Emily's First Birthday Party Part 1

Today I thought I would write about a little celebration that we are having here.  

It is my little girl Emily’s 1st birthday this weekend!  I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone.

I thought I would share with you the things that we are hoping (if time will let us) do.  There will be a lot of DIY aspects to this party…something my husband and I love to do.

So here it goes..this is the wish list for the weekend.  If it happens or not we will see!  I will do another update next weekend and let you know!

The invitation went out a few weeks ago and I based it on our Watercolour design.  I really wanted colour to be the theme for the day. 

From here I have had these ideas:

 

I am going to order some helium balloons in the same tones as the invitations.  I though I might tie some different tails on them to help decorate the room and the one year olds will love it!

Photo source:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/346495765051193321/

For the cake James will try to make an ombre cake.  Something like this is the plan:

 Photo sources:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/53128470576609203/

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m07rwmVLjY1qfpcnio1_400.jpg

 

I would also love to create a ribbon chandelier.  This one may or may not happen depending on time.  But this is my inspiration!

Photo source:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/194288171397016227/

I am not sure if we will do lolly bags for the kids or not.  I thought we could do flower biscuits instead?  This is one idea that I have seen that I love!

Photo source:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/86412886573301445/

So that is my plan for Saturday.  Wish me luck..I need it!  I will re post some images next week showing you the end result.

Fi x

Carly and Bart's vintage beachside wedding

Bride and grooms names:  Bart Kohler and Carly Laughton

Did you have a theme? If so what was it? We loved the pale pink heart on your invitations, so decided to carry this through as our theme! We also wanted the wedding style to be fairly simple and ‘us’,  with a little bit of vintage. 

Colours that your used? Vintage pinks and ivory 

What Venue(s) did you use for the ceremony and reception?: Ceremony - Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Hampton (where my grandparents were married and where I was Christened). Reception - Sails on the Bay in Elwood (because we met on the beach in front of the reception venue where our triathlon squad trains) 

Who was your photographer?: Kirralee Ashworth - http://kirraleeblog.com 

What invitation design did you have?: The ‘Heart’ style - we loved it! 

What was your favourite bit of the ceremony?:Carly - walking down the aisle and seeing all our family and friends, then Bart with an enormous smile waiting at the end. Also Bart’s face as the doors of the church opened at the end of the ceremony and he saw the guard of honour his Army mates had formed as a surprise!
Bart - The congregation filling the church to watch my beautiful bride beaming down the aisle. 

What was your favourite bit of the reception?:Carly - The Mr Whippy van, the speeches and my mum’s awesome flowers on the tables! Bart - The look on people’s faces as they saw the table settings, which included their names on scrabble boards, the hand made bomboniere and the Mr Whippy tickets! 

Who made your Cake?: Sails on the Bay. And my mum did the flowers on the top of the cake. 

Top tip for soon to be brides and grooms?: Keep it simple. Think of a few extra special things for the reception - our family and friends loved the Mr Whippy van and photo booth, and they created a great atmosphere at the reception. Take time to enjoy the planning and the day - it all goes too quickly! And make sure the bridal cars have a full tank of petrol!

Reception: Sails on the Bay - http://sailsonthebay.com.au

Dress: Brides of Armadale - http://www.bridesofarmadale.com.au

Bridesmaids' dresses: Alannah Hill - http://www.alannahhill.com.au

Flower girls’ dress: Tutu du Monde - http://www.tutudumonde.com

Guys suits: Anthony Thomas Gentlemans’ Outfitters

Bouquets: Mimosa Florist

Reception flowers: Wendy Laughton

Photography: Kirralee Ashworth - http://kirraleeblog.com

Band: The Baker Boys - http://www.bakerboysband.com.au

Ice cream van: Community Scoops - http://www.communityscoops.com

Two DIY Wedding Button Hole Flowers

DIY Wedding Button Hole Flowers

 This paper flower is really cute and only takes minutes to make. They can be made out of any paper scraps and could be made to match your invitations, decorations or even be made from the sheet music of your first bridal dance.

