Meet Our Vendors: The Tasting Room!

This year at Wed By Hand, we're debuting something new and completely fabulous: a tasting room! The Wed By Hand will feature local, artisan and DIY options for your wedding day--all from really fantastic companies! What's even better? You get to sample food from all of these companies right at the show--for free! With your admission to the show, you'll not only get to meet these vendors but also taste their delectable goodies. It'll be a truly scrumptious destination at the show on Saturday! A preview of the companies that will be there:

Auntie Loo Weddings

With a Bachelor of Science in Animal Behaviour, Miss Kate of Auntie Loo Weddings never thought she would end up making and decorating wedding cakes. After a few unlucky turns and some fortuitous sugar flower classes and after having taught herself the basics, Miss Kate is now running the wedding cake department of Ottawa’s unique egg, dairy, and gluten free bakery. Drawing on colour swatches, fabrics, themes, and images, Miss Kate works closely with couples to create unique and custom cakes. Emphasis on unique, because as a rule, Kate says “I never duplicate my own or other peoples’ work. I think every cake should be as individual as the couple.” This means that even traditional or simple wedding cakes should be different and certainly unique to the couple; Miss Kate encourages couples to go for designs that are special to them.

DAVIDsTEA
In the past few years, signature cocktails and dessert bars have become all the rage in the wedding world. If you're looking for a different way to add a unique splash to your wedding, adding a tea bar might be the way for you to go. DAVIDsTEA will be on hand at Wed By Hand to teach you how to create a DIY Tea Bar and let you sample some of their delicious teas. Yum!

Honey Pie Hives & Herbals

Hailing from Prince Edward County, Honey Pie Hives & Herbals, combines beeswax and propolis with organic herbs to make natural and healthful products. The small farm-based business offers small jars of honey and bars of soap, delightfully adorned with hand-drawn labels, inspired by vintage labels and catalogues, as wedding favors. They also offer gift baskets for members of the wedding party. With years of experience making favors, “many people choose our little jars of honey since it has so much romantic appeal – a natural sweet made from the nectar of flowers, it is the essence of love itself.” 

The Candy Store
Hoping to put together a gorgeous candy bar for your wedding but not sure how to do it? The folks from Ottawa's The Candy Store will be on hand with a lovely display and will teach you how to DIY your own candy bar. You'll learn how to create a feast for your guests' eyes and tummies on your wedding day!

Carolina's Box of Goodness

Does the idea of Brazilian family recipes paired with traditional French baking techniques get your mouth watering? Carolina’s Box of Goodness cooks up handmade artisan brownies and custom celebration and wedding cakes for special events. What sets them apart? They “use only the finest ingredients, such as premium Belgian chocolate, Grade AA Canadian butter, Ontario eggs and Madagascar bourbon vanilla, and everything is baked entirely from scratch. The cakes and brownies are also always handmade and baked to order – this means that each order suits the individual client, while ensuring freshness. Unique recipes and the use of local ingredients and packaging in order to support the community remain close to heart at Carolina’s.

Sweet! Cupcakes

Feeling like you need a playful dose of luxury in your wedding? Look no further – that’s exactly what Sweet! aims to bring to your wedding. The Rockland based online business specializes in cupcakes, mini cupcakes, and cake pops. In order to ensure complete customer satisfaction, Sweet! provides consultations while building a relationship with customers, handcrafting every single aspect of their products. Everything can be customized, flavors, colors, and garnishes, so that your perfect wedding vision comes together. The flavors are bold and rich, importing their own products from places like Belgium and Hawaii, while also using local produce and basing flavors on what is seasonally available.

Morsel Desserts

With a lifetime of experience baking with her mother, grandmother, and other women of her extended family, it was a no brainer for Robin Coull to make a career of it. And so, Morsel was born. The homemade dessert line features gorgeous cupcakes, with recipes that change with the seasons, perfect for your memorable occasions. Continuously grateful to be part of the happiest day in a couple’s life, Robin Coull can’t help but smile throughout the entire process. Inspired by fellow bakers and recipes collected from many countries travelled, her best advice is not to “over complicate things, the main thing you want your wedding to be is fun for you and your guests.”

Havana Cafe & Catering
Havana Cafe, a wonderful Cuban cafe in Old Ottawa South, offers catering for those who want a little spicy flair. The fusion of traditional flavours with the artistic presentation of the plates here at Havana have a create authentic dining experience. Oslaide Guerra, the owner and chef, has over 15 years in the food and hospitality industry will delight your taste buds with his passion for cooking. If you're looking for something fresh, unique and deliciously refined, you will definitely want to stop by their table in the tasting room on Saturday!

