Showing posts with label ceremony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ceremony. Show all posts
For those of you who have not visited Etsy, stop reading this and go now! Once you have explored this wonderful world of handcrafted goodies, come back and continue reading...
Now that you have a good idea of the wonderful, amazing, fabulous, (a lot more great adjectives to describe something you probably won't be able to live without), I will tell you what I have recently purchased from there: ring bearer pillow and matching flower girl basket. These two items will be wonderfully coordinated to both my colors and each other, but not look like the typical run-of-the-mill wedding accessory. I am in love with this pillow, aren't you!?
Some previous finds have been my veil (simple, ivory tulle for a third of the cost from a boutique), an adorable hair piece (see picture below), and quite a few other fun home items that are not wedding-related!
So, now that you've seen my fun finds, and you have explored the site for yourself, go back and have fun! By the way, if you scroll down on the home page, you can click on a 'wedding' tab and go straight to a break down of all the fun wedding-oriented categories! Keep and eye out, my amazing graphic designer might just be starting a store for her invitations and graphics!
Another task to check off my checklist (speaking of, future brides The Knot has AMAZING bridal guides and checklists- great resource!). S and I went and picked out a ring for him this weekend! He has been apprehensive to even get a ring, so I was happy that he found one he likes. We decided on a black ceramic ring for a few reasons: 1. it immediately stood out to both of us as a nice looking ring 2. it will shatter when under enough pressure, not bend like other metals (thus smashing your finger irreparably) 3. it is non-conductive (important so that it doesn't become an element if ever in contact with electricity- as a mechanic this is a big deal).
So, here it is (well a picture of one similar).
And, for anyone interested, here's a reminder of mine :)
Of course, being budget conscious was VERY important for this project. Hand bells run around $5 each. However, there are many wholesale websites that offer these bells for cheaper. Price Wise Favors has these bells for $1.66 each if you order over 96, but this still leaves you with a $166 for 100 guests. That was more than I was willing to part with while staying on a budget. I found a great alternative at American Bridal. I bought 192 of these bells for $39.60! They will ring us off to the reception while still remaining budget-friendly.
I am so excited to start preparing these bells! I think it is a super cute, and unique way to send off the bride and groom. No bird seed or bubbles for us!
You all know the guy: he plugs a "name drop" in every conversation, stretching the subject to fit in his you-know-who-I-know opportunity. But, knowing the right people does not always mean the president of Intel. Sometimes, the best people to know are family and friends with skills in areas you are lacking.
As you can see from this blog, I am dedicated to doing as many projects by hand as I can. The driving force behind this goal is saving as many pennies as possible! At the end of the night, folks, all that will matter is that you are married to your best friend, your soul mate. What won't matter are the Swarovski crystals you spent a small fortune adorning your centerpieces with, that ended up ignored when the dancin' got started.
To this end, I have been recruiting as many of my friends and family as possible. My sister (who is an AMAZING seamstress) has agreed to bustle my dress. Most bridal salons charge a flat rate of $200 for this service. Many brides just factor this cost into the cost of their dress, without considering who they know that might be willing to provide the service for nothing (or, as I plan for my sister, a bottle of wine). In addition, we have talked about adding some buttons to the back of the dress to smooth the look of the zipper.
I was also able to drastically reduce the cost of a DJ by using a friend. The average DJ runs around $800 for 4-6 hours of service. This seemed expensive, and that cost doesn't include travel and a hotel for out-of-town companies. In fact, many couples spend upwards of $1200 to have some directed tunes at their reception. A friend of mine I met through YoungLife (awesome, awesome, awesome youth outreach program) happens to work for a DJ in EO, and has done a couple weddings solo. I had planned to try to use this company (I do wish to shop local as much as possible), and hoped WS would be able to do my reception. After asking him about pricing, he told me their flat rate for 4 hours was $700 with additional cost for time after that, as well as cost for travel and a hotel. Although steep, I had planned for this to be the case. I was shocked when he went on to tell me that he would charge me only $600, no travel, and no hotel if I could find him somewhere to stay! Additionally, he would stay until the party fizzled for no additional cost!
John Lennon got it right: "I get by with a little help from my friends."
We are down to three dress options. I think I may go with allowing each to decide which one they like and have multiple styles, but who knows. Here are my choices (picture them all in the color of the first one- I couldn't get the picture to copy in the right color for the others), feel free to comment about which one you like best! My sisters (and hopefully a couple other BMs will try some on this weekend and we can narrow it down even further). Here are the links to the styles if you would like to look at them in the right color (lapis) the last one doesn't show the color online, I'd have to ask in a store: Style 1, Style 2, Style 3
I think any of the three would look cute with the sandals. If I do multiple styles, I may limit it to one of the two strapless and the other dress, that way there is some consistency. I am excited to see how they look on the girls!
