November 9th, 2009
A wedding dress is a big – and often emotional – purchase. It’s a dress that you’ll only wear once but to many brides it’s one of the most important pieces of clothing they’ll ever purchase. Of course, not all brides buy their wedding dresses. Some choose to borrow instead. Sometimes this is an emotional decision – a heirloom gown handed down from a family member for example. When I was married, I would have loved to wear my mother-in-law’s dress. She had a gorgeous dress that could have been easily updated with a few alterations and having no daughters of her own, she loved the idea. Unfortunatly she is 5′4 and I am 5′10 so it quickly became obviously that alternations wouldn’t do much for the length.
Of course – not every bride choose not to buy a dress for emotional reasons. For some brides, a borrowed gown is simply a smart budget decision and that is why there are many companies that now offer bridal gown rentals. Renting a bridal gown is NOT for everyone though. Who SHOULDN’T rent a bridal gown? If you’re one of those girls who has dreamed about her wedding gown for years and who has her heart set on passing her gown down, renting might not even be a consideration for you and that’s fine.
On the other hand, renting is the perfect option for many brides. For example, if you have your heart set on a specific gown but it’s past your budget renting may allow you to have the gown of your dreams. Renting is also a great option if the dress is not a priority and you’d rather put the extra money towards inviting more guests, a longer honeymoon, etc.
Something to keep in mind though: renting is NOT always cheaper then buying. Make sure to comparison shop, visit salons, look at used gowns available in your area or on ebay and consider what the possible selling price would be if you purchased a gown and then sold it after the wedding to ensure that renting is actually saving you money in the end.
Considering renting? Here is a great article with tips you’ll want to read first.
November 8th, 2009
No, I haven’t forgotten about this series:) For something new I thought I would share this video for a sneak peak at the new line of bridal gowns from David Tutera. David is best known as the host of the Discovery Channel series The Party Planner and he is releasing his own collection of bridal gowns together with Faviana. Will they be budget friendly? Probably not – but they look fantastic!
Enjoy:)
November 5th, 2009
One of the first things I did after I got engaged was try to figure out who I wanted to stand at the altar with me. I’ve lived all over the country and developed amazing friendships with amazing girls and could have picked a sleuth of “best friends” to be bridesmaids. BUT, since J and I live in Birmingham, and are getting married in St. Louis, I thought I’d try to keep my number down to match the number of groomsmen that might make the 500 mile trek to our wedding (isn’t it interesting that boys rarely get giggly and giddy over a wedding. Hmm.).
The first girl I asked was Kristen. We met during college when we spent the summer doing missionary work. That summer everyone that worked together created a bond that will last a lifetime! Kristen and I immediately became close and have remained best friends.
The second girl I asked was Jennifer. Our mom’s met while they were pregnant with us. I like to say my best friend’s mom is my mom’s best friend. We grew up together. I think our bond is special because we’ve been through SO MUCH. I mean, how many people in your life have been with you through the trials of teething and potty training, all the way up to wedding planning?
The last girl I’m having as a bridesmaid is Kinsey, J’s daughter. She’s an amazing young woman and I’m thrilled to become part of her family. She’s drop dead gorgeous and as sweet as can be.
I knew I couldn’t just make impersonal phone calls to ask these girls to be in my wedding. It seems like such a significant question! So, I googled “will you be my bridesmaid” cards and couldn’t find anything that really knocked my socks off! I decided to head to Michael’s and concoct my own!
I found a picture online of a drawing of a dress, I don’t remember where I found it, but I loved it! I knew I’d have to incorporate it! I also used a $1 ice blue ribbon and a couple sheets of paper from the scrap booking aisle. And some monogram stickers. I wrote a poem to each girl which I attached to the back, I ended them each with the phrase…
“On my wedding day,
I will need you more than ever.
Please say you’ll be my Bridesmaid
…. and my friend forever”
This is the final product. They must have liked them because they all said yes! ? Did you ask your bridesmaids to be in your wedding in any special way??
November 4th, 2009
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!
Source
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!?!?
November 3rd, 2009
I had a lot of fun with my Something Old, Something New series on wedding jewelry so I thought I’d try a wedding gown version. The first thing that came to mind for Something Old was the gorgeous Vintage-Inspired styles from Whirling Turban. If you’re looking for a chic vintage look at an affordable price, Whirling Turban is a great choice. They also offer custom services which gives you tons of great options.
Here are some of my favorites – prices range from $425 to $950 or so (two of there are under $500!)
November 2nd, 2009
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.
November 2nd, 2009
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…
November 1st, 2009
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! 
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November 1st, 2009
I’ll give you three guesses what I plan to feature today….
Okay 1 guess lol. Actually, jewelry is one way that brides add often choose to a touch of blue to their wedding ensemble especially if it happens to work with your wedding colors. Of course, there are different shades of blue from soft tiffany blues to dark blue sapphires. So for today – here are some gorgeous blue necklaces – click on the images to find them online.
Shown Here: Blue Pearls from AmericanBridal.com ($28), Katie Holmes Inspired Synthetic Sapphire Necklace from Emitations.com ($55), Blue Topaz Rhodium Plated Flower Design Necklace from JewelBasket.com ($79), Colored Pearl & Crystal Jewelry from the Online Bridal Store ($36), Sapphire Chandelier Necklace from Portia Jewelry ($24)
October 31st, 2009
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!”
