This is celticprincess's Purple Wedding!

I am making some menu card holders for my potluck event but these can also be used as place setting holders. After some trial and error... I came up with a version of these that worked well...

tried cutting groves in the top for the place cards {difficult, dangerous and came close to cutting myself several times} it didn't hold the cards up well and it wasn't worth the effort.

Tried using paper clips and it didn't look good or classy and it was dificult to cut the little grove to fit the paperclips.

So I used 12 gauge aluminum craft wire, a simple pair of pliers and wire cutters and a drill. I cut lengths of the wire, used the pliers to twist a spiral shape in the top and then crimped the bottom of the wire over and then I drilled a whole in the top of the round of mesquite wood and used apoxy to glue it into place...

the menu card or place setting card slides right into the spiral and stands up perfectly. you could even use a wood burner to burn your initials into the wood or use glue and put other embelishments on it.

? Reception Décor

My whole wedding and reception is a Celtic Heritage Themed event. My reception is a potluck event with buffet style tables with long shade tents covering them and seating is picnic style with chairs and picnic tables available.

My buffet tables will be covered with wood grain cloth {chose this rather than the paper rolls they have available because it is to be held in the northwest and I want to be prepared for rain if necessary} and the tables will have purple velvet table runners. The shade tents will have renaissance style trimming and Celtic knotted ropes as accents.

It is a potluck themed event but I am requesting that people use plain dishes in solid colors, ceramics, silver color or wood. I have a collection of wood serving dishes and trays available just in case any dishes really look out of place with my décor. I am decorating the buffet style tables with silk flowers {lose blooms style rather than bouquet’s}, silk greens and vines, wrought iron candle holders, baskets and woven wheat accents.

I am using “menu cards” so that the cook/family can write in the dish title and mark for any of the known allergies in my guest list. They will be in handmade native Arizona mesquite holders that are round that stand on their side with little silver paper clips glued in a little slot in the top. Have tried several different ways to make these and they look good this way. The menu cards are made from homemade recycled DIY plantable paper that are dyed lavender to go with my purple silver theme.

I plan on posting for individual projects with explanations and basic DIY instructions to help anyone who wished to make any of the items I am making.

Daniel and I wish to incorporate aspects of our heritage into our ceremony and reception. The symbol of the tree is throughout our family histories. From the Celtic to the Dutch. We thought that it was beautifully enchanting Dutch tradition when we read of the wishing tree that replaces the guest book. The idea that guests write a blessing or a wish for the newly wed couple and hang it from a beautifully adorned tree is magical to me.

A guest book simply records a guests presence at the event but a wishing tree records a piece of their hope for our future. This “wishing tree” is a beautiful addition to décor and a beautiful opportunity for collecting real life keepsakes that will lend themselves well to a wedding treasure chest or a scrapbook. The idea that I will be able to unveil these on our 50th wedding anniversary is delightful to us. I just love the beauty and majesty that these lend to the scenery and the ambiance that really brings together the old world feel that we are trying to capture for our special day.

I am making plantable paper for the place settings for the potluck buffet… These “Menu Cards” will double as favors for my guests… That way each family will have something that is a living growing reminder of our special day. Just plant the “menu card”, water and you will get wildflowers. Wildflowers {hummingbird mix} are special to my husband to be and I and hummingbirds are a symbol of our love {amazing and delicate}.

My family has always viewed me as the wild earth child with bare feet and a need to be close to animals and nature. So it will be a reminder of me and what they have always viewed me as. {not to mention that it is made from recycled paper and that is right up my alley}.

So, this is how you do it…
I took a board {recycled}, used a drill to punch a hole and then a jig saw to cut a square out of the middle leaving the outer edge intact. I then stapled screen {recycled from a window that needed replaced} tightly around it. If you are not handy with tools, I have included a link to a video that shows another way to make the screen.

Then, you shred scrap paper, press it down in a blender, pour warm water over it… cover and blend. I did several batches and put them in a small bucket. I then added coloring that I wanted. I then put the screen in the tub {screen side down to create a trough} and put the plug in. It worked best when I put a small amount of HOT water {just enough ot make the screen wet}. I then slowly poured the paper pulp into the screen and patted it slowly into even thickness all across the screen {it should be pretty thick because it WILL dry thinner}.

While it is still soaking in the water I evenly spread wildflower seeds then re-patted it into place so that it was completely even and smooth. I pulled the plug from the drain and then raised the screen out of the water. I set it up so that air flowed above and below to let most of the water drain out of it. To get a smooth surface I laid it on a hard surface after it had stopped dripping and then laid wax paper over it and rolled it with a rolling pin being careful not to disturb the even thickness.

I tried several ways to press it and dry it including flipping it out when wet, drying on low in the oven etc but the best way I found was to just let it dry on the screen and then it peals right out. However, I do think that using a smooth flat cutting board or something similar would work for pressing it smooth. I then set it up in a warm place with plenty of air flow above and below and let it dry at its own rate {I got my BEST results this way}. My paper is tinted purple to match my wedding but I do suppose that it would lend itself well to many different color schemes.

I intend on using a Martha Stewart Butterfly Edge Punch on it and will let you all know how that turns out with this paper! I am also hoping that I can run it through my printer but figure that if I can not that I can glue another shade of purple paper as the “menu card”… I suppose that if one was energetic they could use handwritten calligraphy on each one but I would rather save time and get a more uniform LOOK to my “menu cards”. However, if I was using them as place cards with people’s names I think that I would take the extra time and effort just for the welcoming effect. Blessings on your union, Z.

Though some people may consider this tacky for a wedding I know my family. It is a tradition in our family that every large gathering be a picnic style potluck event and many people would be very upset if we tried to have the affair catered.

Everyone in HUGE family expects family gatherings to be a Sunday Picnic style affair and we are not exactly a “black tie” sort of family. There are certain family recipes that people look forward to at every gathering and we can always count on Aunt Barb to make her “Taco Salad”, Aunt Jenny to make her to die for “Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Salmon” and Grandma Helen’s “German Cheese Blintzes”.

However, my husband to be, my grown step daughter and our son have allergies… So I decided that I would do a twist on the “menus” and the “place cards” used at traditional wedding receptions {you try to tell my Grandpa where to sit and see how well that goes over LOL} by combining the idea into cute little “DIY Menu Cards” that people can fill out to be placed beside the dish.

My wedding is Nature/Celtic themed and I am from the Great NW but am transplanted to Arizona so I will use these cute little “Card Holders” hand cut from Arizona Misquete with a groove cut in the top to hold the “Menu Cards”.

I am a crafty sort so and a nature girl so I am making my own plantable paper to print the “Menu Cards” on so that we can plant the cards when we are through.

I think I can really make the buffet come together in an elegant way and cover everyones concerns and keep the comfort of our family tradition without losing the vision of my perfect wedding.

A true old world feel and herloom quality that can be a lifetime keepsake with family and centimental value.

Our perminent rings are tattoos. The only tattoo either of us will ever get. In fact, I can't believe he was actually willing to get a tattoo for ME!