Deanna and Phil's wedding programs, place cards, favor tags, and more!

My sister and new "brother" got married last week-- and i had the honor of making lots of the "extras" for their big day!!!!
 Here's an overview!!!!

Wedding Programs:  A mini booklet! The purple cover matches perfectly with their invites and the rest of the wedding goodies!
A champage outer tag included their monogram and a single clear rhinestone for a perfect amount of sparkle.  The 8 page program was tied together with an ivory ribbon.

Their program includes a cover page introducing the event....

...the ceremony order...

...the wedding party...

...a memorial section for their loved ones....

...and a heartfelt thank you to their guests. 

During the ceremony, the couple had a unity candle ceremony.  To create their keepsake candle, we used their new initial as a focal point and added their favorite quote along with their names and wedding date underneath.  Ruby purple ribbon was tied around the candle and two rhinestones on the "G" were the final touches.  2 coordinating taper candles were also included.

AND on to the reception!!!!
As the guests walked in, it was a total "awe-factor" moment. everything looked beautiful! AND you should have seen the dessert table.... AH-MAZE-ING!!!!!

The DJ was able to shine their monogram ( created by us) onto the wall by the new Mr. and Mrs. (and their parents) in the greeting line!

Place cards and table numbers were made with the same Plum and champagne papers as the rest of the goodies.  The place cards are single fold tent style. 

Coordinating table numbers led the guests to their tables. Each 5x7" card was double sided and included the Plum and Champagne colors that are placed throughout the day.  Each table number included 2 rhinestone jewels on each side for just a touch of sparkle :)

  

Once the guests arrived at their tables, they found their "bomboniere"- the traditional Italian Jordan Almond gift.  Each little jordan almond favor was attached to a beautiful oil drizzler.  We made the coordinating tags:)
The front of the tag included their monogram, names and wedding date. The inside of the tag described the meaning of the jordan almonds.  The back of the tag was a short and sweet "thank you" note. 

And finally, now that they are husband and wife, they have to thank all of their guests for their wonderful gifts. A simple A2 sized card was created with their colors and graphic. The inside of the cards are blank allowing the new couple to write their sentiments.  The bride and groom were gracious enough to allow us to print our website address on the back of their cards.
The couple also received new Mr. and Mrs. return address labels to add the final touch to their final wedding task. 

  

Again, congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. G. :) love you both!!!!

My Sister, the bride

Today my sister is in Hawaii enjoying the first full day of her honeymoon with her new husband. Yes, i'm a bit jealous that i know she's around sunshine and beaches.... and i am looking outside at a COLD AND DAMP  Michigan "spring" day. ( on that note, someone please tell mother nature that it's almost JUNE and this weather is not acceptable.... stepping off soap box....)

My sister married an amazing man on Saturday- we are so excited to have Phil in the family.



But before there was Phil (and my hubby/kids), there was "Stephanie and Deanna" aka "Pookie and Deage" (dont ask!).  Being each other's only sibling, we were each other's first friends. We love(d) each other in a way only sisters can understand: some days we were the best of friends and other days we annoyed the crap out of each other. We laughed and played together, between our normal sibling spats and tattling on each other. Even though we have the same DNA and were raised the same way, we are very different people: i love to craft, and deanna loves video games. I love to go camping in our tent, and you'll find her at the local Courtyard hotel. She excelled in english, where i am a Math kinda gal. She loved playing in the high school ( and some college) Band, where i used that as a social hour in school and havent touched my clarinet since graduation! But, it's very simple: We Are Family. We Are Sisters. We will love each other... until the end... no matter what.

my sister and i, back in the day!

Being the matron of honor, i knew i had to give the first speech at the reception.  Now, i have done my fair share of speeches and public speaking in the past: high school, college, and my R&D engineering career where i had to explain to top management why i needed funding (and my job!). I have also compiled a zillion papers, technical reports, and even a good-size thesis which lead to a few of my patents. But now i am a Stay-At-Home-Mom who's well versed in most Disney movies/shows as well as Max and Ruby- it's not like i get out much. Now the most used phrases out of my mouth are "pick up your clothes off the floor", "go wash your hands" and the very comment "why? because i asked you to!".... Yet they are going to give me a microphone to speak to a room full of adults that are going to listen- did they think through that????? i make conversations at the Target check out lines JUST to talk to people who can blow their own nose!   In addition to my lack of practice, the last family wedding we went to, my cousin gave the BEST maid of honor speech i have ever heard. This is my third time being in the "MOH" spot- but this one was different.  i knew many of the people in the room ( and who knows how many used to change my diapers when i was a baby!!!).... And most importantly, this was my sister. This had to be good. no pressure or anything....


