here comes the bride

i saw this "here comes the bride" banner on martha stewart's website and knew i had to include it in our wedding. and i had the perfect banner bearers in mind for the job!

supplies:

linen fabric

iron on transfer paper

disappearing ink marker

wooden dowel

sewing machine (optional. this can all be done by hand too!)

iron

printer

it was a challenge finding iron on transfers with good ratings. i grabbed these at A.C. Moore with a 40% coupon. i used my home inkjet printer and the print quality was excellent.

definitely do a test run to get a feel for how much heat, pressure and time you need to get a good transfer.

not too shabby! they say to cut as close to the edge as possible but i liked leaving a small border. it helped when ironing on those darn serifs later on.

the instructions said not to use an ironing board but a hard surface like a table or countertop. a pillowcase will protect your table.

i drew lines using a disappearing ink marker to help me to keep everything nice and straight.

looking good so far!

i ran into some trouble with the serifs. if i ever use this font again on an iron on transfer, i'll focus extra hard on the serifs and use the point of my iron to apply some really intense pressure. peel slowly! don't get impatient like i did.

photos stop here since the sun set and i ran out of good photo light :)

from there, just sew a few straight seams to finish the edges. fold over and sew the top of the banner to create an opening for the wooden dowel. slip in the dowel and hand it off to a couple of cute kids! 

photo by our friend marco at magic touch photography

the banner in action! the banner bearers are my cousin's ridiculously adorable and awesome kids. they were total pros! it was such a fun way to include kids our wedding.