Lisa's Handmade Boutique

Lisa's Handmade Boutique was Featured at the SXSW Conference and Festival

2010-03-21T11:51:00.001-07:00

We are honored to be a part of the SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, TX. We were requested by Fujifilm to feature one of our fabulous Fujifilm Instax mini photo guest books to be featured at the Fujifilm Instax company booth. We are so honored to be a part of this event as thousands of magazine editors, music executives, and creative minds will be viewing our Fujifilm Instax mini photo guest book from Lisa's Handmade Boutique!

Here is a description of the SXSW from www.sxsw.com:

The SXSW® Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers lucrative networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film. Over the first five days, the Film Conference buzzes as world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience. Simultaneously, the internationally acclaimed, nine-day Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

Lisa's Handmade Boutique would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Spring Weddings Bring New Spring Fabrics

2010-02-12T19:14:00.001-08:00

The "wedding season" is just around the corner and spring weddings bring new Amy Butler spring fabrics. We really love Amy Butler fabrics (as you can tell from our Shutterfly site) and are excited to carry her new designs. Love love love is the theme and the colors are gorgeous and lively. Below are some of our favorites! Enjoy!

New Year New Website

2010-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! A new year...a new website! After a long weekend of site design, I'm finally finished redesigning our website. CHECK IT OUT...www.lisashandmadeboutique.com. We have a lot planned for this year: new guest books, fabrics, deals, and steals. We are always working to stay on top of the newest trends and colors, to bring you the best the event industry has to offer. We are looking forward to a great new year! Check out our new website! More to come!

Introducing the Photo Booth Photo Strip Guest Book

2009-12-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

New to the wedding and event industry is the Photo Booth Photo Strip Guest Book! You will only find the Photo Booth Photo Strip Guest Book at Lisa's Handmade Boutique! No other retailer carries this guest book! After receiving numerous requests for a guest book that accommodates photo strips, I have created a guest book to do just that! This unique guest book is a perfect compliment for your photo booth and will archive your photo strips in an easy and fun way! Your guests will simply slip their photo strip into a photo sleeve and sign around their photo with ease! The photo strips are protected with clear archival photo sleeves that will protect the photo strips from scratches and wear and tear. You and your guests will love it!

Custom guest book #13-Blue and Green

2009-11-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

I've been getting a lot of requests for fabrics in beautiful tones of blues and greens and thought I would include one of my favorites. I love when brides are creative and pair fabrics with different and unique patterns. Sometimes it's hard to visualize what two fabrics may look like together. I suggest saving the images of fabrics that you might want to use and then put them side by side. You may mix and match fabric images and hopefully this will better help you create your own fabulous custom guest book! I used Amy Butler polka dot blue for the spine, a custom green damask fabric for the main covers, deep purple satin ribbon tied in a bow, and a custom monogram card with a silver border.

Can't find the themed fabric that I'm looking for

2009-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Can't find the themed fabric that you are looking for, for your wedding or event? I have access to hundreds of fabrics and most are not even listed on my fabric website! There are simply too many to mention! Please contact me to find the latest in some popular patterned fabrics:

-Beach/Paradise inspired fabrics

-Fall themed fabrics (including leaves and Thanksgiving themed fabrics)

-Christmas themed fabrics

-Indian inspired fabrics

-Travel themed

-Birthday themed fabrics

-Baby themed fabrics

Above are just a few themed fabrics that my customers have asked about lately. I can find just about any themed or inspired fabric for any event! The options are endless! Please contact me to discuss your event!

Purple and teal are in!

2009-10-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Purple and teal are not only the trend for fashion this season, but they are also so in for weddings! Lisa's Handmade Boutique has just about any shade of purple or teal available! Below are a few of my favorites!
(top to bottom-Eggplant taffeta/silk blend, teal taffeta, cool purple taffeta, purple rain dupioni silk, peacock blue dupioni silk, heather purple dupioni silk, lavender and blue iridescent blend dupioni silk, icy turquoise dupioni silk, black orchid dupioni silk)

We've completed over 400 orders

2009-10-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank all of our loyal customers for your support and business since we have opened our online doors in March 2009! We have now completed over 400 orders between our Etsy store, thehandmadeboutique, and our website, http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/! We are happy to bring you unique and stylish custom guest books and photo albums original to the wedding and event industry! Be creative! : )

There's a new team member to Lisa's Handmade Boutique

2009-10-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

There's a new team member to Lisa's Handmade Boutique! Because of the large amount of custom guest book and photo album orders I've received, Vicki is going to join the team! She will be handcrafting guest books and photo albums and will eventually be helping to take orders and respond to emails. Welcome Vicki!

Fall Guest Book Ideas

2009-10-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here!!! The air is clean, crisp, and chilly! It's the perfect time for a fall wedding! "Warm" colors like teal, creme, rust, orange, and reds are fashionable wedding colors for this fall. Create a custom guest book in all of these popular colors and more at http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/ or in my Etsy store, thehandmadeboutique.com Below are some of my favorite fall colors in taffeta and Dupioni silk. Enjoy!

From top to bottom(Creme silk, Heather silk, Emerald silk, Ruby red silk, Espresso silk, Teal taffeta, Rust taffeta, Copper Penny Taffeta, Rust Taffeta, and Tangerine Taffeta)

Labor Day Weekend Sale Ends This Sunday Sept. 13

2009-09-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

My ongoing Labor Day Weekend Sale will end this Sunday Sept. 13, so please take advantage of the additional savings! : )

New Guest Book Additions

2009-09-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

Here are 2 fabulous new guest book additions! The first guest book listed includes beautiful autumn hues of burnt orange, reds, blues, and deep purples. I used Kaffe Fasset Paisley Jungle, Eggplant silk, a custom orange satin ribbon, and a customized monogram card. The second guest book is all about simplicity and and modernism. A truly beautiful contrast of colors and a quiet pattern of swirls. I used Eric McMorris Park Slope Floral Swirl in Lime, Amy Butler solid slate, a purple satin ribbon tied in an elegant bow, and a customized monogram card.

Labor Day Weekend Sale!