Deanna used to LOVE playing dress up in my mom's old communion gown....

Being her only sister, i was 99.9999999% confident that i would be her MOH at her wedding... i knew this almost 30 years ago. She got engaged and planned her wedding for a year and a half out- meaning that i had 20 years to kinda think about this speech, 18-ish months to REALLY think about this speech.... Yet, i sat down about 14 hours before her ceremony to write it.  Me, my laptop, and the TV playing the Big Bang Theory after we got home from the rehearsal ;) ;)


me and my "baby" sister at her wedding :)

Apparently, it went over much better than i thought. I had many people come up to me to say they liked my "heartfelt speech"... but that was family- they have to love me ;) My husband ( who's not one for handing out compliments on a regular basis), came up to me as they were serving dinner and told me "that was the best maid of honor speech i have ever heard". But the one that got to me the most? Deanna's flute teacher. Barb plays for the DSO, and also tutored Deanna and may other young flutists throughout their musical career. Barb has always been an inspiration to Deanna- and she agreed to play at the church for the wedding (FYI.. she really is THAT amazing!).
I posted a bunch of pictures of the wedding on Facebook this Sunday, and since Deanna was tagged on all of them, Barb saw the pictures as well.  In one of the pictures, she posted this:

• Barbara Hello, Stephanie! Your wedding toast was the BEST bridesmaid toast I have ever heard! You should post it - it was wonderful.

  May 18 at 1:34pm · Like · 1
• Stephanie  awww thank you so much Barb- i havent given a formal presentation/speech in a LOOONG time- i still cannot believe they handed the stay-at-home-mom a microphone to talk to a bunch of adults  I'll find my notes and post them for you,
  i know deanna was SO excited you were able to be there and play for her. 

  May 18 at 1:40pm · Edited · Like
• Barbara I have played over 1,000 weddings, and I have heard it all - YOUR speech is at the top of my favorite list! The "stay-at-home-mom" had so much to offer! Thank you, I would love a copy of your notes!

So Barb, this one is for you. I dont know EXACTLY what i said during my speech, but here are my notes made into semi-sentences:

Hello and welcome! For those of you who don’t know me, My name is Stephanie and I’m the favorite sister of the bride. I’m also the only sister, but we’ll skip over that.  I want to thank you all for coming!

I’ve known Deanna her whole life. When they brought me to the hospital to meet my new baby sister, I said something along the lines of “oh, she’s cute” ....and then I wanted to leave and go feed the ducks.

And today, she’s not just cute, but she’s a beautiful bride!

We’ve had many fun times together growing up- we played dolls and barbies as kids. She often “borrowed” clothes out of my closet as we became teens.  As we grew older, we started to realized just what being a “sister” means.  just know, that I am here for you-- always.

I’ve also known phil for what seems like forever. He likes video games, anime, and Japanese culture just as much as Deanna does- I didn’t think that was possible- for that alone, they’re a match made in heaven. He is a wonderful guy and we are so lucky to have him in our family.

I am by no means an expert in marriage- there are many couples here that have done this much longer than me, but... I DO have more experience than you do... and I DO have the microphone, so I get to give advice, even if you didn’t ask for it.... Soo... here I go...

-         - Your priorities need to be God first, then your relationship, then everything else.

        - A marriage doesn't run on feelings — it works and grows because you both work on it .. you need to actively Choose love.

        - check in with each other from time to time to make sure you both feel happy and are involved in each other's lives. That way, you can grow together, and make sure you are meeting each other’s needs.

         - Always say I love you... and not out of habit

         - Make time for you as a couple, but also as individuals- and give each other the time they need for both scenarios.

        - before you have kids... Travel, take an airplane, go out to eat, go to the show, and enjoy nice adult things because you THINK you know what it’s like to have kids... but trust me, you don’t. 

