{Beach Wedding Week} DIY Save the Date - Message in a Bottle

Welcome to Thrifty Thursday here on Beach Wedding Week! We've got some great DIY wedding projects that can add a personal touch to your wedding! As I mentioned in yesterday's practical wedding planning post, do it yourself projects are awesome for brides; they are fun, save money, and get people involved. But you have to remember to limit yourself because you just can't do it all. Aiming for five big projects and achieving three is a great completion rate.

When choosing DIY projects, start from a wedding branding perspective; what theme, color, look and feel do you want to carry thoughout the entire celebration? Is your beach wedding retro (hey it happens), vintage, rustic, casual, or traditional? Next, choose at least one or two projects for each phase, pre-wedding, ceremony, reception, to help create the cohesive look and feel of your specific wedding brand. Project options are limitless and social media inspiration sites such as Pinterest are a great way to get your creative juice flowing. (Come check out the de Lovely Affair Pinterest boards)

Today, we've got two easy projects perfect for your beach themed wedding. This one is SUPER simple and relatively inexpensive to create. This is the post 1 of 2, so make sure you come back later today. Our friends over at Valley and Co. had this great idea so many thanks for letting us share it.

Pre-Wedding DIY Project: Message in a Bottle Save the Date

Items you will need: small bottles with corks | sand and tiny shells | a strip of decorative paper with your information typed or written, about 3″ x 1″ | a tiny rubber band | a 2″ strip of ribbon | glue

STEP 1: Place your sand and shells onto a sheet of paper and then pour into your bottle. Of course, make sure all your shells will fit through the mouth of the bottle.

STEP 2: Keeping with your wedding branding, include small pieces of sea glass, stones, or beads in your wedding colors. You can find these at your local craft store.

STEP 3: Cut out your typed or written message in 3" x 1" sections. Fold the 2" inch strip of ribbon at about half (one side should be a little longer than the other) and glue the rubber band in the ribbon crease. This will help prevent your message from getting stuck in the bottle. Roll up your paper like a scroll and cinch it with the rubberband.

 STEP 4: Place the note in the bottle, leaving a bit of the ribbon outside. Cork the bottle securely and VOILA, you have your DIY Save the Date.

Photos by Elle G. Photography for Valley & Co.

As an additional step, you could design a creative address label with your names and wedding date to stick on the outside of the bottle. For a little extra sweetness, tie a small word charm, love, joy, happiness, around the neck of the bottle with a thin piece of raffia.

Save the Dates are an excellent way to give guests a sneak peek into your wedding and this project is no exception. What says beachy fun more than a message in a bottle? Plus people LOVE to get packages in the mail! :) Just remember to pack them securely with packing peanuts and pretty tissue paper.

Hope you enjoyed this first of two DIY Beach Wedding Projects. Remember to stop back by for the other one...you won't want to miss it. Thank you again to Valley & Co. for their wonderful idea. 

Make it de Lovely!

 xx

{Beach Wedding Week} Practical Tips for Planning a Beach Wedding

Unless you're planning a fancy resort destination beach wedding where all your wedding worries are whisked away on the tropical winds or your budget allows for a super awesome planner who manages every last piece until you walk down the sandy aisle (all of which are really nice), you've got some serious planning to do if you want the beach themed wedding of your dreams. So grab your Pinterest app, your to do lists and a cup of coffee and let's get down to business with some de Lovely practical planning tips.

Location - After you've chosen the date, narrowed down the guest list, location, location, location is the most important thing on your list. You've fallen in love with a gorgeous secluded beach, its printine sand and breathtaking view but it's a bit out of the way, the services are few, and the only bathroom is a stinky public 1/2 mile down down the beach. Okay, a little over the top but you get my point.  Your location must be is easily accessible for you, your guests and vendors, who may charge more for an inconvenient location. Pre-wedding jitters should not include location stress for you; do you have a place to dress, relax, pose for pictures? Guests should be able to easily park and walk, and vendors need to access facilities. Plus your DIY projects and wedding party need a staging area.

If you want to be directly on the beach, research public and privates beaches. Beachside hotels may the best option since they offer beach access, reception services, and guest accommodations. Boathouses, state parks, historical beach homes, or small seaside communities offer perfectly good alternatives to the traditional resort or hotel beach wedding. Depending on the size of your guest list and wedding party, you may be able to get away with a secluded beach wedding. Hire an accommodating planner who can handle all the small details and set your DIY projects in motion.

Photo courtesy of Intimate Weddings

BOTTOM LINE TIPS: * Permits may be needed if your guest list is large. * Check city ordinances for laws regarding alcohol and music. * Sun and wind may be a factor, plan for the right time of day and year.

Photo Courtesy of Sproullie Designs

Do It Yourself - I am a huge fan of DIY; it saves you money, it's a fun way to get people involved, and it adds a true touch of your personality, making your wedding anything but cookie cutter. When it comes to Beach Weddings, choose three to five DIY projects; more than that you risk overwhemling yourself. I like the idea of one or two items per time period: pre-wedding, ceremony, and reception. Carry your beachy brand thoughout the entire wedding for a cohesive and visually pleasing theme. Check here tomorrow for great DIY ideas.

BOTTOM LINE TIPS: * DIY is better with friends, invite your bridesmaids to help out. * Assign a family member or friend to be in charge on the big day. * DIY projects are supposed to save your money, don't go over the top buying sand, when you can get it at the beach.

Photo Courtesy of The Knot

Beach Theme: I suggest limiting your "beach" look to a few pieces of varying sizes here and there; not every decoration needs to be themed. It just looks cheesy and can actually cost you more money if vendors need to customize every single item. Instead use color, music, food to enhance the celebration.

Wedding invitations set the tone, location sets the mood, reception centerpieces continue your brand and a touch of the beach on your cake finishes the theme....going overboard (pardon the pun) can ruin the sentiment behind choosing a beach theme in the first place.

BOTTOM LINE TIPS: * Choose a brand and stick with it but sparingly. * Find other ways to incorporate the beach theme instead of just shells and starfish. * Scour the web and blogs for inspiration; Pinterest and Lover.ly are all the rage.

Photo Courtesy of National Garden Month

Go Local - When it comes to food and flowers, request your vendors go local or work directly with a local provider, such as a flower farm or farmer's market. It is easier to deal with smaller companies for catering or rentals as they can be more accommodating. A wedding trend for 2012 is to request caterers and hotels go "locavore", which means that food must be gathered within 50 miles of the event. It is cheaper, better for the environment and supports small businesses.

BOTTOM LINE TIPS: * Vendors may charge less if they don't have to travel, especially musicians; search locally for good talent. * Use local business directories and sites such as YELP to help lcoate quality vendors.

Beach weddings can offer more savings, fewer headaches and more fun than a traditional wedding but in the end, it all comes down to planning and planning well. There are a million other tips to help you plan your wedding day but the very best we can offer: have fun, be casual, be yourself, make your wedding about you and your sweetie and let all the rest go.

Have a de Lovely day! xx

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