How To Tuesday: Elegant Chair Covers DIY

I would like to thank my friend Laura for this great and simple idea to make a great contribution to your wedding decor. Chair covers are something that can so easily be forgotten. You may have ones already provided in a simple white or black colour from the venue but what about adding your own little pizzaz to tie the whole theme together.

Chair covers are a quick and easy way to add a sparkle and glam to the table setting. They’re a fun way to show your personality and there are many different ways to make them. It’s a good idea to use your theme color palette in order to ensure consistency. Chair covers instantly transform boring reception chairs into luxurious thrones for your guests to sit comfortably in. Most chair covers are inexpensive as well, ranging from $3-8 each. 

First you’ll have to choose which type of fabric to be the cover. There are many different types such as: spandex fitted, loose drop, and self-tie covers. It all depends on the overall look you want to achieve.
Once a fabric has been chosen, choose a color. Most wedding chair covers are white or black so the accent piece will show better. 

Once the fabric and color have been chosen, there are many ways of placing the cover over the chairs, depending on which type of cover.
The spandex fitted and loose drop covers are easiest to place onto chairs because they are made to fit the chair. The self-tie covers require an extra step of tying the cover onto the chair but create an interesting look. 

The next step is to add an accent piece to the upper half of the chair. This can be a sash, bow, puff, ties, pearls, flowers, crystals, feathers, etc. The accent piece depends on the overall look you want.
There you have it, inexpensive, luxurious and glam chair covers to spruce up your wedding at a lost cost.

How To Tuesday: Flowers

The centerpiece: most times beautiful, sometimes awful, always a conversation starter. One thing you don’t want it to be is expensive. Today we’ll show you how to create an elegant, simple and classy centerpiece for your wedding.

Begin by gathering a few materials:

·       Shallow dish, found here

·       Soaped floral foam, found here

·       5-7 hydrangeas (found in grocery stores and floral shops)

·       Scissors

·       5-6 pink medium sized roses (found in grocery stores and floral shops)

·       Pearls, found here, and here

·       Crystal pins, found here

Once you’ve found the materials you can get started on creating your one-of-a-kind wedding centerpiece.
Begin with the dish. Make sure it is freshly cleaned in order to ensure a glossy finish. Fill the dish with floral foam and water.
Cut off each hydrangea flower and place them around the edge of the dish into the oasis. Make sure the hydrangeas are covering the edges of the dish and that the floral foam is invisible.
Next, place some roses in the center. Cut them with a knife or scissors and at a slant. Fill the remaining foam with roses until the piece looks full.
Add some finishing touches such as pearls around the flowers and/or crystals into the center of the roses.

There you have it, an elegant centerpiece that is sure to please and get your guests talking.
To view a video of this piece in production, click here.

Tips & Tricks Thursday: Flowers!

When you visualize your wedding, do you see flowers in a bouquet, boutonniere or centre-piece? Include flowers when you're thinking about colour schemes and the general feel of the event.

I want real flowers.

There are several things that you may want to keep in mind if you will be incorporating flowers into your event:

• Time of year: find companies that support local growers such as full bloom floral design (Erin of full bloom will have a workshop at Wed By Hand on DIY flowers) or research flowers that are in-season at the time of your wedding.
• Colours that will surround you, such as those at your wedding facilities or those worn by you, your partner, and other significant people (eg. bridesmaids/groomsmen).
• Surrounding conditions, such as temperature, humidity, wind, chance of precipitation, combined with the length of your event can affect how well your flowers keep throughout the day.
• For bouquet/boutonniere: the size and shape, relative to the person carrying or wearing it, as well as any sensitivities or allergies.
• Environmental effects: if you're interested in organic flowers in Ottawa, one option may be the Collective Conscience.

Just as with other aspects of a wedding, you can go completely the DIY route (see here and here for helpful instructions and photos) or you can work with floral designers, such as blumenstudio or Sparrow Floral. If you'll be hiring a professional, start researching companies and prices when you start planning your wedding.

There are alternatives to the typical floral bouquet. You can carry a single stem of your favourite flower or you can have a wildflower or evergreen bouquet. When you're securing the bouquet together, consider using a biodegradable ribbon instead of wire.

Again, working with flowers that are appropriate for the season and the surroundings at your event (eg. will it be humid or windy?) will make caring for your flowers easier. See here and here for some guidance on caring for your flowers before the wedding. For your centrepiece, old mason jars, vintage vases, or cans make great recycled vases.

Remember to compost your flowers after the event or put them in your green bin. Your bouquet can also make for a great keepsake; you can try to dry them or preserve them yourself, or hire a professional service to do it.