        - Most importantly, agree that no matter what, you will not quit. Fight for this. This is worth fighting for.

-         - Don’t take each other for granted

Today is a wonderful day –probably the most important day of your life so far. But, today is a promise and a beautiful party. Tomorrow you get to carry it out. Love. Support. Cherish. Live. Remember, you have a whole room of people here who love you and are here to encourage you throughout the days and years to come. 

If you can please raise your glass....
May your love grow stronger and deeper each day. May you challenge each other always. May you have a long, healthy, and happy life together. May you have all that you desire.
....To the bride and groom

Now that my sister is a WIFE, she'll learn so much more than she realizes.  Being a wife ( and mother) has opened doors that i didnt know existed, made me happier than i knew i could be, given me strength i didnt know i had, and challenged me in ways i didnt know i needed to be tested in.
A marriage relationship is an investment that requires space, time, money, blood, sweat and tears and everything else you can think of. it's needs all of you- the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. - it's not always easy but if you put the time and effort in, it's always worth it in the end.


Deanna and I at my wedding in 2005. we re-did this pose for her wedding, and i cannot wait to see how it turned out!

I wish Deanna and Phil nothing but the best as they start this journey!
And to my sister, the bride, may you always be this happy and beautiful, inside and out.

Maria-Lisa Photography

Deanna and Phil's Wedding invitation suite

THE DAY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!!  As of Saturday afternoon, my baby sister is now a wife, and i have a new brother :)
With a 50/50 chance of rain and the chilly wind on the radar, God graced the bride and groom with a gorgeous day. the sun was shining, the wind behaved (for the most part) and the rain held off until about 3 minutes after we loaded back into the limo following the outdoor pictures in the park.  We even saw a rainbow on the way to the reception :)
I have a few blog posts to document the occasion... sooo.. enjoy :)

But before the wedding day arrived, ya gotta invite the guests... and that is where Scrapping Innovations continues in the "Deanna and Phil saga". And now that the wedding is over, our mom is letting me post pictures ( yes, i am in my 30s and still listen to my mommy :) )
So! here i go!!

Remember Christine and Tony's wedding invites from earlier this year? Well, deanna happened to be over my house one day and saw me working on their invites- she loved them. Once i updated the graphic to the coordinating Plum color, she "had to have them".   So we found our starting point!
To make the invite different, the design was shifted to showcase more of the wording on the right-hand side.  Instead of the ribbon, we added 7 rhinestones to the graphic to give the invitation some sparkle and texture.  The main invitation card included an additional back layer as well.


The main invitation layer:
A ruby purple paper layer was placed between 2 champagne paper layers.  Rhinestones were placed on the purple graphic.  The wording along the right side is printed in black, with the exception of the bride and groom's names-- they are purple.






The map card is made of a single layer of champagne paper. It included a Map with the locations of the hotel, church and reception locations. The location names and addresses are included along the bottom to leave the map clean and uncluttered.


The reception card was made of 2 layers of paper: ruby and champagne. The coordinating graphic and fonts/colors directed the guests where to go after the church.  I personally love the the wording :)




The RSVP card is also a 2 layer card made with the ruby and champagne layers.  Again, we used the graphic, fonts, and colors to keep everything uniform.

My favorite part of the RSVP cards is the numbers along the bottom. Each RSVP is numbered- and the bride and groom have a spreadsheet with the coordinating numbers.  That way when "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" respond, they know it's "Jim Smith's" rather than "Sam Smith's" card--  This little trick is also very helpful if you cant read people's handwriting or if they fill out the RSVP card wrong ( Say... they put an "x" on the attendance line rather than "2"- very helpful for your counts!)

The card also included a matching champagne envelope with a return address printed on the front.

