I wanted my wedding to include as many DIY elements as were possible given my full time work schedule and maintaining a (somewhat) long-distance relationship with my fiancé. I knew that I wanted the seating cards to be displayed in a unique way, and I knew I wanted moss, flowers, and corks on wire (you'll see), but I did not know what to put the display in. I searched antique stores and consignment shops and talked myself out of receptacle after receptacle until I found the perfect piece to use:
This is an old apple crate at Antiques on Elm. I took it home after making a quick stop at the craft store for some stencils and paint and I did this:
Then I placed all of my place cards in wine corks that family members and I spent the past year collecting (what a burden to have to drink wine for a cork collection). I made the slit on the top of the cork so that it was tall and then I stuck wire in the bottom of the cork. Finally, I alphabetized the names (and when I say "I" I really mean "I with the help of my mom and my fiancé, of course!). I had also cut some of the wire so that I had four different lengths. The earlier names in the alphabet were on the shorter sticks and they ascended so that by the end of the alphabet the wires were the original length.
Later, I took the crate to the florist who was doing my floral arrangements for the wedding. She gave me a big piece of plastic to line the wood with and several pieces of wet and dry foam. She also gave me some moss and some sprigs of baby's breath and purple caspia.
I took my spoils home and on Wednesday, two days before the wedding, I had the glorious opportunity to set myself and my project up outside on my parent's deck and take a couple of hours to myself to complete my project. Amid the craziness of planning a wedding (in my case the craziness also included a full time job and jury duty), it was lovely to spend some time relaxing and creating.
I wanted a whimsical feel for this display, so with that in mind I set to work. With the plastic lining the inside and covering much of the outside (to protect the wood), I started with a layer of dry foam blocks on the bottom topped with a layer of wet foam blocks. I used rolled up newspapers to fill in the gaps on the side so that I could lay the moss evenly on top. When I put the moss down, at the florist's instruction, I soaked it in water and then rung it out before laying it on and stretching it out. The moss was a lot of fun to work with! Then I stuck the flower sprigs in to give it a whimsical feel.
Finally, I stuck the wires with the corks and place cards in rows alphabetically, with the shortest sticks in front. Before I stuck each wire in, I bent the wire so that it looked squiggly. I also fanned the names out to the sides.
The project was placed on a hutch the venue had and was surrounded by pictures of my fiancé and me. It was the first thing people saw as they walked in and I think it set the perfect tone for our reception.
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