Marta & Todd

Here is an aisle runner I started on Sunday and finished last night. It is for Marta and Todd, who will be married on June 15.

The pink color is a little different in person. My unnatural lighting doesn't do the color justice.

Congratulations, Marta! I'm sure you're starting to feel the crunch (I know I am!). I'm going to try to FedEx this out to you tomorrow. :)

Irma & Guillermo

I'm back to completing projects.

For a while there, it was all invitations, all the time. Once we mailed them out, I was in for a much needed break from craft stuff. I haven't worked on anything since April 14. That's quite a streak for me! But now I'm feeling like I can get back into it.

I still have a few items that I owe to people before our wedding. I think after this, there are only three things left for me to paint until I take a hiatus until after we get back from our honeymoon in July.

This aisle runner is for Irma and Guillermo, who will be married on May 25.

Prices - Aisle Runners, Banners, etc.

As you all know, I complete projects for other brides. Aisle runners, banners, photo frame cardboxes, invitations, save-the-date design, jewelry, and more. Pretty much any wedding project you can think of--I'm probably willing to do it.

The time has come for me to finally post some pricing information on my blog. I simply can no longer keep up with so many e-mails, and honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner.

I'm hoping to get some kind of "store" page or website up at some point, but it's not looking likely that I'll have time before the wedding. So for now, I'm going to post answers to the most frequently asked questions I get in my e-mails (regarding pricing and the projects I do for others).

Prices included below are current as of today, 4/23/08. If I make changes, I'll post updates.

1. How much do you charge for the monogram aisle runners? What colors/designs do you offer?
With the aisle runner itself included, I charge $80. Both aisle runners that I can buy locally are white. One is a "floral lace" pattern (seen here for Bridgit & Scott), and a "daisy floral" pattern (seen here, for Carrie & Paul).

The price includes the rest of the supplies I need (paint, paper, etc.), and my time. I have access to a wide variety of paint colors. If you're trying to match a specific color, I'll work with you to try to find the best match possible. It's helpful to e-mail me reference photos--bridesmaid dresses, "virtual swatches," etc. Or, I've had brides mail me actual samples, whether it's a piece of the bridesmaid dress, or one of their invitations.

If you are not fond of the floral lace or daisy floral patterns, you can find your own runner (it HAS to be fabric--no plastic--and have it shipped to me to paint. In that case, I charge $55-$60 for my services.

At the time of purchase, the runners are 100 ft. long. If your aisle is shorter, I will gladly custom cut the runner to the desired length.

If you do not already have a monogram designed, and would like me to make one for you prior to painting it on the runner, see information about monogram pricing below.

Shipping is additional. I charge whatever it costs to ship it to you. The cost is completely dependent on where you live, and how long the runner is (it affects the weight of the package--longer runner = heavier). I use USPS Priority Mail and FedEx. I can provide you with an estimate for shipping if you provide me with your zip code. Shipping insurance is optional, but highly recommended. I will calculate shipping insurance prior to billing you, and will let you know how much it is (usually $1.65-$2.00). If you are outside of the United States, let me know and we can look into all the shipping options.

2. How much are monogram banners? Bride banners?
Banners are $45, which includes the ribbon edging, dowels, and the painting. If you order a bride banner, I will send you a file with your font choices. The ribbon edging and the paint color can be customized to your needs. Ribbon colors can be limited--but I have never had a problem finding something that works.

If you would like a monogram banner, do not yet have a monogram, and would like me to design one for you, please see the monogram pricing below.

Shipping is additional. Same rules apply as mentioned in the aisle runner section above. All banners can be shipped via USPS. Shipping insurance (which is optional, but highly recommended) is a flat $1.65 fee.

3. How much is monogram design?
Monogram design is $10. The price includes several different customized monogram designs for you to choose from. I will also make small tweaks to the monograms upon request. Once the monogram is finalized, I send you the high-resolution JPEG file so you can use it on pretty much anything you'd like.

4. How much do you charge for save-the-date design?
Many brides choose to have magnets or postcards made through VistaPrint. I can be hired to design the layout for those magnets or postcards for $30. For other save-the-date formats, e-mail me and I'll provide you with a custom quote.

