#258: just simple.

every now and then, i browse through jcrew.com and check out their uber popular wedding collection. i often end up pouting because the dresses i really really like cost like $2000. and i'm like HUH, it's JCREW... but there are times when i find a dress that makes me happy both in design and in cost. this is one of them.


$350 at jcrew.com.

the only change i would make is turning that bow around to the back. oh, and i'd definitely add a french net veil to the ensemble, people. french net veil!

#257: wink wink!

i noticed that a bunch of bloggers celebrated their birthdays this month. myself included. does that mean anything? :)

#256: one stop shop.

everything planned for you. too good to be true?



this place offers a reception package at a cost of $10,000 for 100 guests.

Reception Includes:
Red Carpet Entry
Color Coordinated Napkin Linen
Chair Covers
Skirted Head Table, Registry Table,
Gift Table & Cake Table
Set-Up and Clean-Up

Hors d’oeuvres Program
Fresh Vegetables Tray
Cheese Board & Crackers Display

Your choice of Meal Program:
One Club Table Service Selection
Or Club Buffet

Wedding Mints & Mixed Nuts
Beverages
Champagne and Sparkling Cider Toast
Sparkling Fruit Punch in 3 Tier Fountain
2 Hours Hosted Soft Drinks
Coffee & Hot Tea
Wine Service at Table

Dessert
Wedding Cake

Entertainment
5 Hours Professional DJ Services

Reception Centerpieces
Reception Table Arrangements
Photography
4 Hours Photo Coverage
Customized Photo Album

Videography
5 Hours Video Coverage
One Edited DVD

Decorations
Ice Sculpture
Or
Decorations Package

Table Favors
White Chocolate Table Favors

Limousine Service
Ten Passenger 3 Hour Limousine Service
**************************************************************
question is...would you?

#255: effortless.

i am all for mismatchedness as far as centerpieces are concerned. i really don't need every centerpiece to look the same. so if i were planning to have 12 round tables at my reception, i'd use 4 of these to give the room a little luminescence.


on sale for $14.95 at cb2.

on the other tables? a mix of homemade bouquets, packed tight in opaque or colored glass vases picked up at weekend scavenging hunts at the flea markets of course.

p.s. does anyone remember the post by one of the bees re: the collection of vintage glassware she's going to use at her reception? i wish i could show you her collection...i don't envy much but i did envy that.

edit:

thanks helen for finding the o.g. post!

#254: ethereal.

$278 at edressme.

#253: "laugh hard."

sold on etsy found via etsy wedding.

what a great way to ask your bridemaids for their undevoted attention for the next 9 months...i mean, for their love, support and presence by your side on the big day.

i think i'd put "laugh hard" on my ceramic. what about you?

#252: reader's tip!

for the LA brides out there, take advantage of this. you have until feb 24!

reader christina said:
"Hey there! I'm one of your newly engaged rabid fans - I can't
believe the work and research you've put into this. It's awesome.

Anyway, here is a tip that my friend sent me on a dress shop that is
closing next week. Our good friend bought her wedding dress there 5
years ago, and when we went to check it out we learned they were
closing (read: fire sale).

http://www.palosverdesbridal.com/index.html

I haven't even told my bridesmaids they'll be in the wedding yet, but
I'm almost thinking of surreptitiously finding out their sizes and
getting the dresses this weekend here..."

THANKS CHRISTINA!

#251: sorry, it's not for you. it's for me.

cotton seersucker style chloe via thread.

elizabeth of tie the knot has chosen to get married in the white version! and i loves it.

ahem...
******************************************
dear my future bridesmaids: i plan to pay for your dresses (the good news) but i cannot spend $375 on each of you (the bad news).

but i can for myself. thank you for your support and have a nice day.
p.s. you will still look kickass, don't worry.

#250: would you?

i would most def sport this whirling turban dress. found via something old, something new, this particular style has me appreciating the curves i got! i'm not sure how the pricing works out but i'm thinking the range is $300+. if not for the wedding, you can bet that i might end up just doing something nice for myself.

unless my credit card company says no, that is.

#249: comment of the day...

"i went to a wedding fair at the 4 seasons and they had one photographer and videographer combo who offered a diamond package that costs $55k. i vomited a little bit."

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

my only question is...um, did their diamond package include an actual diamond? holy madre of the entire earth.

#248: for the love of wood.

got a great suggestion on one of my ikea promoting posts from singswtharmony (who i can't seem to link onto right now...poo).


$3.99 via ikea.

not so much for a round table (it'd look too tiny unless you cluster a bunch together) but for a long table arrangement? yes, absolutely.

#247: good idea for trial cards?

i just restocked on bulbs and screens for my gocco PG5. so now i really really want to print something. but...i'm not getting married so no need to create invites and i already have a million bday cards.

maybe i'll make some 'thank you' cards. i could always use those.

maybe some personalized notecards?

hm...do you have any ideas for a bulk-printing project?

#246: doily theme.

from absolutely beautiful things.

you can buy a case of 1,000 doilies for less than 20 bucks.

via my papershop.

glue onto blank cards and you've got yourself a pretty unique homemade invitation.

you could use the leftover doilies as coasters. or fold them up to hold rose petals for after the ceremony. or _________...

