I'm Baaaack!

As I talked about in my last post, I managed to find some super cool wedding deals this last weekend. When you're a budget bride, you have to buy things little by little. Bridal party gifts are no different. My FI and I have 5 attendants and 1 jr. attendant on each side...not to mention a flower girl and ring bearer. So, I'm always on the lookout for gifts for my girls that won't break my budget. I was walking through Target on Saturday when I spotted some plain, but cute tote bags.

What I really liked about these is that they are nice and big, but still zip shut so you don't have to worry about stuff falling out. Plus, I can always jazz them up by putting their monogram on the front with rhinestones or flatback pearls. The two blue ones are for my matrons of honor (aka my big sisters) and the three green are for my bridesmaids. Wanna know the best thing about these?? They were only $2.50 each! Sssshh....don't tell my bridesmaids, it's a secret! I also managed to find a cute tote for my niece who is my junior bridesmaid.

I secretly love this bag! I would have bought it for all of my girls, but there's no zipper on it. I just love the bright, punchy colors. I figured that a 13 year old would love the colors in this. Again, I may end up putting her initial on this bag to make it more personal. Just like the other totes, this one was only $2.50. I found one more fabulous must have item over the weekend, but this time it was at Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby had all their remaining Valentines Day decor on sale for 66% off. I saw these letters and knew I had to have them. I plan on painting them to match our colors and putting them on either the cake table or the gift table. After the discount, I think I paid around $1.50 for it. Not too shabby huh??

Has anyone else found any fabulous deals lately?

Fat Tuesday

Sorry it's been a few days since I've posted anything. I'm writing to you today freezing and sick. I promise that tomorrow I will be back with a brand spanking new entry chalked full of pictures. I went out this past weekend and stumbled upon LOTS of wedding goodness. Yea!! So, bear with me today and check back tomorrow and I promise it won't dissapoint. :)

Put a stamp on it

My future mother-in-law(FMIL) works for the post office and she mailed me pictures of the new love and wedding stamps that are coming out this year. As most of you know, postage is going to be raised in May and I thought I would include a list of the new prices:

Letters – first ounce
$0.44
Large envelopes – first ounce
$0.88
Parcels – first ounce
$1.22
Additional ounces
$0.17
Postcard
$0.28
Stamped Card
$0.31
Stamped Envelope
$0.54

Now onto the really important stuff, what those new stamps actually look like!!

These are the new "Love" stamps that will be coming out. In case you can't tell, it's the king and queen of hearts. I'm not a big fan of these stamps, they're not very colorful or pretty. In my opinion, not very "wedding-ish".

This stamp is the new 1oz. wedding stamp. I really like this one, it's classy and pretty. Since my invites will mail at the 1oz. rate, I can safely say that I let out a big sigh of relief when I saw these!

For those of you who will be mailing at the 2oz. rate, this will be your stamp. Again, very beautiful. I really like both of these stamps.

Kudos to you postal service on the new wedding stamps! Even though postage goes up in May, my FMIL says these stamps will not be out until sometime in June. Sorry June brides!

DIY Invites: The Font

I have started tackling my Invites lately. I'm taking it slow and starting with the font. No need to jump in head first, I'll put my toes in and check the water!

I was worried at first because it seems like most people use publisher or photoshop to make theirs....I have neither. I also couldn't justify spending all that money to buy one of these programs. Ugh. No need to fear, you can use Powerpoint and Word to make your invites if you lack the aforementioned programs. Trust me, I'm currently working on invites in both!

To get started go into the program of your choosing and insert a text box. Then format it to the size your invites will be. I am planning on doing signature size pocketfolds, so my invites will be 6.5" in height by 4.5" in width. Then, start adding your text and playing with the fonts. There are many websites out there where you can download fonts for free. Because let's face it, these programs don't come with many "nice" fonts.

One of these sites is: http://www.webpagepublicity.com/free-fonts-s7.html Another popular site is http://www.dafont.com/ When you find a font you like, click on it to download it. I always save it to my desktop, to make the next part easier. After it has been saved, minimize your internet window. Go to your start button, control panel, appearance and themes, and fonts. Once you open the font folder click on the font you want and drag it into the font folder. It will automatically save it under fonts for you! Presto, you are ready to play with your fonts! (wow, that sounded dirty.)

