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Archive for category Wedding Details
Come to Our Wedding…. Or ELSE!
Posted by Jill in Damask Weddings, Invitations, Real Weddings
I recognize that not everyone has the quirky off beat sense of humor I have (or THINK I have, I do have to explain a disproportionate number of my jokes to my beloved)…. BUT I was playing around on Zazzle the other day and created this….
Yes. It says “come to our wedding or we’ll kick your butt”. I thought it was hysterical. In fact it made me laugh out loud. Literally. I showed J. He laughed out loud. I showed my mom. She laughed out loud. See, it’s funny because neither J nor I would ever hurt a fly.
This pic was taken right after we got in a horrible car accident and J’s face made friends with the windshield. On a side note, PLEASE don’t text and drive. J and I were driving in the slow lane of the interstate and a car slammed into the back of us, catapulted us across three lanes of interstate traffic, we crashed into the cement median and spun around so we were facing traffic. We ended up with some bumps, bruises, cuts, and a broken nose… but we could have easily been killed.
The driver of the other car was texting. (If you still need convincing watch this video *warning, it’s graphic*).
Anyway, back to Zazzle. I’m pretty much obsessed with it. As I mentioned in a previous post, we already have our invites, but since so many of our guests are coming from out of town, there’s no way to get around sending Save the Dates. I think the most cost effective way to send STD’s is to send the post card version. And since I double as a photographer and J and I have enough pictures of ourselves to fill a municipal library… I thought it would only be fitting to have a photo on our STD’s. Here are some options… What do you think?
Deal of the Day
Posted by Jill in Decorations, Real Weddings
Deal of the day! Do you have a Ross Dress for Less in your area? It’s very similar to TJ Maxx or Marshalls. I was killing a lunch hour doing some wedding “browsing” and came across these TO DIE FOR candle 6 inch long rhinestone votive holders.
They caught my eye and stole my heart! I didn’t have a plan for them but I knew I had to own them! Ha ha! They are long enough that if I place them side by side on the head table they will make quite an impact! I love how big the rhinestones are and that the back portion is mirrored. I also like that I got them on sale for (drum roll please) $5.49 each! As I placed them on a shelf to get a good picture of them for the world to see, a lady came by and picked one up, I screamed “NO, THOSE ARE MINE” like some ridiculous bridezilla. She slowly backed away. And wished me well on my wedding… How did she know?
(Notice the lady’s hand in the left corner… just before I smacked it away! haha! Jk. )
Really, the fact that they caught her eye and that she liked them so well (them, not me) served as quite the confirmation that I really truly DID need to own them! As if there was any doubt. Now, my friends, help me figure out exactly what to do with them! Side by side they total 2.5 feet. Is that long enough to make an impact? Dare I venture off into unknown suburbs to try to find even MORE of them? Should I put votives / flowers / picture frames in between them? What would make them the most impactful?
Or should I scrap the head table idea all together and put them somewhere else???
Wedding Treasure Hunt
Posted by Jill in Real Weddings
My man is a yard sale snob. I was never much into buying other people’s “junk”, until I met him and discovered the practically unused treasures that people were almost GIVING away. Now we go yard saling (sailing?) all the time. In fact, it has become one of our favorite things to do together. He’s Southern. Very Southern. And has never met a stranger. For him yard sales help him connect with neighbors and friends… and get a bargain. I’m not nearly as outgoing and friendly, so I like going with J. That way I don’t have to say much… I can just browse for deals! And on Saturday I found some KILLER deals!!!
I found 150 slightly used wedding bubbles for $1! Yay! I haven’t really decided if we’ll be one of those “bubbly” couples… but for a dollar it was worth having the option!
I also found a pair of wedding shoes at the same yard sale. They were worn once by a MoB. They’re Kenneth Cole, with rhinestone straps. $60 originally. And, delightfully, they only have a slight kitten heel. I LOVE high high high heels. But I hate being taller than my man. And can’t imagine towering over him on our wedding day. They are a just a tad tight across my toes. But I figured they’d either stretch out, or I’d give them to MY MoB, who has more dainty feet than I! Due to J’s expert haggling I got them for $7! Much more logical than the $900 Christian Louboutin bridal shoes that I’ve been lusting over! I mean, who even sees your feet!?!?
School Sweethearts Save The Date
Posted by Crystal in Invitations
I LOVE this Save The Date from Wedding Paper Diva’s – it’s unique and fun. It would be perfect for couples who were school sweethearts but it could be used for anyone. I know I would enjoy seeing little kid pictures of the couple on the Save The Date.
You see curtains…. I see TABLE RUNNERS!