I don't want real flowers.

There are many alternatives to the traditional floral bouquet.

Historically, herbs and spices were used with or instead of flowers. These can be carried as your bouquet or made into boutonnieres, adding a pleasant smell to your wedding; just make sure that nobody is sensitive to the scent.

Bouquets can also be made up of items such as silk flowers, candy, buttons, jewellery, or candles. You can also make flowers from a variety of materials, including origami (see here for an example), tissue paper, cupcake liners, and yarn and paper. See here and here for bouquet alternatives, or check out bouquets on Etsy. Making your own bouquet or arrangements can be time-intensive, so if you go this route, leave yourself plenty of time to practice making the flowers - and making enough flowers - before your wedding.

For the centrepiece, consider using live plants, including potted herbs, instead of cut flowers.

Alternative to the Bouquet Toss?

The typical bouquet toss involves calling out all of the single ladies at your wedding and tossing your bouquet in their direction, with the idea that the lady who catches the bouquet will be the next to be married.

If you're looking for an alternative to this traditional bouquet toss, you can consider honoring someone at your wedding with your bouquet like the longest married couple, the next couple getting married, or a special person.

Welcome to Flower Week!

I am so excited for this week, ladies & gents! We've reached flower week, and florals are one of my absolute favorite things about weddings. Over the past year or so, Ottawa has literally blossomed with new indie floral businesses and we are so excited to showcase their truly distinct and unique styles with you at Wed By Hand.

As you'll see, we have three unique floral companies joining us this year for Wed By Hand--each with their own signature style. And I think you'll see that the ladies who own these companies will show you how to put together flowers that really reflect your style and your wedding theme--whether you're going for something ultra modern or something super rustic and vintage-inspired.

Throughout the week we'll not only introduce you to the vendors that we'll have on hand for Wed By Hand, but also give you tips for how you can use flowers in unique and interesting ways to accent your special day!

Tips & Tricks Thursday: Papers and Envelopes and Websites, Oh My!

You've booked your venue for a certain date and time. Now it's time to let your friends and family know!

Save the Dates?

There are a few scenarios where save-the-date cards are particularly helpful and allow guests to make plans accordingly:

• Guests are travelling from out-of-town and moreso, out-of-country.
• Guests who may need extra time to make arrangements.
• Destination weddings.

There are various options for save-the-dates, including cards, postcards, or magnets. Key information that should be on every save-the-date is: the date, the location, and an indication that a formal invitation is to come.

The Look

The invitation is the first taste that guests will have of your wedding. Invites are a great way to start incorporating the theme, colour scheme or other important components of your wedding. With wedding invitations, you can be as hands on or as hands off as you desire (or have time for!).

• There are many companies that help you create personalized cards or postcards, such as Wedding Paper Divas (based in California) or Six. modern paper goods (based in Almonte).
• Check out theknot.com's 25 Unexpected Invite Ideas You'll Love for some alternative invite inspiration.
• Use a designer to create an image or design that reflects you and yours.
• Select paper and envelopes that reflect you and yours; recycled paper, handmade paper, plantable seeded paper...there are many options!
• Visit local stationery stores such as the Papery (850 Bank St) or the Paper Papier (18 Clarence St) to see stationery options if you're interested in making your invites from scratch.

Online Presence

One key thing to keep in mind as you prepare your invitations is to not include too much information. Nowadays, it's quite popular and convenient to have a wedding website that will give your guests all of the information that you want to share with them but couldn't include on your paper invites. There are many free wedding websites such as theknot.com, many premium wedding websites, or free blogs that can double as wedding websites. See here for ideas on content for your wedding website.

The Content

No matter what type of celebration you're planning, there are a few key details that should be included in any invitation:

• The date and location of venue(s) (if you have a lot of out-of-town guests, it may be helpful to include a map of the area)'
• Basic overview of times: for the ceremony, cocktails, receptions, tea ceremony, apres-wedding lunch, etc. (if people are expected to be somewhere at a certain time, include it).
• Any RSVP information that you need for coordinating the logistics of the day such as the number of guests and meal choices, as well as a RSVP deadline.

Some things to consider when you're thinking about the wording and content of your invites:

• Here is some info on wedding invitation wording and an invitation wording wizard tool to select something to reflect your family situation.
• Proofread your invite for grammar, spelling, and typos.
• There are different ways to word your response card. See here, here, and here for ideas.

For response cards, make it easy for your guests by pre-addressing and stamping the return envelope, including your contact information should they have any questions, and making it clear what information you need. Small details can really help you out, as Danielle of Six Modern Paper Goods points out:

Write numbers on the back of your RSVPs and keep track of who you sent each number to - It's amazing how many people forget to write their names on the reply card!

