Message in a Bottle Invites ~ our cute little wedding invites

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With our small destination wedding planned I knew I wanted to do something very cute for our invites. There's not very much about us or our wedding that's traditional so with only 20 invites... 25 invites... ok, eventually it was 30 invites going out in the mail, why not be a little creative? The general idea for our wedding: Stress FREE! Yes, I know the fun part for me would be creating escort cards out of sand dollars, menus glued to handmade fans, homemade candles in giant seashells for center pieces... but it would also stress me to no end. But with a destination wedding there's no need for all that. So, that means more budget for the invites!

I had been toying with the idea of Message in a Bottle invites so I decided on Vintage Travel as my theme. Seemed fitting for me and for our destination wedding.

I found my bottles on The Original Message in a Bottle Shop. They also sell the corks and boxes for these bottles. If you decide to go this route for your invitations, do a little research. Depending on the size, quantity and your location, you may be able to find a better price {don't forget to check out their shipping charges!}. But for $1.25 a set, it's a pretty good deal! You can also purchase the sand, paper, seashells, heck they'll design the whole thing for you!

You can find bottles in a variety of sizes. Also if
you're looking to cut costs, you can purchase plastic
bottles which the post office will let you mail as
is, no box

While those were on order I started on the design. I wanted something that looked old and worn. I settled on a few Photoshop backgrounds and filters and eventually was satisfied with the outcome.

Of course I couldn't just print them out and be done. They'd look too clean cut. So I tore each of the edges and then made my fiance do at least a little work. Here's your chance ladies. If you want your man to help out with the invites just tell them you need help playing with fire. They'll be there. ;)

My little helper

Now I was ready to roll them up. During some testing I ran into the problem with rolling the paper up and shoving them in the bottle, then struggling to get them back out. I didn't want our guest to struggle since there would be sand in the bottom. So I used some rubber bands to help me out at first.

I used chopsticks to roll up the invites

I tied raffia around the middle of the invites and made sure it was long enough to come up out of the bottle and hang outside. At the end of the raffia I tied on seashells for a little bit of extra grip.

Next, more playing with fire! I saw these wax kits at the craft store one day and thought they would look perfect. What else screams vintage like a wax seal with your soon-to-be initial?

But it's a tedious process, especially on a circular object.

Take a few practice rounds before actually starting on your invites... trust me.

Next up, fill those bottles. Since about 2/3 of our invites were going to be mailed {we hand delivered quite a few to cut cost} I tried to keep the shipping cost low. If you're not planning to ship yours use as much sand and seashells as you like. I kept my bottles to 1/2-1 inch of sand and dropped a few seashells into each. Also, add a little ocean scent to your bottles. I grabbed a small jar of oil and used a couple of drops in each bottle. Your guest should catch a whiff when they uncork the bottle.

Insert the invites into the bottle with your ribbon sitting below your wax seal. This way when your guest pulls on the ribbon it will catch on the seal and not just slip off.

What about all that extra info you usually receive with wedding invites? I couldn't just have pieces of paper lying around in the box. So I created a "Passport". Our little booklet contain everything from a personal note from us to the resort and travel agent info.

Our resort was also kind enough to email one of their stock photos so I created a postcard for the Response Cards.... vintage looking of course.

I'm hoping for a photo of the sunset just like this except with us
down in those little gazebos!

Finally I boxed those suckers up with a little stuffing inside.

Wrapped them in Kraft paper and shipped them out. The price for shipping you ask? About $3.00 for each. Not too bad!

Stay tuned. I'm hoping to have a beautiful, unique bouquet to show soon too! And this one won't wilt and die. :) {Update: See the bouquet here}

Thanks for stopping by!



Linking up with:
Nifty Thrifty Things, Funky Junk Interiors, Twiggs Studios, DIY Showoff, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Craft-O-Maniac, Salt Tree, Knick of Time, Coastal Charm, Not JUST a Housewife, Crafty Confessions, Embracing Change, The Shabby Creek Cottage.  

 ***While I'm thrilled to share my step-by-step directions, the good and the bad, these are intended for your personal use. I'm always happy to hear and see what my bloggers have been working on. BUT a lot of work goes into these creations and while I have no issues sharing so you are able to create the work for your precious homes please understand that selling an exact duplication of my designs is highly frowned upon. :( Please always be considerate of another artists work. Thank you!***