2009-09-05T13:29:00.001-07:00

Plase take advantage of my Labor Day Weekend Sale! Select guest books and albums are $5 off! Enjoy your weekend and watch plenty of football! : )

I'm discontinuing my guest book luxury papers

2009-08-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have decided to discontinue the option of luxury paper in my Etsy store and on http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/. If you have a luxury paper picked out that you would like to use, there's a good chance that I'll still be able to get it for you. Please contact me before placing an order.

Custom photo albums in coordinating Amy Butler fabrics

2009-08-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

Here are 3 beautiful wedding photo albums that I recently completed for a lucky Mrs.! I used a professional 3 ring binder type of album, with hand cut paper, and photo sleeves. This type of album can be used for an instant photo or digital photo guest book, for your wedding photos, parent albums, and gifts! The professional 3 ring binder allows you to accommodate a large amount of photos compared to one of my original instant photo guest books. Like I have mentioned before, professional photo albums can cost upwards of $700+ to accommodate 200 or more photos. I can accommodate just about any number of photos in protective photo sleeves, any photo size, and any orientation. I can mix different sized photo sleeves, for example 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10. There are so many options, which is truely a value!

New Guest Book and Photo Album Arrivals

2009-08-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get back into the swing of things after a much needed mini vacation to Destin, FL, a visit from my mother and brother, and now my in-laws are visiting. August was such a busy month and I need to make up on my low number of blog posts! I had a large volume of guest book orders this past month and have decided to pick out a few that stood out. Enjoy! Here we go...
This is a beautiful, lively, and colorful scrapbook that I created for a lucky bride who is having her wedding in Mexico. This type of album is screwpost and the pages can be added and/or removed.

This is a beautiful 11x8 landscape guest book using Amy Butler wall flower cherry, sage dupioni silk, white satin ribbon, and a custom monogram card. The color combination is gorgeous!

This is a custom birthday Polaroid guest book perfectly fit for the fall season. I added a side bow to this guest book so that the album closes flat when not in use PLUS it looks superb!

This is custom Polaroid guest book with a two-tone satin ribbon. I love the color combos and the different colors of dupioni silk looks so elegant!

Custom guest book #12-Purple Silk Fab flower guest book

2009-08-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's ben along time since I've had a chance to write. So many things are happening all at once and I'm the busiest I've been all year! I'm getting ready to go on vacation to Destin, FL next week with family and have been trying to get all of my guest book orders done and preparing for company. Lots of errands and cleaning!

Featured is a fabulous fab flower guest book that I recently finished. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this fabric! It's an iridescent purple color that changes color in the light. It turned out really cute with the fab flower and matching purple velvet Swarovski crystals. I think the pictures of this guest book speak for themselves! This bride is using her blank paged guest book to adhere photo strips from a photo booth she is having at her wedding. You can use glue dots, double sides tape, glue sticks, etc. to easily adhere the photo strips to the heavy white pages. The pages are heavy enough so they won't be flimsy after the photo is adhered. I used heather dupioni silk, purple ribbon, ivory dupioni silk for the fab flower, and purple velvet swarovski crystals.

Congrats Karina and JV!

What type of pen should I use with my custom guest book?

2009-07-31T16:52:00.001-07:00

Not all pens are created equal! The last thing you need is a cheap pen that smudges and bleeds through the pages. I recommend buying an archival pen. An archival pen has a thin point which won't allow for a strong flow of ink and therefore won't create ink blots. I suggest visiting your local professional arts supply store first as they usually have the best selection and most of the time you can select from a lot of coordinating colors. The next place to try is your local arts and crafts store, like Michaels. They do carry archival pens, but usually only in a few colors, usually in black. You probably should buy at least 2 pens or more in case the first pen runs out of ink.

Custom Wedding Photo Album

2009-07-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

As you probably already know if you are planning a wedding, wedding photo albums can cost hundreds if not over a thousand dollars. Even if you did a search online for a professional photo album (I did an online search for you!), a low budget photo album can be about $100 and only hold 15-20 photos tops! I'm sure the average bride has a lot more photos than that! I know that I did! So, your options for a professional photo album that holds hundreds of wedding photos are pretty limited, right? Well, http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/ offers custom wedding photo albums or "just because" photo albums that are handcrafted to your fabric specifications, just like my guest books, and can accommodate just about any number of photos. You have the choice of heavy white acid free paper and a photo sleeve on each page or simply clear acid free photo sleeves to accommodate your photos. I can create photo albums for just about any size photo, any number of photos, and any photo orientation-horizontal or vertical. The options are endless! Please contact me to design your custom photo album today! : )

This featured custom wedding photo album contains 100 sheets of paper and 200 5x7 photo sleeves. It's a 3 ring binder professional system. I can also use a post bound photo album in some instances. It just depends on what your needs are. I used specialty fabric-a beautiful aqua taffeta fabric, gold dupioni silk for the spine, ivory satin ribbon, monogram card, and a custom string of elegant shells and beads. I just loved the way this custom wedding photo album turned out and it

has convinced me to create one for myself!

Congrats Hannah and Jeff!

Custom photo album in fabulous bright colors

2009-07-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

I not only offer handcrafted gorgeous custom guest books, but also custom photo albums! My custom photo albums accommodate 200 photos, although I can accommodate just about any number of photos. This particular custom photo album holds 200 4x6 pictures, but I can also create photo albums that hold just about any size photo and in any arrangement. Purchase a custom guest book and matching custom photo album for your engagment party, bridal shower, honeymoon pictures, or wedding pictures! My custom photo albums are perfect for any occasion including weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, and more! For this featured custom photo album, I used Paula Prass geo in spring, spring green dupioni silk, hot pink satin ribbon tied in a bow, and a monogram card bordered in lime green.

Congrats Emilie and Todd!

Custom guest book #11-Fall inspired guest book

2009-07-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Fall is just around the corner and lately it has even been more evident with recent requests for warm autumn colored custom guest books. Back to school ads symbolize the end of summer and the beginning of brisk fall mornings, raking leaves, and fall weddings. Rich, warm tones of red, orange, gold, and deep yellow will soon surround us. This is one fall colored guest book that I recently completed for a deserving bride. I used orange gold blend dupioni silk, Kaffe Fassett chrysanthemum red, silky ivory satin ribbon, and monogram card bordered in red. It's never too early to start thinking about what you will need for your fall or winter wedding!

