Getting our families together has been such a challenge for our entire relationship, and we finally achieved it when we hosted our Engagement Party at my parents’ house in early July. It was an opportunity to test several of my DIY ideas to see if they could work for the larger reception we are planning.
From the start, I had had a vision for the décor that I was unsure I could make happen, but I wanted to try and that was teacups planted with succulents. My first break came when I received over a dozen teacups as well as several teapots from my future mother-in-law from her mother’s estate. My second break came when my post in my Buy Nothing group resulted in a message from a neighbor who offered to bring me some cuttings and also offered tons of advice and answered my questions over text. And then she showed up with 2 large cardboard flats of cuttings!!! Major shoutout to Ana-Lilia who really hooked it up for me, down to recommending what I should use for potting mix (coco coir and nibs as well as perlite, for anyone trying this at home). I was even able to save up some plastic bottle caps and lids to create a small air pocket in the bottom of each teacup to help with drainage.
Another décor score were these strands of fairy lights that I received at an art supply swap I helped organize earlier this year. There were 5 in total and that meant I had enough to use one on each table, plus one on the Donut Board table with one leftover for the Frame for Pictures Project (see below)!
And those beautiful flower arrangements that you see in these pictures? We owe a big thanks to my sister Leah for getting more sunflowers to match the ones I had bought at the grocery store and then working so hard to create these lovely arrangements! She was able to use cuttings and flowers from our parents’ yard as well and took it upon herself to make sure our florals looked intentional and pretty without being “too much”.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was able to source compostable plates and flatware, which cut down on trash. I also made sure to have enough tongs and serving spoons between my own stash & my parents’ so that we didn’t need to accept the caterer’s disposable plastic ones. We did end up using their ‘disposable’ chafing dishes that are reusable with new aluminum pans, and my parents were actually excited to keep them to use again at Thanksgiving.
Our caterer, LALA Tacos, was recommended by a bridal social media group that I’m in and it was a solid rec! The food was delicious and the ordering process was easy from start to finish. Highly recommend if you are looking to have a taco bar at your next party in Socal.
You may remember I mentioned in a past blog that I planned to borrow drink dispensers from a neighbor in my Buy Nothing group… well I did and that worked out great! I didn’t have to buy them or store them after the party was over- wins for everyone!
And my MIL had those cute chalkboard signs which we also borrowed.
And now for the rest of the DIY projects! The first and most involved project for this party was this Frame for Pictures. I had seen an inspiration image somewhere in my initial bridal deep-dive and thought to myself, “I bet I could make that with stuff I already have.” Turns out I was right!
I wrote more about the Frame for Pictures project in this blog post, so check it out if you are interested in the materials used (that iridescent spray paint!) or the process to make it happen.
The DIY Project that made the biggest impact at the party was easily the Donut Board- everyone was impressed by it and the way we set it up made quite the statement! There was enough room for 24 donuts with holes plus another half-dozen filled donuts displayed below. It was a project that we worked on together for our 10th anniversary and that made it even more special. Blog post about how we did it coming soon.
The project that ended up taking the most time was the tablecloth dye project. I had a Shibori dye kit that Mike had given me in the past and wanted to use it on these lace tablecloths that I used to bring to Burning Man and hang as “walls”. I wasn’t sure if the lace would take the dye- I’ve used Rit dye on fabric in the past and I know that some fabrics absorb dye and others reject it. Luckily the lace drank up the dye!
I learned a lot about shibori and would like to try it again. The biggest lesson I learned had to do with timing: it’s most effective and vibrant when used FRESH. We did the first round of dyeing live on stream during a fundraiser I was doing for St. Jude and the pieces we did that night turned out very deep indigo. Then we went out of town for a day and were delayed dyeing the next pieces for a few more days. Those did not turn out as bright, sadly. I will have to dip them again the next time we mix up a batch. And now we know to have all fabric folded and prepped before we mix so that we can dip while the dye is as fresh as possible.
Again I have to give a shoutout of thanks to my sister Leah for her patient help fixing/ gluing the fringe on a lace shawl I picked up at a thrift store that we used under the Donut Board. Her help there and with other party-related activities was much, much appreciated.
Coming up in the next installment: courthouse ceremony & DIY bridal bouquet with sola wood flowers!