I just made up a mock invite and then tried it out with different fonts. When I found ones I liked, I saved them and printed them out. On the backs of the printed ones I wrote the font name and size for my own reference. Here is an example of one that I am working on.

Nooooo!!!!!

When my FI and I were setting our wedding date I decided to see when the local university's homecoming was. Well, at the time they didn't have the information on their website and no one at the school could answer my questions. There were only two saturdays in October that worked for us; the 17th and 24th. I looked at the schools calendar for the last three years and every year their homecoming was the second saturday and their fall break was the third. This meant that either of our dates would work.

FI informed me that if we went with the later date, we wouldn't be able to honeymoon right away because of his work schedule. So, with confidence in hand we chose the 17th and began booking vendors. I just found out that the college has changed their homecoming to the weekend of our wedding. Aaghh!!! I know, it may not sound like a big deal, but it kind of is.

You see, our church is only a couple blocks from campus and is right next to the downtown area that alumni like to frequent. Plus, we were planning on having pictures taken downtown after the ceremony. So now I'm wondering if we should push our ceremony time back so that most people will be at the football game while we are getting married. And what about hotels?

Luckily we do have a block of rooms, but what if they all fill up and more people want rooms? Or what if someone is too smashed to go home and needs a hotel room? We don't have many hotels around here and I am starting to worry.

Has anyone else encountered anything like this so far??

What does it mean?

I've always been interested in the meanings behind sayings and traditions. I remember in high school learning that the saying "Rule of Thumb" was established in the 1700's as a rule that men couldn't beat their wives with anything bigger than their thumb. Interesting, huh? Makes me glad to live now and not then. lol. Lately I've been wondering about the meanings behind a lot of wedding traditions.

For instance, did you know that the veil was a symbol of the groom's dominance over the bride? Why yes it was. In fact, the groom lifting the veil over her head at the end of the ceremony established her subordination to him. But I have also read that the lifting of the veil was to ensure that the groom was getting the right woman. Ever wonder why the bride stands on the left of the groom?

"The origin of this goes back to the days when a groom would capture his bride by kidnapping her. If the groom had to fight off other men who also wanted her as their bride, he would hold his bride-to-be with his left hand allowing his right hand to be free to use his sword." (http://www.plannersguide.com/customs.htm) Sounds like something out of a harlequin novel. Actually I think I have that book! lol.

Did you know that the color you wear on your wedding day has a meaning? I found this cute little poem about it:

"Marry in white, you will do all right
Marry in blue, your man will be true
Marry in brown, you will live in town
Marry in green, you should be ashamed to be seen
Marry in red, wish yourself dead
Marry in black, better turn back
Marry in yellow, not marrying the right fellow
Marry in gray, sadness will come your way "

Have you heard of any interesting wedding folklore??

Our Save The Dates are in!!

Yea!!! After waiting and waiting, they are finally here!! Our beautiful magnets are here!! Can you tell I'm super excited?? I decided to order them from Vistaprint. I highly recommend them. To make them more personal, I decided to choose a background and then create my own wording on the STD's. Since I am currently working on the invitations, I didn't want to spend a lot of time on our STD's but still wanted them to be personal. If you're thinking about going with Vistaprint, be sure to sign up for their emails. They will send you mail almost every day with sales they have. We purchased 20 large magnets, 24 small magnets and 140 return address labels. The large magnets were on special, 10 free. We ended up paying $11 to get an extra 10, because we knew we wanted 20 in total. The 24 small magnets and the 140 return address labels were completely free! So, with tax our total was $22. Not too bad in my opinion. I recommend that any bride on a budget be sure to check them out first! Here is a pic of our big magnets. Please forgive the black blurs.

Looking for cheap fall centerpieces??

Right now Bed, Bath and Beyond has their vine pumpkins on clearance! You can get a 10" pumpkin for $2.99 and a 13" for $3.69. These are a great steal for any fall bride looking for cheap centerpieces or decor for their wedding. Plus, you can keep them and reuse them as fall decorations at your house after the wedding.