Congrats Kevin and Kathleen!

I have 100 positive reviews

2009-07-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to my 100 positive reviews on Etsy! I started my Etsy store in March of 2009 and I could have never dreamed that I would already have 100 positive reviews and over 130 sales! I love what I do and I enjoy being a small part of so many wonderful weddings and events! Thank you!

I have a lot in mind for the upcoming month with my Etsy store and website www.lisashandmadeboutique.com. I have new fabrics coming in: solid broadcloth colors, satin, and taffeta. I think that these solid colors will pair very nicely with a lot of the patterned fabrics and bring a great contrast in texture and appearance. This will be a huge feat, but I would love to organize the fabrics by color so that it is easier to find color combinations. This will happen soon, I promise! Sometimes I wish I could hire someone to do all of the website work for me, but right now I'm a one woman business! I wouldn't be doing what I love without you! : )

Custom guest book #11-Brown and Yellow

2009-07-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

It seems like chocolate brown is this season's "IN" color. You see it everywhere and on everything fabulous. It's sleeky, modern, and warm. This guest book is a delicious palatte of Darla yellow damask, chocolate brown dupioni silk, chocolate ribbon, and a monogram card with a yellow border to match. This guest book is my lined guest book that measures 5x7 landscape. Cute and petite for a smaller affair.

Congrats Valerie and Phillip!

Custom guest book #10-Aqua and Purple

2009-07-19T11:55:00.001-07:00

This aqua guest book shines in gorgeous aqua garden luxury paper, silky purple satin ribbon, and personalized monogram card. I love the summer feel of this luxury paper as the humming birds, butterflies, and flower motifs jump right out of the paper. This custom guest book is sure to standout at any wedding or event! It will catch everyone's eye! You will only find one of a kind guest books like this at Lisa's Handmade Boutique! ; )

Congrats Kelly and Daniel!

Custom guest book #9-Brown and ivory

2009-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

A beautiful guest book with chocolate brown and ivory! I used Amy Butler wood fern ivory, ivory spine, chocolate brown satin ribbon, and monogram card with an ivory border. The swirls in the wood fern fabric are modern and flow very nicely.

Congrats Kari and Jefferson!

Custom guest book #8-Hot pink and lime

2009-07-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is a gorgeous guest book that I recently completed for a 20th anniversary party. Guest books have so many uses: wedding guest books, anniversary guest books, bridal shower guest books, baby shower guest books, birthday guest books, rental home guest books, scrapbooks, memorybooks, everyday journals, and more!

For this guest book I used Kaffe Fassett's millefiore green dot, Eric McMorris's floral swirl in lime, hot pink satin ribbon, and a monogram card bordered in pink.

Happy 20th anniversary Steve and Bobbi!

Custom guest book #7-Blue, Green, and Hot Pink

2009-07-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful summery guest book that I recently completed. I used Amy Butler Wildflowers in Turquoise, Chrysanthemum Olive, hot pink satin ribbon, and a monogram card with matching pink border. Amy Butler's Wildflowers fabric designs are some of my favorites! The colors are very vibrant and the pattern is retro, but yet modern. Perfect for an outdoor party!

Congrats Jim and Alicia!

Tiffany Blue Guest Book

2009-07-14T17:23:00.001-07:00

I was once a Tiffany blue bride and know how difficult it is to find the right color of Tiffany blue. Finally, an elegant Tiffany blue guest book for the modern bride. I used icy turquoise dupioni silk, gold satin ribbon, and monogram card.

Finally a guest book to match your Tiffany blue ring box.

Congrats Michael and Michelle!

I now have both FujiFilm Instax Mini guest books and FujiFilm Wide format guest books

2009-07-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

As you already know, I just introduced the new FujiFilm instant photo guest books to http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/ and to my Etsy store. Now, there is a new addition to my FujiFilm guest books.....drumroll please......FujiFilm Instax wide format photo guest books! The mini guest books were specificially for the the FujiFilm Instax Mini cameras and now I have guest books that will accommodate the FujiFilm Instax 200 cameras or the wide format photos! I have seperate listings in my Etsy store for the Instax mini and Instax wide format guest books or visit http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/ to purchase as well!

Lisa's Handmade Boutique is the only website to offer design it yourself FujiFilm Instax guest books! My FujiFilm guest books have 100 pages and hold 50 photos are more. The competition's FujiFilm Instax guest books only hold 30 photos and are plain and boring!

Have a great weekend and take pictures!

Cowboy Polaroid guest book for Zachary

2009-07-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

I recently completed a fun cowboy Polaroid guest book for a young boy named Zachary. This guest book was created for his upcoming benefit. I really enjoyed making this guest book because it really meant a lot to me for Zachary to have a keepsake to look back on.

Here is some information from Zachary's website:

Zachary is a two year old little boy who was born with multiple disabilities and is developmentally delayed. He suffers from muscular weakness andcannot swallow. As a result, he has a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. Zachary is under constant medicalcare and needs occupational, physical and swallow therapies. He has been hospitalized several times
and will need more surgeries in the near future. Zachary is continuing his developmental progress at home, in Helmetta, with around the clock care of nurses, and his mother, Barbara. However, despite the devotion of family and friends, the Nemeth family has been financially burdened with countless medical and daily living expenses. They need our help.

If you would like to help and/or find out more about Zachary, visit his website at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/zacharynemeth

Fujifilm Photo Guest book is here!

2009-07-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just like Polaroid, Fujifilm has produced an "instant" hit with wedding guest books! Fujifilm recently introduced the Fujifilm mini instax series of instant cameras. These light weight cameras produce instant film, just like a Polaroid, but the size of a credit card. The instant photos are said to be crisper and cheaper than Polaroid film and cameras. The Fujifilm instax photo guest book is a new wave of instant photo guest books!

Today I introduced the Fujifilm photo guest book to Lisa's Handmade Boutique! It's very similar to my Polaroid guest books, where you would receive the following:

-11x8 landscape hardbound guest book

-50 heavy white acid free sheets of paper or 100 pages

-50 clear acid free photo sleeves adhered to every other page measuring 2 5/8" x 4 1/8"

-Your choice of fabrics or lux papers, ribbon color, and monogram card

-Pricing=$60

Check them out and get yours today!

