Wedding Wednesday: Illustrated Menus!

You know me, I am always looking for ways to add a bit of 'oomph' to the little details, and when you are seating a group of loved ones on your big day after your heartfelt 'I do's', it seems everyone is always ravenous!

So how do you break the ice with a round of guests who don't know each other and get them talking?  Well, bring up the delicious food that is coming their way with a fun menu card, that's how!  I love color and a bit of whimsy of course, but you can also keep things elegant with classy graphics & calligraphy font too!

Take a look at this array of examples, there is sure to be something here to get those gears a-turning . . .

(via images from Jean-Pierre Gary and Kiera Ormut-Fleishman)

Whimsical fun . . .

(via In the Treehouse) 

(menu by Merry Maps) 

(via Martha Stewart) 

(image from  Regina Volpi Baerwalde) 

(image from Meg Perotti) 

A 'Where the Wild Things Are' inspired shoot . . .

(above two photos courtesy of By Ksenia)

Beautiful & beachy . . .

(courtesy of One Plus One Design) 

 (courtesy of Yellow Owl Workshop)

(from The Knot)

One for the littles . . .

(from Pink Orchid Weddings) 

How about a little fun?

(from Oh Lovely Day) 

 (via Thayer Allyson Gowdy )

And I saved my favorite for last; this menu card can let your server know which options your guests have picked for dinner . . . brilliant!!

(via Heidi Ryder Photography)

What a great way to keep the theme & colors of your wedding carried right on through to your meal time!  Go ahead and get creative . . . this is the part of your big day where the REAL party starts, after all!

Fancy Frill Balloons (Geranimo Style!) . . .

(via BHLDN)

All good things are eventually unavoidable and you've seen these lovelies floating around for awhile now.  A delightful combination of two very good things married together in celebratory bliss, Geranimo balloons just scream 'fabulous party' and turn the ordinary, ho-hum poppers into works of art!

But while stunning, these suckers can run you a small fortune, so if you are a nifty DIYer, we thought we would share this little tutorial with you, so you can put together a few all of your own!  First, a bit of inspiration . . .

(image via The Collection Event Studio)

(photo courtesy of Juliet Cardon)

(via My Green Stork)

(photo courtesy of Green Wedding Shoes)

(image courtesy of Bridal Musings)

(photo via Paisley Petal Events)

If you don't have time to whip these up on your own or your budget is not an issue, you can purchase these ready made and custom designed right here: Geranimo Balloons

Or you can save a little cash, roll-up your sleeves, and get started on your own, with this clever little tutorial from Blue-Eyed Yonder . . .

FANCY-FRILL BALLOONS

Supplies You Will Need: 

(Makes 5 balloon streamers) 

~ Big, Round Balloons (36 inch round) 

~ 1 metal key ring

~ 1 metallic gold door curtain (Found at Party City, similar to this)

~ 1 package metallic Christmas tinsel garland (Found at Hobby Lobby)

~ Tissue paper fringes, paper hearts & other miscellaneous trimmings...

(How to make Tissue Tassels: via Mint Love Social Club)

Directions:

Basic Summary: To make these streamers, all of the foil, tissue paper, trimmings, etc. are tied to a metal key ring that is then secured to the base of a 36″ balloon.

1.)  Start by tying a string to the key ring and hanging it from the ceiling. Adjust the height of the key ring so that it is similar in height to where you want the base of the balloon to be. (This way, you can build your streamers without having to hold they key ring and it will allow you to adjust the lengths of your streamer material accordingly.)

2.) Attach the metallic gold door curtain to the key ring first. The metallic gold curtain is key in this project. It will give you that beautiful “puddling” effect at the floor that is so indicative of the Geronimo balloons. Begin by laying the curtain out on the floor and cutting it into 5 equal pieces, lengthwise. You should end up with 5 – 8′ sections. Feed the top portion of the curtain through the key ring and secure with ribbon. 