From Here to There

Typically, the outer envelope is addressed formally; see here for some examples. You can use a personalized seal or sticker on the back of the envelope for a nice finishing touch. A great tip from Vincent of Everlovin' Press:

For a special touch, get your own personalized stamps made for mailing those invites out.

You can also create personalized postcards with Canada Post; their pricing includes printed postcards and delivery anywhere in the world.

If you'll be mailing your invitations, don't find yourself underpaying on the postage, just thinking that a standard stamp will cover the cost; your envelopes could be returned to you up to several weeks later with an 'insufficient postage' stamp on it...probably not the look you were going for!

To avoid this, take one stuffed envelope to Canada Post and have it weighed so that you know how much it'll cost; currently with Canada Post, the standard postage is for letters up to 30g. There are also size requirements for standard letters. Rectangular envelopes are cheaper to send than square ones. Thick envelopes may cost more to send. If you'd likely to specially select the stamp design without having personalized stamps made, Canada Post has a wide variety of stamps available for sale.

Keeping Track

Having a spreadsheet to keep track of information such as who you've invited, what number their invitation has, who has responded, and what their meal choices are will help you determine things like who you need to follow up with. A spreadsheet is also more easily searchable than a text-based document.

Workshop Wednesday: DIY Wedding Invitations

Invitations week has arrived, and the talented Danielle Wojtyniak is going to be hosting a workshop that will take the stress right out of this top-of-the-list wedding task.  As invitations are one of the first things that go out and are intended to reflect the style and vision of the wedding to come, many Brides and Grooms fret about them; what to include, what size, style and paper to use.  Well, the answer is here from Six Modern Paper Goods based in Almonte, and Danielle who will be showing us how to DIY our perfect invites.

Danielle will be providing us with an overview of printing methods, a list of materials required, such as a knife and a ruler.  She’ll be giving us a list of local and online resources for supplies, including paper, printing and envelopes.  And she’ll also be offering us ideas of the different DIY strategies you can take, such as design and print your own, buy a design and print at home and buy a design and have it printed.

There will be example invitations, printed on a home inkjet printer, for us to browse and compare to professionally printed invites, and Danielle will demonstrate the ever so daunting cutting and folding techniques that will turn you into an expert.  So dig out your favourite exacto knife, buy some extra colour cartridges for your printer, and get ready to DIY some fabulous invites that you can give yourself a pat on the back for.

How to Tuesday: Invitations and Paper

There are so many things to be sent out, mailed and made for the big day. Whether you are a crafty bride with everything DIY, want to help out with the design and get your creative minds flowing or just want to choose a great theme, there are different ways to get involved with paper made goods.

1. The Craft Maven

Supplies

Card stock

Envelopes

A tutorial of your desire or your own creative idea

(ribbon, paint, stamp press letters and so forth.)

OR... a crafty computer generated design on InDesign or like software.

A team of hands to get your invitations made and on the road

Your a craft maven, if we gave you directions on what to do you would taken them and run with the wind... making invitations is what you were born to do. But if you want somewhere to start, here are a few ideas....

http://www.inspiredbrides.com/

http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/diy-wedding-invitation-kits.htm

http://www.etsy.com/shop/idoityourself

2. Creative chaos without the mess

Supplies

A internet ready device for online shopping (Stop, do not pass go, do not go to Ebay.)

Stamps

A colour printer (or ship off your personal design right to the website!)

Paint for crafting

Ribbon

Envelopes

Stamps

If you are interested in still creating everything on your wedding invitations and thank you cards don't be afraid to use a site such as www.weddingpaperdivas.com  where you can pick and choose your back grounds or card stock but still have all the creative liberties at your disposal you can imagine. You can even order in the stock in your special colour and shape and print your own artwork or personalize it with stamps and embellishment. This option allows you to get crafty and creative but leave the fussy work up to someone else. 

3. A step towards DIY

Supplies

Your info and dates

A list of people to invite

A little creative spark and theme

Some time to change your theme around online

If you want to pick and choose what you would like but don't want to go through the entire creation process, paper goods makers are ready and willing to hold a consult with you and take your idea and make it come alive. Check out our vendors post to see some of the great creations they can come up with. If you head back to http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/thermography-wedding-invitations.htm

there are some wonderful ideas for getting started and creating your own idea online by picking and choosing what you want and seeing it come to life on the screen before evening making it and having it printed. 

Welcome to Invitation Week!

When it comes to setting the tone of your wedding, couples are often surprised to find that something as simple as paper plays a pivotal role. Invitations are the first way engaged couples communicate what the wedding theme and feel will be like--months before guests ever step foot in your wedding venue!

