I am very pleased with the progress I was able to make on my 20% project. Initially, I was unsure how much time I would be able to set aside for this project but I found that working on my centerpieces was a happy release from my other assignments. When I began I did not have any idea where to begin and had not decided on any of the details. All I knew was that I wanted to create 20 centerpieces for my wedding on a limited budget! I
found Pinterest to be an extremely useful resource. I used Pinterest to gather images of centerpieces I liked. I was able to search specifically for aspects I was looking for in my centerpieces, including lace and pearls. Having a Pinterest board specifically for centerpiece ideas created an easily accessible place for me to store my resources. I shopped around online as well as in stores (Dollar Tree, Michael's, JoAnn's and Home Goods) to find the best deals on vases, pearls, and lace. I decided on loose pearls instead of stringed pearls because the pins that I liked the most incorporated loose pearls. I was very glad to see the pin that offered sugar as a vase filler! I am using this suggestion because not only is it pretty, but the sugar offers a cheaper alternative to pearls, which is nice because the loose pearls were much more expensive than I had anticipated!
I had one let down with a pin because I got excited about a pin that showed a large vase with a smaller vase inside and the void filled with pearls. This idea seemed easy enough, but I had an extremely difficult time finding vases that would work for this idea! It took me looking at several different stores before I could find vases to work. The vases wound up being too expensive to do all 20 this way so I bought five. This means that five tables will have extra special centerpieces and the others will be a bit more simple, but I'm okay with that!
I have a family friend who will be doing the flowers and he has informed me that tulips will be in season, so I am very happy! I continued pinning and looked specifically for centerpieces that used tulips. I wasn't sure if I would buy the lace table runners pre-cut or cut my own. Ultimately I decided to buy seven yards of lace and make three runners per yard myself. I also bought frames from dollar tree and spray painted them to use for table numbers and photos. After purchasing all of the vases, pearls, lace, frames, spray paint, and fancy scissors to cut the lace I am just a few cents below $200. I will still need to purchase the sugar and candles, but these should be minimal expenses and the flowers are coming out of a different budget.
Therefore, I am very pleased with my outcome and ability to be thrifty! I learned a lot about designing through this process. If I had simply hired someone to do the centerpieces, I never would have known the incredible amount of details that such a project entails. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, something else came to mind! Now I am counting down the days until I get to show off my centerpieces to all of my family and friends. :)
found Pinterest to be an extremely useful resource. I used Pinterest to gather images of centerpieces I liked. I was able to search specifically for aspects I was looking for in my centerpieces, including lace and pearls. Having a Pinterest board specifically for centerpiece ideas created an easily accessible place for me to store my resources. I shopped around online as well as in stores (Dollar Tree, Michael's, JoAnn's and Home Goods) to find the best deals on vases, pearls, and lace. I decided on loose pearls instead of stringed pearls because the pins that I liked the most incorporated loose pearls. I was very glad to see the pin that offered sugar as a vase filler! I am using this suggestion because not only is it pretty, but the sugar offers a cheaper alternative to pearls, which is nice because the loose pearls were much more expensive than I had anticipated!
I had one let down with a pin because I got excited about a pin that showed a large vase with a smaller vase inside and the void filled with pearls. This idea seemed easy enough, but I had an extremely difficult time finding vases that would work for this idea! It took me looking at several different stores before I could find vases to work. The vases wound up being too expensive to do all 20 this way so I bought five. This means that five tables will have extra special centerpieces and the others will be a bit more simple, but I'm okay with that!
I have a family friend who will be doing the flowers and he has informed me that tulips will be in season, so I am very happy! I continued pinning and looked specifically for centerpieces that used tulips. I wasn't sure if I would buy the lace table runners pre-cut or cut my own. Ultimately I decided to buy seven yards of lace and make three runners per yard myself. I also bought frames from dollar tree and spray painted them to use for table numbers and photos. After purchasing all of the vases, pearls, lace, frames, spray paint, and fancy scissors to cut the lace I am just a few cents below $200. I will still need to purchase the sugar and candles, but these should be minimal expenses and the flowers are coming out of a different budget.
Therefore, I am very pleased with my outcome and ability to be thrifty! I learned a lot about designing through this process. If I had simply hired someone to do the centerpieces, I never would have known the incredible amount of details that such a project entails. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, something else came to mind! Now I am counting down the days until I get to show off my centerpieces to all of my family and friends. :)