3.) Once the gold curtain is secured to the key ring, the rest is pure imagination. There really is no right or wrong way to decorate the streamer. If you can tie it to the key ring, then chances are you can add it to the streamer. (Just be careful that the decor doesn’t get too heavy. Too much weight could cause the balloon to droop.)

(This example includes pieces of metallic Christmas tinsel with a wire center, with the wire wrapped around the metal key ring.  Cut out paper hearts are glued to a long, pink ribbon and tied to the key ring along with different style tissue paper tassels attached to ribbon as well.)

4.) Once you are satisfied with the look of the streamer, use a piece of curling ribbon to tie the metal key ring to the base of the balloon. Make sure the balloon is weighted down enough so it won’t float away. These balloons hold tons of helium and most likely will need something kind of heavy to hold them down.  Voila!!

Simple as can be and you can go on and get as creative as you want!!  Think of the fun you will have searching out ribbons, streamers, paper butterflies . . .

The options are endless!  Basically any theme that matches your party can be incorporated into the the 'frills' of these fantastic floaters, so go ahead and get crazy with it!  Happy Thursday!!

Wedding Wednesday: The Sweetest Little Flower Girl & Ring Bearer Announcements:)

I am loving this adorable trend that is growing more popular by the minute at weddings everywhere; brides & grooms tossing up the idea of the more traditional scattering of flower petals and using pretty announcement signs for their flower girls & ring bearers instead.

Less messy, super sweet, and an open doorway to endless creativity, these signs make absolutely terrific props for your wedding photos also ~ so basically, you can have your cake and eat it too!

And for the trip back down the aisle . . .

These signs are the perfect way to announce the newlyweds as they make their first stroll as husband & wife, don't you think?  You can either have a trusty adult all prepped for the sign exchange sitting in the front row, or make the banner double-sided, if your littlest wedding party members are old enough to understand.

I just adore the thought of an 'Introducing, Mr. & Mrs' sign too!  Need a custom one to match your wedding?  Well, just send us a message to the Juneberry Etsy shop and we will be sure to whip you up a printable PDF file that you can put together yourself for a fraction of the cost!

It certainly has been awhile since we had a 'Wedding Wednesday'....we definitely won't be staying away so long again :)

Wedding Wednesday: A Trend on the Rise . . . Goodnight Stations!!

One wedding trend that is still going strong and is not about to go away any time soon is a 'Goodnight Station'.  And it is obvious why these sweet little touches are making such a hit at weddings everywhere!  I mean, what a wonderful way to send your tired guests off in style than with a special treat to re-energize them for the ride home?  

You can make your big day amazing from start to finish by customizing your send-off table to fit the style of your event too!  Having a summer wedding?  Why not do a smoothie-to-go bar, chocolate-covered strawberries, or a scoop of old-fashioned ice cream?

For those steamy summer nights, a popsicle bar would be just the thing to cool everyone down after a wild night of dancing . . .

Or even ice cream sandwiches!

Mini-apple fritters, hot-spiced cider, or candy/caramel apples would be the perfect to-go snack for an Autumn affair . . .

And a winter wonderland would wrap up quite nicely with egg nog, peppermint mochas, or a toasty cup of hot cocoa to-go.

Having a reception at night and plan on extending the party to the wee hours?  Why not send your nearest & dearest home with a copy of the Sunday paper, a steaming cup of joe, and a delicious donut, tasty muffin, or fresh bagel with cream cheese?   

Cinnamon Buns-on-a-Stick would work out quite nicely as well . . .

And I am loving this little tag to dress it all up . . . 

And go ahead and throw in some chamomile tea for the late-night, caffeine-wary if you like!  But nothing says 'Bedtime Snack' or 'Midnight Snack' like your tried and true milk & cookies . . .

And just in case you are planning an afternoon soirée, you can change things up a bit with a 'See You Later!' sign or a 'Good Day!' banner on the table; and all of this can be custom-designed by Juneberry Lane to tie-in perfectly with your color scheme & type of event, of course:)

Placing a fun table right at the exit to thank your guests for spending their whole evening with you is quite an unforgettable touch, don't you think?  Who knew goodbyes could be so very sweet . . .