Last Project: Sandi

Nobody panic. It's the last project before the wedding.

Finally.

This one was weighing on my mind for a while. Sandi is getting married the same day as I am, and I promised her quite a while ago that I could get a table runner done for her. Well, I didn't lie--it's done, with two weeks until the wedding. :)

And now I can officially concentrate solely on my own wedding projects. Thank god, because I made a to-do list yesterday and it's a mile long. But it'll get done.

Anyway, here is a pic of Sandi's table runner for her cake table. She designed the monogram and sent it to me; I just made the runner and painted the design on there.

14 days (2 weeks)!! Eeeek!

Casey & Landon

Here are two banners I recently completed for Casey and Landon, who will be married on June 14. Casey designed the monogram herself and sent it to me to paint on the banner. She also wanted a bride banner, so I did that as well.

The ribbon looks pretty dark in these photos... it is really a rich purple.



Good luck, Casey and Landon!

Prices - Aisle Runners, Banners, etc.

As you all know, I complete projects for other brides. Aisle runners, banners, photo frame cardboxes, invitations, save-the-date design, jewelry, and more. Pretty much any wedding project you can think of--I'm probably willing to do it.

The time has come for me to finally post some pricing information on my blog. I simply can no longer keep up with so many e-mails, and honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner.

I'm hoping to get some kind of "store" page or website up at some point, but it's not looking likely that I'll have time before the wedding. So for now, I'm going to post answers to the most frequently asked questions I get in my e-mails (regarding pricing and the projects I do for others).

Prices included below are current as of today, 4/23/08. If I make changes, I'll post updates.

1. How much do you charge for the monogram aisle runners? What colors/designs do you offer?
With the aisle runner itself included, I charge $80. Both aisle runners that I can buy locally are white. One is a "floral lace" pattern (seen here for Bridgit & Scott), and a "daisy floral" pattern (seen here, for Carrie & Paul).

The price includes the rest of the supplies I need (paint, paper, etc.), and my time. I have access to a wide variety of paint colors. If you're trying to match a specific color, I'll work with you to try to find the best match possible. It's helpful to e-mail me reference photos--bridesmaid dresses, "virtual swatches," etc. Or, I've had brides mail me actual samples, whether it's a piece of the bridesmaid dress, or one of their invitations.

If you are not fond of the floral lace or daisy floral patterns, you can find your own runner (it HAS to be fabric--no plastic--and have it shipped to me to paint. In that case, I charge $55-$60 for my services.

At the time of purchase, the runners are 100 ft. long. If your aisle is shorter, I will gladly custom cut the runner to the desired length.

If you do not already have a monogram designed, and would like me to make one for you prior to painting it on the runner, see information about monogram pricing below.

Shipping is additional. I charge whatever it costs to ship it to you. The cost is completely dependent on where you live, and how long the runner is (it affects the weight of the package--longer runner = heavier). I use USPS Priority Mail and FedEx. I can provide you with an estimate for shipping if you provide me with your zip code. Shipping insurance is optional, but highly recommended. I will calculate shipping insurance prior to billing you, and will let you know how much it is (usually $1.65-$2.00). If you are outside of the United States, let me know and we can look into all the shipping options.

2. How much are monogram banners? Bride banners?
Banners are $45, which includes the ribbon edging, dowels, and the painting. If you order a bride banner, I will send you a file with your font choices. The ribbon edging and the paint color can be customized to your needs. Ribbon colors can be limited--but I have never had a problem finding something that works.

If you would like a monogram banner, do not yet have a monogram, and would like me to design one for you, please see the monogram pricing below.

Shipping is additional. Same rules apply as mentioned in the aisle runner section above. All banners can be shipped via USPS. Shipping insurance (which is optional, but highly recommended) is a flat $1.65 fee.

3. How much is monogram design?
Monogram design is $10. The price includes several different customized monogram designs for you to choose from. I will also make small tweaks to the monograms upon request. Once the monogram is finalized, I send you the high-resolution JPEG file so you can use it on pretty much anything you'd like.

4. How much do you charge for save-the-date design?
Many brides choose to have magnets or postcards made through VistaPrint. I can be hired to design the layout for those magnets or postcards for $30. For other save-the-date formats, e-mail me and I'll provide you with a custom quote.

