Bouquets! Bouquets are one of the “wedding” details I want to be perfect. The problem? I want flower-less bouquets!
After meeting with the florist several times, I decided that I am going to forgo her beautifully designed bouquets and do what I have always wanted to do…have paper flower bouquets!
While reading through Tweets on my phone, I saw a tutorial from Project Wedding on how to make Paper Flowers out of coffee filters. I could not believe my eyes at how life-like they were! The step by step directions seemed easy enough and there were limited materials so I decided to try and I am so glad I did! You can find the tutorial by clicking here!
After a lazy Saturday afternoon, this is what I came up with-
I do not have a crafty bone in my body so I know if I can do this, you can too! I wanted an all white bouquet so the original white coffee filters worked out perfectly!
After making a handful of flowers, I made the decision to make the bouquets for my bridesmaids with these paper flowers and ostrich feathers (ordered from Ebay) but I wanted something funky, unique, and different for myself! I wanted my bridal bouquet to be the talk of the town! Not to mention, something I can keep forever!
In desperate need of the “perfect” bouquet, I headed over to Etsy and found this beauty from a seller called Croska! I immediately snatched it up and will have it in my little hands by the end of April!
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Ooo another great online store that I found that has a lot of great bridesmaid potential dresses! It’s a lot like ModCloth but even cheaper! Almost 90% of the dresses are under $50. Another great find!
Store: RUCHE
 something to smile about lacy one shoulder tunic $42.99  citrusy sweet blossoms applique dress $36.99 Continue Reading
I just bought a pair of dyeable shoes for the wedding on Shoebuy.com. I like their website because it actually tells you the height of the heel in inches, not just “high” or “mid”. They also offer free (ground) shipping in BOTH directions, so if they don’t fit you can exchange for the right size.
Right now they’re also doing their 20% off Winter Sale (SAVE20) and if you’re a member (as in you register at check out) you receive another 10% off. AND, here’s a link for 10$ off. 10$ off a pair of shoes at Shoebuy.com
Here’s the shoes I bought: (Touch Ups Abby)
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My Attempt to do a Wedding Veil
“Back in the day,” when I was trying on wedding dresses, I discovered how ridiculously expensive wedding veils were. The typical cost of a 2 tiered wedding veil is $150-$500. You probably can get a super cheap wedding dress for that cost!
Well, to save a couple hundred dollars, I decided to make my own wedding veil. Overall, it only required some basic sewing skills. I didn’t even create the veil from scratch! I got a pre-maid two tiered veil from Joanns Fabric Store. It was a lot simpler then I thought it would be.
 
Wedding Veil
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An average bridesmaids dress from a bridal boutique would probably cost you about $130-$250. There are some gorgeous ones out there, but let’s face it…most of the girls will only be wearing it once. Plus, if you’re having them pay for it, you definitely need to be cost conscious. On the other hand, if you’re paying for it…it does add up!
Is $50 and under possible? Absolutely! I did! You just need to be looking at the right places. Recently, I’ve been discovering these online stores that sell some great dresses, accessories, and shoes for great prices.
Below are some examples of bridesmaids dresses I’ve found at different stores:
Lulu’s: $38.00
LuLu’s: $37.00
On top of having all those wonderful bills to pay, Orchid Boy and I are attempting to put money away for this wedding that, according to my Knot.com counter, is happening in roughly four and a half months.
Do manage this, we’ve tightened our purse strings and it seems to be paying off already.
Saving Change
I started pouring my loose change into a Carlo Rossi wine jug about three years ago and when I left for North Carolina it was about 75 percent full. It never made the trip (my mom had made an offer to roll it, which I took her up on), but we continue to put our loose change into a bank that I made for Orchid Boy last Christmas. I don’t have hard numbers, but I’m estimating I’ve accumulated a few hundred dollars in cold hard cash. I’m giving it another month or two before adding it to the wedding fund.
Putting a dollar aside
I got this great idea from Self magazine. Every time I use cash and get a dollar back with my change, I take that dollar and put it aside. I started doing this about three years ago and saved more than $250. I would have saved more if I was a big user of cash. I tend to use my debit card because it’s less dangerous.
 This was taken on a particularly warm North Carolina weekend, but as you can see the temp is set at a chilly 63. Is it cold in here?
I grew up without air conditioning. My summers were spent sitting next to multiple fans. I’ll admit I went a little crazy with the central air when I first got here. After our first North Carolina summer electric bill, which amounted to a whopping $103, Orchid Boy and I were a bit more conscious of how cold we kept the apartment. We generally kept it coolest at night and when I woke up I increased the temperature about five degrees. When Orchid Boy went to work he increased it even more, putting it up to 80. Since our apartment is shaded by a lot of tall trees, it never actually hit 80 degrees. By doing this, we decreased our bill by almost $20.