Let me ask you a favor...

I have to start off by saying that I have only been to one wedding in my lifetime where there were favors. Yet, I feel like I have to have them. I mean, as a guest I don't expect them, but yet I can't let go of it despite my shrinking budget.

It was at a friends wedding last year, where I saw my first favor. It was nice, but...well, what do I do with it?? You see, her and her husband show horses and her husband is a farrier. They carried the horseshoe theme throughout the wedding. She even had a little horseshoe charm on her bouquet. At the reception they had ponyshoes decorated with flowers and had a ribbon running through the top two holes so that you could hang the shoe if you wanted to. They also included a cute little story that tells why horseshoes are symbols of good luck and that you are supposed to hang it above your door. Very cute, but now I have two horseshoes sitting in my closet. I didn't really want to hang them and I feel like I can't just throw them away. So, when thinking of favors for our wedding, I just try to imagine if anyone will use them. The best favors in my opinion are edible ones.

Some of the foodie favors FI and I have thought up are: candy bar, popcorn bar and caramel apples. I quickly knocked candy bar off the list because it seems like everyone is doing this. I wanted something different. The popcorn bar fit that perfectly, but could wind up rather costly. The same goes with the caramel apples. So, then I thought about giving a philanthropic favor.

I am an avid animal lover. I cry every time that ASPCA commercial comes on. My FI jokes that he has to turn the channel or I start running around the house looking for the checkbook through my tears. So, I thought how sweet would it be to donate a lump sum to ASPCA in lieu of a favor?!?! I also found out that ASPCA will send you little cards to put at everyones place settings letting them know that a donation was made in place of a favor. Awesome!

Even though we haven't officially decided on a favor, and with our budget who knows if we can still do one, we are leaning towards the donation.

What have been your favorite favors?

Registries

Yesterday, FI and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to register. Apparently yesterday was THE day to register. I mean, every engaged couple in the area was there to register. It was insane to say the least, but fun. After all the hubub was over, I came up with my own list of registering rules.
1.) Think about what colors and styles you want for your house or apartment. If you live in an apartment and anticipate buying a house in the next couple years, think about what you'd want in your house. You'll be surrounded by so many style and color options, that it's best to have a game plan worked out ahead of time. Having said that...

2.) If you're not sure if it's what you want or you're unsure about the colors go ahead and scan it. You can always go back and take it off your registry or change the color if you want at a later time. It's better to have it on there and have the option to take it off then it is to not scan it and then have to try to find it online. Nothing is permanent on your registry, remember that.

3.) Utilize the store associates. Some stores, such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, have associates who are trained in certain areas of expertise. For example, someone might be trained in cookware, someone else in curtains and draperies. We utililzed the help of their cookware expert. He showed us the different set of cookware and cutlery and explained what was good about them and what you want to look for and avoid. He also let us know which ones had lifetime warranties on them. If you're going to register for a pricey cookware set you want to make sure it's a good one.

4.) Only register at one store a day. No matter how much of an avid shopper you are, don't attempt any more than one store. It will wear you out and you really won't have the energy to do anymore. Plus, if you're this exhausted imagine how tired your poor FI is.

And now to leave you with a little poem I wrote in honor of my registering experience.

An Ode To Registering:

Off I went to shop, galore
I could hardly wait to get through the door
With gun in hand I began to scan
My excitement couldn't be contained


Cookware, bedding and curtains oh my!
Just which to choose, which was our style?
After hours of scanning and choosing
my fiance was done, he'd had enough perusing.

So, to home we went with our registry list in hand
My Fiance and I had learned Bed, Bath and Beyond's lay of the land.
Although it was fun picking out glasses and tile
I'm certainly glad I don't have to do another store for a while.

Love is in the air

Happy (early) Valentines Day!! Tomorrow marks our 1 year engagement anniversary. I know, it sounds so cliche'd that I was proposed to on V-Day. I swear I didn't think it would happen on a holiday though.