5. How much for cardboxes, invitations, jewelry, and everything else?
All other projects require custom pricing. It is impossible for me to provide a flat fee for these because each person's project is so different. For the cardboxes, it depends on the person's preference for the fabric on top, the type and size of frames, etc. For invitations, it depends on style, paper preference, envelopes, number of invitations, whether you want me to assemble them, etc. Jewelry prices depend on the cost of the supplies and the intricacy of the piece.

6. Do you make ______ for other people?
E-mail me. I'm pretty crafty, so chances are that if you've seen something out there--I can make it.

7. How do you accept payment?
I accept payment ONLY through Paypal. If you don't already have one, an account is free and very simple to set up. I find that Paypal is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way for us to do business together.

8. How long does it take to complete my order?
Right now, this varies. I try to complete all projects within eight weeks of ordering. Right now, since I'm on a little hiatus for my own wedding (I'm not accepting any new orders for April, May, June, or July 2008 weddings), I'm not planning to complete any projects until July. If I think it will take longer than eight weeks, I will always let you know and keep you posted. Also, I do not charge you until I am ready to start working on your order--so there is no risk associated with me "holding onto" your money.

Interested? Want to move forward with ordering? Have more questions?
Please e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com

Want examples of my work?
I post almost everything on the blog! Browse around. I hope you like what you see.

Banners - Nikki & Tom, Jamie

Here are photos of a couple banners I did last month. I haven't been able to ship anything out in several weeks because USPS has had problems getting me my shipping supplies. I have a bunch of orders just sitting here waiting to go out! Hopefully I'll get the stuff I need sometime this week and everyone will have their items soon.

For my friend Lesley, who ordered for her friends Nikki & Tom:

For Jamie:

Erynne & Ian

I'm still going strong with the projects. I have several to share, but I am going to save a few for tomorrow or later this week. I have five more that I still owe to people (before our wedding).

I'm obviously not going to meet my goal to have them all done by the end of March, but I'm OK with it. I don't feel overwhelmed by them at all. They're all projects I know I can handle. For the past couple of weeks, I have been concentrating on a combination of the banner/runner projects and my own wedding projects. I've struck a good balance and I've been pretty productive on both fronts.

Our invitations are going out two weeks from tomorrow... so I'll likely be working on those a lot over the next couple of weeks. Once those are mailed, I'll have another little lull (or at least, I hope I will) and I'll be able to complete any remaining projects shortly after that.

Anyway, here are two recent projects. I was able to finally put the finishing touches on the banner today, so I'm ready to share. Erynne ordered both a monogram banner and a monogram aisle runner. I designed the monogram for her and her fiance, Ian. And then I got to paint it... twice!

This is a case where my camera doesn't do the projects justice. Because they are lighter colors, they get washed out easily by the camera. In person, they are still soft colors, but they are better seen than in these pictures.


Love the combination of light pink and sage green. While I was painting these, I was thinking about how chocolate brown would also be a nice coordinating color for a palette like this.

Erynne, I'm still working out issues with USPS sending me my shipping boxes. But these should both go out to you in the next couple of weeks.

Recent Banner Projects

Tonight I want to share photos of some of my most recent projects, completed earlier this month.

I'm making really good progress on the items that need to be completed before our wedding, which are projects for May-July 2008 brides. My goal has been to get everything done by the end of March so I can completely concentrate on our own wedding projects, and it looks like I might actually meet that goal. This weekend, I worked on some other projects--monogram banners and aisle runners. I will have those pictures to post soon.

For Melissa, with burgundy edges and black text:

For Marta, with raspberry edges and black text:

For Michelle, with brown edges and brown text:

Banners, banners everywhere

I've officially stopped taking orders for February, March, April, May, June, and July 2008 weddings. I just can't handle any more projects that need to be completed before my own wedding. However, that still leaves me with many projects to complete that were previously ordered. My goal is to get them all done by the end of March so that I can officially concentrate on our wedding.

Right now, I'm in the crunch stage--trying to get all of these projects done in the next several weeks. Last weekend, I began tackling four banners. I've found that it's easier if I do batches at one time. I have to do the cutting, the trimming, the ribbon edging, etc. and I might as well do several all at once instead of doing seeing each project completely through one at a time.

So I did all of the measuring and cutting and attached the ribbon to all four banners last weekend. All that was left to do was the painting. Which is sometimes easier said than done. This week, throughout being busy and being sick, I managed to someone paint all four banners, which are now ready to go. I'll be shipping them out on Monday.