When do I use my guest book?

2009-07-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

I know this might be a simple question, but there are actually a lot of brides out there that might not know. When do I use my guest book? Before the wedding? During the receiving line? At the reception? Well, it's your wedding and your decision. Thru my research, I have found that leaving your guest book out during the reception has the best results. Why? Because your guests don't feel rushed and will tend to write longer, meaningful comments. If your guest book is set out before the wedding, your guests are typically in a hurry and some will even skip the line to grab a seat and they will never have a chance to sign it. This is also the same scenerio if you set out your guest book out during the receiving line. Long line+fast moving+impatient to get to the reception=Not many signatures and hardly any notes.

It's best to place someone in charge of the guest book to tell guests what it is and what to do. If you don't have anyone in charge, a simple sign might be helpful placed by the guest book.

Why are most of my guest books unlined? The answer is so your guests can write long messages and even draw pictures. The messages even get more interesting as the night goes on. : ) Your guests won't be confined to a single line. It will be much more interesting for you to look back on it if all of the pages are different with comments, signatures, and hand drawn pictures.

Don't forget to buy at least one archival pen for your guests to sign with! Archival pens won't bleed thru the page or smudge. You can find one at your local art supply store or even Michaels.

Introducing the Fab Flower Guest Book

2009-07-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, I am totally obsessed with JCrew and recently received their catalog in the mail. I wish I had enough money to buy one of everything! I love it all! I especially love their wedding/event related collection. Their designs are classic, colorful, and gorgeous! I really enjoy their creative designs, they are so whimsical. This tee caught my eye and I love it's free moving fabric petals. JCrew's current fashion lineup gave me inspiration for my new guest book line, called Fab Flower. There are layers of fabric petals, free flowing and whimsical. I've added chiffon silk fabric petals mixed in here and there within the fab flower. To top off the fab flower, I've added Swarovski crystals for the center, of course your choice of Swarovski crystal color.

Red, white, and blue custom guest book

2009-07-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

To get in the mood with the upcoming 4th of July holiday, there's no better way to show your spirit than with a red, white, and blue custom guest book from Lisa's Handmade Boutique! I love this one and the creative use of colors and patterns! Very colorful and modern! I used black and white trellis for the main covers, lizzy circles pond for the spine fabric, custom red satin ribbon, and monogram card! With over 300 fabrics and lux papers to choose from, be original!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Congrats Sara and Drew!

Favor ideas

2009-07-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

The wedding favor has become a tradition in modern times. But it can mean so many things. First, lets start with the history of a wedding favor. I did a little research and found out where wedding favors originated. It all started in France in the 16th century where royalty gave valuable gifts to their wedding guests as momentos. Then in the middle of the 16th century, expensive almonds came to Italy and soon became popular to give to guests at royal weddings. Maybe that's why Jordan almonds are so popular???

In modern times a favor means the same thing, a momento given to guests from the bride and groom, but favors may now mean anything! There are so many options from mass produced favors (not my favorite), edible favors (candy or a recipe food mix), and even usable favors (such as soaps or candles).

Here are a few of my favorite favor ideas:
1. Keep it simple and just do it yourself. Buy decorative boxes or bags, fill with candy, and tie the bag with a nice bow. A favor that everyone will enjoy and your guests won't have to worry about taking home something they are never going to use.
2. Give to your favorite charity. Have cards made up with a note saying that you are making a donation to charity X in their name.
3. Picture frames. Have a Polaroid station at the reception and have couples or families pose in front of the camera and then put that picture in a frame to take home. Or have someone go around with a digital camera and include their photos in their thank you letters for them to put in a frame.

New fabrics that aren't necessarily JUST for kids!

2009-06-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

Many people have been asking for more kid oriented fabrics, so I finally added some to my Shutterfly viewing site! There are some really fun kid's patterns, cool textures including fleece, flannel, and mink plush fabrics! Adults can also use these fabrics for fun events like birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, and bachelorette parties! Mix and match patterns and textures for a creative and unique look!

Custom guest book #6-Swarovski Rhinestone LETTER guest book

2009-06-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful guest book with a very popular swarovski rhinestone letter! Since all of my guest books are handmade, I can create any initial and in any font! Or create a custom scrapbook as a gift with an initial or name in sparkling Swarovski Rhinestones!

This is a luxurious navy blue dupioni silk Swarovski rhinestone LETTER guest book. I used navy blue dupioni silk, ivory satin ribbon, and beautiful Swarovski rhinestones. The swarovski rhinestones are carefully adhered and will not fall off. Perfect as a coffee table book to cherish forever!

Custom guest book #5-blue and orange

2009-06-26T13:30:00.001-07:00

I love weddings and guest books with a lot of color! Especially colors that brides wouldn't usually think to put together like in this case...blue and orange! These colors compliment each other so well and really pop! For this guest book, I used Amy Butler chrysanthemum blue, polka dots tangerine, a custom orange satin ribbon, and a monogram card. Amy Butler's polka dots fabric is very popular as a spine fabric and comes in an array of colors. It's simple, compliments the main fabric, and is classic.

Congrats Brandy and Robin!

Custom guest book #4-Lime, turquoise, and yellow

2009-06-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful cheery guest book that I recently created. I used a new summer fabric called mingling in ice by Anna Maria Horner, apple martini green dupioni silk, a custom yellow satin ribbon, and monogram card with a bright yellow monogram card border.

Congrats Elizabeth and Danny!

custom photo albums for parent wedding gifts

2009-06-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 lovely photo albums that this couple is going to give to their parents as wedding gifts. Photo albums make fabulous gifts that parents can put on their coffee tables that will be cherished forever! This couple's wedding colors are purple and green, so we created 2 photo albums with these colors, but are very different. The first photo album uses beautiful olive silk, creamy silk for the spine, and gold ribbon.

This photo album uses Amy Butler Full bloom moss, the very popular polka dot lime, and beautiful purple satin ribbon. A gorgeous combination!

Congrats Sarah and John!