I love matching stuff, so when the couple asked for an "inner/outer envelope" set, it leads to a problem since i am only able to get the inner/outer sets in a matte finish-- and everything else is in the metallic pearlescent finish!  So we came up with an alternative: a sleeve.
the purple sleeves were created from an 8.5x11" piece of paper, and folded/cut/punched so that the 5x7 invitation could be placed in the center.  The double sided adhesive was then exposed to make the folded paper hold it's shape.  A printed tag with the guest's names was placed on the outside of the sleeve and can now be used as an "inner envelope"!  the half circle punch allows for the invite cards to be easily grabbed and removed, yet the sleeve keeps everything together as the guests remove the "packet" from the main mailing envelope.  The sleeve also acted as a nice barrier for the rhinestones against the mailing envelope :)

Lastly, the outer mailing envelope included the return address printed on the back flap and the guest's addresses printed on the front of the champagne envelope.

a beautiful invitation for a beautiful event :)
...more posts coming soon on the other stuff we made :) :)

Jessica and Ryan Mini Scroll Programs

Jessica and Ryan chose our mini scroll programs to use for their wedding ceremony!

The couple's names and wedding date and location are printed at the top of the program.  Their new monogram is printed as a watermark to the ceremony order, followed by the wedding participants, memorial note, and thank you sections.

The program is made of cream paper and includes a gold ribbon for holding the program in it's scroll shape.

Congrats and best of luck to the future Mr. and Mrs! :)

Karen and Victor Gate Fold Program

Karen and Victor loved our "gate fold" wedding programs! i was excited b/c i havent made these in a while ;) i like bringing back some of my "classics" :)

based off the photo in our etsy listing, we used white metallic paper as the base with a fairway green wrap closure.
The cover includes their names, wedding date and location. The inside flap has a quote the couple liked. Once fully opened, their new monogram is the background to their ceremony order, wedding party, in memory section, and a heartfelt thank you note.  The back includes their new address.

congrats to the happy couple!!!!!

Dr. Seuss Graduation Gift: Note to the teachers

Ok, i'll admit it...
Hi, my name is Stephanie and i'm addicted to Pinterest.

Last summer i just happened to be on pinterest ( yes, again) and i saw a pin of THE BEST graduation gift... have each of your children's teachers sign a copy "Oh , the places you'll go", and present it to them at graduation.  I got on Amazon and ordered the book that day.

Since my daughter is currently wrapping up her Kindergarten year, i had to make sure that i got the book to her teacher ( i missed preschool! oops!) ASAP.

Steps to the best graduation present:

Step 1: buy this book. :)


Step 2: add in a poem/note to her teachers.
 

Step 3:  Have their teacher(s) sign it. 

Step 4: repeat until Senior year

Step 5: wrap and present to the new graduate!

For the note card:
Last night,  I was looking up and down the web for a nice note/poem to place in the book with instructions for the teachers on what to do as well as why we wanted to do this... and i came up empty handed. Soooo... i made one up and thought i would share it! 

I found a "Dr. Seuss-ish" image on the internet, copied the wording onto the graphic, and printed it on a 4x6" card.  I then attached the card on the first page of the book with acid free adhesive, so the teacher of each year/semester/class would have the same note. I plan on emailing each of her teachers ahead of time, notifying them "the book is coming" too-- but thought this would be a nice read for the teachers, as well as for Kaitlyn when get finally gets the book in 12 years! ;)

Here is the note i created, feel free to use it and modify as you see fit (i.e. son/daughter, he/she ;) )

Dear Teacher,

    As parents, we appreciate the countless hours you have poured into our daughter, (child's name). The knowledge, guidance, and leadership you have demonstrated will always remain in her heart. You have played such an important role in her life and have helped her grow in so many ways, and for that, we cannot thank you enough.

    As a favor to us, we would like to ask you to please take a moment to write a small note to ___(child's name)___ anywhere inside this book. In honor of you, we will present this book to her as a surprise at her high school graduation.  We cannot think of a better way to celebrate this achievement than with the words of those who directly impacted her education.

    Please notify us when you are finished so arrangements can be made to pick up the signed book.

     Our sincerest gratitude,

   ___________(mom/dad names)_____

   Parents of ___(child)___, Class of _____

**Just make sure you put your child's full name on there somewhere in case there is more than one "Jimmy" or "Susie" in their class ;)

I'm sure i'll blink and my daughter's graduation day will be here before i know it-- but for now?? i am going to enjoy this adventure known as life and i'm excited to see the places she'll go....

For those who liked the graphic, i attached it below. It was found during a google search. Please note this is NOT for sale nor shall it be used as part of a sold item in any way.