5. How much for cardboxes, invitations, jewelry, and everything else?
All other projects require custom pricing. It is impossible for me to provide a flat fee for these because each person's project is so different. For the cardboxes, it depends on the person's preference for the fabric on top, the type and size of frames, etc. For invitations, it depends on style, paper preference, envelopes, number of invitations, whether you want me to assemble them, etc. Jewelry prices depend on the cost of the supplies and the intricacy of the piece.

6. Do you make ______ for other people?
E-mail me. I'm pretty crafty, so chances are that if you've seen something out there--I can make it.

7. How do you accept payment?
I accept payment ONLY through Paypal. If you don't already have one, an account is free and very simple to set up. I find that Paypal is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way for us to do business together.

8. How long does it take to complete my order?
Right now, this varies. I try to complete all projects within eight weeks of ordering. Right now, since I'm on a little hiatus for my own wedding (I'm not accepting any new orders for April, May, June, or July 2008 weddings), I'm not planning to complete any projects until July. If I think it will take longer than eight weeks, I will always let you know and keep you posted. Also, I do not charge you until I am ready to start working on your order--so there is no risk associated with me "holding onto" your money.

Interested? Want to move forward with ordering? Have more questions?
Please e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com

Want examples of my work?
I post almost everything on the blog! Browse around. I hope you like what you see.

Erynne & Ian

I'm still going strong with the projects. I have several to share, but I am going to save a few for tomorrow or later this week. I have five more that I still owe to people (before our wedding).

I'm obviously not going to meet my goal to have them all done by the end of March, but I'm OK with it. I don't feel overwhelmed by them at all. They're all projects I know I can handle. For the past couple of weeks, I have been concentrating on a combination of the banner/runner projects and my own wedding projects. I've struck a good balance and I've been pretty productive on both fronts.

Our invitations are going out two weeks from tomorrow... so I'll likely be working on those a lot over the next couple of weeks. Once those are mailed, I'll have another little lull (or at least, I hope I will) and I'll be able to complete any remaining projects shortly after that.

Anyway, here are two recent projects. I was able to finally put the finishing touches on the banner today, so I'm ready to share. Erynne ordered both a monogram banner and a monogram aisle runner. I designed the monogram for her and her fiance, Ian. And then I got to paint it... twice!

This is a case where my camera doesn't do the projects justice. Because they are lighter colors, they get washed out easily by the camera. In person, they are still soft colors, but they are better seen than in these pictures.


Love the combination of light pink and sage green. While I was painting these, I was thinking about how chocolate brown would also be a nice coordinating color for a palette like this.

Erynne, I'm still working out issues with USPS sending me my shipping boxes. But these should both go out to you in the next couple of weeks.

Jennifer & Eric

Here is an aisle runner I painted for Jennifer and Eric when we got home from pre-cana last night.

The heart print runner is something Jennifer found on Oriental Trading Company and had shipped to me. They have a hearts theme for their wedding, so she wanted to incorporate it instead of using the floral print runners I usually offer.

I designed the monogram, and was able to find a font ("Love Light") that actually incorporates a few subtle hearts, too. Very cute.

Carrie & Paul

Here is a monogram aisle runner I made this week for Carrie and Paul. Their wedding is coming up next month. I also designed the monogram.



Carrie, I'm going to hold this until the end of the week because I will have another order to send out at that time... I'm trying to consolidate trips to the post office. I hope you like how it turned out!

For the rest of you... are you bored when I post pics of this stuff? At first I was doing it to show examples of my work, but even now, with several things up, I still like to post them. One, it gives the client a sneak preview of their product. Two, it makes me feel accomplished (another one down!). Three, I think it's fun to see how different they all turn out. Since they are customized, they all are unique in their own way. Anyway, I hope everyone else enjoys seeing it all. And if not... too bad, I guess! :)

Bridgit & Scott

Here is my latest completed project... an aisle runner for Bridgit and Scott, who will be married on March 8. Love the big "W"!

Halting orders... to get married!

Today marks five months until our wedding. With that comes a huge reality check.

I started organizing my "to-do" list today and it turned out to be quite overwhelming. While I have a huge jumpstart on a lot of things, I still have tons and tons of things left to do, including several DIY projects. Also, as we approach our wedding day, things are going to get busier in general--meetings with vendors, showers, bachelorette party, etc.

