Simple Wedding Planning Tips with Cricut.  Y’all already know how much I love and adore my Cricut…but, let me just tell you how much of a life saver it is for wedding planning!  I am helping a friend prepare for her big day, and we have put my machine through a workout and we are just in the beginning stages!  Be sure to read all the way to the end of the post for details on how to enter to win some amazing wedding goodies! 

When my husband I got married nearly 20 years ago, we addressed each envelope by hand, and then sealed each one with a sponge.  It was arduous, tedious, and painful work…we invited over three hundred people to our wedding, courtesy of my future in-laws large address book.  I cannot tell you how many pens we used, how many sponges we wore out, and how many envelopes we wasted because our hands and brains were too tired to write the names correctly!  I SWORE I would never, ever do it that way again!  So, when my friend asked if I would help her with addressing the invites, I nearly had a panic attack…until I remembered my Cricut will write for me!  And the new SnapMat feature makes envelope addressing a DREAM COME TRUE.  I just typed in the addresses in Cricut Design Space in a font that my friend loved, then I saved it, and reopened it on my Cricut app on my iPhone.  I was able to use SnapMat and line the envelopes and addresses up on the mats perfectly. 

Then, I shuddered thinking of sealing the envelopes…but, I had another idea for my beloved Cricut machine, printable vinyl.  I asked my friend over for some mimosas and photo taking fun.  I borrowed my mom’s Macro lens and used my second most loved crafting tool, my Canon T5, to take several close up photos of the engagement ring on a single white rose.  Thankfully, my friend is also a photographer, so between the two of us, we got an amazing shot of the ring.  (Everyone I know shoots with Canon, I cannot sing enough praises for the cameras.  Funny and unrelated story about my undying love for Canon…I remember when I was a kid, my dad bought a Canon SLR camera for my mom for Christmas.  We were having work done on the house at the time, and he thought he would be sly and hide the camera in a box of wiring in the garage.  What he didn’t know was that the work crew was planning on throwing that box away.  And they didn’t know the camera was in the box.  I will never forget the sinking feeling we all had when we realized that camera had gone to the dump in the back of a compacting truck!  My dad must have broken land speed records to get to the dump that day, and they were kind enough to hold the trash from the truck until he could go garbage picking to look for the camera.  Unbelievably, that camera, the lenses, and the flash were all in perfect condition, the boxes were a little beat up, but everything inside was perfect.  We have sworn by Canon ever since.  My mom has had 4 more Canon SLR cameras, including two DSLRs currently.  I have moved from Canon point and shoot cameras to DSLRs, even my kids shoot with Canon.  My camera gets used weekly, if not daily for everything from photo shoots, to ice hockey games, and family vacations.  I rarely leave the house with out it.  My friends have even made fun of me for changing the lenses on it on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney, LOL!)  Anyway, we got an amazing shot of the ring on a rose, and I cropped that shot into a circle and uploaded it to Cricut Design Space.  Next, I sized it, selected the amount of print and cuts I wanted on each page, and sent it to the printer.  We used printable vinyl, and had custom envelope stickers for the invitations.  My friend saved a ton of money and my sanity with these gorgeous DIY stickers. 

I will be sharing details from the bridal shower I hosted for my friend next week, along with some awesome DIY bridesmaid gifts we made for her bridal party.  

Are you (or someone you know) getting married soon?  Cricut has partnered with several amazing brands to help make your wedding a dream come true!  Each week for the next four weeks Cricut will chose one winner.  This is the first week, and you can enter to win a $1500 credit to Celia Grace.  My wedding dress was simple and elegant, but, it pales in comparison to Celia Grace gowns.  Each dress is exquisitely handmade.  But, they are not just breathtakingly beautiful wedding gowns,  Celia Grace also gives back and helps women around the world.

Most Celia Grace fabrics are handmade, natural fibers, or small-batch textiles, not only does it feel better on your skin, but it helps to greatly reduce the environmental footprint, as many wedding gowns are made with petroleum  based polyester fabric.  

Celia Grace believes that the women who make their wedding dresses are as important as the woman who will wear it. While most fabrics are mass-produced, we source handmade silk woven on traditional wooden looms whenever possible. This not only preserves a traditional art form but also puts money into the hands of those who need it most and use it best – poor rural women. 

This is an AMAZING prize, from an equally amazing company! 

Enter to win here!

Contest Information From Cricut:

The four weekly contests will be hosted on Cricut’s blog within one blog post. Entrants will be asked for basic information including “why” they want to win that week’s prize, and what detail they would like to personalize about their wedding. Those who are not getting married will have the option to “nominate” someone they know that is getting married. During the week an entrant enters the contest, they will be entering to win that “week’s” prize, along with being entered to win the grand prize. Entrants can enter once a week. Cricut will be hand selecting the winners, and all winners will be contacted via email to confirm their entry details. Confirmed winners will be announced on Cricut’s Instagram.