His and Hers

OK, the countdown is on... 6 days till I'm married, and 4 days till we will be on the road to Fernie... yup, that means some things are getting deleted from the DIY dreamlist!! BUT, more importantly, things getting done at a rapid rate (can you hear the optimism... the reality is things are taking longer than I ever expected them to, but heh, they're getting done) (2nd bracket: the sneeze just reminded me tell you that, as expected, as soon as the defense finished, my body started releasing all of the stress I have been holding on to the last few months, and I am now sick?!?! I asked my body so firmly to stay healthy until the defense was over cause I couldn't handle being sick... why didn't I ask it to hold on until the wedding?! oh well...)

So, this post is allll about my new favorite tool: the circle punch, and my new favorite supply: the full-page labels (P.S.... seriously, how did I live before the full-page labels?!?! They are so friggin awesome!). First things first... our OOT bags, or shall I say, baskets! I can only show you some of the items that are going into the basket, since my step-mom has gloriously offered to assemble the apple crates (I guess those aren't baskets?!) complete with croissants, homemade cherry jelly, coffee packets, and I really don't know what else. But, to add our personal touch to it, the circle punch and labels made a big appearance!!

I formatted a page worth of labels, in different colors, and pre-cut them using scissors (this was my first punch, so I soon realized that at least one edge had to be cut pretty close to the edge of the circle, but in no time I got the hang of this new trust tool... look, there's even a window to make sure everything is lined up (told ya, total newbie!!)

My stack of purple and green labels:

And the candy supplies: my favorites (lindt chocolate, and hot tamales), his favorites (after eight bars and nibs), small clear plastic bags, and of course, the labels! What I didn't get a picture of was the beef jerkey we ALWAYS pick-up when we drive to Fernie, which of course was labelled as a favorite of the bride AND groom, and a couple packs of gum for good measure!!

All the goodies labelled with hearts:

And the stack... a couple will go in each basket (we are only doing baskets for the 4 houses we have rented, which will have about half of our guests... the rest are in individual hotel rooms, and we drew the line there... I know, I tried to avoid the special treatment of the house guests, but what can I say??)

And since we're on the topic of circle punch and labels, here's a glimpse into their second use... gift tags!! (PS: don't you just love those adorable round purple tins I wrapped the girls' head pieces in?? Now they have the perfect storage case for them!!)

The gift pile seems so small... how did I go so broke buying a wee-little basket of gifts??

OK, I warned you, labels and circle cutters... my new best friends!!

Ask and ye shall receive

image from here

Hi All!! I am a bit more upbeat today!! After my complete frustration with the flower industry, I knew I had to get creative... heh, I've been a student for 10 years, THIS I know how to do!! So, to Kijiji I went (craigslist didn't turn up a lot for me). What did I find? Well, to be honest, not a lot. Most of the flower service/wedding flowers/florist hits were for silk flowers. But, I did find one lady, Miss Karen, who works with fresh (and high quality) flowers. What I found out when I met her last night was that she used to be a big player in the flower business here in Calgary, but when she sold her shop in 2006, she had to sign a non-competition agreement... but, she is now able to work again, and compete she is doing! I sent her the correspondence from my previous consults (which I posted for your benefit too here), and of course all my inspiration photos, also found here, and she responded with this:



Bridal bouquet hand gathered and tied loose with natural look stems 1/2 wrapped with burlap and lace. Finished with silver pins.

To include:One Bloom of Kayle in purples
3 stems yoko ono mums
3 stems white spray roses
3 stems of eryngium
2 stems of misty blue
3 stems of trachellium
5 small bunches of 3 wheat stems trimmed
7 stems of lavendar
3 stems of heather
herbs of rosemary and thymeseeded euc greens
one no charge throw away bouquet
$110.00



3 Bridesmaids
similar style as bride finished the same way (No Kayle)
to include:
3 stems yoko ono mums
3 stems white spray roses
2 stems eryngium
2 stems misty blue
3 bunches of 3 wheat trimmed
5 stems of lavendar2
stems of heather
herbs of rosemary and thymeseeded euc
$75 each

I supply all needed materials and I deliver everything to you at no charge. I hope I hear back from you soon. Karen Thank you for your interest.


That's a total of $335 for the EXACT SAME flowers the boutique floral shop sent me... AND she provides all materials (I was going to have to bring in the burlap and lace I wanted to wrap the bouquets in), and oh ya, a wee little throw away bouquet (which I will probably use to decorate the dessert buffet table or something!). That's HALF THE PRICE!! Ummmm, kijiji, I love you!!

I met with Karen last night, and she was great. I felt very comfortable leaving it in her hands, and I trust that she will not take advantage of me (we discussed this problem at length when I told her I was already feeling pretty jaded about the industry, so she was getting the skeptical customer... she understood completely, and told me what I needed to hear to lighten up!!). I told her I am flexible on flower choices, and if lavender or heather are going to push the budget up, let's just forget them. She told me she will try to stay under $300, and she knows her work will speak for itself.... hello referrals!! Already, I am thinking of who I can send her way!

After we met last night, she sent me this picture of a bouquet she just did... she thought I would love it...

... and I do!! It is a bit blue for my palette, but I love the texture and whimsical feel of it! What do you think??

My bottom line... ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT, and even when you feel a bit intimidated in an arena that you are not the expert, you can get what you want at the price that you can afford! Of course everything must be within reason, but when you are on a tight budget, you don't need to feel bad when you hear "$300, well, that's not a lot of money".... ya, I know, thanks WIC!! That's because I have a whole wedding to spend $$ on, and I am a budget-conscious bride!! Whatever your budget, just remember, there is always someone who will spend waaaayyyy more than you, and brides that will spend less! Your request is reasonable, and as long as you stay flexible (and more importantly, creative), your vision will become your wedding day reality, and, yes, you can do it all ON BUDGET!!

Thanks Karen! And thanks kijiji!!