DIY Week: Giving the Boys Their Props (day two)

Today lets talk entourage. Not the 'maids, but my other set of attendants: the kids!

As I've mentioned before, we have lots of little ones in our wedding. They range in age from 3 to 10, and are all pretty cute and full of personality. Yes, I know having kids in the wedding is a potential attention-hog, but it was a huge wedding compromise for the PHI and I. He wanted kids in the wedding, and I said if were going to do it, we're doing it big. Six kids big.

Four of the kids are little girls - three are our official flower girls (petal throwing) and one will be like a junior bridesmaid (petal carrying). Figuring out what the girls would do was easy, and I'll show you their props in another post. Getting the boys situated was a little more difficult. The youngest boy will be about 3, and he'll get to carry the official ring bearer pillow. This pillow.

{the color is a little off, I promise its teal and kiwi}
I found this fabric at Hobby Lobby, and made this pillow (under MamaP's casual supervision) back while I was home in December. I won't go into detail about how I made the pillow, as they are generally very easy to pull together. Two pieces of fabric, some needle and thread, more stuffing than you might think, and some ribbon to dress it up a bit. Oh, and about 20 minutes of your time. I love how the pattern is green and teal, with an appropriate level of whimsy. Perfect for a little boy to carry down the aisle. Sans rings of course - there's no way I'm placing my diamonds in the hands of a three year old.

The other little boy in the wedding is going to be eight by October. In my opinion, that's a little old for ring-bearing. We needed something him to do. Initially, I thought it would be cute if he walked or ran down the aisle, ringing a bell and shouting "the bride is coming!" While cute in theory, I quickly came to my senses as my mind started going through all the permutations of what could potentially go wrong with that plan. Back to the drawing board.

{image source}
A couple of months ago, I came across these Here Comes the Bride Banners on the I Do Originals website. Loved the look, and the potential photo op, but I was not terribly wild about the cost. Or the size. Or the font. And again, the cost.

Enter DIY...

{I would have heart hooks next to the front door, right?
This is my version of a Here Comes the Bride Banner. I made ours smaller, since only one little boy will be carrying it, and with green accents (since he'll be in the same teal that the bridal party is wearing).

The fabric (muslin; used for rough drafts of sewing projects) was purchased at Hobby Lobby. I chose this fabric because I wanted it to be light weight, but heavier than your standard issue broadcloth. And it was a happy medium between the white and ivory cloth in the fabric section. I think I bought a half a yard and it cost next to nothing. The dowel and the fabric glue (no sewing!) I also got at Hobby Lobby.

I seriously ♥ Hobby Lobby.

The text is stickers. Scrapbooking stickers to be exact. I still have not gotten over my aisle runner experience, so there was no way I was going to be painting anything soon. The stickers worked out perfectly, and were on clearance (score!). The ribbon is some of that same $1 bin ribbon from Michaels. I used a thicker one on the banner itself, and a thinner one for the handle. Still no sewing. All that ribbon is either tied or sewed on, and I used the fabric glue to turn under the sides and make a pocket to slide the dowel through.

The whole banner, including the handle is about 18 inches long. I was a little afraid of making it too big for an 8 year old to manage, but I think the sizing came out just right. All in all, I spent next to nothing on this project, and I'm absolutely enamored with it.

Cute, budget friendly little boys props? Check!

Wanna know what the little girls are carrying?
Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, wont I.

♥