Materials:
-scrap paper
-florist tape and wire or a green pipe cleaner could be used
-buttons
-double sided sticky tape
-scissors

Step 1
Cut a freehand circle out of your chosen paper and then cut it into a spiral. Mine was 6cm in diameter.








Step 2 
Curl the spiral up around the centre and then let it uncurl a bit. Tape the outer end of the spiral to the rest of the flower with sticky tape to stop it uncurling too much

Step 3

Cut out some leaves and stick them on the back of the flower with sticky tape or double sided tape


 





 Step 4
Attach a button with double sided tape or glue. Wrap some florists tape around a doubled over piece of florist wire and stick it to the back of the flower with sticky tape. You could use a green pipe cleaner here if you don't have florists wire and tape.


Make some more in different colours to make a cluster. The flowers can be joined together by wrapping florists tape around the two stems.

Materials:
-two small squares of yellow crepe paper (3cm x3cm)
-pink crepe paper cut into petal shapes (the middles can be dyed red with food dye if you like)
-yellow paper with a fine fridge cut on one side (I used a yellow sticky note)
-florists tape
-florists wire

Step 1
Double over a piece of florist wire and scrunch up a small piece of crepe paper for the center of the flower.








Step 2
Wrap a small square of crepe paper over the crepe paper ball and wire and tightly wrap florists tape around the stem to hold the ball on top of the wire.



 



 Step 3
Wrap the fringed paper around the flower center and then wrap some florists tape around it tightly to hold it all together. Trim the fringes to the desired length.



 



Step 4
Place petals around the center one at a time and attach by tightly wrapping florists tape around them. Slightly overlap each petal and continue adding them until your flower is the desired size and shape. I used 15 petals.







Once you have made one you can make other flowers by changing the paper colours and playing with petal shape and length.

Have fun!!

Tom and Fiona - Winery Wedding

Bride and grooms names: Tom and Fiona

Did you have a theme? If so what was it?: No theme

Colours that you used?: Ivory, black, watermelon, mint
What Venue(s) did you use for the ceremony and reception?: St Patrick's Church, Lilydale and Vue on Halcyon, Yarra Valley Winery, Chirnside Park

Who was your photographer?: Daniel, A Touch of Flash Photography

What invitation design did you have?: Dragonfly in Mint

What was your favourite bit of the ceremony?: Fiona: Saying our vows with all our family and friends present. Tom: Seeing my soon to be wife come down the aisle

What was your favourite bit of the reception?: Fiona and Tom: Hard to pick a favourite: we loved the dance, the speeches, talking with all our family and friends, all of it!

Who made your Cake?: A friend from my work, Melanie Cricco

Top tip for soon to be brides and grooms?: Fiona: Make sure the bus driver picks up the right guests and your guests get on the right bus! Tom: Remember to turn off your own mobile phone during your wedding ceremony.

Suppliers we used:

Reception:http://www.vueonhalcyon.com.au

Dress: http://www.janehill.com.au

Photography: http://www.touchofflash.com.au

DJ at Reception: http://www.mobydisc.com.au

Music at Ceremony: http://www.sweetheartsmusic.com.au

Flowers: Kirsty from I Do Flowers 0411 220 715

Bridesmaids Hair and Make-Up: http://ellenmugavin.com

Groomsmen Suits: http://www.davidmarcs.com.au

Jodie and David's Harbourside wedding!

