School Sweethearts Save The Date
Posted by Chrys in Invitations on 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.
You see curtains…. I see TABLE RUNNERS!
Posted by Jill in DIY Weddings, Damask Weddings, Decorations, Wedding Themes on 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…
A-ha Moments
Posted by Jill in Damask Weddings, Invitations, Real Weddings on 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! 
Something Blue: Jewelry
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)
The jazillionth damask bride of the season
Posted by Jill in Damask Weddings, Real Weddings, Wedding Themes on 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!”
Something Borrowed: Jewelry
When you’re planning a wedding one of the biggest and oldest budget saver is renting/borrowing. You rent transportation, decor and other items you know you won’t need again. You rent tuxedos and sometimes even wedding dresses. Brides often borrow pieces from friends and family as well: a heirloom necklace, a gorgeous decor piece that will add just the right touch, etc.
Borrowing jewelry is another great way to save – and celebrities have been doing it for ages! Do you really think they actually BUY those multi-million dollar accessories they wear once down the red carpet? The great thing is that there are now a number of services that offer jewelry rentals. Some that you may have heard of include Bag, Borrow & Steal and Adorn Brides were you can find designer fine jewelry at a fraction of the cost to rent for your wedding day.
Another service I discovered recently is BorrowedBling. BorrowedBling works a little differently. Members pay a monthly fee starting at $29.95 per month and can then borrow as many pieces from the collection as they wish at no extra cost! This is a great way to keep yourself decked out in fantastic styles for all of your pre and post wedding events and of course the wedding itself! Here are a few pieces available from BorrowedBling.
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 on October 30th, 2009
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!
Something New: Jewelry
New jewelry doesn’t have to mean expensive. One of my favorite online jewelry stores is Emitations.com and they specialize in celebrity style replicas. If you’re looking for the kind of bling you see on the red carpet without spending a lot of money, this is the place to look. Emitations offers a great selection from gorgeous glamorous bling to classic, stylish pearls to suit just about any bride.
So for today’s Something New – here are a few of my favorite pieces from Emitations.com.
Meet Jill
Posted by Jill in In The News, Real Weddings on October 29th, 2009
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.
Something Old: Jewelry
Over the next few days I’m going to do a small series on wedding day jewelry and I’m going to start today with Something Old: Wedding day jewelry made from repurposed finds. Repurposing old and used items is one way to reduce garbage and over the last few years jewelry artists are emerging who specialize in fantastic jewelry pieces made from old jewelry, brooches, lace pieces, watch pieces and much more.
Repurposed jewelry pieces are often unique statement pieces which is exactly what today’s brides are looking for – jewelry pieces that add a glamorous wow factor to your style. Etsy is a great place to look for affordable repurposed items of any kind so I took a look and here are a few of my favorite repurposed necklace designs.
To find these and other designs visit Etsy and search for Repurposed Necklace.
