Our At Home Reception
We're having a reception back home in Phoenix after we get back from our honeymoon. We'll be getting back a couple days before, so it will be awesome to have a welcome back party like this! Here's all the ideas for it so far:
The Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas
We have our new hotel which I am so excited about! I'll have another meeting for details in about a month! We'll have a head table for the bridal party. My FG's and RB's will be sitting with their parents. Then we'll have round of 10 for our guests! I'll have family seating and then open seating for everyone else. Also the usual cake table (decorations TBD), gift table (decorations to TBD), a large guestbook table for our surfboard and we will be having two bars because I hate waiting in line for drinks at other places with only one bar. I can't wait, it's going to look so great!!
Cermony Video
We're getting a video dvd of our ceremony in Maui. We'll show it at the AHR so everyone can be a part of it.
Photo Booth
We're having Snapbooth Entertainment come in with their photo booth! I'm so excited for this and I can't wait to see all the pictures from it!
Centerpieces
Here are inspirations that I was going for originally. The family tables will have different centerpieces than the rest of the tables as well as some type of reserved for family sign.
What I've decided is to 3 flameless candles on a mirror tile. Then I'm going to put sugar in the raw around the candle. I'm making white and milk chocolate sea shells and starfish that I will put around the flameless candle. Doubles up as a favor as well.
What I've decided is to 3 flameless candles on a mirror tile. Then I'm going to put sugar in the raw around the candle. I'm making white and milk chocolate sea shells and starfish that I will put around the flameless candle. Doubles up as a favor as well.
Reserved for Family!
I will be putting family reserved signs up and the rest is open seating. I bought the holders on the right from a local knottie and they will have the Hawaiian Islands with our wedding date and "Reserved for Family" underneath the islands. Post a picture after I create them!
Food Menu
We're doing it simple for food. Salad, grilled chicken breast "Hawaiian style" with veggies and a starch. I have to talk with the chef, but we're probably going to do some type of pineapple sauce or marinate to the chicken. I'll learn more when we go for our tasting!
Cake
We're not having a cake in Hawaii so this will we our only cake. My mom will be making it, she is amazing! It's been my life long dream for her to make my wedding cake :) How many tiers just depends on how many people end up coming to the AHR.
After talking with my mom, she really is liking the bottom two pictures and then she found the last pictures. It will be tiered like the last picture, but I feel like there's a lot going on with that picture, so we would want it a little bit more simplier. I'll let her run with the ideas and we'll figure it out whe it comes closer. We do know that each tier will be different flavors with a different fruit layering in the center (pineapple cake is my favorite!). When she made my aunt wedding cake, there was not a single piece left over because everyone was going back for seconds and thirds to try as many flavors as they could!
She will also be making the groom's cake which I would love an ASU, Arizona State, cake because that's where we both went to college. We'll see though, she has awesome ideas that I don't know about probably!
Cake Topper
I finally found my cake topper! I really wanted something that we could use afterwards and not just toss into a box for a keepsake. I've said before, but we're decorating our room "Hawaiian", so I figured this would be perfect to use as decor on a dresser or something! It also has some bling in it which I obviously love :)
Toasting Flutes
I'm still praying that somehow I will get my Swarovski Toasting Glasses, haha! Everyone thinks I'm crazy. I've ordered a set from etsy seller jackglass for custom etched in glasses with the islands and our date. I'll post a picture when I get them :)
Cake Serving Set
From Things Remembered. It was on sale!
Cameras and Scavenger Hunt
We're putting cameras on all the tables with a scavenger hunt attached it it. The cameras have 27 exposures, so I'm thinking I'll put 15 or so on the scavenger hunt and they take random pictures with the rest. I'm going to do a separate one for my little cousins to keep them busy as well! When I finish the scavenger hunt, I'll post them, but they will probably need their own tab. I got the cameras from http://www.efavormart.com/tropicalcamera.aspx
Update: They are just as cute in person as they are in the picture!!
Update: They are just as cute in person as they are in the picture!!
The Guestbook
FI and I really don't want a normal guestbook because to be honest...it would get thrown somewhere and we wouldn't look at it. We have two ideas. The first is to have our guest sign a custom surf board! The second is sign within a Maui travel book!
