DIY Memorial Candles

Honoring those that have passed during your ceremony is a personal decision. Some might choose to do it by having a moment of silence, some might write something in a program, others choose to light candles. I saw this idea and thought it was a beautiful way of honoring those that have passed by placing the candles on the head table during the reception or at the ceremony.


Materials:
 ink jet vellum, glass cylinders, votives and ribbon.
1.Create a design using Word. 


2. After finishing your design, first print out your design on regular paper and put it around your cylinder so you know for sure that its exactly how you want it. When you've finalized your design, then print it on your ink jet vellum.


3.Before permanently adhering the vellum, double-check the height of your vellum and if needed, trim any extra with a paper cutter or scissors. Using double-stick tape or adhesive, line one edge of the vellum. Wrap around the cylinder and secure.


4.Next, take your ribbon and wrap around the bottom of the cylinder to see how much you need. Cut and place on the table. Use your double-stick tape or adhesive and put a strip on the ribbon the same length. Adhere the ribbon to the bottom of the cylinder and secure at the back. Repeat this process if you'd like to put ribbon at the top as well.


5.Put a votive candle or LED light in each. Do not use a tall candle as this will not illuminate the entire cylinder.

In Loving Memory

Today, candles are lit to remember those who left us too soon, but not before gracing us with special memories only they could create. They have helped shape our character, mold our spirits and touch our hearts. We know that they are with us in thought and in spirit today and always. 

We love them and miss them very much.

Anasazi Levy Bat Mitzvah

We had the privilege today of being the event coordinators for Anasazi Levy's Bat Mitzvah at the one and only Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. What a great event it was! We had the pleasure of working with the FABULOUS Ms. Tiffany Emch and more awesome vendors and people that made our day just wonderful. Anasazi looked beautiful and she wowed her family and friends through the entire ceremony.

The guests were welcomed to the reception site with amazing food being served by the catering staff of the Ojai Valley Inn. Different stations such as carving stations, pasta, salad, pizza, and chicken stir fry filled the air with wonderful smells of delicious food. The band played, people ate and used the photo booth (very cool), and the children anxiously awaited the moment that the candy buffet opened up!

All in all, it was a wonderful event and we are counting down the days until we are back at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa and working with all the amazing people there. Enjoy a sneak peek of some of our pictures!

Ceremony/Reception: Ojai Valley Inn and Spa

Flowers: Fiore Design

Cake: LaStarr Cakes

Photo Booth: LA Photo Party

Photography: Larissa James

Band: Rhythm of the Night

Event Coordinators: All You Need Is Love Event Planning

Meet Larissa and Justin Block

We feel so lucky to feature the beautiful wedding of Larissa and Justin Block. They are a beautiful couple with a heart of gold. Larissa is an amazing photographer (check out her site here) and Justin is lawyer. We just learned that this fantastic couple will be welcoming a new baby in October. Enjoy reading about their amazing wedding and looking at the breathtaking pictures. It truly was an unforgettable night!

How did you two meet?

OK, here's the story: Justin and I met in college. I attended UCSB and he was at Pitzer College in LA. He came to Santa Barbara to visit a friend and we ended up meeting at a party sitting on a couch. We continued dating for a month or so but the distance was hard and we went our separate ways. Five years later we connected on Friendster and got to know each other all over again. We picked up where we left off and have been together ever since!

What was the theme | design inspiration for your wedding?

Because we both have a love for the beach, we wanted to get married in a location that had an ocean view. We chose the Bel Air Bay Club for its beautiful ocean view and rustic spanish charm. I wanted a romantic and antique feel so I selected pink and silver. To contrast the pink, I chose blue for the bridesmaid dresses because I thought it would "pop" in photographs. Lastly, I am a photographer, so we used photography as a theme, with a photo booth strip as our save the date, a photo booth for guests and photo frames with personal photos of each of our guests at each persons seat. This was a very personal touch that took a lot of time to plan for!

Tell us about the attire for both bride and groom:

I wore a dress by Renella de Fina (www.renelladefina.com) in a style called Charlize. The shoes I wore were by Giuseppe Zanotte. The antique jewelry was on loan from my mom. Justin wore a suit that was custom taylor made.Bridesmaid dresses were Melissa Sweet www.priscillaofboston.com

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome when planning your wedding?

Our biggest challenge was making beautiful choices that would fit into our budget. Many of our touches were handmade by me and my mom, such as the invitations, programs, tags for the pashminas, table cards, menus, etc.

What advice would you give a couple planning a wedding?

