Talk about a statement piece! This necklace is actually to die for! I may have thought that two statement pieces like this would throw off the look, but it really doesn’t overwhelm her at all. It’s just very chic with a little (well, a lot) of bling!
Pieces from: Neiman Marcus
Photo from: Recycled Bride
It’s time to take a small glimpse into my wedding for a second. I ordered my dress (though I can’t show photos of it just in case you know who is around). It is a Melissa Sweet Spring 2011 dress. It’s a bit trendy and statement if you ask me.
I ordered these shoes next. The deal was way too good for a pair of Louboutins, so I went for it. (and by really good deal, I’m talking, $200!) I guess I am adding sapphire into my wedding now. Who knew, I was never really a sapphire fan.
Gorgeous right? Now I’m looking for the other accessories I need now. I’ll be doing a organza flower in my hair and some simple earrings. But what about this necklace??
I love it! This look would add quite the statement for the wedding day, right??
Massive Sale time at JCrew! Everyone needs to get over there asap, especially if you are planning a Spring 2011 wedding. This is a great time to get deals on some amazing bridesmaid dresses. There was SO much for sale from dresses to jewelry to shoes. Some was even 50% off as well. If your girls are going to be wearing a casual chiffon dress, bold ring, and some simple sandals, this is the place to go to get all of that for a fraction of the price.
I was having a ton of fun looking through all the sale items. Oh and maybe you could pick up some bridal jewelry for yourself or a rehersal dinner dress! Have fun and happy shopping!
We all seem to be in the same boat here, trying to plan a wedding with an economy as it is and people putting a bit more focus on their spending habits. This is definitely not a bad thing. Before, it felt like a rampant spending spree in which what people had determined how much money they have. This more modest approach of “I know how much I have in savings and it is not worth it to spend it on blah” is actually a great way of thinking. It leads toward security and stability in the short and long term.
How does that translate into a wedding? In every single regard. Instead of racking up each credit card to the limit just to show off your wedding (that in reality you couldn;t afford) is a terrible way to start married life. Credit card debt, money stress, etc is something that will never make for a happy home. But who can resist, those weddings are phenomenal. So what is the solution? It’s time to be incredibly creative.
This can be done by opting for DIY projects instead of purchasing things. If done right it will save money and make the wedding a bit more personal. Purchasing a recycled dress is another way to cut literally thousands. If you are like me, some cheap $500 dress isn’t really going to cut it. I wanted a dress that stood out and that made me feel amazing. That always comes with a pricetag, and for me that pricetag was a bit higher than I ever ever would have pictured myself spending. Finding the dress used can literally save you a few thousand dollars and you still get the dress you really wanted.
Brides need to stick together and help each other out a bit more. Selling excess supplies for a DIY project, selling a dress for cheaper, helping each other find the best deals on vendors in the area, that’s what it is all about! We really need to start helping each other out so we can each have the wedding of our dreams without spending more than we need to!
Part of being a Smart Bride is knowing where to cut corners without compromising the look of the wedding! These amazing shoe shots can be done with anything, especially discount shoes! Finding the best deal on the best designer pairs makes these shots even better.
Regardless of the budget, finding a pair of statement shoes to complete the bridal look is a must. Whether you plan to go a little crazy with some huge flowers and some statement jewels, or maybe you are going trendy with zebra print, or just plain classy with a great pair of nude heels, either way, make it a statement and make it big!
Source: Shoe shot 1, Shoe shot 2, Shoe shot 3
Those were a few classy shots, and now let’s take a look into the realm of Louboutin and all the phenomenal photo ops we can get from those.
Source: Champagne, Love, Running, Red Shoes
And lastly, STATEMENT like you wouldn’t believe. Here is to a few couture looks that you will probably won’t see everyday. Enjoy.
Source: Gold shoes, Flower Shoes, Black shoes, white shoes
Source: AMAZING Photo
Smart Bride is a wedding resource for recycled wedding dresses! Go check out the site and see if you can find your dream dress.
If you love this shoe post, check out my statement ranch shoe post of some of the cutest cowboy boot shots over on my other wedding blog, Engaged & Inspired.
Handmade wedding favors are the sweetest of all gifts for your guests. You know how moms always request handmade cards from their kids as opposed to something store bought, well, this is kind of the same principle. Handmade gifts show the love and care behind the favor. The major pluspoint for the bride is that if you do it right, it can potentially be a huge money saver!
This is how-when you buy things like sugar, flour, butter, (to name just a few) in bulk, you can get some pretty big discounts. Costco sells a 15 pound bag of flour for about $4 for instance. Purchasing ribbon, small muslin bags, mason jars or any other cute containers in bulk is also a money saver. Then the only thing you have left are a few cute tags to add and you are set with the cutest favor ever!
I made cookie favor for an event which consisted of the dry ingredients of a cookie recipe, a recipe, ribbon, and a mason jar for 100 people. It only took me a few hours to make them all and I probably spent about $1.50 per person. Compare this to other less personal gifts and it comes out to about the same price, but for a far better favor!