In recent years the market has literally blossomed with countless options for couples looking for invitations. It used to be that you would have to pop by a paper shop and order your invitations from giant sample books. While this option is still available today, the handmade world has also brought some really cool options to the market. From incredibly detailed, extremely intricate and labour intensive letterpressed invites to lovely & customizable print-your-own options, small indie businesses are offering options you would have never even dreamed of a few years ago.

We are excited to introduce you to some small businesses that can help you craft the perfect invitations for your special day--no matter what you are looking for! This week we will give you a preview of what you can see invitation-wise at Wed By Hand as well as tips, tricks and DIY projects for how you can tackle your invitations!

Tips & Tricks Thursday: On Planning

You've decided to officially commit to your partner...congratulations! Now what? Start off by having frank discussions together about how you would like to recognize and celebrate this commitment. Would you like to have a big wedding, a small wedding, something nearby or a destination wedding? Do either of your families have expectations for you and how will you handle those together? What is your budget and are there elements that you absolutely want to include in whatever you decide to do? As you start considering these questions, here are some guides to help you along:

• Torontobrides.com on planning a wedding on a strict budget
• Frugal Dad on planning a wedding on a budget
• Theknot.com on wedding budget options (who pays!?)
• Theperfectweddingguide.com has a free wedding checklist (pdf)
• About.com has a wedding budget worksheet
• Check out the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, a certification program for wedding coordinators.

Keep in mind that there are many professionals available to help plan or execute your event. You can choose from a full wedding planner, a partial wedding planner where you can get help with certain aspects of wedding planning, or a wedding coordinator for day-of assistance. Here's a tip from Bridget of {First Kiss Films}:

Hire a wedding coordinator, or at least a wedding day-of planner. You don't want to worry about any of the details on your wedding day. Having a professional on-site making sure the day is running as planned allows for you [to] enjoy each moment and be relaxed (it'll show on your face and you'll look even more radiant on film.

Jane of I Do...Green! Creative Eco-Wedding Planning echoes Bridget on this point:

Enjoy every single minute of your day! If you're a DIY bride and want to plan your wedding yourself, you should still have a coordinator onsite for the day-of. When the time comes you will want someone to take control & ensure all of the little things get done; and don't rely on family or friends to do it.

You can draw on inspiration from magazines, your friends and family, and the internet but in the end, Anne of Dot & Lil says it well:

"There are lots of ways to have a wedding! Just have fun with it, and try and find ways to have your wedding really express who you are and what you're about. It's such a perfect and unique opportunity to express who you are as a couple. Handmade and indie items really lend themselves to custom, one of a kind creation in a way that makes that easy."

This blog can also be a great resource for DIY ideas to add that special touch to your day. Whether you have a wedding in Ottawa or Hawaii, or a ceremony at city hall, remember to enjoy the time you spend together. No matter what you decide to do, it's easy to get lost in the imagination, planning and organizing. I wanted to share a fabulous final tip from Amy of Splendid Events:

         "Remember to keep time for yourselves. Planning a wedding is a huge project with countless details to juggle, and there's no denying that it gets stressful. Throughout your planning months, make sure you set aside time where wedding talk is strictly off-limits. Go out to a movie, go see a play, stay in and make a great dinner, whatever you like. Turn off your cell phones and laptops and just enjoy one another's company."

Happy planning!

How to Tuesday: On Planning

Planning your wedding can be hard work, from start to finish you need a place to organize your research, thoughts, process and every little detail. Making a personal wedding planning book is a great place to compile everything you need! Along with the book for your visual ideas it is always a good idea to keep an accordion folder labeled with the different areas you will be focusing on. It will keep your papers all together and will be a one stop resource for everything you need. Such as; venue, dresses, catering, decorations. Even if you are having a small quaint wedding, there are so many details that will get lost if you don't keep track from the beginning!

Supplies:
- Blank Scrapbook or photo album (great place to slide in loose elements).
(I always see great ones at Home sense or on sale at Chapters)
- Glue, ruler, bright coloured markers, sliver and gold for titles are very neat!
- Pencils for the subject to change details and pens for concrete ideas
- Scrapbook and construction paper
- Templates to print off or use as guidelines  http://www.niagaraweddinghelper.com/wed_plan_book.htm

1. Decide on the core areas you want to focus on in your book and create tabs for the specific sections.

2. Create a calendar to be on one of the first pages in the book, a few months before the wedding with steps to planning, create deadlines for yourself and lead up steps.