My advice to a couple getting married would be to hire a wedding planner at least for the week of the wedding (or more if it fits into your budget). You don't want to be stressed in any way on your wedding day. Also, don't sweat the little things. You can plan and plan until you are blue in the face, but not everything will be perfect. That is what makes it real and special. Once your day comes, trust that you did a great job and just enjoy every minute of the day.

Any specific reasons behind certain choices you made for your wedding:

Justin was in charge of the music. We chose songs that were close to our hearts and not your traditional songs to walk down the aisle. Justin selected Tiny Dancer by Elton John for the wedding party and I entered to Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles (a song I grew up listening to). As we ended the ceremony we exited to the theme song of Austin Powers... because it made us laugh! Our first dance was Barry White "Can't get enough of your Love Babe." We took dance lessons and thought this song was fun and upbeat to dance to.

Our little touches: bubbles as the ceremony ended, shawls for all the women given before the ceremony, picture frames with a photo from their past, candy bar for dessert (along with cake), photo booth for guests.

List of Vendors:
Flowers- Fiore Designs www.fioredesigns.com
Photography- Andrena Photographyhttp://photography.andrenaphoto.com
Venue- Bel Air Bay Club www.belairbayclub.com (on site catering)
Wedding Cake- Cakery Bakery www.cakerybakery.net
Band- West Coast Music www.westcoastmusic.com

Unique Ceremony Ideas

Feeling like you aren't the "Typical Bride"? I get it...I felt the same way too. Here are some ideas that might make your wedding ceremony unique and stray away from that traditional feel.

• Let your guests mingle over cocktails before the ceremony (this obviously would be a way better idea if not getting married in a church). Good friends of TD and mine did this and it made the ceremony go by so much smoother:)
• Greet guests as they arrive at the ceremony site.
• Have your guests sit or stand in a circle around you during your vows. Logistically, this idea would work better in a smaller, more intimate wedding ceremony
• Have both parents walk you down the aisle. Both Vikki and I did (and are doing) this. We knew that our moms have played such major roles in our lives that we wanted them to walk beside us on the day.
• Have an uneven number of attendants. Who said things needed to be even??
• Have a “man of honor” instead of a maid of honor. (Your brother? A good male friend?)
• Have the groom choose a “best woman.” (His sister? A good female friend?)
• Don’t wear a veil.
• Write your own vows.
• Have audience participation (pre arranged of course). You might ask some friends and family to come up and say some words or thoughts, instead of reading from first Corinthians)
• Have a ring warming. (What’s a ring warming you ask? There are different versions of this, but generally the rings are placed in a small bag and are passed around to each guest prior to the ring exchange. Each guest blesses the rings or says a prayer. I just about died when I heard this idea. Again would work better for a smaller wedding but what an awesome and unique thing to have done at a wedding)
• Choose unconventional processional and/or recessional music. ( You don’t have to stick with Pachelbel’s Canon or Ode to Joy. I know...it's a shocker!)

Project PLEASE!

I truly love a good DIY project so when I found this one feature on one of my favorite blogs Once Wed, I HAD to share. Can someone PLEASE do this soon so I can help them create these magically lit pennants for an amazing party? Sigh...

Supplies:

1. cafe string lights; 2. scissors (plus X-Acto knife if you have one); 3. glue (heavy duty); 4. craft paper (at least 14?x14?); 5. screw punch; 6. ruler; 7. pencil and eraser

Additional items: bone folder (for scoring folds), tape

Begin by printing out the template for the shape of the pennant. The template prints on two sheets of 8.5?x11? paper so trim off the margin on one side, line up the edges and tape the two sheets together on both sides before cutting out the shape. This template will also serve as a guide for where make your fold creases (the dotted lines).

Trace the shape onto your desired paper and cut out. Next, refer to the template and use a bone folder to make your creases along the dotted line (try using a letter opener if you don’t have this tool). Fold the main creases so that you see the triangles form. This will help you find where to draw your design or letter on the other side before punching it out.

Turn the pennant over and draw your desired design or letter with pencil and then punch it out along the lines with a screw punch. Also, cut the slits in the top triangle of the pennant (guide shown on template).This is how you’ll pop the cafe light into the pennant.

Fold in the tabs, and working one at a time, apply glue and and attach to the opposite sides (note: if you don’t have good glue this stage will be very frustrating). Hold each side together until the glue sets.

Once the glue is dry gently pop the cafe bulb into the top of the pennant.

Online Resources:

String Lights

local Target or Party Lights

Martha Stewart 18?x18? craft paper

Paper Source 26?x20? cover paper

Cost:

cost: about $40 (for lights and paper as shown)

time: about 5-10 minutes per pennant

Project created by Anna Bond of RIFLE design