When FI and I started talking about marriage, he made a comment about how he hated it when people proposed on holidays. He said that there's no surprise when you do that and that he was the kind of guy that would propose while we were eating dinner at Taco Bell. After I quickly made him promise that he would NEVER propose at Taco Bell, I crossed off 'holiday proposals' from my mind. So, you can imagine my shock when he surprised me with a ring and the sweetest proposal ever!

Incidentally, a few months ago, a couple got married in the Taco Bell that we used to go to. It was on the national news, they even went to the Morning Show on CBS.

Did any of you "know" that your fiance was going to propose when he did?

Let them eat cake!

Mmmmm.....cake.... I always feel like Homer Simpson whenever cake is around. I occasionally have to check the corners of my mouth to make sure that no drool has escaped. So, of course when it comes to the wedding I want the cake to be delicious and moist and uhhh....drool......

Early on, FI and I, decided that we would forgo white cake. My mom about fainted when I broke the news. White wedding cake is her absolute favorite, but to me it tastes like cardboard. We also knew that we were going to do a grooms cake in addition to the wedding cake.

Since FI is an avid hunter, I thought it would be a great idea to find someone to make his grooms cake in the shape of a duck. Not just any duck though, a replica of the canvas back duck that FI shot and has mounted in our den. I know, I cringe a little when I look at him. Poor little ducky. So, off I went to scoure the internet and every wedding board in my area.

I received lots of great feedback on different cake bakers in central Illinois, some were more eager to talk to me than others though. One woman completely ignored my questions when asked about the duck cake. If anyone does this to you, cross them off your list! If they are going to act like this in the beginning stages, who knows what's going to happen later on. One of the bakers that was recommended is Susan's Specialty Cakes in Fairbury,IL.

I went to her website and immediately saw a picture of a duck cake she did! I hurriedly went to check out her wedding cakes. They were gorgeous, I mean, really gorgeous. The best thing of all though, was her prices. Buttercream is two dollars a slice and fondant is two-fifty. Needless to say, I set up a tasting ASAP.

Fairbury is a two hour drive from our house, so needless to say, I had high expectations of this cake. My expectations were surpassed and then some. Yum, Yum, Yum. We ultimately have decided on three flavors.

Lemon and chocolate chocolate chip for the wedding cake, and pumpkin for the grooms cake. The wedding cake will have buttercream and the grooms cake will have cream cheese. I am so glad that I took the time to shop around and get recommendations. I really couldn't justify spending $1000 on a wedding cake. So, for around $400 including delivery, we will have two fabulous cakes!

I have a web crush...

It started out one lazy night on the computer. I was searching the net for wedding information when I stumbled across.....Vintage Glam Blog.

Instantly there was attraction, I tried my best to deny it, but I couldn't. In the back of my mind I have yearned to throw some vintage feel into my wedding, but didn't want it to look hokey. Vintage Glam has shown me that I can have a vintage vibe without the cheesy effects. I love all the great ideas she comes up with.

For instance, how about taking some depression-era glassware and using them to hold flowers for your centerpieces? Or, how about using an antique mailbox as your card box? Fabulous, right?!?!

An added bonus is the there are tons of free templates and downloads. I love this site!! But don't tell my FI, he might get jealous.

Hitchhike Honeymoon

We may have to hitchhike with our miniscule budget. Since FI and I are paying for most of our wedding, we don't have a lot of cash to throw towards a honeymoon.

I have been dreaming of my honeymoon for so long now, and I hate the thought of not having one. FI has been lucky enough to get to travel a lot, I have not. With the economy the way it is and more couples footing the bill for their nuptials, I somehow feel I am not the only bride in this boat. So, I've decided to write about how I've been trying to throw together a honeymoon. First things first, narrow down your destination choices.

We decided to narrow it down to New Orleans and Phoenix. If you're on a tight budget, you should probably pick spots in the U.S. Also, do some research on your picks and find out when peak travel season is. If your honeymoon falls during this time, it will cost you quite a bit more money. If any of your choices are within driving distance, you stand to save lots of money! Unfortunately for us, none of them are.

New Orleans is around 12 hours from us...technically we could drive it, but we don't want to. The main reason is that there isn't a lot of free parking available in N.O. and we would end up paying about $25 a day to park at the hotels. That adds up very quickly. So, our plan is to fly there and stay in the French Quarter. This way, we can walk or take a trolley everywhere we want to go and don't have to rent a car.

