Junior Bridesmaid/Ring Bearer Gifts!

Mr. ICS and I have almost all of the bridal party gifts completely finished! The only ones that we had left, were the ones for the Junior Bridesmaids and Ring Bearer. I've already purchased one gift for each of them (see below), but thought it would be nice to get them a little something extra.

Image Via Asterias Bridal Shop on Etsy

Image Via Sock Prints Etsy Shop

The ICS Maids, as you might already know, will be donning beautiful bathrobes. The ICS Men, will be donning handsome wristwatches. In an effort to make the Junior Bridesmaids and Ring Bearer feel more integrated, I decided to purchase them gifts that would somewhat go along with the theme. I felt that purchasing robes and a watch for the youngsters would be a little unconventional, so I tried to think outside of the box.

After searching on Etsy for quite a while, I came across some adorable t-shirts. (See below)

Image Via Designs By Christine Etsy Shop

Image Via Bride and Entourage Etsy Shop

I loved both of the styles that I found. They were super cute and I thought all 3 of them would have really enjoyed receiving them as gifts. The prices for these t-shirts ran for about $15.00, not including shipping. So, last weekend, I decided to venture off to Michaels in search of t-shirt making supplies to hopefully save some money.

I watched a few Youtube videos before I went, to make sure that I was purchasing products that had good reviews. Believe it or not, I've never made a t-shirt before with iron ons. I was super duper nervous, too! I was really hoping the project wouldn't be a total flop and waste of money. While I was there, I couldn't decide which decals to purchase, so, I purchased multiples. Here's what I came home with:

Image Via Michaels.com: Transfer Colored Paper

for $9.99

Image Via Michaels.com: Transfermations Flock Letters

$5.99

Image Via Michaels.com: Black Glitter Letters

$5.99

Image Via Michaels.com: Black Tshirt

$3.99 originally, on sale for $1.99

Image Via Michaels.com: Pink Tshirt

$3.99 originally, on sale for $1.99

So, after purchasing all of my materials, it was time to get to work. First, I took a current t-shirt of mine (that happened to be a kids' size--completely accidental, it was just the only size my company had left), to see the spacing of the letters. I measured both horizontally from the sleeves and vertically from the collar. I laid out the letters on the the t-shirt first, to check the spacing. Then, after my iron was fully heated, I laid an old pillow case over top, and pressed down evenly. I removed the iron from the shirt and letters, and VOILA! I couldn't believe my eyes--it actually worked! No, it wasn't perfect, but it would do! Here are the finished products! Sorry the photos aren't better quality, I didn't have any photo space left on my phone so I had to take them through Snapchat. 

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

I'm quite pleased with the result actually. Also, here's the best part: the t-shirts on Etsy were about $15.00, not including shipping (varying in cost from $5.99-$8.99), but the final cost with materials used for these t-shirts was $6.99. Woohoo, over a 50% discount! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

I hope the kiddos love them!

How about you, Hive? Did you do any DIY projects for your bridal party's gifts? If so, what did you do? If you didn't DIY, what did you buy? Can't wait to hear!

-Ms. Ice Cream Sundae

Ice Cream You Scream: Ice Cream Sundae Invitations!

I knew what I wanted for invitations for quite some time, for the most part. I loved getting wedding invitations in the mail because I liked to see the different spins and variations each couple put on them. I can even remember taking pictures of some invitations family members would get, so that I could mimic those invitations when the big day came. Truth be told, I have no idea where those photos are now, but Pinterest came along and saved the day!

So, choosing the invitations was fairly easy. Here was my Pinspiration:

Image via justinviteme.com

Image via weddinginclude.com

I loved the look of both of these invites. The ivory paper with blush and gold accents fit the color scheme of our wedding perfectly, and I thought these invitations looked extremely elegant. So, needless to say, I was so disheartened when I went to actually order the invitations and the final total came to $950. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do at that point. I didn't know that invitations could cost so much! I feared I would have to go a completely different route and forego my beloved pocket folds (yes, full on dramatic tone used here) for a 2 dimensional invitation (which there is absolutely no problem with, I just had my heart set on the former). Then, to my surprise, enter MOH A. 

Thankfully MOH A.'s best friend, B (HA, I just realized that is the beginning of the alphabet and sounds super cute--ok, full disclosure, I'm writing this post at 6:00 am with very little coffee in my system) has been planning her wedding around the same time that I have. She just got married this past June. She, too, had gold and blush for her wedding colors, and MOH A. was a bridesmaid in her wedding. As I told MOH A. my woes about the extremely expensive invitations, she suggested using B.'s graphic designer. She sent me a picture of her invitations, and they were just beautiful. So, the important question was, "how much?" She didn't remember them being that pricey, so we went ahead and booked an appointment with her. Thankfully, MOH A. and Mama ICS offered to meet with the graphic designer in person and Facetimed me throughout. MOH A. showed her pictures from my Pinterest board, and she laid out a rough draft on the table. I couldn't see the colors too well through the screen, so I had to rely on MOH A. and Mama ICS's keen eyes to make the final decision. She sent me a few mock ups via email so that I could choose the font and the wording, and then sent me my own copy of the invitation in the mail.

Personal Photo

Personal Photo

I absolutely loved the final product! They were exactly what I envisioned, and for an even better price! All together, the pocket folds, inserts, addressed envelopes, and response card envelopes came to $195. When she told me the final price, I was beyond excited. I could not believe that I was able to save $755 and still get exactly what I wanted. 

They did not come fully put together, but I was more than ok with that. I waited to pick them up until the weekend of the bachelorette and bridal shower, so that we didn't have to pay an additional fee to have them shipped all the way out to CA from Syracuse. MOH A., Mama ICS, and I had a blast putting them together. We made an assembly line of sorts, and MOH A. shipped them out the next day. 

All in all, I am so happy with how they turned out, and am so thankful for the efforts of MOH A. and Mama ICS! I definitely couldn't have gotten this done without them!

So, hive, what did you do for your invitations? Did you DIY, or have them made? Did you go off of a website for ordering, or did you find someone local by word of mouth?

Can't wait to hear all about your invitation process!

Miss Ice Cream Sundae