Heidi Wight
Editorial Feature - Rocky Mountain Bride ...

To be selected to represent Idaho state was such a joy! When I started designing weddings in Idaho, I wanted to push the envelope. I was seeing shabby chic, burlap, mason jars, chair sashes and wanted to show that we can step outside those design elements. I wanted to show that our wedding industry is capable of much more, we just need our clients to trust us to create something unique and remarkable.

Editorial Feature - Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine
Heidi Wight
Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine Editorial, The ...

Creative Director, Heidi Elizabeth of Ira and Lucy produced this stunning brand shoot for Idaho’s new venue, The Lark House.

Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine Editorial, The Lark House

DIY

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DIY Wood Pallet Wedding Projects

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DIY Wood Pallet Wedding Projects

A former thrifty DIY Bride myself and now a Vintage Rental business owner and wedding designer, DIY is something we do often! And ohhh the lessons we have learned! Today we're sharing some tips for working with wood pallets. Hopefully we'll help you from a "Pinterest Fail".

palletsign

 

TONS OF GREAT IDEAS of how to utilize recycled wood pallets are all over Pinterest and leading wedding blogs. You can check out some of our favorites! In the meantime, let's talk the reality of working with these puppies!

 

  1. Wood Pallets are hella heavy! Enlist the help of your friends or fiance when working with wood pallets. They are super heavy and large! Think about what your use for them is going to be. A large pallet backdrop looks awesome, but you are really going to have to think through how you will prevent it from toppling over, especially if you are adding floral or other weighted decor to it.
  2. Decide new vs old pallets. Is the end product going to look best with rustic upcycled wood pallets or would new be a better option. For us, we wanted not quite as rustic of a vibe old would offer, so we purchased new pallets and sanded the top of the boards down some for a smoother surface.
  3. Disassembling wood pallets takes some sweat! Get your crow bar out! But, BEWARE! Removing the boards can also cause them to split where the nail was in place. Take your time, but realize you may split them during the process. I personally liked working with brand new pallets from a local wood pallet supply company. Also if you want your project symmetrical, like our wood backdrop, make sure you pick the most similar pallets, otherwise, like us... you'll be forced to disassemble them and rebuild them to match.
  4. Staining wood pallets is a *^%#@ after the first attempt of staining wood pallets, I was ready to throw the project out! I was irritated, covered in stains and I was so sore from the crazy positions I had to put my body into to get to all those hard to reach places. So, here you go!

Insider Tip!

Do not stain with a brush! GET A SPRAY GUN! You'll blow (literally) through more stain this way, than doing it by hand, BUT, it'll take you less than 5 minutes vs 2 hours per pallet! Also, you need to cover the ground with more coverage than you see I did below... I killed some of my grass...

We LOVED this model we purchased from Lowes! The Wagner Opti Stain Plus for only $49.99! Keep in mind, it is for STAIN only! They have a different model if you are wanting to use paint. We used the Minwax Special Walnut from Home Depot for this project, which matches our custom bar.

Wood Stain S

Ira + Lucy Custom Wood Pallet Backdrop

Yes Dear. Studios

wood pallet wall

Ira + Lucy Matching Bar

Laken Fulton Photography

wood bar

Hope this helps you with your wood pallet DIY projects! If this all seems like more work than you want to handle, you can rent for a fraction of the price! Contact us to rent our wood pallet backdrop!

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