Beautiful Marriage

This past weekend I was honored to take part in a dear sister-friend’s wedding. She is a life-long friend; one for which I had been hoping to witness her marriage. And she blessed me with the opportunity to be her Matron of Honor!

The weekend was bustling with family and friends from near and far. My friend and I only stole away a few private moments together, but I could tell she was overjoyed being surrounded by loved ones and so was I.

I got to hug long-loved family, meet new ones, make decorations and sample indulge in so much good food! My friend is part Cypriot so the family made delicious koupepia, pastitsio, rotisserie chicken and baklava. I ate as much as I could – I don’t get to enjoy authentic Greek food often!

The wedding ceremony was a beautiful reflection of the bride & groom’s faith. The service was foreign to my familiar way of worship, but the joy on my friend’s face brought joy to my heart. And oh the celebration that followed! There was line dancing, Greek dancing, swing dancing – family, food and fun! 

But the best part is not the ceremony during which I stood next to the bride, or the dancing after. It is the marriage that will be carried out day after day. The daily faith, love and joy expressed by that couple will inspire and bless many others.

I am honored to witness those miracles at work – God’s hand on two lives, uniting them in perfect purpose. I cannot wait to see what is to come…

Of course I love to capture moments on camera and really wanted to share one of my favorites of the bride. But I will wait until she has seen it first. 

In the meantime, here are some of the decorations I made for the wedding weekend with some short how-to instructions. Enjoy!

Tissue Paper Pom Flowers

We made these as decorations for the rehearsal dinner which was at the house. An inexpensive and easy way to add festive color to the occasion!

Supplies:

20x20 or 20x30 inch tissue paper (8 sheets per flower)

Fishing line or ribbon

Scissors

1. Fold a stack of tissue paper in 1 ½ inch accordion folds (like you are making a paper fan). If you are using 20x30 inch paper, be sure to fold on the shorter side, otherwise your pom will come out floppy. (You can also cut the paper into smaller squares for different sized poms).

2. Cut the ends of the folded tissue paper in points or round them.

3. Tie some fishing line or ribbon around the center of the paper. Leave enough length for hanging the pom once it is complete.

4. Gently pull each layer of tissue apart from each other and fluff into a “ball”.

5. Hang from the ceiling…you are done!

Decorative Utensil Holders

We used these at the rehearsal dinner as well. Better than leaving the box of plastic ware open next to the buffet. These are cute!

Supplies:

Vegetable or soup cans

Scrapbook paper, ribbon, other decorations

Scissors, paper cutter and decorative paper punches

1. Remove the label and wash out empty cans.

2. Measure the height of the can and cut scrapbook paper to size. (Any 12x12 or 8 ½ x11 inch sheet will wrap around the can.

3. Choose coordinating colors of paper and cut smaller strips to layer on top of the base paper. I used a paper punch that creates a continuous pattern along the edge of the paper to create the lace look.

4. Adorn with ribbon, buttons, or any other decorations appropriate for your event.

Just Married Sign

This was my favorite project. My friend knew she wanted a Just Married sign for the car so I decided to make her one I knew she would love. The groomsmen did their own work on the car too….at least this was one “pretty” among all the mess!

Supplies:

Cardstock

Ribbon

Hole punch

Printer

1. Use a computer to create and print the letters for the sign. I chose a font that can be easily read from far away, as well as a simple border to decorate each letter card.

2. Cut out each letter to approximately 5x6” rectangles. This was a perfect size for the back of a car.

3. Punch two holes at the top of each card.

4. Measure out at least 6 feet of ribbon for each word (JUST and MARRIED). I used two different colors of ribbon to make it prettier.

5. Weave the ribbon through each hole in the cards. Make sure each word is on separate strands of ribbon.

6. Lay out the words on the floor so you can get the spacing right. Adjust the space between each card. Then adjust the space between each word. You want the ribbon to swag a little, so arrange it by how you picture it hanging on a car.

7. Leave the cards in place and tie the strands of ribbon together on both ends to join the two words.

8. Hang it up and celebrate!