Photography:Richard Alaba Stationery: Fi Fy Fo Fum Designs

Wedding: Jodie & David
Theme: Simple Elegant Harbour Wedding
Colours: Black & White with a hint of Green
Venue: Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Mosman – Our Ceremony was on their private beach with drinks following at the beachside bar, Reception was in the private dining room upstairs with views over Middle Harbour.
Photography: Richard Alaba-Richard was great, we had a lot of fun and he kept all the photos relaxed and natural.
Flowers: Organised by Jodie & David’s Mum who used to be a florist! White roses, peonies and freesias. Many trips to the flower markets and practise runs!
Invitations: Fi Fy Fo Fum Custom Design. Fi worked with me and my budget and came up with the perfect design straight away, simple and elegant. We also used the bird place cards which were perfect sat on the edge of everyone’s glass! (the design that we did for Jodie and David is now apart of our range.  It is a Readymade letterpress invitation called Damask)
Celebrant: Jan Littlejohn, a civil celebrant who has married some of our friends and David’s brother. She was fabulous and kept us so relaxed and organised, it was like having another member of the family there.
Cake: My Little Cupcake, Neutral Bay – we had a tier of cupcakes with white icing in black lace cases with a main cake at the top to cut. They are, quite honestly, the most delicious cupcakes we have ever tasted.
Top tip: No matter how hard you try, if your wedding isn’t small, you will wake up the next day and realise you didn’t get photos with someone important, write a list and give it to your photographer. Also, once it is all underway it goes so quickly, RELAX, take a breath, soak it all in and enjoy yourself!!

Brooke and Maciej's simple, yet elegant wedding

Wedding Photos: Elise Kapeller Photography

Wedding: Brooke and Maciej
Theme: No theme
Colours: Black and white
Venue: The International of Brighton
Photography: Elise Kapeller Photography
Flowers: Floral Affairs
Wedding Invitations: Lace design from Fi Fy Fo Fum - We wanted something very simple, yet elegant. We found exactly that with the Lace design.
Celebrant: Lynton Round
Cake: Oakleigh Quality Cakes - We chose two flavours as we couldn't settle on one. We served the cake in cute little cake bags so our guests could take cake home with them.
Top tip: Be organised leading up to the big day. Keep things simple. We found having the ceremony and reception at the same venue to be so much easier for us and our guests on the day. Most importantly, remember that your wedding is about you and your partner. The only people you have to please (with all plans for the day) are yourselves!

Kerryn and Craig's Vineyard Wedding

Photography Gallery One Photography and Fi Fy Fo Fum Designs

Wedding: Kerryn & Craig
Theme: Relaxed elegance.
We wanted a relaxed and casual atmosphere for our guests to enjoy, with all the elegance and fine touches that make a wedding day special.
Colours: Chocolate with a splash of red.
Venue: Stillwater at Crittenden, Dromana
Our ceremony and reception were held at the same venue.  This allowed our guests to relax and enjoy the gorgeous setting while we had photos taken in the winery.  Our ceremony took place by the lake surrounded by a backdrop of vineyards.  I loved the warmth and earthiness of the restaurant and our guests were able to spill out on to the deck to enjoy a lovely balmy evening.  To top it off, the food was delicious.
Photography: Gallery One Photography, Mornington 
Michaela was fantastic and kept the day fun and relaxed.  Our post ceremony photos were taken at the same venue which allowed us to join our guests for pre-dinner drinks.  This was really important as we wanted to spend as much time with our friends and family as possible.
Flowers: Red Lili Flower & Design (0417 013 707)
I absolutely loved my flowers.  Kelly suggested a selection of flowers which tied the whole theme together.  Our bouquets were a combination of Metalina Roses, Spider Orchids, Hipiastrum Lillies and Privet Berries.  Kelly also decorated the restaurant with bowls of Spider Orchids backlit by tea light candles.  Kelly was a delight to deal with and I would highly recommend her services.
Wedding Invitations: Fi Fy Fo Fum Designs- Custom design
My invitations were gorgeous and exactly what I wanted.  My inspiration came from a stem of orchids in a vase and Fi translated this into an amazing and elegant design, which carried through the invitations, RSVP cards, gift registry information, order of service booklets, place cards and menus.  Fi was so easy to deal with and even a last minute change was not a drama.  I would have no hesitation on recommending Fi's fantastic service.
Celebrant: Erica Schamberger 
Erica's service was relaxed and personal.  We were keen for a short service so that we could get on with enjoying the rest of the day.
Cake: Heather's Novelty Cakes
Our cake was served as dessert so we chose two tiers of chocolate and white chocolate mud cake.  Kelly from Red Lili Flower & Design decorated the cake with fresh flowers to complement our bouquets and the table decorations.
Top tip: Don't stress about the small things.  Most people will be too busy having fun to notice them anyway.