Now that it’s the winter, we bundle up, sometimes wearing three layers. The thermostat is set at a constant 63 degrees. During the fall our bill was down to $60, but since the freezing weather arrived, our electric bill jumped significantly. From what I’m told by homeowners, electric heat is expensive and this is not something abnormal. But, our bill would be much higher if we set the heat at a more comfortable level.
Peace out Time Warner.
Aside from all my favorite wedding shows on WE, Orchid Boy and I don’t watch too much cable TV. Most of the television we watch is in the form of Netflix. When we moved, we signed up for an internet plan, but went without cable. Between Netflix, Hulu and other internet-based TV watching, we get enough of the boob tube. Sure I’m WAY behind on a lot of the popular shows and need my Twitter feed to keep me in the loop of daily events, but we’re saving about $50 a month.
I have an addiction: Online browsing. (Please note that I did not say Online Shopping because the norm is that I go on certain sites, see what’s new and what I wish I could just buy, and then stalk that item for days until it finally goes on sale. Seriously. Laugh if you will, but I always find the best deal.)
Anyway, I have a love for the new trend of one-day designer sale sites, such as Haute Look, Rue La La, and (the reason for this post) ideeli.
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Some brief notes, so you can have an idea of what I’m— errr, we are planning:
- Colors: No thank you. As of now, the plan is to put the BMs in neutral dresses (probably black or grey) and get the flowers at the last minute (day before), and put them together ourselves the day of the wedding. I can tell you that I love orange (how appropriate). Orange will be somewhere in there.
- Food: BBQ/Southern comfort food. Ideally, I’d love to have someone come with a smoker… I can already taste the turkey legs, ribs, grilled corn, pulled pork, cole slaw, hush puppies… nom!
- Drinks: Beer & Wine. We’re going to have a couple of different kegs of our favorite beers; and wine. Haven’t thought out the logistics of that yet.
- Location: As of now, we’re considering a couple of historic sites… but more to come on that in another post.
- Date: All we’ve talked about so far is Fall. Mr. Man seems to think he’ll be able to talk me into a Spring wedding, but let the record show: IT AIN’T HAPPENING. Why does he want this? Football. Surprise, Surprise. I’m pushing to consider getting hitched on a Friday (cheaper), that way we can make a weekend out of it – be lazy on Saturday, watch the Skins wherever we honeymoon on Sunday. I’m thinkin’ Sept/October. I’ll keep you lovelies updated, don’t you fret.
- Dress: I’m a plain jane. My only requirement is that it not be frilly and that it absolutely, positively must have pockets. I will not budge on this.
- Veil: I don’t do veils. I think they’re annoying. I plan on having a cute-as-a-button birdcage with a to-die-for fascinator.
- The Boys: Mr. Man wants to wear black suits, but I’m trying my bestest to convince him to wear grey or khaki; again, I’ll keep you updated.
- The Ceremony: Quick and dirty. Nothing religious. Maybe have a friend get ordained. I dig.
After the vows and, of course, the dress, the most important element of the wedding, in this bride’s opinion, is the flowers.
I’m not just talking about the bouquets; I mean the centerpieces, the aisle décor, the cake table, and those other intimate details that serve as the eye candy for your wedding. That’s what makes those David Tutera weddings so amazing — the venue is transformed into a magical, once-in-a-lifetime space that creates a lasting memory for you and your guests.
But it seems like I’m in the minority for thinking so. People tell me, “Flowers die! Spend on the food instead!” To which I say, the flowers live on forever in the photos! And when was the last time you remembered what you ate at a wedding? It was chicken something, right? Or steak?
 It probably looked like this. Continue Reading
The question of whether Orchid Boy and I should send out engagement announcements and was on the table for a few weeks after he popped the question.
I had no intentions of sending out save the dates. For me, they’re a waste of postage. We’re not getting married on a holiday and we’re not getting married in a foreign country. There is also the obligation to invite those that you asked to save the date. Well, what if we’re over budget and I have to cut the guest list? Those that we want to save the date, will know about the engagement and the date. No need to kill trees.
Then I spoke to my cousin.
I wished her a happy birthday via Facebook and then mentioned that Orchid Boy and I are planning for June 4 to have the wedding and she better keep her weekend clear.
Her reaction was, “WHAT??!! I didn’t even know about the engagement!”
Oh. Oops.
I just assumed that everyone knew at that point we had been engaged a month and a half.
Which brings up my second point. Was it too late to announce the engagement?
In our case, I think we get a little leeway. We got engaged and then moved to North Carolina two weeks later. During that time I had been working at a new job, Orchid Boy was trying to find a job and we were waiting to move in to our new apartment, which we only just did a week prior to the discussion.
It wasn’t like we sat around for two months just procrastinating.
We decided to kill some trees and send out an announcement and included our new address. I had my awesomely talented, sister and Maid of Honor design these incredible announcements, which we printed at Walmart for nine cents a pop for a total of $10.43.
 I told my MOH what to write, gave her a picture, and this is the awesomeness that she came up with. Continue Reading
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