Your wedding is a special event and you should carefully decide who you want to have be there for you when you need it most. I helped two of my really good friends when they got married with their pre-wedding decorations, invitations and other needs even though I wasn't a bridesmaid.
The problem was they selected bridesmaids that they felt obligated to pick, not ones that were really good friends. One of my friends, Erica I remember was in tears. She had 300 invitations to make and all her bridesmaids were MIA. I offered to come over that night and help her. It really upset me that her bridesmaids could ditch her like that.
Another friend I helped with all her table decorations and bouquets. She had bought fake fall flowers over time and we spent the night putting the bouquets and centerpieces together. Its a fun bonding experience. I don't understand how you friends can ditch you?
My point is that you should carefully consider who you choose as your bridesmaids and let them know from the beginning what their duties are. You don't want them to be unprepared for the responsibility and the costs involved in being a bridesmaid.
Being a bridesmaid should be fun and exciting as well. Because I wanted to ask my bridesmaids and give them a little keepsake I decided to make up little dress cards in the color scheme I'm thinking about. I've seen dress cards on places like etsy, but felt the colors weren't exactly what I wanted. They also can get a bit pricey, especially when you get into shipping.
So I marched myself down to AC Moore to pick up some tools to make my cards & then went to Jo-ann fabric to get my fabric for the dresses.
What I used...
1 package of folded plain cards $2
1 mini glue gun $5
1 pack of glue gun sticks $2
1 piece of brown satin reminent (found it in a bin) $3
1/4 yard of pretty sparkly dusty rose fabric $3
1 roll of brown ribbon $1
1 package sparkle embellishments $1
Technique
I just freestyled drawing my dress shape on the fabric. If you aren't good at drawing then find a paper doll dress shape you like online, print it, cut it out and trace around it on your fabric on the backside in pen or pencil.
Iron your dress down if needed.
 |
| Iron the dress if needed |
figure out where you want to place your dress on the card and glue down with a gluestick if you have one. If not, lightly tap glue gun dots onto the paper and press your dress ontop. If you put too much, you'll see the glue drops through the fabric.
Then I decided I wanted the pink sparkly fabric ontop of the brown, but wanted you to see a "wrap-dress" sort of look so i placed the sparkly fabric on top of the top part of the brown dress and then drew where i should cut the pink fabric(leaving a small bit of extra around to tuck). I then cut the pink out and glued it over the brown fabric, tucking the edges under so they weren't frayed.
Onto the bottom of the dress. I sort of freestyled this as well. I cut long strips that were short in height and then got increasingly taller as I cut them. I think I did a total of 3 strips of fabric. Lets say 2", 3" and then 4". I took the first 2" strip, cut it in half and tightly accordion folded it. I glued the first tightly acordian folded piece from the left edge of the "hip" to the center of the dress. Then I took the other piece I cut and did the same thing except I glued it from the right side of the hip to the center.
Then I took the slightly thicker piece (lets say 3") cut it in half again and accordion folded (slightly looser than the first time) it and glued it underneath the first 2" piece from left to center. Then I repeated this process with the piece I cut in half going from right to center.
The last piece and tallest piece I kept in tact. I took the left edge and glued it underneath the 3" piece and then very loosly accordion folded it and glued it as I went over to the right hand side of the dress. The main part of the dress was done, but it looked kind of blah.
Time to embelish! I took a small piece of the brown trim and glued it to the waist like a belt. Then to make the belt look like it was tied I took another small piece of trim and folded it in half and glued it down to the corner. It needed some sparkle, so I glued a tiny star embellishment (found in the scrap-booking section) to the belt. Viola! you have a super-cute card.
I still think the card looks kinda plain, so I'm planning on printing out crowns and gluing them above the dresses. For the inside of the card I'm going to have my mother write "Will you be my Bridesmaid" since she has caligraphy-style handwriting.
Enjoy and have fun making your dresses!
You can also embellish your dresses with beads, feathers and other fun things. Don't be afraid to try other dress styles as well!
The wedding is 2 weeks away and I am at the end of my budget. If you're a bride in the same position, but still want your guests to feel taken care of, DIY Welcome bags might be a good option for you.
Instructions:
and print them directly from your computer. Remove the current labels on the bottle and stick these on your water bottles.
Cocoa packet templates will also be available soon. These are perfect for the fall or chilly winter months. These can be purchased customized for your wedding as well.
at Target. You can get yours here if you need some. These are little plastic bags perfect for fillings will candy, cookies and other treats. I filled each bag with either cheddar goldfish, lifesavers or swedish fish. I made little paper toppers to close up the bags with the title to match the ingredients. The life savers said "Lifesavers. Open in case of emergency" The swedish fish 
said " Fresh caught Swedish Fish" and the Goldfish
said "Goldfish Fish Bait". You can attach with clear tape or staple the toppers to the bags.
Once you've got all your "ingredients" together, start assembling the bags with your goodies. Each one of my bags has a welcome brochure, snacks, water, tea
& cocoa. You can also add things like local maps and a postcard. Fold over the top of your bag and punch a hole. Tie your ribbon through the hole. Deliver your box to the hotel front desk and ask that your wedding guests receive their bags during check in.
doilies
To make a similar gift for my bridesmaids I used pink and white tissue paper 
to wrap the gifts, small , twine
& made tissue paper flowers
. 
centers with rhinestones for a bit of bling. To tie the entire vintage shabby chic look together I made these pretty tags to go onto the gifts with a note that reads, 
, make a wish. let it remind you i am so grateful for your presence in my life. thank you for standing with me on this special day, as you have so many times before!". I hope my Bridesmaids will love opening their gift as much as I enjoyed making them.
for the girls. I'll give my gifts to my girls during our rehersal dinner.
in the top and attach with a pretty ribbon
. Please remember that this template is for personal use only and is copyright posh-parties.
, double sided tape
or a glue gun
, jewelry findings
or your monogram
a couple of weeks ago. I had several DIY projects going on including tissue paper flower balls, wine labels and a Best Wishes Display.
I created the above labels in Adobe Illustrator
with the Date of the shower. We gave away the wine bottles as gifts to guests that won the "toilet paper dress" game
and the "guess how well the bride knows the groom" game.
.
If you want the labels, I've created a .pdf that you can edit with your own name and date. Please remember that this is free for PERSONAL USE ONLY. Please do not resell or use this for commercial purposes. You can download the PDF here.
Got a Bridezilla on your hands?
What food does everyone love and remember from their childhood as a delicious treat? That would be cookies & milk. Nothing quite beats a cold glass of milk paired with some warm yummy chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven. If for nothing else, your house smells delicious after.
Some brides might even forgo the cake and go straight for a dessert buffet/bar, of course, including the classic cookies.
What I used...
Onto the bottom of the dress. I sort of freestyled this as well. I cut long strips that were short in height and then got increasingly taller as I cut them. I think I did a total of 3 strips of fabric. Lets say 2", 3" and then 4". I took the first 2" strip, cut it in half and tightly accordion folded it. I glued the first tightly acordian folded piece from the left edge of the "hip" to the center of the dress. Then I took the other piece I cut and did the same thing except I glued it from the right side of the hip to the center.