As a result, I'm going to have to stop taking orders for projects for other brides. I already have quite a list of projects to complete, and I will definitely honor those who have already placed orders. I've done some calculations and some estimating and I can handle what I already have. It's disappointing for me to have to do this, but I have to be realistic in what I can accomplish and the fact of the matter is, I have to build in some time for myself to do things for my own wedding.

I've decided that instead of announcing this now and just suddenly halting orders--I will continue to accept new orders through January 31. So if you are a February-July 2008 bride, and you'd like to order a banner, aisle runner, monograms, etc., you should e-mail me ASAP (roadtotheaisle@gmail.com) to get on my order list.

I do, however, plan to start back up on projects after the wedding. So, starting February 1, I will only accept orders from those who are getting married on or after August 1.

I appreciate all of your business, and I appreciate your patience through this period of time... it's coming quickly, and it's getting real--I'm getting married!

I really like helping other brides, and will continue to answer e-mails with any questions anyone might have about DIY projects I have done.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding my hiatus, please e-mail me.

Best of luck to everyone who is planning!

Marcy's Plans for New Year's Eve

She's getting married! And she'll be walking down the aisle on this:

The holiday season has been super busy for me. I've been trying to balance work, the activities associated with Christmas (shopping, parties, etc.), my own DIY projects for our wedding, and projects for other brides--such as aisle runners, banners, and monograms. The projects for other brides have suffered the most. With that, I just mean I have not completed many of them.

Marcy's aisle runner, however, was a huge priority because she is getting married in two weeks! So this will be shipping out to her tomorrow. A lovely little holiday gift that should be there (in Florida--I'm so jealous) within a few days. :)

For those of you still waiting on a project... have no fear! They'll get done, I promise. And for those of you thinking about placing an order... the sooner you get on my order list, the better. I've been trying to plan out how I'm going to handle the projects when my own wedding gets closer. I imagine I'm going to have to take a hiatus at some point. Hopefully I'll at least be good to complete other projects through March or early April. But stay tuned for details on that...

Tanya & Jalal

I finished painting a monogram aisle runner for Tanya and Jalal tonight. They are getting married next September.

This project was a bit of a challenge. I was painting on a new brand of aisle runner that I haven't used before, and it wasn't taking the paint as well as the other ones I've used. I had to go over everything with the paint three times, but it is done, and it looks really nice.

Tanya and Jalal have a shorter aisle, so I custom cut this runner to 50 ft. before I painted it. I also designed this monogram for them.

I hope you like it, Tanya... we'll get everything finalized and I'll get it off in the mail to you later this week!

I'm running a bit behind (by my standards) on orders at the moment. I apologize to anyone who is waiting for something, but the holiday season has been really busy for me so far. Luckily, I only have one client whose order is kind of urgent (getting married 12/31), and all of you others are being patient, which I appreciate. Since I do these projects in my spare time, and my spare time has been lacking, you can understand why I'm not cranking them out as quickly as I'd like. But I'm working on it, and you should have your products very soon. I promise!

Latest Knottie Projects

I finished another bride banner for a knottie this weekend. This one was for Suzzette, who's getting married in just a couple of weeks! Her wedding colors are gold, orange and (I believe) some brown, so I did the lettering in orange and did the edges of the banner with a gold ribbon.After that, I started and finished a monogrammed aisle runner for Maggie, who is getting married on November 17. I designed the monogram for her, then painted it on the runner. It turned out well, and I can't wait to ship it out to her on Tuesday!

DIY Aisle Runner - FAQs

Since I posted my instructions for my DIY monogrammed aisle runner, I've received many questions about it that I didn't necessarily think to include the first time around. So, in order to save myself from having to answer the same questions repeatedly, and to offer a little more help to those out there interested in DIY, here goes:

1) How do you enlarge the monogram in order to paint it?
I used Microsoft Publisher to design my monogram, so this was pretty simple. Under "Page Setup" I selected "custom" as the size and set it up to be 36" x 36". Then, I enlarged the monogram itself to cover the width of that page. Then I hit print. Simple as that. The document prints itself out over several pages (15-20 sheets maybe?) and you simply cut off the edges and tape them together. It's my understanding that this can be done in PowerPoint, too, but I don't know the specific instructions for that.

