Do-It-Yourself Wedding Projects

These place card trees are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The best part though, is that they are made using really accessible materials and supplies. Too cute for words…

How to make the Placecard Tree…

For the placecards:

I used Stardream metallic cover stock in quartz that I purchased from http://www.paper-papers.com/. I designed a simple layout on MS Word, and used the font Murray Hill to write each person’s name on the placecard. I then printed them on a Dell Laser printer (printing on Stardream cover stock can be tricky!). I made them so they would fold over, so we could glue the fringe and ribbon inside without it looking ugly on the back.
I used a bone folder to fold my printed placecards in half, so I could cut two slits in the top folded area, to slip my ribbon through and glued it to the inside of the card. I used beaded fringe for the dangling crystals, it was easier to work with than individual crystals and you couldn’t tell once you glued it inside. It looked like this but I purchased it at Home Fabrics in Downtown Los Angeles. I cut the fringe so it had 5 crystals and then glued it to the inside bottom and then pressed the folded placecard shut to hold the fringe in place.  

For the actual trees:

We bought manzanita branches at a place called Wasabi Green in downtown LA, but I know you can order them online at:

http://www.nettletonhollow.com/manzanita.html

We created some bases out of wood, in a trapezoid shape, which we then covered with the light shantung fabric, adding the fabric was a little hard, we started off by using fabric glue and then also cutting and sewing parts of it, so that the ends would sit taut on the trapezoidal base. We the glued on a 1 1/2 inch brown satin ribbon and the rhinestone buckle. We secured the branches in the tree with expanding foam and anchored them with some heavier rocks, so they wouldn’t topple over. We then covered the top of all that mess with some moss so it would look pretty on top.

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I have received a fortune or two at weddings, and yet they never fail to make me smile. These custom fortunes are such a cute way to add a little personality and whimsy into your affair…

Instructions on the fortune cookies from the designer…

The cookies were personalized with messages of our choosing and came individually wrapped. I found them on this website http://www.specialfortunecookies.com. They were reasonably priced and service was great. I would recommend them to anyone.

Using Wilton’s clear mini treat bags, crinkle shred craft paper, and raffia, we wrapped up the cookies and it made for a cute little presentation. And as you can see by the pictures, this can be easily changed to fit the wedding party’s color {my colors were greens and chocolate brown}. It is simple, elegant enough and very inexpensive when having to consider quantity.