First one was a monogram banner for Vicki, who is getting married in a few weeks. She sent me the monogram (I did not design it), and I painted it for her:

Next are three bride banners. This one is for Sandy, who is getting married on March 29 (black ribbon edging, ivory muslin):

This one is for Christy, who is getting married in May. It is pretty much the same as Sandy's (above), but it is on white muslin instead of ivory:

Finally, here is one for Holly, who is getting married on April 4:

Many more to come soon!

Halting orders... to get married!

Today marks five months until our wedding. With that comes a huge reality check.

I started organizing my "to-do" list today and it turned out to be quite overwhelming. While I have a huge jumpstart on a lot of things, I still have tons and tons of things left to do, including several DIY projects. Also, as we approach our wedding day, things are going to get busier in general--meetings with vendors, showers, bachelorette party, etc.

As a result, I'm going to have to stop taking orders for projects for other brides. I already have quite a list of projects to complete, and I will definitely honor those who have already placed orders. I've done some calculations and some estimating and I can handle what I already have. It's disappointing for me to have to do this, but I have to be realistic in what I can accomplish and the fact of the matter is, I have to build in some time for myself to do things for my own wedding.

I've decided that instead of announcing this now and just suddenly halting orders--I will continue to accept new orders through January 31. So if you are a February-July 2008 bride, and you'd like to order a banner, aisle runner, monograms, etc., you should e-mail me ASAP (roadtotheaisle@gmail.com) to get on my order list.

I do, however, plan to start back up on projects after the wedding. So, starting February 1, I will only accept orders from those who are getting married on or after August 1.

I appreciate all of your business, and I appreciate your patience through this period of time... it's coming quickly, and it's getting real--I'm getting married!

I really like helping other brides, and will continue to answer e-mails with any questions anyone might have about DIY projects I have done.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding my hiatus, please e-mail me.

Best of luck to everyone who is planning!

Here comes an aqua bride

Well, she calls it Tiffany Blue. :)

This was a last-minute, rush order placed last week for a bride that is getting married this Saturday!

I'll be shipping it out tomorrow. It would have gone out today but I forgot it was a national holiday (Happy Martin Luther King Day!).

Mary, tell your bride I wish her luck!

Bride Banner x 3

I somehow managed to churn out three handpainted banners this weekend. I got into the groove and certainly felt pretty accomplished by Sunday night!

Ann, Colleen, and Carrie -- If all goes well with my life tomorrow, I'll be making a trip to the post office to mail your banners out. And here is a sneak preview for each of you.

First is Ann, who is getting married on January 26! Her friend squeaked in a last-minute order for her and I'm glad I was able to get it done so quickly. Here is Ann's finished banner:

Next is Colleen, who is getting married in March (the 8th, I think?). Here's your sneak preview of your banner:

Finally there's Carrie, whose wedding is at the end of March (the 28th or 29th, I think). I rarely get orders that request one of my more "print-like" fonts. The formality of a wedding usually leads people to select the more script-like fonts, but Carrie decided on the Harrington font. I absolutely *love* how this came out. It was fun to paint, too (something different!). I hope you like your banner, Carrie--your aisle runner will be coming soon!

As always, people can e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com if you are interested in having me complete any crafty wedding projects.

I'm off to bed!

Samantha's Banner

I just wanted to share a banner that I made this weekend for a bride named Samantha. She's getting married in April, and requested a painted monogram banner.

I love the hot pink with the black... looks really sharp!

Samantha, it'll be on its way to you after the holiday!

A weekend of projects

I am going in for my LASIK eye surgery on Tuesday, so I had a few projects for other brides that I wanted to be sure to complete before I went in. One is getting married in late November, the other in early December, so I knew they would be anxious to get their products completed and shipped to them so it would be one less thing for them to worry about. I don't anticipate having trouble with my eyes for too long following the surgery, but I wanted to be cautious and get these things done in advance.

Anyway, here are the latest projects:

I made this monogram banner for Melissa, who is getting married on November 23. Her colors are brown, ivory, and light pink, and she decided she wanted the big "S" to be in gold. I really love how this came out. She plans to hang it in her reception hall.

This is the other project I completed this weekend, a bride banner for Rachel, who is getting married on December 8. She wanted it to be simple, so she requested I make the banner without the ribbon edging, and using black lettering. I think it came out really nicely, and her little nephews/ring bearers will look adorable carrying it down the aisle.

This is a third project that I recently completed but never had a chance to post a photo. This is another bride banner, made for Louisa, who is getting married NEXT weekend (November 3)! I'm sure she's so excited. This photo is pretty dark for some reason, but Louisa had requested brown lettering on an ivory banner with gold ribbon edging.