Those who don't have access to Publisher or PowerPoint can take their monogram, in JPEG form, to a Staples or a Kinkos and have it enlarged there. I believe it's reasonably priced and is an easy alternative.

2) Where did you buy the aisle runner itself?
This is actually included in the original instructions, but I still get asked. :) I bought it at Joann Fabrics. I would first check your local craft stores--Joann's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, etc.--to see what they might have. As you might suspect, I found it in the wedding section. I recommend against using the vinyl ones unless you are outdoors. I'm not sure how painting on them would work out.

You can also Google search for aisle runners online (ah, the power of Google). There are many different types and lengths of runners available. The cheapest I have found (besides Joann's) is a 75 ft. runner at Save on Crafts.

3) What fonts did you use for your monogram?
The "K" is Multu or Mutlu or something like that... I downloaded it for free on dafont.com. Our names (and the date, I believe) are in Vivaldi, which is a font that was available on my computer when I bought it.

4) Are you willing to paint aisle runners for other brides?
Yes, actually. I just started doing this recently and have already taken on a number of projects for other brides. I can do the monogram aisle runners, monogram banners, "Here Comes the Bride" banners, monogram design, and more. For questions or if you want to talk to me about possibly completing a project for you, e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com.

5) How are you storing your runner until the wedding?
I rolled the runner back up onto itself and put it in a couple of garbage bags. As an extra precaution, I rolled pieces of wax paper in between the layers of the runner where the paint was. I was afraid of it bleeding if it were to get exposed to moisture somehow. But I don't think it's completely necessary. I rolled out my runner last week to make sure everything was holding up (since I used acrylic paint on fabric) and it still looks fine.

6) How will you roll the runner out at the wedding? Before the guests arrive or during the ceremony?
I'm not quite sure yet. I'd like to roll it out prior to the ceremony, and just have the groomsmen seat the guests from the side aisles so everyone's not walking all over it. But I have to check with the wedding coordinator at my church to see if that will work out. Also, I didn't want to roll the runner all the way out to paint it, so we will be rolling the runner from the back of the church to the front, instead of the other way around.

I hope these answers help. As always, if you have additional questions, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment here.

Here comes knottie cmdavis07!

So, as I wrote last week, I have started to take on projects for other brides (knotties!) out there. I just wanted to share my first completed bride banner.

This one was for knottie cmdavis07. She contacted me last week asking if I could make a banner that incorporated her wedding colors--chocolate brown, green, and orange (so autumn-like, I love it!). I bought a few different ribbons for her to choose from--one orange, one green, and one orange/green. She ultimately liked the green the best, so I lined the sides of the banner with green ribbon (it's a little hard to see in the pic since my walls are green, too!). Then I painted the words in chocolate brown. Fun project!

So, the banner should be shipped to her early this week. If anyone else out there is interested in a banner, or a monogrammed aisle runner... please contact me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com. I can generally turn them around pretty quickly--for this one, she just contacted me last Monday and it's already done.

So it's... Hawaii!

We finally decided on the destination for our honeymoon... and it's Hawaii!

We sent in deposits for our accommodations for our trip. We are planning on spending 5 nights on Maui and 5 nights on Kauai. We booked condos directly through the owners. They are beautiful, and reasonably priced, and plus we will have the advantage of having a full kitchen. That way, we can eat normal breakfasts like cereal and bagels, and even some lunches, depending on what we're doing each day. If we're going on some kind of day trip, we can even pack sandwiches and stuff, something that's kind of hard to do in a hotel.

We are so excited. I cannot wait to go. One of my college roommates, Megan, just got back a few weeks ago from her honeymoon to Hawaii. She and her husband went to Maui and Kauai, too, and she couldn't say enough great things about it all. We're going to book a bunch of excursion-type activities like snorkeling (which we can actually do right outside our condo), maybe snuba (google it--it's cool!), a bike trip down the side of a volcano, zip line tour, hikes, etc. The possibilities are pretty endless!