Pink wedding ideas-ring bearer pillows-from other Etsy sellers

2009-06-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

This pretty ring bearer pillow was handmade by the seller idotakeu on Etsy. I'm into big statements and I just love this big dramatic flower!
This is one of my favorites! Going with the summer flower theme, here is a to-die-for pink ring bearer pillow by seller 5eizen. I love the poofy oversized pink flower!

This is a Dusky baby pink Thai Silk ring pillow with applique and butterfly motifs by the seller karenyee. This ringbearer pillow is simple, yet gorgeous. I love the crystals!

This pink custom embroidered ring bear pillow is beautiful and classy! Your custom monogram can be embroidered on this fancy pillow. Visit http://www.ljoembroidery.com/ for all of this seller's items. After the wedding, this would be a gorgeous addition to your decorative bed pillows!

Polaroid guest books in blue silk and grey damask

2009-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a set of Polaroid guest books for a lucky bride. Silks are becoming more popular and I particularly love this blue silk. It's absolutely gorgeous and I love the texture! This silk is heavy and extremely durable. Any of my silks can be paired with designer fabrics to make a lovely statement! The other Polaroid guest book is covered with gravel flocked luxury paper. This paper is particularly heavy and won't tear easily. I think that some people are worried that if they use luxury paper it will tear and well...look like cheap paper! All of my luxury papers are heavy, very durable, and beautiful! Try it...you'll love it!

Congrats Kate and Adam!

Custom Photo Album with pink and lime

2009-06-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Not only do I create beautiful custom guest books, I also handcraft custom photo albums! My custom photo album's are very unique and won't be found anywhere else, only at http://www.lisashandmadeboutique.com/ and my thru my Etsy store! Buy a photo album just because or pair it with a matching guest book to hold your honeymoon pictures! You will have a nice matching guest book/photo album set! Please contact me for a matching set discount!

This is a custom photo album that I created for a wedding gift for my cousin's recent wedding. I used Amy Butler wildflowers rose (one of my favorites!), pressed flowers rose for the spine, and silky hot pink satin ribbon.

Congratulations Kim and Tyler!

Swarovski crystal guest book with yummy chocolate brown dupioni silk

2009-06-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is an absolutely gorgeous Swarovski crystal guest book that I just finished for a lucky bride to be! I used yummy chocolate brown dupioni silk, crystal colored Swarovski crystals, and a custom monogram card bordered in Tiffany blue. I love..love the way the swarovski crystals catch light and shine in the sunlight!!! I could look at this one for hours! : )

Congratulations Justin and Kathryn! Enjoy!

Custom Guest book #2 with Blue and Cream

2009-06-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is a custom guest book with classy cream silk. It's a dupioni silk, so it's lined texture really gleams in the sunlight. I really enjoyed taking pictures in the sunlight trying to get my camera angle just right! I used Amy Butler peony sky for the front and back cover fabric, creamy dupioni silk for the spine fabric, gold satin ribbon, and a monogram card.

Congratulations Christopher and Jessica! Enjoy!

Custom guest book

2009-06-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful custom guest book that I just carefully finished. I love the chocolate satin bow on this custom guest book, it's luxurious and silky! I used Amy butler polka dot lime for the front and back cover fabric and floating buds sage for the spine fabric. This custom guest book was topped off with chocolate brown satin ribbon tied in a bow and a monogram card. Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations Tyler and Maria!

Lime green and hot pink wedding ideas

2009-06-13T18:49:00.001-07:00

I just got back from being a bridesmaid at my cousin Kim's wedding near Grand Rapids, MI (Pic is below-I'm on the right). The ceremony and reception were at an upscale country club at a golf course. The ceremony was gorgeous and took place underneath a simple white tent for 220 guests. Afterwards, it was up a small hill inside the country club's banquet room for the reception. Their wedding colors were lime green and hot pink. She mixed tall flower centerpieces with smaller square ones mainly filled with colorful gerber daisies and a few others.

My cousin Kim's brother John actually owns a DJ company in Grand Rapids, MI called Dream Productions. If you need a DJ and you are having your wedding in Michigan, you definately need to have him at your wedding! He's experienced, respectful, and really gets your party going! I also had him at my wedding last year. His company is called Dream Productions. If anyone needs more info, please just let me know! http://www.dreamproductionsdj.com/

We had custom bridesmaid dresses made which the bride picked out. They were a beautiful chiffon material and really light and airy. They matched the surroundings really well and popped in the outside ceremony against the green grass. Since the ceremony was outside, the bride gave us sequin platform flipflops to wear so heels wouldn't get stuck in the grass. So having your wedding party wear fancy flipflops is a great alternative for outdoor weddings.

www.lisashandmadeboutique.com is finished!

2009-06-09T19:13:00.001-07:00

So I put my webite building skills to use and created a formal custom handcrafted guest book website, called www.lisashandmadeboutique.com. This website carries the same guest book and photo album items that my Etsy store does, but does not require an Etsy account. Check it out!!

Beautiful two tone silk Polaroid Guest Book

2009-05-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished a beautiful 11x8 landscape silk Polaroid guest book for a lovely bride-to-be. I used a teal/blue dupioni silk for the front and back covers, creamy dupioni silk for the spine, gold satin ribbon, and monogram card. This silk is simply elegant and the two colors compliment each other so nicely! My Etsy store is the only place you will find custom and designer Polaroid guest books that make a statement!

Busy, busy, busy and new additions!

2009-05-28T10:43:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much to all of my brides to be for their June orders! I'm been extremely busy with orders and love all of the original and creative fabrics and ideas of these upcoming guest books! The different wedding color combinations are wonderful and it's great to see such a great use of color!

I've added 2 new guest books to my store! One is an 8x8 guest book with a picture window on the front cover. I love how just the simplest things can simply personalize a guest book! An engagement picture proof or lovely couple picture ready makes this guest book unique! This guest book also has the option of coming with hard to find black pages. Use gel pens in your wedding colors to really make a statement! The other type of guest book is from the Swarovski guest book line. I've actually used individual sparking Swarovski rhinestones for the letter of your choice. The letter can be adhered anywhere on the front cover and you can choose from 30 Swarovski crystal/rhinestone colors!

I'm also very excited to announce that my store is the first to be listed for the Google search "Swarovski crystal guest book"!!! Yeaaaa!!!! Thanks to all who helped make this happen!

I have a new store layout!