3. Begin with the big picture, (venue, dates, guests) and work your way down to the smaller details

4. Cut and paste and place in any interesting pictures, quotes or ideas you have for the wedding.

5. When details become finalized start to write them down in the calendar

... and keep adding more details until the big day!

Good luck and happy planning!

Meet Our Vendors: Wedding Planners!

Jane Eaton “I Do” … Green!
Planning a fabulously unforgettable wedding can be a lot of work. It’s a delicate balancing act of needs and requests while trying to fit in as much of what’s near and dear to you and your partner. For many couples, that includes the environment. While “I Do”… Green! does provide their professional event planning services for events of all sizes and types, the focus is on environmentally friendly weddings. While planning her own wedding in 2009, Jane Eaton found a gap in the options and information available to the eco-conscious bride. 

Using innovative ideas, imaginative tools and professional and caring support, Jane Eaton can “help you decrease the carbon footprint on your big day without compromising your personal style or budget”. And her biggest tips to the DIY bride? That “its still important to have a coordinator for the day of, you should be celebrating the special day with friends and family – let someone else worry about the logistics.”

Kennedy Events
Kennedy Events will join Wed By Hand for the first time this year. Specializing in both wedding planning & event design, Kennedy Event's mission is to "establish personal connections with our clients, allowing us to better interpret and execute their unique wedding vision."

Kennedy Events' primary goal is to exceed their clients’ expectations while offering support through the planning process with innovative concepts and flawless execution. Kennedy Events has designed our planning services to be as comprehensive as possible, allowing the client to be involved with the planning as little or as much as they wish. As a bonus, the crew from Kennedy Events will be featuring design ideas that are easy to reproduce for our DIY-ers as well as planning strategies!

How to Tuesday: Accessorize!

This week we're focusing on making your own accessories for your big day. Whether you decide to make one of these great accessories for yourself or with the whole bridal party it is a fun way to get crafty and show your own personality! We've got ideas for both the bride and groom, and these ideas could be expanded to include your whole wedding party.

DIY Style for the Gentlemen:
One fabulous idea for adding a special touch to your groom and his groomsmen is by creating custom ties that match the colors and theme of your day. Threadbanger has a fabulous how-to for creating bow ties out of old scarves here!

If you're looking for a way to adorn the little guys that'll be participating in your special day, these no sew bow ties are also incredibly cute for ring bearers in your party.
DIY Bow Ties from Bowties and Bliss

A simple and easy way to encourage the men in the party to get crafty is with their own monogramed ties. If there is one colour all the men are wearing in the party, grab some fabric paint and stamps and have them create their own unique designs adorned on the tie. Paper Sparrow has a great tutorial on how to hand stamping different types of fabric.

For The Ladies:
There are literally so many possibilities when it comes to DIY-ing accessories for your big day. From jewelry to fascinators, shoe clips to handbags, the sky is truly the limit.

Over the past few years, fascinators (little fancy adornments for your head, often featuring feathers, beads or rhinestones) have become a massive fashion trend. Now, thanks to the Royal Wedding, they are more popular than ever. Lots of great designers are coming out with new concepts and ideas but if you are looking for a simple and do it yourself project, there are some great tips on fascinators.

If you'd like to take a cue from the Royal Wedding, check out l. A play on the Royal Wedding Fascinators -
P.S. I Made This's DIY Royal Wedding Fascinator tutorial, via Fashionista Alternately, Wedding Bee has a great wedding fascinator that can be worn simply or with a veil for the bride to be here.

Another idea for the ladies is to have them all work together a few weeks for the wedding to create their accessories together. Whether it is a necklace or hand painted bracelets, working together on one theme with different varieties is a great way to get everyone working together.

What you may need:
- Jems and stones.
- Sterling silver chains
- Clips or clasps
- Beads
- Feathers

No matter what you decide to DIY, when shopping for accessory supplies, be sure to check your local craft stores (such as Michael's), or pop on over to Etsy (the internet's DIY shopping mecca), which is a treasure trove of supplies!

Happy DIY accessory making!

Welcome to Accessories Week!

It's no secret that us gals love our accessories. If you've got a girlfriend, fiancee or bestie on your holiday shopping list, you're likely to find her coveting one or more lovely little accessories. From purses to shoes, from jewelry to scarves, accessories are an easy way to change the look of an outfit with just a couple of quick changes. A simple little black dress can go from drab to fab with the addition of some bubbly baubles, and the addition of the perfect clutch can make your evening out seem that much more fabulous.