Phoenix is a 24 hour drive....nope, not gonna happen. :) Our plans for Phoenix is to fly in and rent a car. That way, we can pick a hotel outside of Phoenix. Plus, we can drive to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, etc.

One of the first things I have done is check with online booking sites. Priceline, Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotels.com to name a few. Also, I found out that there is an airline that flies out of Peoria, Il. to Phoenix and every now and then they have $29 flights!! Right now, they are not booking as far out as October, but I keep checking the site to look at their rates.

Next, I created a spreadsheet on excel with each honeymoon location and 4 of the cheapest (but nice) hotels in the area. Then, I have the prices for a 4 night/5 day stay and a 3 night/4 day stay. I never use excel and if I can do it, trust me, so can you. It makes it so much easier to have the spreadsheet as a frame of reference as opposed to looking all the information up every time I want to look at it. The next thing I do is check out websites for the prospective areas.

I went to the visitors bureau websites and requested travel information. I then searched the net for "cheap phoenix (or N.O.) vacations". You'd be surprised how much information you can find. I save it all to a folder titled 'Honeymoon' for easy access. I have also utilized Trip Advisor (T.A.) as well.

The great thing about T.A. is that you can read reviews of hotels, shops, restaurants and all the touristy stops in the area. This can be a tremendous resource. I always check this site out before booking any hotels for our vacations.

So, this is where I'm at now. I am patiently waiting for my travel brochures to arrive in the mail and in the meantime I keep checking the net for valuable information. I plan to keep updating you on all of my resources and tools and how they have worked out.

What websites have you found that really help you with traveling?

Bargains Galore!!

A few weeks ago I was wondering through Bloomington when I noticed that one of the Hallmarks was going out of business. The couple who owned it were retiring and everything was atleast 60% off. I wandered in thinking that I would stock up on cards for birthdays, anniversarys, mothers day, fathers day... you get the picture.

After cleaning out the card aisle, I spotted a sweet little heart shaped pillow. As I got closer I realized that it was a ring pillow! It was cream colored with the word 'Forever' stitched across it. It was so pretty and...oh so cheap! At first I thought, "No, I'm planning on making the ring bearer's pillow myself.". But then I quickly added up the cost of the material, ribbon and stuffing and realized it would cost more than this already done pillow. With pillow in hand, I continued to walk.

I started looking at the guest books they had for 60% off. I decided a while back that I would buy a plain guest book and then use my scrapbook skills to add pictures of us and to spramp it up a little. I spotted a beautiful little gold scrapbook and knew instantly it was what I wanted. I also managed to pick up some very chic looking candles for my bridesmaids gifts on the cheap as well.

All in all, my total before the % off was $50. After the % off, it was $22. I was so excited that I quickly called up FI to tell him the good news.

Have you stumbled upon and good deals on wedding items??

I like the ring of that!

On Saturday, FI and I traveled up north for my brother's birthday. While we were up there, we decided to stop in at the jeweler and look at wedding bands.

FI has had his picked out for some time now, but still likes to look. I figured that we have until the end of April until we have to order, and it would be nice to have some time to mull it over. Well, actually mulling time was oh....2 minutes. I kept trying on different bands and nothing seemed to go with my e-ring. I didn't want a plain band, but something with too much bling would overshadow my elegant, yet simple solitaire. Then, when I was about to give up, I found her. She was beautiful and classic and timeless. I knew she was the one, and just happened to be in my price range. I was about to write down her item number, for future reference, when the salesman informed us that both of our rings were on sale! Yes, on sale! My ring was marked down $150 and FI's was down a cool $100. I told FI that the choice was his, I hate making instant decisions(remember my indecisiveness??). He looked at me and said. "let's go them". And with that, I walked out of the store with my gorgeous wedding band.

You're probably wondering what it looks like, huh? Well, you'll just have to wait until October to see it! I know, I'm a stinker!

So, for all budget brides remember that it never hurts to look early and look often. You'll never know what you might find!