Posted by Jill in DIY Weddings, Damask Weddings, Decorations, Wedding Themes
I’ve searched high and low to find black and white damask linens. (Yes, I recognize that my priorities might be slightly scewed, as we have no date nor venue… but I digress.) Other damask brides have gone to great measures and great expense to get their ideal table linens. They fret over the exact right pattern of damask. Whether it is white on black or black on white. They have their pattern SILK SCREENED onto fabric. They enlist MIL’s to sew countless runners. And have them re-sew them if they are slightly off center. They spend $20 per runner. Or buy $15 yard fabric from some fabric wholesaler in China.
I have to say, after reading their stories, I was ready to throw in the towel and go with some other color scheme.
That’s where my beloved Craigslist comes in. I have no idea why I was searching under the “Household” tab, probably searching for SOMETHING wedding related! And I came across a post for a black and white damask bedding set. This woman was selling her King sized comforter, pillows and curtains. Thankfully she sold me her curtains seperatly… as much as I love damask I’m not so sure I want to sleep on it… For $30 I got four LOVELY panels of curtains. They are BEAUTIFUL! I am going to cut each panel into three runners (or have my wonderful, beautiful, talented mother do it!). 12 runners for $30! Not too shabby! 
Maybe I should rent them out to those ladies that are on their way to the silk screeners…
A-ha Moments
Posted by Jill in Damask Weddings, Invitations, Real Weddings
I’ve had a significant number of “that’s it” aha moments during the course of our lengthy engagement… and a few important ones pre-engagement too!!
J and I are both television producers at the same television network. In fact our offices are right across the hall from each other… which I think is cool… But our co-workers probably get sick of me yelling out “J come here I have to show you these custom monograms/bridesmaid’s bouquets/centerpiece mock-ups”… who am I kidding, I’m sure he gets sick of it too, but the wonderful fiancé he is, he rarely acts disinterested!
At the very beginning of our relationship J and I were in St. Louis, my home town, for an even our television network was putting on. Since the event was in my hometown I went as an attendee, he went to work. I drove 10 hours to get there. He flew non-stop 1 hour to get there. The girl I drove with ended up getting ill and flying back, so I was stuck by myself to drive 10 hours without any company. J offered to give up his quick and easy flight to join me on the loooong drive… in a compact car! His sacrifice spoke volumes to me. That’s the official moment when I knew he was the “one”!
I had the same aha moment when J and I were shopping for rings. I put one on that I thought was way out of the budget but “knew” it was the “one”. I felt like Cinderella when I tried it on. And felt like the luckiest girl alive when he popped the question with it! I still catch myself staring at it! And I still feel like the luckiest girl alive!
Not long after J proposed I found myself in a Michael’s (let’s be honest girls, isn’t that where most newly engaged diy budget brides find themselves!? Haha). And came across this LOVELY black and white damask invitation set, by Brides. I “knew” they were our invitations. Despite the fact that I hadn’t done ANY invitation research yet, I called my mom and she bought every box in the St. Louis area, with a 50% off coupon. Cheapo! Can’t wait to find some great ways to make them a little more custom. Maybe a belly band? Or a great monogram? Who knows, I just loved them and knew they would set the tone for our dreamy delightful diy damask wedding! 
The jazillionth damask bride of the season
Posted by Jill in Damask Weddings, Real Weddings, Wedding Themes
I’ll admit it. I have expensive tastes. It didn’t take me long after being engaged to come back down to earth. HOLY MOLY, weddings are EXPENSIVE!!! I was overwhelmed at all of the options. Do I want pin tucked custom linens and crystal candelabras?! ABSOLUTELY! Do I want to be in debt forever? Not so much.
My first step was to brain storm… what do we want our wedding to look like? Feel like? What do we want our guests to remember? What are our top priorities?
We decided that we want our wedding to be elegant, classic, and FUN! We want the food to taste good, but we’d rather spend a chunk of change on a band that can get a party started! We (I) want a show stopping dress, but not one that I’ll be paying for until I’m old and gray! Our first goal was to prioritize….
My second goal was to figure out what I liked in other girl’s weddings!
I’ve always been drawn to black and white damask (and black and white toile, but my bathroom is decorated in that… and I didn’t want my wedding to remind me of my bathroom! Haha!) So I typed “damask” into good ole` www.weddingbee.com and came up with so many beautiful options that I decided that was a GO!
So I am officially, ANOTHER damask bride! I certainly hope it’s not too “2009” to fit in to my desire for a “classic” wedding. But I guess most bride’s have to answer to their children someday “Yes, honey, I had damask table cloths, I know they are SO out of style right now . . . but at least my bridesmaids didn’t wear HATS like at your grandma’s wedding!”
