Southern Sweethearts: All the Small Things

"As a journalist, the details always tell the story. "
James McBride

Oh, how I completely understand this quote! (I am a journalist, photographer, and self-proclaimed perfectionist. So details are kinda my thing.) And that's why I had details galore in our wedding! Many of them were DIY details that I'm sure some of you have been waiting a looong time to see in action.

They'll be plenty more details in coming posts, but here's some to get you ready for the main event: our ceremony! :)

First, my lovely DIY flowers!

At first, I wanted an all white peony bouquet. But when our colors changed, I decided on a pink bouquet and I absolutely loved the way my bouquet came out!

My something blue!

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to gather family photos for my special locket. My Mom had recently moved and all of her stuff was in storage, making it extremely difficult to get to the photos in time. :(

I loved ALL of my bouquets (bridesmaids, flower girls, mothers, and toss)...

...but I put a little more effort into the matron of honor bouquet. Hers was a mix of all the flowers used, and it had its own cameo to distinguish it from the others.

Do I spy Loubies?

Why yes I do!

I had the shoe clips custom-made through an Etsy seller using the "alchemy" request. The clips were originally a different design but when she sent them, they were too small! There was some trouble with the redesign, shipping, and communication. But in the end, they turned out fine even if they weren't quite what I wanted and I almost had a heart attack thinking they wouldn't be done in time. And to top it off, I ended up losing one of the clips on the way to our reception site! :(

If you recall, my Louboutins were missing most of the wedding day. Thankfully, they were located before the ceremony. But they still weren't on my feet just yet...

And since I'm showing off the bling, might as well show off the DIY ring dish I made for them to chill in on the way down the aisle.

Remember my DIY wreath and my DIY mason jar/magnolia aisle liners with the "faux" water?

How about my semi-DIY double duty program fans?

And the last little detail wasn't one I had planned on. Best man Don snuck in some mini-liquor bottles for some ceremony "tailgating" if you will.

Just a small indication of what's to come!

What are some little details you're going to include in your wedding? Will any of them be DIY creations?

Previously on Southern Sweethearts:

• Southern Belles Do Tea
• A Rude Vendor Interrupts Our Rehearsal
• We Have Dinner on the Savannah River
• A Spooky Ghost Tour and My Last Fling
• Our Wedding Trailer
• Becoming a Blushing Bride
• I Slip Into My eBay Wedding Dress
• The Fellas Get "Sessay"
• He Got Boudoir, I Got Bling
• An Unplanned First Look
• Our Wedding Party...and Paparazzi

Next Up: We Get Hitched!

*All professional photos by Lindsi Jones Photography. Some images may have been slightly altered by moi.

A "Jarring" Experience

I've been on a roll lately with my DIY projects. And with the passing of our 3-month-out mark, I don't see any sign of it letting up in the near future.

I finished my internships and moved back home this weekend. I have one week left of free time before the new semester begins and my life gets way too busy to focus on tasks like these anymore. I decided to spend my first night back working on our aisle decor: hanging mason jars with magnolia flowers!


If you want to try out this project, you'll need the following supplies:

• mason jars (any size)
• your choice of any flower, real or fake (I chose magnolias for their southern reputation and the way they'll blend in with our ceremony site's gazebo)
  
• acrylic water kit (optional for fake flowers)
• twine or raffia
• wire cutters

I just had to share how my lovely home office looks like a florist's shop at the moment!

I followed Mrs. Cherry Pie's detailed instructions on how to rig up my hanging jars. I won't repeat the main process, but here's some helpful tips to supplement her post!

Make measuring out your twine easier on yourself by doing one jar first, then using that jar's twine as a guide to how long all your other pieces need to be. Go ahead and cut off all your pieces before you start.

Before tying off the other side of the twine, judge your handle knot height against a completed jar. If you tie off both sides before making your middle knot, you could end up with varying heights.


You can adjust the knot you just tied by "sliding" it along the the rim of the jar until both knots are directly across from each other. Then tighten the knot once you've done that.


Watch out for nosy dogs!

My black Labrador, Madie, is more curious than a cat! We consider her the "thinker" of our 3 Labs!

My finished lot! I only needed 8 jars because I'm doing 1 for every other row, 4 on each side.

From here on, it's all optional stuff. If you're using real flowers, just add water to the jars and fill them with your flower choice. Since I'm doing fake flowers, I wanted to add a special touch to make them more "deceiving". So I bought some acrylic water kits from Wally World!

Acrylic water is used in a lot of fake floral centerpieces like this one:

Source

Mixing the acrylic water is super easy! First, pour both bottles of the solution into the provided disposable pan.

Then stir the mixture until....


...it's completely clear.


Now you're ready to pour the mixture into your jars!


I love the look of the fake water, but I severely underestimated how much it would take to fill the 8 mason jars to a decent level.


1 water kit barely fills 1 jar. I originally bought only 2 kits, but I will have to go back for more. Bare minimum, you'd need 1 kit for every 2 jars. This raises the price of this project quickly (it's the most expensive supply). But it's worth it if you want "real"-looking fake flowers. It's also good to have the fake water to set your arrangement in. You won't have to worry about your perfectly arranged flowers being "jarred" in transportation or set up!


The water needs to set over a 24-48 hour period to harden. Then you're all ready to hang your jars!

My magnolia mason jars will be doing double duty as rehearsal dinner centerpieces! The Savannah Riverboat event manager gave me permission to bring in my own arrangements. So I'll just tuck in the twine handles between the flowers' leaves and set them on the tables!


Cost Breakdown:

1 case of mason jars (12 total-I only used 8): $6.74
Magnolia stems (4 bushes-about 3 stems a jar): $3.99 each (on sale from $9.99 at Michael's!)
Twine: FREE (leftover from previous project)
Acrylic water kits (5): $5.97 each

Total including tax: $56.23
Total without water kits: $24.29

I have also purchased my shepherd's hooks from this online store and am awaiting their arrival!

8 - 36" shepherd's hooks (includes shipping): $41.75

Grand Total of Entire Project: $97.98

[EDIT:] The cost is lower now (from $104.37) because I only needed 5 instead of 6 water kits!

Stayed tuned to hear about how I'll dress up our gazebo "altar"!