and could immediately be hung in your home after the wedding.

photo courtesy of Wedding Bee

the wish tree allows your guests to write a special message to you, for you to keep and read for years to come

photo courtesy of Florida Historic Weddings

this is such a sweet way to display messages from your guests. this would be perfect for a beach wedding. this guestbook idea could easily be transported from the reception to your mantel or coffee table!



photo courtesy of Etsy Shop: LoveFromTheThumb

this is another take on the fingerprint guestbooks. the great thing about this type is the personalization that each guest offerse with their unique fingerprint.

photo courtesy of Daisy Days

these examples could be done by ordering from a shop, or could easily designed and printed on your home computer! an idea like this could tie together the designs you have used for your save-the-dates, and invitations. Simply creating a beautiful monogram of your intitals could be beautifully placed in your new married home!

photo courtesy of Etsy Shp: DazzlingExpressions

this is my favorite, mostly because I will be using this at my wedding. I will replace the box with something with a lid, and have our wedding date on the outside. i'm so excited to see the messages that my family and friends write, and I can share these with my children some day!

let love {light} the way

as I look around for inspiration, I often find so many neat ideas for table numbers. there table numbers can be framed, painted, stitched, mirrored, fabric, wood, floral, and anything you could imagine. my favorite seems to be illuminated table numbers. this can be done with luminaries, lanterns, or candles.

               

                                                                                                                                         

since my fiance and I set our hearts on a winter wedding, I have always envisioned lanterns being a part of the decor. I searched all over the internet, and in stores, to find a lantern that was afforable and nice looking. I finally found a great lantern at Ikea for only $6.79 (normally they are $7.99, which is still a fantastic deal!). these lanterns are even more substantial than I thought they would be. so I headed down to my local Ikea, and purchased 30!

ever since I've had these in my possesion, I have been dreaming of how I will use them. I had orginally wanted to create a luminary similar to these ideas:

this is a great project that uses cardstock glued together with a letter or inital cutout

this number lantern can be created using this template.

this cute little project can be used using frames, hinged together, or inserted into a lantern. print photos onto vellum paper, and voila!



as always, it occured to me that I could use my lanterns as the table number, and create something by either painting,  using vellum printed numbers, or adhering decals to the lantern to create the perfect table number for all to see! I've decided to use the picture below as my inspiration, but I will not forget the other ideas, nor should you!

once I have made up my mind, and created my final product, I will be sure to post pictures of what I end up with. Happy Tuesday!

                                                                                     

heirlooms in the making

one of my favorite places to go to get lost in beautiful things is Etsy. it always amazes me how I can find one thing I love, and an hour later, I've clicked my way through hundreds of handmade goodies. i've been a fan of Etsy for many years, but have never spent as much time on it as I have since I got engaged. I think it's great to find really talented people who make a fabulous product, and give them my business.
today I decided to see the featured items in the revamped Wedding section on Etsy. I was immediately drawn to this beautiful cake topper:

I wanted this. I needed this. how adorable would this be displayed at a wedding? then it would be such a great keepsake from the day, knowing that it was used during such a special time. it could be kept and passed down to your children and grandchildren. simply amazing. I wanted to share this with you, to give this stand the credit it deserves.

while the cake stand was just beautiful, it was sadly out of my price range (if I even have one for such things as cake stands). however, this set me on the quest to find some amazing cake stands that would fit into my {hypothetical} cake stand budget.

this beautiful glass cake stand would add a simple touch, with a great personal touch to any special event

my wedding has a bit of a rustic feel since I'm having a Michigan winter wedding. this stand below would fit in perfectly with some touches that I plan to have throughout the reception. I love the initials, which add a very personal touch

I am so excited to explore the possibilities for my wedding, and I hope these beautiful items have made you want to go out and bake a cake :)