UPDATE: We went with the surfboard!!
We decided to go with Ebay seller Jshinevisuals. He has a website though as well: http://decosurf.net/. We decided to go with him over the etsy seller because it was cheaper and it's a legit surfboard which is what FI really wanted. I'm really glad we changed and it will definitely go with any color bedroom decor because of the natural wood and the white. Here is our surfboard, this is just a digital drawing of it though. I will update when we actually get it most likely beginning of May! We decided to have our guests sign the back of the board. In order for them to still see the front of the board, we'll take a picture of FI and I holding it, then frame it and place it on the guest book table.
UPDATE: We went with the surfboard!!
We decided to go with Ebay seller Jshinevisuals. He has a website though as well: http://decosurf.net/. We decided to go with him over the etsy seller because it was cheaper and it's a legit surfboard which is what FI really wanted. I'm really glad we changed and it will definitely go with any color bedroom decor because of the natural wood and the white. Here is our surfboard, this is just a digital drawing of it though. I will update when we actually get it most likely beginning of May! We decided to have our guests sign the back of the board. In order for them to still see the front of the board, we'll take a picture of FI and I holding it, then frame it and place it on the guest book table.
If we did the Maui book we were going to keep it on an end table or put it in our built ins for show. Here's a picture of one.
Decor
I bought these from Starfishbride (Brandi). I think I'll use them at the guest book table or extrance ways...not sure yet, just love them :)
The Cardbox
I had bought a birdcage one a little while ago, but then started to realize, it just doesn't fit in what I'm going with now. Heres a couple of my options right now.
UPDATE: We're going with the gift box. I ordered it from BB&B though. They have it online, but if you go into the store with your 20% they mail you, they can use it for online purchases FYI!
Bigger Update: I'm going with this card holder that I bought off of old married knottie Me a while ago. At that time, I didn't know but thought I could use it for decor with candles in it if I weren't going to use it as a card holder. I love the vibe it gives and it matches well with the rest which the present box did not.
UPDATE: We're going with the gift box. I ordered it from BB&B though. They have it online, but if you go into the store with your 20% they mail you, they can use it for online purchases FYI!
Bigger Update: I'm going with this card holder that I bought off of old married knottie Me a while ago. At that time, I didn't know but thought I could use it for decor with candles in it if I weren't going to use it as a card holder. I love the vibe it gives and it matches well with the rest which the present box did not.
I really like this one and how classy it is.
http://www.weddingaccessories.net/reception-gift-card-holder-532 |
This one would be my inspiration if I were to DIY a card box!
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Chair Signs
I'm going to DIY these but with Bride and Groom. I maybe will put them in hawaiian! They probably will be a blue sash with a metallic silver behind and white like pictured.
Update: I bought Mr and Mrs off of Starfishbride (Brandi) I'll post a picture of it when I get it and change it to my colors!
Update: I bought Mr and Mrs off of Starfishbride (Brandi) I'll post a picture of it when I get it and change it to my colors!
Favors
We're doing three favors. Foam plumeria hair picks for the ladies (ebay seller: hawaiianmonkeybizz), also leis (ebay seller: BUCKINGHAM*PARTY*STORE) and koozies (Etsy seller: odysseycustomdesigns) to whoever wants them. When guests are arriving, I think it would be so cute to have the GM's put the plumeria in the ladies' hair and then the BM's to put the lei over the men's heads. We'll see though...it may all end up being a grab for all :) I love how all of these favors will add to the Hawaiian aspect we're trying to bring into our AHR. I also bought bubbles off the knot when they were having a sale. I'm going to tie personalized ribbon (also on sale from the knot) with our names and date on the top of them. I'll post a picture when I get to it! All of these together should be about a little under $3 a person since I'm getting nicer silk leis instead of plastic.
Update: Plumerias came in, and I loveee them! So pretty. It's going to be really hard not to keep one of each for myself! I did order extras for this though, haha!
Update: Plumerias came in, and I loveee them! So pretty. It's going to be really hard not to keep one of each for myself! I did order extras for this though, haha!