Currently, we're waiting to book our airfare and car rental. I've been speaking to a travel agent that is located right in Hawaii, and she said that I'll probably have better luck with getting lower prices around Christmas. So we are trying to be patient with that, but it's hard when it's such a big part of planning the trip--you gotta know you're going to get there!! So we'll see about that.

Here are the links to the condos we booked: Maui and Kauai. In the Maui link, we're staying in the one-bedroom condo pictured in the left column. Aren't they beautiful?! So fun!

That's the latest update. At the moment, I'm not really doing too much that is wedding related... we got so much stuff out of the way up front that now I'm kind of sitting back and waiting.

I've started to take on projects for other brides, though. Some people have asked me to paint aisle runners for them after they saw my blog post about it. So I'm going to start doing that on the side of my own wedding projects. Especially during these months when I'm kind of slow on my own stuff. So, if you're out there and reading this, and you're interested in having me paint an aisle runner for you, feel free to e-mail me at roadtotheaisle@gmail.com or leave me a comment on this page with your e-mail address so I can contact you.

DIY Aisle Runner

I am a true DIY (do-it-yourself!) bride! I just completed my first project today. I decided to do a monogrammed aisle runner for the church.

I went to Joann Fabrics last week and bought my runner with a 40% off coupon (so it was only $19!). Then I went to Michael's on Thursday and picked up a bottle of aqua acrylic paint, a bottle of black acrylic paint, and a pack of all sizes and shapes of paint brushes (total $4--I used a 40% off coupon for the pack of brushes).

I designed our monogram in Microsoft Publisher. I was able to enlarge it to be three feet wide by about two feet tall. I then printed it using my regular home inkjet printer and then taped all of the sheets together. The monogram looked a little bit pixelated (blurry) from being blown up so much, but it was still usable since all I was doing was tracing it.

Here are step by step instructions, with photos (thanks to Michael!):

1. Figure out where on the aisle runner you want to paint the monogram. Our aisle runner is 100 ft, with a 100-ft. aisle. We decided to put the monogram about 10-12 feet from the end of the runner so that it will be situated at the back of the church.

2. Lay out the enlarged monogram on a table or floor, and tape down so it will not move. Lay the aisle runner over the monogram and line it up until you like its position. Tape the aisle runner down to the table/floor so it also doesn't move.

This is me lining up the runner with the edge of the paper.

3. Then, trace the design with a mechanical pencil. I went back and forth over it a couple of times so that it would be dark enough to see really well when I was painting. However, if you're using lighter color paints, I suggest doing it as lightly as possible (while still being able to see it, of course!) because the lighter colors won't cover the pencil marks as well.

Tracing away!

4. After you finish tracing, remove the tape from everything. You're now done with your print-out of the monogram.

This is my dog, Tessa, watching me. She's thinking "Come on, it's late, isn't it time for bed?"

5. Now, tape wax paper to the table/floor before repositioning your aisle runner to paint it. This will prevent paint from bleeding through onto your surface. I've heard some people have made the mistake of putting paper underneath--paint soaks through and gets the paper wet, and it ends up sticking to the back of the runner! Definitely use the wax paper.

Making good use of the wax paper and taping it down to the table.

6. Reposition the aisle runner over the wax paper and tape it down again so it doesn't move on you.

It's difficult to see in the photo, but this is my runner with my pencil tracings done, and wax paper underneath.

7. Start painting! I would suggest working on the lighter colors first, and also suggest working from the middle to the outside. I started in the middle of my "K" and worked my way out toward the edges. I used a variety of different brushes that had different sizes. And I was just patient--I took my time. If you smudge a little outside of the lines, it's OK--you can modify the letter a little bit by "smoothing it out" and making it look like the letter is supposed to do that! But there's really no room for errors like dropping wet paint brushes or smearing the paint with your hands!

Painting the "K" with our aqua color.

8. Allow your first color to dry before moving on to the next. I let the aqua K dry for a good 3-4 hours before beginning work on the black lettering.

The finished "K"!

9. Paint in the rest of your lettering, again working inside out.

Putting the finishing touches on our date!

10. Allow the whole thing to dry, and you're finished! Then roll it back up onto the roll and store in a garbage bag or somewhere else for safe keeping until the wedding.

Our finished monogram aisle runner.

I think it turned out great, and it's a cheap "decoration" for the church. One of those little details that guests will notice.