Why we love wedding pie 1) because it reminds of that holiday-homey-goodness of our younger years; 2) it’s easy to make ahead and keeps really well (for all you diy catering brides!); 3) it can be served family style (try putting one pie on each table and letting your guests serve themselves)

There is an endless supply of wedding pie flavors! Stick with one pie flavor or offer a variety to fit your theme: pumpkin & apple for fall & winter, lemon meringue & key lime for spring & summer.

Pie crust takes some time to master, so there is always pre-bought pies and crust. But, for those of you who are up for the diy challenge here is Mama’s Wedding Pie Crust, straight from our very own recipe box.

Mama’s Wedding Pie Crust
makes 2 pies (1 top & 1 bottom for each)

1 1/2 cups shortening
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup boiling water
4 cups of flour (sift for more flakiness)
2 teaspoons of salt (or a little less)

Slowly add water & milk to shortening, whipping it into a whipcream like texture. Fork in flour & salt until well combined. Divide into 4 sections and refridgerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out on a floury surface.

Wedding Pie Photos 1 & 2

Oh! I am just swooning over these butterfly wedding invitations! Modern, elegant butterfly design with a little bit of UMPH. Just devine. The butterfly and leaf theme really lends itself to a spring or fall wedding. Happy DIY’ing!

Directions for DIY Butterfly Wedding Invitations:

1. Download the Butterfly Wedding Invitations, reception cards, RSVP cards and font files needed.
2. Open up the font files and install them onto your computer (Directions are here if you need them! Windows | Mac)
3. Edit the invitations using Word, just double click where the text is and replace with your own. If it doesn’t fit, downsize the text.
4. Purchase high quality 8.5×11 matte white cardstock. We like using 80lb because it won’t crack in a normal ink jet printer.
5. Print out the wedding invitation templates
6. Cut each piece down to size using a paper trimmer (you can use a craft knife, but this takes some serious skill)
7. Stuff your envelopes (A7 for the invites and A4 for the RSVP cards) and send’em away!

Supplies:

• 8.5 x 11 White Matte Cardstock (80lb is nice!) $3.75 for 25 sheets
• Paper Trimmer ($14.99) or Craft Knife (X-acto) & T-square
• Butterfly Wedding Invitation Templates

They’re dreaded, but we all know how important it is to send your thanks. Thank you note etiquette states you should get your thank yous out within 6 weeks of the wedding, the sooner the better, but late is better than never. To speed along the process we’ve jump started your thank you note writing with a few fill in the blank thank you note sample wordings. We think they’d be really cute on the Thank You Cards from Wedding Paper Divas

Thank You Note Wording for Cash Gifts-

Dear SoandSo -

Thank you for the generous wedding gift! We’ll be using the money towards [Honeymoon/House/just don't say paying off your bills]. We’re so happy that you were with us to celebrate our special day.

Dear SoandSo -

Thank you for the thoughtful gift. We had such a great time with you a the wedding, hopefully we can see each other again soon.

________________________

Thank You Note Wording for Non-Cash Gifts -

Dear SoandSo -

Thank you for the [Item That You Gave Us]. It adds a great touch to our [Room It Will Be Used In]. We hope you had a great time at the wedding!

Dear SoandSo -

Thank you for the [Item That You Gave Us]. We’ll be using it next [Holiday or Event]! We’re so happy that you were able to celebrate our special day with us.

Do you have any other good wordings? Leave a comment and let us know.

1. TIME – Do not underestimate the amount of time it will take you to prepare your dishes! Getting a head start on your prep work (chopping onions, mixing dry ingredients) and other non-time sensitive tasks can really save you during the final weeks before your wedding. Believe me, you don’t want to be cooking pasta sauce in your white dress! Use disposable steam pans with lids to hold pre-chopped ingredients and then use them for your final products along with a chafing set-up.
2. PLANNING – Play Santa Clause when catering your own wedding; make a list and check it twice! Understanding the timing and flow of meal preparation and service will keep you from making typical at-home-catering mistakes like not having everything done at the same time. Our menus lay out when and how each item should be prepared and served to save you the hassle of trying to figure it out on your own!
3. SPACE – Unless you’re fortunate enough to have a commercial kitchen and walk-in fridge at your house, chances are you’re going to run into some space issues. Because we don’t want you working on your wedding day, most of the meal will be made ahead of time, which means lots of refrigeration and some freezing. Ask friends and neighbors to help you with the load, be sure to label everything clearly and keep a list of whose fridge is housing what. This will keep you from going crazy looking for the chocolate dipped strawberries! Also, using the proper storage for each item will help keep things organized and maximize your fridge space.
4. SERVING – Unless you plan on hiring servers for the event, buffet is really the only way to successfully pull of catering your own wedding. But, don’t forget you will need people to replenish the buffet and clear trash and used dishes. There are plenty of event staff services that can provide you with 1 or 2 qualified helpers and shouldn’t cost you more than a few hundred dollars for the day. Use a set of disposable chafing dishes and steam pans to reduce rental costs. Also, a large beverage dispenser with pre-made cocktails is a beautiful and easy way to serve drinks to your guests!
5. CLEANING – This is especially important if the majority of preparation and cooking is done at the same site as the wedding. Make sure that you clean as you go, or designate someone to be the cleaner. It may also be helpful to place a privacy panel in front of any doorways leading into the kitchen. People tend to drift towards the kitchen and this will keep them from being too nosey!