Photomographs

One of the most important aspects of our wedding is photography. Very early on, we decided that we would be willing to splurge a little on photography. We want to be able to look back at all of our photos and be magically taken back to that moment in time. Tall order, right?

A friend of mine was married not long after we were engaged. I knew her photographer, I've actually known her for years. While she did a great job on the photos, there was one thing that bugged me....they were all the same photo!! You know, the ones where the bride and groom stand at the altar and have 100 different variations of the same picture taken. I've never liked the look of those photos. How natural is it to stand around smiling like an idiot for 2 hours? I just envisioned looking back at those photos when I'm 50 thinking, "I remember this, I was so tired of standing and was trying not to put bunny ears on my MOH".

So, we decided that a photogrpaher that shoots a lot of candid shots would work out great for us. So, one busy Friday in April we planned to meet with four photographers from all over central Illinois. By the end of the day, it was clear who to go with. But for now, I am pleased to announce our photographers: (drumroll please) Bridges Wedding Photography! Yea!!!

What has been your biggest splurge so far? Below are some examples of their wonderful work!!

All the colors of the rainbow!

With all the tempting array of colors out there, I have been having a hard time picking out a color palette for the wedding. Next saturday will officially make it one year since we've been engaged. I have gone through many colors in my mind and nothing seems to fit. Since our wedding is in October, my first thought was fall colors. Ya know, orange, red, brown and gold. Then I thought I didn't want fall colors, it was too predictable. I have always known that brown would definately be one of my colors, so finding it's color soulmates was going to be a challenge. That's when I found color studio.

All you do is spin the color wheel and it pops up all these different color combinations. You can even pick a color family for it to choose from. When you find colors you like, all you do is save it to your profile. It's so much fun that the first time I used it, I think I spent about an hour online playing with it!

Did I make a decision about our colors? No, not yet. Well, the color wheel isn't a miracle worker. I blame my own indecisiveness for this one. It did give me some great color ideas that I had never thought of. So, if you're like me trying to find those perfect colors, head on over to the color studio and see what pops up!

First Post!

Welcome to the first post on my new blog!! It's been a while since I've blogged, but I'm back with new ideas! The goal of this blog is to show brides out there that you don't have to have a $100,000 budget to have a beautiful wedding. How many of you brides-to-be are planning on DIY'ing your wedding?? Well, if you're a budget bride, you probably will become one with your inner Martha as you learn the ins and outs of DIY. As for me, I am planning on DIY'ing LOTS of things for my upcoming wedding: Invites, STD's (save the dates), programs, flowers, monogram, aisle runner, centerpieces, cake topper, unity candle and anything else I can think of! I don't have a lot of DIY experience, but I have been known to let my crafty side out on occasion. I have found some fabulous resources for all the info I could ever need about my DIY projects. I bet you're wondering what they could be, huh?? Well, they're no big secret, but are sometimes overlooked. Should I tell you? Okay, I give in, here they are......The Knot and Weddingbee. Some of you are thinking, "duh". But I bet there just as many that have't utilized either of these websites to their full potential. Actually, most of the women I know have NEVER heard of either of these! Insane, right?? Sadly, I'm not kidding. Both of these websites are full of women, just like you, who are trying to pull off a fabulous wedding. More and more brides are taking on DIY projects these days. Some are for budget reasons, others are to impart a more personal feel on their big day. If you're new to all of this, I would suggest trying weddingbee first.

It is very user friendly and you won't find any snarky brides on their boards. The bloggers on this website, known as 'bees', post frequently about their wedding adventures. You can post any question you like on their message boards and will very quickly start receiving advice. The knot is also a great place to look for advice.

The knot, is better known for its forums. These are message boards, but with particular subjects for each one. For instance, one board is called 'Getting in Shape'. As you can guess, it's about fitness. They also have: 'Making it Personal', 'Planning and Etiquette' and 'Interfaith Weddings' just to name a few. You can also join your wedding month board. They have boards that are specifically for women getting married in a certain month of a certain year (i.e. October '09). Then, you have local boards (Chicago, New york, etc.)

No matter which site you choose, there are thousands of women out there to help you on your way. Is there a particular wedding website that you love??