A bell’s not a bell ’til you ring it. A fling’s just a fling ’til you bling it!
Posted by Jill in Jewelry, Real Weddings
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a TOTAL Cinderella moment when I found my ring. I was THRILLED when J presented it to me when he proposed, and still laugh that he said “I hope you’re not disappointed” right before he opened the ring box, in one last miserable attempt to throw me off!
Last May I went to a brilliant bridal show thrown here in Birmingham, Al, called Style in the Sky. Anne Barge (more on my Anne Barge obsession soon!) was there complete with fashion show and seminar and Sylvia Weinstock, and David Tutera were there too. I was in total and complete bridal bliss!
At this bridal show I entered oodles of drawings. One of them was for a $1000 gift certificate to Diamond’s Direct, the jewelry store where J bought my e-ring. Right before they announced the winner I thought to myself “I’m gonna win this”, and lo and behold they called my name! I couldn’t believe it! Ah, the power of positive thinking!
I texted J right away and told him the good news. I was shaking! Barely able to push the buttons on my phone. Minutes later I got a text back from J that said “Sure you did, Sweetie”. J, ever the jokester, thought I was playing a joke on him. *Sigh* It wasn’t until he held the gift certificate in his hands that he believed me!!
This Christmas Diamond’s Direct is having a special 20% off Holiday Extravaganza, everything in the store is 20% off, even my wedding band! For a couple of budget snobs like J and I the thought of using my $1000 gift certificate at the 20% off sale to get my wedding band practically makes us salivate. *I sure hope they accept the gift certificate during the sale! Say a prayer they do!
Meet Jill
Posted by Jill in In The News, Real Weddings
I’m in love with a man that is the complete opposite of what I expected. Years ago I wrote “the list”, and oh sure, he has all of the important things (ie. loving, close to his family, great sense of humor) but none of the qualities in my subcategories (ie. No Doctorate from Yale. Dark and handsome… but definitely not tall. And much to my chagrin, he’s not a millionaire). In fact, after our first date I turned to him, as if I were the hiring manager at a job interview, and said matter-of-factly “you have none of the qualities on my ‘list’”.
Thankfully this didn’t dissuade him.
Fast-forward two years… In the exact same spot where he asked me to be his girlfriend, he asked me to be his bride.
I burned my “list”.
Now I’m planning to marry the most unexpectedly magnificent man I’ve ever encountered.
My parents are equally magnificent. They have generously agreed to pay for our wedding. Then my dad got a pay cut at work. In a shaky economy he’s grateful to have a job, but this throws a major loophole in the extravagant “platinum wedding” I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl (and admittedly, planning since well before I was engaged.) Mom and I are working hard to reign in our expensive tastes. After weeks of touring Crystal Ballrooms in fancy hotels, we’ve agreed to only view places that actually fit into our tight budget.
Thankfully, for me, finding deals is like a game. I love wearing designer clothes that I got from thrift stores, jewelry from yard sales, and shoes from clearance bins. And I LOVE telling people that my dress only cost $2.00, after they compliment me on my style! With so many great deals available, I pride myself on being high maintenance… on a budget.
We believe that with some creativity, ingenuity, and great sales we can create a platinum wedding on an aluminum budget.
Cute Gifts for The Littlest Guests
Posted by Crystal in Wedding Favors
I was watching Martha Stewart today and she had Hilary from Lilly Bean Market as a guest on the show. Hilary makes adorable felt play foods for kids and she sells complete kits to create your own as well. On the show, she demonstrated how to make the cherry pie (very simple and so cute!) and while I was checking out her site, I thought “This would be so cute for a wedding!”. The felt play foods would make great gifts for a ring bearer or flower girl of course – but what about wedding favors for the kids?
If you have children on the guest list, a special wedding favor just for the kids would be a wonderful touch that they will love. These kits are very very affordable – and there are so many that you really could suit any wedding. You only need to buy one kit – and then order extra felt to make additional pieces. My favorites are the Chocolate Cake and the Christmas Cookies.
The Chocolate Cake kit sells for $5 (pattern and enough felt for one cake) – and you could purchase additional felt and customize the cake to match your own wedding colors as well. The Christmas Cookies set sells for $10 and makes 5 cookies – that’s $2 per child – perfect for a Christmas time wedding!
The Cherry Cake which was featured on Martha Stewart would be great for a summer wedding – and you can get complete instructions on Martha’s web site or you can order a kit from Lilly Bean Market for $6!
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