Source: honey, cupcake, jam, cookies
These are a few of my favorite ideas! Totally something I will be doing for my wedding. What about you guys?? Anyone making personalized favors??
Mr. Man and I have been together for a long time. We met in college and he apparently lusted after me for a couple years before finally asking me out (at which point I was not only mortified and shocked that the big man on campus was even remotely interested in me, but I wasn’t interested… not in the least bit!). I went out with him (I’m one of those can’t-say-no-types) and just kept going out with him, then one day, after going on dates with him for about 3 months, I got butterflies one day. I knew I was doomed. It was over. I was crazy in love. To this day, I’m not quite sure how he did it, but he swept me off my feet and has been my best friend, my other half, my right hand man, and the apple of my eye ever since. I can’t imagine life without him.
I live in the Washington, D.C. area and was born to two pretty stellar people who love each other very much, who raised me well, put me through school (thank you), but don’t want to shell out the big bucks for my wedding. My parents aren’t horrible people who refused to help with my wedding; on the contrary, they’re wonderful and they’re more than willing to help pay, but they don’t believe in a “one day party” that costs thousands upon thousands of dollars. The good thing is that I don’t believe in that either.
IMHO, a wedding isn’t about showing off how much money you spent on those flowers that were imported from South America that are going to die tomorrow… it’s not about having a wedding dress that costs as much as a down payment on a house (something else we’re currently saving for). A wedding, or at least MY wedding, will be about celebrating the happiest day of my life with the most important and wonderful people in my life. It will be about never having felt more beautiful, and never having had more fun, and never having had so many wonderful things to look forward to in a new life with my new husband.
When people ask how the [expletive] I’m going to pull this shin-dig off, I tell them that it’s simple: All I have to do is prioritize. I plan on splurging on the things that are most important to me for my Big Day (photographer, venue) and simplifying everything else (dress, food, music, alcohol). My thrifty little trick is making (and steadfastly sticking to) a list… most important things at the top all the way down to the details that I don’t place as much importance in. The big ticket items are at the top, and the investment gets smaller as the list gets longer.
My venue, for example, will be one of the bigger chunks of my budget. Our current fave and front-runner is a beautiful, and when I say “beautiful,” I mean absolutely breathtaking property just outside of Richmond, VA (about an hour and a half outside of the city) that for all table/chair rental, linens and set-up/take-down of the ceremony and reception, will run us around $2,500. That being said, we’re likely going to tie the knot on a Friday. Yes, our guests may have to take some time off work, but it’s worth it because Mr. Man and I are awesome and we’re going to throw one hell of a party!
The dress I have my eyes on is only going to cost me about $500, and the fantastic thing is that it fits me perfectly… no alterations needed. When it comes to shoes, I’m a barefoot or flip-flop kinda gal, no real expenditure there. It just so happens that I used to do hair, so I’ve got that covered… and make-up too. Easy peasy.
You’re probably wondering how we’re going to feed 150 of our closest friends/biggest fans. Right? We plan on having a backyard cook-out kinda dinner. We’ll have a smoker with pulled pork BBQ, burgers and dogs, cole slaw, hush puppies, grilled corn, etc. In terms of alcohol, we love beer. Not in the trashy, barefoot in my front yard drinking a can of Natty Lite kinda way, either. We’re going to have kegs, and wine. The venue will provide sodas, tea and water for a nominal fee.
In terms of decor, it’s going to be eclectic and DIY-esque… We will be getting our own flowers for everything but my bouquet (contemplating getting them from Costco, believe it or not, they have gorgeous blooms!) and putting together some simply, rustic, and insanely colorful (did I mention I don’t plan to have a color scheme?) centerpieces, using some DIY tips and tricks I’ve thought of myself and collected from countless hours perusing the wedding blogosphere.
The bottom line is that your wedding is YOUR Big Day. No one elses (okay, maybe it’s the groom’s too). Do what you want, spend what you want, and celebrate the most wonderful thing ever: Love.
There are a few more things that are important when planning a thrifty Big Day:
1) Follow every rainbow: Your aunt’s sister’s fiancee is a DJ? He may be willing to provide tunes for free? Check into it! Grandma and her lady friends took a flower arranging class? Sit her down and pick her brain on centerpieces, and even enlist her to help! Don’t discount friends and family; the likelihood is that they’ll be more than willing to help however they can.
2) Don’t get caught up in the industry “norms”: The wedding industry is a racket. Everything is marked up to ungodly prices because most vendors know that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make our Big Day perfect… well, I’m not standing for that, and you shouldn’t either. Demand discounts and deals, ask vendors to throw stuff into the price… never settle for what’s on the sticker.
3) Don’t lose sight about what your Big Day is about: This is your day. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. It’s about love and you and your beau. Enjoy it, relish in every second, and don’t spend money on anything you don’t value. Keep it simple, and you can’t go wrong!
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