This project was really fun and super easy. I wanted something which was simple yet elegant. I also really wanted to use real flowers instead of fake ones. With centrepieces starting around $30 each, I decided that DIY was the way to go! The vases were given to me as a shower gift from Karen Field (my Bridesmaid Veronica's mom) who found a great deal at Bowring. They came in three different heights which was actually pretty fun! I spent about $15 on a variety of both fake and real flowers and experimented several times. Ultimately, I found these beautiful mokara orchids in dark purple which lasted in the water for several days. Experimenting was absolutely necessary because I wanted to set them up the day before and some flowers don't stay together in water for long periods of time. The candles were not too expensive, my mom picked them up from Michaels (20 for about $20) and I bought some crystal beads from the dollar store ($5).

My home experiments.

On set up day, I put my mother-in-law Karen in charge of picking them up from the florist (approx. $110 worth) and putting them together at the hall. She did an excellent job! Originally, I was thinking we would make 12 or so, but we ended up having enough for 15 vases, so we used the extra three to decorate the head table.

Final costs: $150 for 15 vases = $10 per vase = worth it!

I already blogged about the candy buffet, but here is more of the details on that project. I borrowed all of the jars. When I asked around, so many people had candy jars! This definitely cut down on the costs. The candy was a bit pricey ($80) but I did buy a lot of candy and considering how little I spent on jars it was totally worth it. Finding scoopers was a bit of a challenge, but my mom ended up finding them in a discount kitchen store in Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga. She also found nice stickers to seal the candy bags.


For the candy bags, I dragged Kate Plyley and Emily Springgay up north (past Yorkdale Mall) to a bulk craft store in the middle of nowhere to find the kinds that I wanted. It was quite the adventure! I spent way too much time worrying about those bags! When it came down to labeling the candy jars, I gave my cousins, Lisa and Chantal, some paper and pens and they did them all for me (as well as the "Love is Sweet" sign).

On the day prior to the wedding, Lisa, Chantal, and Kayla set up the table. We used a box under some of the jars to elevate them, which looked really nice. For some finishing touches they added lights and tool fabric. It was definitely a hit as almost all of the candy was gone by the end of the night.

In an effort to give wedding ideas to my engaged friends, I thought it would be fun to write a blog series about the different crafts and projects that me, my family, and friends put together for the wedding. The first post is the seating chart put together by my aunt Kim. She has quite a talent for Calligraphy penmanship, so Dave and I sent her our lists and she made it look beautiful! She also wrote out everyone's name card and matched all the colours to the Bridesmaids dresses! Thanks Kim for your hard work!!

Name Cards

A family shot!

Thanks to the entire Nickson family for helping out with setting up the reception hall!