As always, if you see something you like and you are interested in having me do a project for you, please contact me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com. Even if it's something you're not sure I do, run it past me. I've had a few ladies contact me this past week with new ideas such as table squares and monogram table runners, and I'm happy and able to do those things for them, so I am!

Latest Knottie Projects

I finished another bride banner for a knottie this weekend. This one was for Suzzette, who's getting married in just a couple of weeks! Her wedding colors are gold, orange and (I believe) some brown, so I did the lettering in orange and did the edges of the banner with a gold ribbon.After that, I started and finished a monogrammed aisle runner for Maggie, who is getting married on November 17. I designed the monogram for her, then painted it on the runner. It turned out well, and I can't wait to ship it out to her on Tuesday!

DIY Aisle Runner - FAQs

Since I posted my instructions for my DIY monogrammed aisle runner, I've received many questions about it that I didn't necessarily think to include the first time around. So, in order to save myself from having to answer the same questions repeatedly, and to offer a little more help to those out there interested in DIY, here goes:

1) How do you enlarge the monogram in order to paint it?
I used Microsoft Publisher to design my monogram, so this was pretty simple. Under "Page Setup" I selected "custom" as the size and set it up to be 36" x 36". Then, I enlarged the monogram itself to cover the width of that page. Then I hit print. Simple as that. The document prints itself out over several pages (15-20 sheets maybe?) and you simply cut off the edges and tape them together. It's my understanding that this can be done in PowerPoint, too, but I don't know the specific instructions for that.

Those who don't have access to Publisher or PowerPoint can take their monogram, in JPEG form, to a Staples or a Kinkos and have it enlarged there. I believe it's reasonably priced and is an easy alternative.

2) Where did you buy the aisle runner itself?
This is actually included in the original instructions, but I still get asked. :) I bought it at Joann Fabrics. I would first check your local craft stores--Joann's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, etc.--to see what they might have. As you might suspect, I found it in the wedding section. I recommend against using the vinyl ones unless you are outdoors. I'm not sure how painting on them would work out.

You can also Google search for aisle runners online (ah, the power of Google). There are many different types and lengths of runners available. The cheapest I have found (besides Joann's) is a 75 ft. runner at Save on Crafts.

3) What fonts did you use for your monogram?
The "K" is Multu or Mutlu or something like that... I downloaded it for free on dafont.com. Our names (and the date, I believe) are in Vivaldi, which is a font that was available on my computer when I bought it.

4) Are you willing to paint aisle runners for other brides?
Yes, actually. I just started doing this recently and have already taken on a number of projects for other brides. I can do the monogram aisle runners, monogram banners, "Here Comes the Bride" banners, monogram design, and more. For questions or if you want to talk to me about possibly completing a project for you, e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com.

5) How are you storing your runner until the wedding?
I rolled the runner back up onto itself and put it in a couple of garbage bags. As an extra precaution, I rolled pieces of wax paper in between the layers of the runner where the paint was. I was afraid of it bleeding if it were to get exposed to moisture somehow. But I don't think it's completely necessary. I rolled out my runner last week to make sure everything was holding up (since I used acrylic paint on fabric) and it still looks fine.

6) How will you roll the runner out at the wedding? Before the guests arrive or during the ceremony?
I'm not quite sure yet. I'd like to roll it out prior to the ceremony, and just have the groomsmen seat the guests from the side aisles so everyone's not walking all over it. But I have to check with the wedding coordinator at my church to see if that will work out. Also, I didn't want to roll the runner all the way out to paint it, so we will be rolling the runner from the back of the church to the front, instead of the other way around.

I hope these answers help. As always, if you have additional questions, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment here.

Here comes knottie cmdavis07!

So, as I wrote last week, I have started to take on projects for other brides (knotties!) out there. I just wanted to share my first completed bride banner.

This one was for knottie cmdavis07. She contacted me last week asking if I could make a banner that incorporated her wedding colors--chocolate brown, green, and orange (so autumn-like, I love it!). I bought a few different ribbons for her to choose from--one orange, one green, and one orange/green. She ultimately liked the green the best, so I lined the sides of the banner with green ribbon (it's a little hard to see in the pic since my walls are green, too!). Then I painted the words in chocolate brown. Fun project!

So, the banner should be shipped to her early this week. If anyone else out there is interested in a banner, or a monogrammed aisle runner... please contact me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com. I can generally turn them around pretty quickly--for this one, she just contacted me last Monday and it's already done.