2009-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

I streamlined my ETSY store for an easier shopping experience. Along with my new site for viewing fabrics, silks, luxury papers, and sample guest books, people would be able to navigate and better understand what my products are. Sorry if I confused anyone by doing this and please feel free to email me with any questions. All of the same items are available, just in a different way!

Introducing a new site to view designer fabrics, silks, luxury papers, and sample guest books!

2009-05-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Please visit my new site to view all of my available designer fabrics, silks, luxury papers, and sample guest books!
http://lisashandmadeboutique.shutterfly.com/

I have added beautiful luxury papers and more fabrics!

2009-05-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Now you have the option of choosing over 300 designer fabrics, silks, and luxury paper to cover your guest book or album. More options for the same low price! Here are some of my favorites.

How to maintain your guest count

2009-05-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Your event will evolve around your guest counts. As a bride in 2008, I know that it takes a lot of creative thinking and planning to maintain your guest count. You can never make a preliminary guest list too early. I found making an excel spreadsheet was the easiest way to keep track of my guests, but also my guest's contact information (phone number, email address, and home address for invites), the number of people in each family, who's coming in each family, who is having what for dinner, and the gifts I receive from them. I went to this spreadsheet often and found that it was crutial to have to keeping all the correct information in one place. I made one tab for my side and one tab for my fiance's side. The number in your head may not correspond to the reality, so seeing the names either on paper or on a spreadsheet helps keep your guest count in check. It's okay to invite everyone you can think of at first so that you don't leave anyone out. While certain costs such as the church, reception space, music, and wedding dress are fixed costs, items such as centerpieces, food, and beverages change in proportion to the number of guests attending. The difference between 100 and 125 guests is huge! This may mean 2 or 3 more tables, extra table linens, more centerpieces, and basically everything at the reception changes. It is difficult only inviting the people who really matter and it gets even harder when you involve others to help you decide. Set up some parameters upfront before you start asking your inlaws and parents to submit a list of names and/or estimates of the people they would like to see there. After you have received a list from your inlaws and parents add them to your list (deleting replica names) to get a tentitive number of guests. You will get a more realistic idea of the size of your wedding and what your budget can accommodate.Most people will need to narrow down their tentative guest list. Invite only the people that you and your spouse-to-be really would like there. Other ways to limit your guest list are to have single people invite only one guest or date, not invite kids under the age of 13, or even have a cocktail reception instead of a full blown reception. Having a cocktail reception (drinks and finger foods) will allow you invite everyone, but won't do as much damage to your budget. One of the unknowns of wedding or event planning is what your final guest count will be. Some wedding statistics say that you can count on 10 to 20 percent of those invited not to attend. That's the national average, but every situation is different. So, you can't plan on these numbers to be exact. Also, you also have to think about out of state guests. Depending on where they live, they have the highest probability of not attending. I started out with a little over 200 guests that were invited to our wedding in Aug. 2008 and we ended up with about 120 guests that actually attended. So for us, we had about 40% of our guests that were not able to attend due to conflicts and out of staters. You also have to think about when your wedding date is. Expect to have fewer guests if you plan your wedding on holidays and vacation seasons such as spring break and the end of the summer. So, it's almost impossible to predict how many guests will attend your wedding or event. My advice is to play it safe and rent a reception place that can accommodate yout tentative amount of guests. What's nice is that a lot of venders will allow you to book a tentative number of guests with them early and then you can change your guest count closer to your wedding.

How to get discounted but beautiful flowers for your wedding

2009-05-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

You don't have to be a professional wedding planner to get discounted items for your wedding, you just need to be creative. Along with my last post, Getting Wedding Linens for Free, you can also get discounted flowers. I can guarantee that you will save a lot of money, but prepare to work hard. Going through a florist is the best way to get flower arrangements if you don't have any time, but if you buy your flowers online, you can save hundreds of dollars and get exactly what you want. I found http://www.amazonflowers.us/ to be my floral vendor of choice. About 6 months before my wedding, I had my floral scheme semi-planned, with what flowers and colors I wanted and how my centerpieces would look. I ordered enough flowers to make one center piece and was amazed with the quality and color of these columbian flowers. They were absolutely gorgeous! I also was able to make a bouquet after I made a sample center piece and photographed it. I did a google search for how to make a bouquet and it was really easy.

About a month before my wedding I ordered the appropriate number of flowers and asked for them to be ordered 3 days before the wedding. I know that it's a little bit scary to have to rely on a floral internet company and reiving you flowers in time from Columbia, but I had a back up plan if all else fails. Since all of my flowers were roses, I could easily go to Costco to buy all of my flowers. Costco's prices were better than florist's prices, but the online Columbian flowers were better priced than Costco's. I think overall, I ordered about 1,000 roses for about $750. They arrived in tons of flower boxes and I asked my bridesmaids, my mom, and aunt to help me cut the stems, wire the flowers so they wouldn't droop, and tape over the wire with green tape. It was an all day process, but well worth it! I bought square glass vases from Michael's for my center pieces.

How to get tableclothes and chaircovers for your wedding for FREE!!!

2009-05-21T10:39:00.001-07:00

I can really get tableclothes and chaircovers for my wedding for free? Seriously? The answer is yes. It's all about being creative. Here is the way I did it with tableclothes for my wedding last year. I had to have Tiffany blue tableclothes for my wedding. I must have searched every online linen rental company and local linen/event company near my wedding that took place in my hometown of Grand Rapids, MI. Rental prices were okay, but still expensive when you think about additional shipping costs that where like $50 each way and set up prices. Another alternative was to have some friends and/or family set up the linens for me, but nobody had set up linens before or really had the time because they could only get into the reception site a few hours before the wedding and at the same time they needed to get ready to attend the wedding. So, it was time to get creative on a budget. I ended up posting an add on Partypop.com (awesome event website) to see if anyone wanted to buy 20 Tiffany blue tableclothes from me after my wedding. I guess that the Tiffany blue color was more popular than I thought as I was flooded with emails! I was able to find the perfect shade of Tiffany blue at linennstuff.com, except they called it aqua, and because I bought 20, I got a quantity discount. Being the perfectionist and designer that I am, I of course ordered multiple samples of all colors that I thought might be a close match to Tiffany Blue. I found aqua to be the best. I found an event planner that would buy the tableclothes from me, unwashed. I asked for half of the money right away and the other half when she received the tableclothes after the wedding. You can also do this with all other linens and many other items for your wedding. You just need to be creative.