When it comes adding special details to your wedding day, accessories are the perfect option for incorporating an added touch of elegance, funkiness or fun. Whether it's dressing your groom up with a custom tie or adding a pop of colour with customized wedding shoes, accessories are a great way truly let your personality show through. What many people don't often realize is that accessories also offer the perfect opportunity to work with local, handmade companies -and- keep costs down. Veils, jewelry or ties can cost you a fraction of the what a mass-produced equivalent will run you, and it also gives you the opportunity to create something custom and unique with a local vendor. We often hear from brides who attended previous Wed By Hands that really enjoyed the process of customizing their accessories with our awesome vendors rather than just picking it up from a big box store.

This week we'll be showcasing unique ways that you can incorporate handmade accessories into your wedding day. From fancy fascinators to gorgeous jewels and seriously sick screenprinted ties for dudes, Wed By Hand's got you covered in the accessories department!

Workshop Wednesday: DIY Photo Albums

Looking for a way to preserve your wedding photos? Want to do it in style? byfield~pitman photography owner Ben Welland will lead a DIY Photo Album at the 2012 edition of Wed By Hand. Ben will teach you how to create professionally printed coffee-table style photo books from your wedding pictures. Ben will show examples of different photo book styles by several high-quality, low-cost companies, and he’ll teach us how to use free programs so we can make your own. With a slideshow and detailed step-by step guide, brides and grooms will have the tools and know-how to produce professional quality bound photo albums for their families and friends after the wedding.

About Ben & byfield~pitman photography: Owner Ben Welland launched byfield~pitman photography in 1997. He graduated from Algonquin’s photography program in 2000, and is now a full-time professional photographer. Along with a team of 4 other top notch photographers, Ben shoots at about 15 to 18 of those 20 weddings a year, and says “it's part of who I am now. Being at weddings almost every Saturday of every summer for the better part of my adult life has become my "normal". I really love the work. And that passion comes across when I speak about wedding photography (and photography in general!)”

Ben’s work has been featured in Ottawa Xpress, where he’s been working since 2003, and more recently, Capital Xtra!, Guerilla, Dharmaarts, and Voir. This workshop will be a great way to pick an expert's brain about how to preserve the memories from your wedding for years to come!

With countless engagement and wedding photos left from the big day, there are endless possibilities of what to create and what to do with them. Instead of letting them sit in a box and never re-live their true beauty we have brainstormed a few great ideas and picked out some DIY projects to help you get started on using your photos to their true potential. We have included some DIY tips and steps to create your own great projects with your own photos.


At the Wedding: Create a Guestbook with your Engagement Photos

What You'll Need:

+ 1/8-inch-thick acid-free paperboard
+ White glue, a special synthetic glue available from art stores or bookbinding suppliers
+ Four sheets of decorative or handmade paper and 20 sheets of white, ivory, or cream paper
+ 1/4 yard of bookbinding cloth
+ Two yards of strong ribbon that won't fray easily
+ Needle with a large eye
+ Hammer and four nails
+ Cutting board and metal ruler
+ Your favourite photos

1. Cut the 20 sheets of paper to fit your book's desired size (in this case, 11" x 15"). Your book can be as thick or thin as you like, depending on your taste and budget. I chose this size because it's half the size of the paper I bought, so I could just fold the sheets in half and cut along the fold.

2. Cut two pieces of paperboard for the book's front and back covers. Add 1/4 inch to the size you've chosen for the inner sheets (11 1/4" x 15 1/4" in our example). Then, cut a strip from each cover that measures about a fifth of the cover's width. This book is 15 1/4" wide, so I'll cut off a 2 1/2" or 3" strip. You now have two pieces of each cover. The two thin strips will be the binding strips, the area of the cover where the book is bound together.

3. Cut out two pieces of bookbinding cloth that are big enough to cover the binding strip and extend a couple of inches into the other piece of the cover, leaving one full inch all the way around to fold over. Our cloth measures 13 1/2" x 6 1/4."

4. Lay newspaper over your work area. Align the two pieces of board (binding strip and main board) spaced 1/4 inch apart. Glue the cloth to the board, making sure to leave 1/4 inch between the pieces and allow the one-inch border of extra cloth to hang over. Flip the glued board over, neatly fold over the cloth edges, and glue them down. (Tip: It helps to trim the corners for a neat fold.) Repeat this step for the back binding strip and cover.

5. Next, cut the paper for both book covers. The pieces should overlap the point where the bookbinding cloth ends by an inch; leave an inch on the other three sides for folding over (for our book, 11 3/4" x 13 1/2"). Glue the paper to the front of both covers, then fold it over and glue the one-inch edges to the inside. At this point, you have one side of both the front and back covers completed.

6. To make the inside of the covers neat, attach a sheet of decorative paper to hide the folds. Cut two pieces of paper (about 1/4 inch less than the size of the covers), and glue one piece into each cover.

