Petal Program Fans

I decided to test my DIY abilities with these program fans. I was originally going to do a normal paddle fan, but I just loved the way the petal fans look. There is the easy DIY kit way and the way I did it. I chose to use the template from Alyee's Templates and use the same paper I used with my invitations from paperandmore.com.  Just a warning, doing it the hard way is very time intensive and a little painful for your hands!

What you need:
Paper
Template- The one from Alyee's Templates is free
Design- I made my own using my invitation flourish on word
Scissors- spend the money on a good comfortable pair
Crop-a-dile
Eyelets

Steps:
Make your design and do a few test prints to make sure it's all straight. Cut out the petals. Punch a hole, I used 3/16 using the crop-a-dile in your petals. Then use the crop-a-dile to add the eyelet to hold them together.

Yes, the directions seem short and easy, but it took FOREVER to hand cut all the petals, so just be weary. Everyone loved the fans and they were one of the favorite things I made at the wedding, so it was worth it. We had them placed on all the guest's chairs so they were there when they sat down.

Table Numbers

I DIY'ed my table numbers because I wanted to add something a little more personal to the tables. I had seen the table numbers on pinterest with photos of the bride and groom at the number of the table, but I went through an awkward time of my life during those numbers, so there is no way I was putting that on someone's table. I also had a lot of extra engagement photos printed so I thought, why not make my formal engagement pictures the table numbers?! The our outfits happened to perfectly match the linens and feel of the event so it worked perfectly.

Materials Used:
Black picture frames- purchased from Michales in 4-packs for about $4 a piece during a 40% off sale
Rhinestone Numbers- purchased from Hobby Lobby online on sale for $0.99 a piece
Engagement Photos

This project is super easy to do. Just put the photos in the frames, then line up the numbers on the front with the clear backer still on to see what side is best. I trimmed the clear backers so I could line up the numbers a little bit better. Then peel and stick and you're done!

 They were really popular at the reception, but I don't think I have a picture of them on the table before the guests sat down. Also, these are pictures of pictures so sorry for bad final picture quality.

 

Invitations

I decided to make my own invitations because I had a vision of how I wanted them to look, which was apparently extremely expensive when I started shopping around. I spent a lot of time learning how to use powerpoint to make them, but I'm really happy with how they turned out!

Invitation and Response Card

I purchased the flourish as a jpeg at the top of the invitation from an etsy retailer instead of an entire invitation. I just sent her a message and she was very helpful!

The paper is from paperandmore.com. I used this for the invitation and response card and this for the backer because I liked the textural differences.  I also ordered my envelopes from there as well!

I downloaded fonts on dafont.com for free and used the fonts than came with microsoft office.

I had everything printed and cut out at postnet which was super affordable, ended up costing about $78 for printing.

I spent a couple days and a couple glue sticks gluing everything together during my winter break. I used a book on top of the glued cards to help cement it. Sorry the color is off in the invitation picture, the response cards on the top are the accurate colors.

Sorry the color is a little off!

Belly Band and Ribbon
Once I got all the invitations and response cards glued, I made the belly bands. I had a hard time finding the right lace to put around it because I thought the white lace clashed with the pearlescent paper. Then I hit the jackpot! This lace hem facing happened to match exactly to my navy backers and looked fantastic. Joann's had the best price on the hem facing and always have 40% off coupons which is what I did to purchase it. I also found the silver accent ribbon at Joann's. The best way to attach the hem facing was just to use a little bit of dark tape or clear tape on the back. I tried a million ways of gluing it because I didn't like the tape, but it really didn't work.

Envelope
I used a font from dafont.com and printed all my envelopes at home. I then got an embosser for my bridal shower to emboss the back with my return address to give it a more regale touch. This took a long time to do with my home printer, so just be weary. A lot of them jammed too. I almost lost my mind a little, but I really wanted the font I chose so I completed them.

After traveling across the country in my suitcase