Below are some recommended products to help your DIY experience go more smoothly!

Here’s a creative table number wedding project that can be used to bulk up your centerpiece or as a stand alone item. Wedding table numbers come in all shapes and sizes, and we wanted to give them a little sprucing up from the typical table number holder and card stock (though there are some awesomely funky ones out there!) The candle light glows warm through the vellum paper and illuminates the table numbers!

Supplies Per Table

1. 1
   Fillable Cylinder Centerpieces (Small 7.5″)
   
2. 1 8.5″ x 11″ vellum paper
3. 1 Votive candle
4. 2 Vellum Glue Dots
5. Paper trimmer
   
6. Printer
7. Table number templates (download here or create your own!)

Directions

1. Download the table number templates and print them out on the vellum.
2. Cut 1″ from the top of the vellum, creating a 7.5″ x 11″ piece of vellum.
3. Wrap the vellum around the glass, centering the number in the appropriate location. Then using two vellum glue dots adhere the vellum to the glass near the rim and the bottom.
4. Drop a votive candle in and light!

Costs per Table Number

Candle holders $5.75

Candle $0.42 ($14.95 for 36)

Vellum Paper $0.80 ($11.99 for 15 sheets)

Glue Dots $0.18 ($5.39 for a package of ~60 dots)

__________________________________

Total per Table $7.15

I like the look of surrounding the table numbers with other pillar candles and votives to create a simple DIY wedding centerpiece.

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Serving brunch at your wedding is a great opportunity to save costs without showing it. I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve heard a brunch wedding cost less, but Your DIY Wedding will show you how to do it with style. We’ve laid out how to cater your own wedding brunch style complete with make ahead menus to save you stress and time on your wedding day and a complete DIY wedding supplies list. As always, we’ve set this for a 100 person event, scale accordingly.

Menu

• Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast
• Easy Sausage Strata
• Fruit Salad
• Rolls with flavored butter

Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast (via Foodnetwork.com)

Timeline
2 days prior

• Make syrup (12x recipe), store in refrigerator.

1 day prior

• Prepare eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, brown sugar and bread (2x recipe for each full-sized pan). Cover and refrigerate.
• Toast pecans and set aside in a dry container.

DAY OF

• Top pans with pecans and brown sugar mixture. Bake as directed (~30 mins per pan)
• Warm syrup in microwave or allow to sit out until it comes to room temperature.

Supplies

• 6 Full-size disposable pans with lids
• Chaffer stand
• Sterno
• Serving spatula
• Pitcher for syrup

Easy Sausage Strata (via AllRecipes.com)
You’ll need to make this recipe x12 for 100 people, divided into 6 full-sized pans.

Timeline
2 days prior

• Chop/prep bread and vegetables (peppers and onions to add a little depth).
• Cook sausage and refrigerate.

1 day prior

• Layer ingredients together as called for in the recipe. Store in refrigerator overnight.

DAY OF

• Bake in oven.

Supplies

• 6 Full-size disposable pans with lids
• Chaffer stand
• Sterno
• Serving spatula
• Ketchup (for those who like it on their eggs)

]]> http://www.yourdiywedding.com/yourdiyweddining/featured/cater-your-own-wedding-brunch/feed/ 0 http://www.yourdiywedding.com/diyweddinginvitations/diy-wedding-invitations-accordion-fold/ http://www.yourdiywedding.com/diyweddinginvitations/diy-wedding-invitations-accordion-fold/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:34:00 +0000 nikki http://www.yourdiywedding.com/?p=8 A three panel invitation is a great way to get a lot of information in without having to use multiple sheets of cardstock and a holder or a bellyband, which can be costly and time consuming.

Enjoy!