DIY Boutonnières

If you've read my earlier post, you already know my desire to try my hand at DIY boutonnieres. Admittedly, I started slow. I wasn't sure where to begin the structure of the mini floral arrangement. I could have searched for one of the thousands of articles online, but my computer was in the other room, and I was feeling stubborn. It's just silk flowers and floral wire, for crying out loud!

After a little trial and error, I actually put together a boutonnière that I'm sort of in love with! It has the right blend of earth tones and reds, and even has a little sparkle. I even used some of the same floral elements that Mom and I used in the centerpieces and pomanders. I must say, if I can toot my own horn a little bit, I'm very pleased with the results.

Although it took me MUCH longer than expected (Don't all DIY projects seem to do that?), It actually saved me a good bit of money. Had I ordered them from one of my favorite vendors on Etsy, it probably would have cost me about $75, which is quite reasonable, don't get me wrong. With all my supplies, I think all six will cost me about $30. Plus, I have the satisfaction of having done them myself and I'm proud of that!

I definitely won't be quitting my day job, largely because I'd have to charge about $60 per boutonnière to account for my time! Would you consider DIY boutonnières?

These "Bouts" Are Made For Walkin'

Down the aisle, that is...

I've been searching for fun and creative boutonnière ideas for our December wedding. It was one of those items that I knew we'd have to do, but didn't really get excited about. That is, until ETSY changed my mind. Now I'm so excited about another diy project that I can hardly contain myself. I had never dared imagine anything other than a rose, a leaf, and some baby's breath. Silly me! Look at all the fabulous items from ETSY vendors (Erica Cavanagh, Kate Said Yes, Emily K Botanic Studio, and Boutique In Bloom:

I love the idea of incorporating organic elements like small pine cones and feathers, with silk elements like faux berries and pearls.

I think I'm probably going to tackle this project myself, along with some ETSY inspiration. I definitely want to create something unique and one-of-a-kind for the fellas!

Puttin' on the Ritz

So the boys are all squared away. We weren't sure what they were going to wear for a while. We went back and forth: suit or tux? brown or black? vest or no vest? bow tie or straight tie? what color tie?

Armed with a color swatch for the girls' dresses, we headed off to Men's Wearhouse. Our sales consultant was very patient and guided us through the process of trying on tuxes. I thought Wayne looked exceptionally cute in all of them, but ultimately he decided that he liked the chocolate brown tux.

Since our wedding is a backyard affair, we knew that we wanted to go a little more casual, so we opted for a straight tie and no vest. The red tie; however, looked a little too "Prom, circa 1992." Our clever consultant had another idea up her sleeve. Instead of a rented tie, we could just purchase ties for the men and she found a gorgeous textured tie that was exactly the right color! So, after all that deliberation, here's where we are right now:

We haven't decided on footwear just yet. The brown tux shoes were a bit yuck-ola, so we're considering these:

Or maybe something like this:

What do you think?

Meet the boys...

Wayne's Best Man is his longtime pal, Patrick Robbins. Wayne and Patrick grew up on the same block, and share a love of football and Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey. In fact, as kids, Wayne and Patrick played a lot of backyard football, naming many of their plays after Duran Duran songs. That's right... Duran Duran. To this day, Wayne can still run a pretty mean "New Moon on Monday."

Wayne's brother, Chuck, is his other groomsman. While different in many ways, Chuck and Wayne share a love of camping and devotion to family. Chuck lives in High Springs, FL with his wife, Laurie, and their children Carson and Caroline. One of my favorite memories of spending time with them was a few years ago when we were visiting them in their hotel room. Wayne was tickling Carson and he looked up at Chuck and laughingly said, "tell your little brother to stop tickling me!"

Wayne's Junior Groomsman is his nephew, Carson. Carson is an unending ball of energy. He loves his Pokemon cards, anything Star Wars, and playing video games. He is genuinely sweet and caring, and a very protective big brother to his sister, Caroline who is our flower girl.