Life's A Picnic
Our ceremony and reception was designed to veer away from the classic, over-commercialized notion of weddings. Instead, we chose to take a few basic, recognizable American wedding traditions and mash them up with an international, earthy pastime. The idea is simple- everything, even the ceremony, is done as a picnic. That means blankets, pillows, packable foods and refreshing drinks. Add in simple games, music and plenty of opportunities for people to express themselves and we get a laid-back celebration. Scroll down for more details about our DIY projects and fun-filled activity stations.
We'll be using comforters (more cushy than plain blankets) and vinyl shower curtains to make dozens of waterproof picnic blankets. We'll be re-covering unwanted throw pillows and floor cushions for extra comfort. To bring everything together, we're seeking out 100% cotton patterned and solid-colored bed sheets, cloth napkins and fabric remnants in our colors. See our wish list of materials.
We don't want to just feed our guests; we want to encourage them to try something new. Our expand-your-mind gourmet, self-serve buffet will start with a build-your-own sandwich station complete with artisan breads, upscale meats and cheeses, noteworthy spreads and toppings that run the gamut from sweet to savory. Adding to that will be a crisp, green salad bar with heart-healthy toppings and fresh dressings, and delectable, homemade cold drinks. Our wedding party will be asked to delve into our ingredients list to provide our guests with their choice sandwich blueprint, which will be displayed on the table for those who are stumped. Think you know a delicious cold sandwich or salad combination? Submit your idea using our contact form.
Tea is one of our favorite drinks and something that we’ve become connoisseurs of, so we’d love to share it with our guests. We hope to provide guests with a take-home tea station. We’ll put out jars of loose tea, pre-bagged tea and homemade, reusable cloth tea bags so guests can choose some tea to take home (instructions from Merriment Design). See our wish list of requested reusable items.
We'll be reusing unwanted plates, platters, silverware and mugs. The idea is to have a colorful display. See our wish list of reusable items.
Reused mugs will be used for drinks and taken home by guests as favors. We’ll use chalkboard paint to create space for each person to label and decorate their mug (check out this great tutorial). We’ll also tuck in a list of post-wedding suggestions on various earth-friendly ways to use them (pencils/ paperclip holder, starting an indoor herb garden, etc.). See our wish list of reusable items.
The bride and friends are going to make a cloth and button flowers (a bouquet for the bride and wrist corsages/hair bands/hair clips for the other ladies). The flowers pictured here, available at the Milkpod Sutdio store on Esty.com, are a wonderful example. See our wish list of materials and supplies.
The guys will make their own guitar pick boutonnieres. This and other musical touches will highlight the groom’s history. See our wish list of materials and supplies.
We’re hoping to create an edible garden (think candy buffet meets forest floor motif) with a tree stump cake as the centerpiece. Because the garden will offer many different sweet delights, we’re won’t have to make a huge cake.
Using sheet music and comic strips, we’ll make these birds and butterflies to hang above our dance floor. Check out our spin- magazine butterflies! See our wish list of materials and supplies.
We’ll provide homemade cloth napkins by recycling old bedsheets, table cloths and other similar materials. We’ll be using this great tutorial from The Purl Bee and this DIY bias tape making tutorial from Creative Little Daisy.
We’ll be using old pillow cases to create reusable grocery totes for our guests to take home. The best tutorial we found is on Spider Woman Knits. However, we may take a slice from this version from Jordynn Mackenzie’s blog and add a strap and snap.
To light up the evening and keep away bugs, we’ll make citronella soy candles using baby food jars. For a personal touch, we’ll print photos (from our relationship, of our parents and our wedding party) on clear labels and attach them to the outside of the jars so that they’ll light up at night.
We’re going to create a photo station complete with hanging frame, camera and fun photo accessories (like silly hats and glasses).
Rather than the typical guest book, we’ll offer postage-paid postcards from all over the world for guests to write their well wishes on. After the wedding, a few key friends will split up the stack and mail us a few postcards each month until our one year anniversary.
We’ll be using vellum and this basic concept to create fall leaf light covers for the Christmas lights that we’ll string up between the trees that line the park. The best tutorial we found is on Apartment Therapy.
We’re hoping to host a live band to play original music and possibly great covers. We’ll have iPod band breaks to keep the music going and guests will be invited to hop on stage and sing with the band. Guests can offer song suggestions using the form below. Know a band that might be interested in auditioning? Refer them using our contact form.
Music Suggestions - Send us your song suggestions here.
Thank you, your message has been sent