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Get out your power tools! It’s crafting time!

Ok so maybe power tools aren’t always necessary, but for at least one project they will be (and Joe’s super excited!). I mean what Groom wouldn’t be thrilled to hear, “Honey do we have a drill? I need you to help me with something for the wedding.”

Now that the key pieces are falling into place, we are now beginning the process of personalizing our wedding. When Joe and I started thinking about what we wanted for our wedding, two things became clear:

1. “Please make sure our kids won’t look at our photos and say -‘What WERE you thinking!’ ” Wise words from my future husband (that makes me happy he thinks about our kids – someday!). So classic it is!

2. “Man we have a HUGE family!” Our invite list contains 36 children…..all but two are family. Not so weird to us, but it was clear that family plays a big part in our lives. They will be a KEY focus to our day – as our family roots grow by our union.

So we wanted to make sure that this was highlighted in our decor too. Our reception is at Cobblestone Farm – think big lofty rafters and a classic stone house. It’s perfect for a family feast! Our first DIY project comes thanks to the inspiration of the space – and my Mother. You see my family has portrait walls. The hallway in my childhood home is COVERED in photos and trinkets that describe the life of my family. I love staring at it! So we are bringing a bit of home to the space with our own family photo wall:

Family in focus via Oh Lovely Day!

But where to start. We can’t just stick things on to the walls in the barn. So one must be made. Out of what? Joe and I talked about old wood beams, lattice, barn wood, etc. But in the back of our mind we wanted something that didn’t require too much work. Crafting can often become a Pandora’s Box like experience. I did not want to find the two of us knee-deep in sawdust thinking, “What WERE we thinking!”

I asked my future sister-in-law Cindy for some help with the photos. She asked me to describe what I was trying to do and exclaimed, “Oh I have got to take you to Recycle Ann Arbor.” Um, what? Well. Thing I’ve learned about Ann Arbor is that they LOVE to recycle – ANYTHING!

This warehouse is FILLED with every imaginable item – and a wedding crafters DREAM! “I’ve got some things to drop off there. Come with us and I’m sure we can find you some fun things!” said the 7 months pregnant women with three “Pirates” under age 5. Needless to say we suited up (no, really. One of her sons, Sir Francis, put on his pirate outfit for our treasure hunt. How cute!) and headed out. As soon as we walked into the warehouse, I knew this was a special place. Glasses, tree slabs, picture frames, and some interesting purses. However, when we got to the exterior house supplies aisle – we found them!

A little dusty, but the prefect shade of mint green and robin’s egg blue! We don’t even need to paint them! Granted they also came with TONS of spider webs, but a few paper towels later, they were loaded into my car. Soon they will hinged together to form an accordion screen that will hold photos on ribbons and our place cards.

Find your seat at our family table via Wedding Chicks.

I can’t wait to work with Joe on our first family project! Not to mention, I have loved having Cindy’s help in figuring out how to make my vision come to life! It’s a family effort over here!

Nailed it!

Erin