7. Whew! You made it this far -- now it's time to put everything together. It's a nice touch to use a sheet of decorative paper for the first and last book pages. Gather the papers for your book and place them, like a sandwich, between the two covers. Make sure they are neatly arranged. Hammer four evenly distributed holes in the center of the front cover's binding strip. (Tip: Leave a nail in each hole to keep everything lined up.) Tightly thread ribbon, jute, or string through the holes, as simply or as elaborately as you like.

8. Now add your photos with double sided tape within your guest book. You can also add photo corners to add an extra special touch. These can be purchased at Walmart, Michaels or any scrapbooking store.

9. If you like, you can also buy pretty paper frames and put them around your photos or around the areas where you want your guests to write.

10. And you’re done!

Read more: DIY Reception Ideas: DIY Wedding Guest Books - TheKnot.com



With your Wedding Photos - Unique Photo Book

Photo books make great memories! If you order digital prints, use them to make one using these following sites. All you have to do is: Upload your photos, edit the content, and click order! They are often customizable to suit your needs, require almost no effort and are gorgeous.

Shutterfly
Mix Book
Walmart Photocentre



With your Wedding Photos - Thank You Cards

What You'll Need:

+ 8.5″x11″ Sage cardstock from Michael's or online at http://www.paper-source.com
+ 5×7 envelopes, also from Michael's or online at http://www.paper-source.com
+ Double-sided tape
+ MS PowerPoint (or Photoshop, inDesign or Illustrator)
+ Color printer

Instructions:

To create the collage:

1. Start by drawing a 5.5″x8.25″ white box in PowerPoint. To do this, go to “Insert –> Picture –> Autoshapes”. This should pull up the autoshape menu. Click on the button with the shapes, select the rectangle, and draw it on your slide.

2.Right-click and go to “Format Autoshape”, which takes you to various options that allow you to specify the size and color.

3. Once you have done this, insert your photos into MS PowerPoint by accessing the “Insert” menu and selecting “From File…” Select the files. This can get a little messy if your photos are very large. You may have to patiently find the corners of the photos and then resize each one so that you can see them all on one slide.

4. Once you have inserted all of your photos and can see them all, you can adjust the size of each image and arrange them inside the white rectangle as you prefer.

5. To insert text, go to “Insert –> Text Box”. Click somewhere outside your white box, and then type out the main message (which was just a simple “thank you” on the front in our case). Highlight the text, right-click, and select “Fonts”. Tip: Try to use a font that matched the one used on your invitations. Once you have chosen the color and sized the text appropriately, click on the edge of the text box and drag it to the location you want the text to appear.

6. At this point, everything on your collage should be in place. Click outside the white box, drag over everything, and let go. This selects every object on your slide. Right-click and go to “Grouping –> Group”. Then right-click again and select “Save as Picture”. Save it as a .jpg file.

7. The whole collage has now been turned into an image that you can edit and upload for printing. It can also be scaled for 4″x6″ photos. You can now bring your image to any print shop or upload them on their website. Tip: Try using a matte paper or even a paper with a linen finish for a fancier effect.

To create the backing:

1. Cut the card stock to the size of 9″ x 6.5″. Call around, you may be able to find a place that can cut the entire stack for you.

2. In PowerPoint, draw a 6.5″ tall and 9.0″ wide rectangle, in the same way as you did in steps 1-2 for the photo collage. Format the box (right-click on the box) and select “Format Autoshape” to have a clear fill and for the outline to be a dotted 0.25″ very light gray line.

3. Create the text using text boxes (see step 5 under the collages). Rotate the text boxes and arrange them as follows:
(photo 5)

4. Next, do a test print using regular white paper with you printer. This allows you to figure out how to feed your already-cut card stock into the printer.

Tip:
Check your printer for its settings, it’s possible that you may only have the option of inserting your pre-cut sheets flushed to one of the sides of the paper feeder. The test print may help you figure out that the box you draw on Powerpoint needs to be flushed to the other side of the slide (see image above).

5. After you’ve finished your test prints (hopefully it only takes you one try!), insert your pre-cut card stock into the printer and print however many copies you need!

6. And the last step, of course, is to mount the 4″x6″ photos on to the card stock, fold in half and write out your personal messages inside!

Tip: Try using Scotch’s double-sided photo safe permanent tape, it’s less expensive than mounting squares.

Remember, it’s more time consuming to write out your individual handwritten messages than it will be to make these cards, so make sure you allow enough time if you have a time frame in mind for sending out your thank you cards.

Written By Andrée and Heather, Wed By Hand Coordinators