Here are the ribbon colors (the purple will be the color I am going to wear, the champagne will be for the girls):
I have decided to pay for the bridesmaids dresses, and the girls are buying their own sandals. However, one of the best parts about these shoes are that they don't break the bank! Due to popular demand, these sandals can be special ordered for weddings from the company, and I have been in contact with Liz from Sseco Designs to get them made- they should be very reasonably priced! Additionally, these are shoes that the girls will wear again, unlike your typical dyed pump.
My wedding dress. I feel secure in SL not venturing to look through this blog, so I will post some pictures of the dresses I tried on and the dress I bought.
Most brides would agree that the dress seems to steal the show, and this fact makes it stand as one of the single most important items on the wedding list. My budget for the dress (including tailoring) and accessories was $1500. I figured I could get just about anything I wanted at this price, and that more would be somewhat extravagant and unnecessary; especially since I am working on being frugal. That being said, I was hoping to find a one-of-a-kind dress that not everyone had been married in; nothing taken from the "Capri Marie" by Maggie Sottero, but I wanted something different!
My first dress shopping experience was at a wonderful little bridal boutique in Western Oregon. I tried on about ten dresses and narrowed my choices down to 3 (all by Maggie Sottero): Carrie, Milana, Vienna. The latter was my favorite, but was verging on my price limit at $1300 without accessories or alterations. Still, I loved the lace and beading detail.
I just recently headed down to San Francisco to visit my friend from college and my cousin. My cousin, conveniently enough, works at the Priscilla of Boston downtown. I knew these dresses would be out of my price range, but she said model dresses can sell from $500!
The first shop we wandered in to was a boutique downtown. The saleswoman had a spot available to show me some dresses, so we jumped on the opportunity. I told her my budget, and she grabbed some styles. (*NOTE: when telling your price point, slightly reduce your maximum amount. The representative automatically brings styles "around" your price, none seem to be below your highest price. So, help yourself out, and let the higher prices still be in your price range by dropping what you tell the representative. This way, you won't be disappointed by falling in love with a dress you can't afford.)
Right away I told the consultant my goal for a unique dress and she brought me her favorite style. She informed me that she had never seen anyone buy this particular dress, but that it was far and away her favorite style. This dress was stunning, but much out of my price range: $2863. I loved the floral detail and vintage feel of the dress, but wasn't willing to part with that much of my budget.
The next dress shop we went to sold dresses that had previously been displayed in boutiques around the city. These dresses were selling for up to 80% of the retail price! While some dresses were rough with use, others seemed like new. Of the dresses I tried on, I liked (actually LOVED) only one; a Rosa Clara design. This dress, like the one above, had many unique aspects: vertical detail in the skirt, polka dots on the bodice, dropped waist. This dress actually had the potential to be "the one." Until, that is, I saw the price: $2300. I was getting pretty discouraged. Granted, this dress was discounted from a retail price of $5160, but it still exceed my budget. Additionally, it was going to need to be hemmed and altered; all more cost.
As I said, I was very discouraged. I knew that many of my friends had found their dream dresses within a budget, I was wondering where mine would be! My friend, A, had a different idea: go to a cheaper bridal shop to prove that I needed to spend the higher amount to get a unique, well-made dress.
This is why we headed back across town to the David's Bridal in San Francisco. Our theory was two-fold a) it would validate the necessity for spending more money when I didn't find something I loved at DB's prices b) if I DID find something, I could head back to the DB in my area and buy the dress closer to home. I ended up wrong on both hypotheses!
I tried on all of the "typical" princess-type dresses, and, no surprise, I did not like them. I told the consultant I was looking for something unique and she brought out this dress: (just kidding, you have to wait until the wedding pictures to see this! What if SL DOES get on here and snoop!?) Let's just say, it is perfectly unique and fits me like a glove- no tailoring necessary. My sister is able to do the bustle and any alterations that may arise before the wedding in 8 months. The best part was that this dress cost only $950; high for DB dresses, but under budget, even with a veil and shoes.
Ok, so I found the perfect dress! I asked the consultant to look up a couple of the stores in my area to see if they carried the same dress. She came back with a half smirk, and informed me that the dress I had fallen in love with was a preview dress- not on the market. The dress was only available in that store in San Francisco and a store in Colorado. I would not be able to buy the dress anywhere else!
Airlines allow one carry-on, wedding dresses count!
Total Wedding Cost: $1550
Sseco Designs has partnered with a school in Kampala, Uganda to provide an income to girls transitioning from secondary school to a university. Uganda mandates a nine month period between the two stages in school to allow students to raise money for tuition. The problem is that girls are rarely given jobs during this time. The website gives a full background on the company and its mission. The money from these sandals will move the students from making sandals to becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. Click on the link above and check it out!
They encourage brides to email the company to inquire about special ordering for weddings! I sent out an email tonight to ask about what is available; my bridesmaids may just be sporting these sandals... stay tuned!
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