The Tiffany Blue wedding

2009-05-20T12:39:00.001-07:00

Tiffany blue is a hot color for weddings this season, but can be a hard color to find! For my wedding last year, I had Tiffany blue, tones of pink, and a touch of chocolate. I loved the colors and basically any color paired with Tiffany blue really pops! Because I was a designer by trade and a bride by day (and I should say night!) coordinating everything was extremely difficult! I did a lot of my ordering over the internet and then handmade a lot of items for my wedding. Most vendors didn't have the color "Tiffany Blue", but instead variations of seamist, aqua, turquoise, blue mist, sea side had to do. The problem was that one company's aqua was not the same as other's aqua. I didn't want aqua, I wanted Tiffany Blue!!! Any bride that plans a Tiffany Blue wedding will go through this, trust me. Who wants 20 variations of blue called "Tiffany Blue" at her wedding? Tacky!!! Anyways, the best way to deal with getting all of your Tiffany Blue to match up is by getting samples, and tons of them! If you've exhausted all of your options, maybe that particular item needs to be a coordinating color and not Tiffany Blue. For example, I began looking for bridesmaid dresses early in the wedding planning process. I knew from the beginning I wanted tiffany blue, tea length, scrapless and affordable bridesmaid dresses. I wanted the dresses to be classic and here comes the kicker.....drum roll please....to be able to be worn again! The worst thing is to be forced to buy a bridesmaid dress that will be hanging up in your closet FOREVER! After looking at all of my options: looking at all of the bridal stores, department stores, and custom dress stores, I couldn't find a thing in my price range. My goal was to have a $150 limit for the bridesmaids. Instead of the Tiffany Blue dress, I came up with gorgeous dresses from Ann Taylor in a pink silk! Best of all, we got them on sale and they came up to about $130 each. They were stylish, classic, and could be worn again. I highly recommend Ann Taylor celebration dresses, especially if you have bridesmaids that are out of state. It is so easy to order and even return if the sizing doesn't work out. The best is to wait until they have a sale and order all of the dresses at one time. Some of their retail stores have celebration dresses for you to look at and even fabric samples. Love it!

Is Orange the New Black?

2009-05-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Is orange the new black? I've recently received several orders for orange fabric! It's fabulous and totally summer. Think sherbet ice cream...mmmmm...my favorite! There are so many to choose from, but here is one of my favorite orange or sherbet custom guest books.

The Pre-Memorial Day Sale is Here!!!

2009-05-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love wedding season and thanks to my brides-to-be keeping me busy with handcrafting custom guest books! Orders are pouring in and keep'em coming! I just posted a Pre-Memorial day sale where I'm offering $10 off my custom 9x6 guest books, $5 off my 9x6 silk guest books, a free black leather preservation box with the purchase of a 9x6 swarovski crystal guest book, and I reduced all of my shipping prices! Take advantage of my sale while it's here!

Lime is in for Summer Weddings!

2009-05-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lime is the newest freshest color for Summer weddings! You can smell flowers around every corner and listen to the new green leaves sway in the wind. Lime can be seen as far as the eye can see and looks gorgeous paired with bright colors, especially fuchsia! Nowadays, brides are using more color in their weddings. Gone are the days using all whites, ivorys, and neutrals! Color is in and here to stay!!! Think Summer, think lime!

Amy Butler Optic Linen and Yellow Fountains Fabrics...a great combination

2009-05-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

Here is a guest book that I recently finished using Amy Butler Optic Linen and Yellow Fountains fabrics. I love how fresh the optic linen looks, you could go either modern or retro with this pair! This guest book is accented with a luxurious double faced satin ribbon in silver.

New guest book fabric for summer!

2009-05-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

I recently added some designer fabric prints for the summer. I just finished a wedding guest book with Heather Bailey's new pop garden fabric and paired it with Amy Butler's solid banana fabric. I just love this combination! The green satin ribbon really makes the green in the flower pattern pop! Truly a beautiful summer wedding guest book!

New Swarovski Crystal Polaroid Guest Books

2009-05-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to introduce my handcrafted custom Swarovski Crystal Polaroid Guest Books!! I just love the way the crystals sparkle in the light, they are fabulous! To make the Swarovski Crystal Polaroid Guest Book even more fabulous (you didn't think it could get better, huh?) is now you can pick from more than 30 brilliant Swarovski Crystal colors! They are simply gorgeous and will match any wedding colors! You can even mix and match colors!

Polaroid guest books and Polaroid table

2009-05-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

When I got married last August, I had to have a Polaroid Guest Book! The idea of having an unconventional guest book where I could actually look back at pictures of my guests and read the little messages that they wrote was incredible! So, I did my research, as any bride-to-be does, and looked at countless ways to put together a Polaroid guest book for my upcoming wedding. I looked at the already made hardcovered Polaroid guest books, but they were expensive and didn't have enough pages for what I needed. I would have had to buy 2-3 of those Polaroid guest books to have enough pages for my guest's pictures. So, the next idea was to make one. I found a scrapbook and bought tons of pages for it. Next, I had to think of a way to make the Polaroid pictures stick, be durable, and easy for my guests to use. After dinking around with the idea of using photo corners, I decided to use photo sleeves. The photo corners would take too long to put on and there would be some children and guests that wouldn't have the patience for them. Photo sleeves were the best and easiest option. I adhered the photo sleeves vertically so my guests could just slip in their photos and write memoriable messages around them.

At my actual wedding, I had a few young boys take care of my Polaroid guest book station, as I like to call it. As the guests started to filter in for cocktail hour, one of the boys would take a picture of them, tell them about the Polaroid guest book, and then tell them to go over to the Polaroid guest book station and sign by their photo. The Polaroid guest book station was a table with my guest book, our engagement picture, and pictures of my parents and their parents on their wedding day. It turned out really cute and even started conversations with both sides of the family who hadn't met until that day! Almost a year after our wedding, I still love to look at my Polaroid guest book and will for many years to come!

