Thursday 27 September 2012

Bookish Buys: Wedding Table Numbers and Custom Book Art

Before my wedding, I got lost in the world of wedding blogs and every now and then I'd surface with one (thousand) things I wanted to do for my own wedding. One of those things was table numbers made from books. The (now) Husband took one look at the picture I had as inspiration and said, "I can do that". I was skeptical, but surrendered a book I knew I wouldn't reread with the proviso that I would be able to, if I wanted to, after he was done. I was blown away by the result, and needless to say he ended up doing all of the table numbers for our wedding. He also made a "true love" pop-out which we used as a prop in photos and also sat on the bridal table, plus a "where we came from" sign that sat with photos of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days. We completed the decorations with pink and ivory flowers in assorted vases and stacks of books in shades of of pink, green and blue, tied up with ivory ribbon. We also put a baseball on each table, to represent The Husband's favourite pastime, and asked the guests to sign them as lovely mementos in addition to our guestbook.



 

 




 


OK, you're probably wondering about now why this post is titled "bookish buys" when it's all about my wedding. Well! The husband had so much fun creating the table numbers that he decided to continue doing it, and set up an Etsy store for custom orders. He has also started creating some adorable characters. So this post is kind of a shameless plug, but I figured I spend plenty of time promoting other people's Etsy stores, I should be able to promote The Husband's. I'm biased, but I love what he's created. Although I don't like seeing books cut up, they're all second-hand AND if you really want to, you can pop the characters/letters back into the book and it's still readable, give or take a few words. So, you know, no books were (seriously) harmed in the making of these projects. Check out his store, Custom Book Art, if you're after table numbers or book art, and message him for requests if you have any. The characters he's done so far are Peter Pan and Winnie-the-Pooh, but I have it on good authority that he's got Allie and Noah from The Notebook and Sherlock Holmes coming up.

Winnie-the-Pooh book art
 
Peter Pan book art
Wedding photography by J Roberts Photography

30 comments:

  1. Belle, that is SO freakin' awesome! I'm so impressed. I can't believe he actually got Pooh and Peter Pan to look like Pooh and Peter Pan. Your wedding pics are absolutely stunning. I'm definitely forwarding this post to engaged friends.

    Maggie xx

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    1. Thanks Maggie! I know, I was amazed! He did a Little Mermaid one for me too with Ariel and Eric, so lovely.

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  2. Ooh - thanks for sharing :) The photos are AMAZING! And the best part? People will totally be using you (and your husband!) as inspiration for their weddings now :)

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    1. Thank you Jolene! Gotta love the internet :)

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  3. Belle, this post is gorgeous and amazing and beautiful and I have no more words!! When I get married (I say as I contemplate my singledom) I want bookish art. This is just wonderful. Also, I am so saving up for one of those wonderful bookish creations :D I can't say enough how beautiful these photos are! I hope you two are gloriously happy together forever and ever.

    Maree xox

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    1. Aww, thank you so much lovely! I was worried I was going overboard with the books but Husband had fun with it too, and everyone at the wedding liked how personal it was.

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    2. Going overboard with books? Pfffft, no such thing! ;)

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  4. Oh my darling it's all so beautiful.
    YAY!
    I love it.
    I'm sooooo tweeting this.
    Thank you so much for sharing it.

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  5. These are REALLY neat, Belle! I hope your husband does well - who could go wrong with the 'silly ole bear'!? :-D

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    1. Thank you, Rissi! I think he really just wants to sell them so he has an excuse to do more ;)

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  6. Wow...just wow! Beautiful and bookish and...amazing. ^_^

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  7. So beautiful, Belle! I love all the personal little touches that adorn your wedding--that makes it so much more special! And your hubby is really talented! I just might have to purchase one of his amazing creations. I am beyond impressed! Thank you for sharing these wonderful moments with us, btw.

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    1. Thank you, Nikki. It was a really special day :)

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  8. Love this so much! Thanks for sharing the romance of books!

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  9. What a gorgeous wedding, Belle! Awww, thanks so much for sharing those with us. I've done a fair amount of paper-cutting myself, so I have a great deal of appreciation for your husband taking the time to do all that.

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    1. Thanks so much Wendy! That's so cool that you do paper-cutting, I'm too chicken to try. I can't cut in straight lines.

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  10. Awesome! I almost always cringe when I see books cut and everything, but I really really do love these!!!! This is an awesome job! I am obsessing with Winnie The Pooh!

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    1. Yes me too but like I said, they're still mostly readable :)

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  11. Wow, your husband is so clever & talented, the displays for your wedding look gorgeous and I love that you were able to incorporate books into your wedding :)

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    1. Thanks - I was hesitant at first but we really wanted the day to represent "us" and it turned out well.

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  12. What a fantastic idea Belle! I love your pics... oh i'd love to incorporate some bookish ideas into my own wedding. I think i may just have to do a shot like yours with the book under the tree- you look like you're in a fairytale! Such a beautiful photo.

    Any recommendations for Aussie wedding blogs to follow? I'm on a 7 month countdown till my wedding...

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    1. Thanks! Little Wed Hen, run by Stephanie at Read in a Single Sitting, is great, although not updated too often (she's a very busy lady!) http://www.littlewedhen.com/
      Polka Dot Bride is also good http://www.polkadotbride.com/
      Don't get too weighed down in research though - I ended up feeling really overwhelmed. It was a gorgeous day, but so stressful in the lead up. I left everything to the last minute, which didn't help.
      Good luck x

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    2. Thanks for the tips!

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  13. My dear, your husband is a genius!! :))

    Wow...I am really impressed by the Peter Pan and Pooh cut outs. I'm very picky when it comes to art so...I coudln't believe they look just like the characters they were supposed to represent!! That's awesome!! :D

    I'm starting to love your blog. :) So glad I found you!

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  14. Beautiful! I've wanted to see more wedding pics because I know you chose to do a lot of bookish accessories. This is so lovely!

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    1. Thank you! I've been meaning to post them for awhile, finally got around to it!

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