When I started my ETSY store, I know that I needed to include my version of the Polaroid guest book. Even with them being so popular, there was little variety and uniqueness! Along with my traditional designer fabric covered guest books, you also get to choose between 2 of your favorite fabrics in my entire store, double face satin ribbon color, and a free mongoram card. My Polaroid guest books can 50 pages (I can accommodate more or less) and I adhere a 4x6 acid free clear photo sleeve to every other page. The easiest way to see all of my fabrics is to visit my Flickr site:http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehandmadeboutique/

Swarovski Crystal Guest Books are Here!!!

2009-05-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

The newest edition to my custom handcrafted guest books are my Swarovski Crystal guest books!!! I've always loved Swarovski crystals...why not incorporate them into guest books? The crystals absolutely sparkle when light hits their facets. I love this guest book because it's unique....yeah I know the word "unique" gets overused, but this guest book is truly one of a kind! There won't be one bride out there with the same guest book as yours! I use thin clear jewelry or bead cord and then string on the 7mm Swarovski Crystals. I'm in the process of adding more Swarovski crystal colors, so that you can match the Swarovski crystals to your custom guest book fabric and wedding colors! These crystals really pop when matched with my duponi silk fabrics!

I'm proud to say that after listing the custom handcrafted Swarovski crystal guest book the first one was sold within minutes!

Photos From My Wedding

2009-05-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

We had the best DJ in Michigan-my cousin John Becker from Dream Productions!!!

A snapshot of the reception dinner menu and the white M&M and Hersey Kisses Favors

My wonderful new husband and I

Our beautiful cake

I surprised my new husband with a horse and carriage ride to our hotel at the end of the night!

This is the Polaroid guest book table that was set up. It included our engagement picture and pictures of my parents, his parents, and their parents pictures. It was really fun to look at!

One of the flower arrangements that we made

About Me: The Crafty Bride and Her Wedding

2009-05-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Lisa and I have a store on ETSY.com called The Handmade Boutique. I was a bride last August and have been obsessed with weddings ever since! I guess that I can't let all of that research and frustration about finding the perfect shade of Tiffany blue go to waste now!!! I got engaged under the brillant light of colorful fireworks on July 4, 2007 in Biloxi, MS. My fiance (at that time) and I were vacationing in Biloxi because he loves his casinos! I like casinos too, but I think that I like the nearby outlet stores more (don't tell)! Well, I had about a year to plan a desination wedding for about 200 guests. Easy, right? Well no. Once a bride-to-be enters the wedding planning world, it's total overload!

So where does a bride start? To put a twist on this fairytale beginning, we had a smaller budget than most "Whose Wedding is it Anyways" TV show weddings, about $20,000. I was totally addicted to that Whose Weddings is it Anyways show as most brides are. It sucks you in and gives you a a false pretense of what a wedding is supposed to be and how much it should cost. It almost makes a bride feel bad because she can't have what that bride is having. I shouldn't have watched that show, but then again I got a few ideas to use at my own wedding. Aside from wedding shows, I absolutely loved the wedding magazines! I would make special trips to the grocery store to get the latest one. I probably bought 50 of them throughout my wedding planning process.

Most girls dream of what their wedding is going to be like....not me. I had no idea and didn't have a hope chest filled with items that I had already bought throughout the years. Early in the process I fell in love with Tiffany blue and pink tones. I went with it and there was the theme for my wedding, Tiffany elegance. My inspiration came from a Martha's Stewart wedding magazine where her and her readers chose a coupon and planned their wedding. They also had a Tiffany blue wedding. I probably read that magazine article 500 times looking to see what I could incorporate into my wedding. Unfortunately, most of the items were out of my reach (budget wise) and the only way to get the wedding I wanted was to handcraft most of it myself! Now, I have an architecture background and have loved handmaking things from day one. I loved making mother's day and father's day gifts as a child and still try to be a creative gift giver today, but handcrafting an entire wedding by myself was something else. I read the best book that I could have read and I highly recommend it "Wedding Planning for Dummies." I know it's a cliche, but it was the single most helpful wedding resource for someone that didn't know much about planning a wedding.

During my year of busy wedding planning and having a full time architecture career, I managed to plan the best wedding I could. I made our save the date cards, invitations, church programs, reception menus, favors, reception card/gift box, Polaroid guest book, reception video, and I even ordered all of my flowers online and had a group of people come over 2 days before the wedding to put together flower arrangements. I'm most proud of myself when it comes to the flower budget. I decided on all roses for the wedding and found a wholesaler from Columbia with cheap online pricing and good recommendations. About 6 months before the wedding, I ordered a small amount of the flowers I wanted to make sample flower arrangements. It worked out perfectly! All in all, I had about 1000 roses at my wedding and it costed me under $1000 including all the glass vases, small pails of flowers for the church pews, the bouquets...well everything! I've seen plenty of Whose Wedding is it Anyways shows where the brides would pay up to $10,000!!! I was also very creative when it came to the linens. We rented out a banquet hall overlooking the Grand River in Grand Rapids, MI. They offered square tablecloths for round tables and ugly maroon banquet chairs! Being a perfectionist and a designer, I knew that wasn't acceptable to me. I hit the jackpot when I found a lady willing to install white chair covers for me for $2 a piece (including a sash) and take them down the day after the wedding. I did so much chair cover research, I could have written a book! All of the big companies were not local, would charge for shipping, and I would have to find someone to install and take them down. This lady turned out to be awesome and had great communication throughout the process. As far as the tablecloths, I was able to find round Tiffany Blue tablecloths (the perfect shade of Tiffany blue!!!), but they were for sale and not for rent. I ended up going on Partypop.com (another awesome wedding website!) and posted an ad to see if anyone wanted to buy them from me after my wedding. I found a party planner who was willing to give me half of the money then and the rest after she received them. So, I got the perfect tablecloths and didn't even have to wash them afterwards! So, you just have to be creative to get what you want!

Anyways, to make a long story short, I have no regrets about my wedding and I loved every minute of it. I was happy with how everything turned out and guests still talk about it. The moral of this story is that your guests will appreciate all of the small details and planning efforts put into your wedding. It doesn't matter if you have the smallest budget, if you put your blood, sweat, and tears into your wedding, it'll show.