#245: HOLY SH*T #6!

from emily jackson photography.

found via style me pretty, the above photog is having a contest...for a free wedding package.

that's right. yet another one. dahhhhhh!!!

#244: another list.

budget brides bio.

#243: laura ryan photography.

from her blog.

i wrote a post a month ago about my desire to find affordable photogs. enter you, the readers.

an anonymous commenter told me that the quite fabulous laura ryan's packages start at $1600. and she does a la carte pricing.

i'm thinking...engagement session somewhere in rural NY...

#242: HOLY SH*T #5!

win yourself (or your friend) a custom designed monogram courtesy of the event essentials!

i don't know how much this normally costs...but the supercalifrajilisticexpealidocious creative mind over at the event essentials is holding a contest for a lucky bride-to-be to win a custom designed monogram so she could tag all wedding-related anythings to her heart's desire.

deadline is january 18. so go ahead and click here to find out how to enter!

#241: copycat.

saw this photo on a knot bio feature on faye and greer and had an immediate reaction of...MUST. KNOW. MORE.

knottie graceface's look and vibe, complete with the bolero, is what i'd want to copy if i were getting married during a cold month. which is what i think i want to do. actually...which i think will do...once i get engaged.

and...not only is her look totally inspirational, but her dress also only cost $199, originally $2000.

which then led me to the site where she bought her dress, bridepower.com. which then led me to this richard tyler gown:


originally $2800, now $899.

admittedly, $899 is probably more than i could spend on my dress...but this is the first time i've come across this site and now i have yet another resource for discounted dresses. happy hunting!

#240: real simple linky love.

darci at with this ring was kind enough to share all of the downloadable links from the FIRST EVER real simple wedding issue. thank you.

p.s. guess which list i clicked on first.

#239: dress me in white. (or ivory)

let me tell you something i learned today courtesy of amber who's behind the lovely daisy chain (btw, i learn so much from her.). i know you all know about lucky magazine. you know, the one with all the clothes and accessories and shoes and quite often takes you to a place called why-can't-i-afford-it-i-want-it-so-bad? well...apparently lucky holds an annual sale in NY of all of the coveted items featured in the mag throughout the year. they slash prices and probably giggle with glee as New Yorkers stumble over themselves to try to get their hands on something. well, now they want to spread the love and have teamed up with bluefly to sell their stuff online. so you and i and any other non-NY girl-next-door can get a piece of the action. awesome, right?

however, the sale may be over or i may not be searching correctly. i click on the lucky link and then i'm directed to bluefly and when i try to shop the lucky sale, i'm taken back to the lucky link! huh.

so, not one to think it through and figure it out, i decided to instead search for white and ivory dresses...for style inspiration and also to help me on my quest to set a realistic dress $$$ benchmark. because i want to spend (almost) close to nothing but still look and feel fabulous.


abs for $229.99


abs for $189.99


abs for $339

next, i'm going to look to add to my collection of winter coats, inspired by e.

#238: more of me. blah...

heehee. i got tagged by rebekah @ elizabeth anne designs! i did a set of 'get to know me' randominities a while ago but perhaps i will use this opportunity to let you in on a little more of my boringness.

Rules of “tag”:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

to be the rebel that i am, i will only do 1. and 2. okay, so that's 1 random thing about myself. i'm a rebel at heart. i guess that applies. i mean, i'm trying to plan a $10,000 out-of-this-world wedding. in a big expensive city. that's pretty rebellious. oh, and the fact that i'm not even engaged. again...against the grain...

2) i overeat. i really do. every meal, i want to throw up (but i don't) because i stuff myself to maximum capacity.
3) i choose salty over sweet. do NOT leave me alone with a family-size bag of chips. i will eat the entire thing. and then i will want to throw up (see #2).
4) i drink a lot of water. a lot lot lot of water. if i could only have 1 drink for the rest of my life, it would be room-temp bottles of fiji. and yes, fiji tastes different from other bottled waters. and yes, i said room-temp.
5) i only shower at night.
6) i prefer summer over winter. as in...i'd rather jetski than snowboard.
7) i take tylenol. never advil or ibuprofen...unless there was no way to get my hands on tylenol and i was hanging off the edge of pain.

on that note, i bid you all adieu until tomorrow. or adeiu. but i think it's adieu.

#237: do you like to mambo.

style "mambo" by calligrapher e. danae.

i'm not a calligrapher by any means. but i love to write. as in, write on paper with a no. 2 pencil or fine tip ink pen. i love drawing them squiggly pretty lines. most people would go berzerk writing just to write. writing empty words, the same thing over and over again. but not me. i love it. unfortunately, my cursive is of only one style, a style that has developed over time since i first learned how to connect letters together with a thin wisp of a line in the 3rd grade.

so...i'm thinking of taking a calligraphy class. i think i remember reading somewhere that they offer them at paper source. does anyone have experience or feedback about classes i can take in the bay area?

side note: my favorite self-proclaimed bridesmaidzilla in the entire blog universe is the author behind the great esty wedding blog (which is where i first read about e. danae). there is something so karmically wonderful about committing to solely featuring and supporting indie artists. gives me the warmsies.

#236: your very own dream beach house.

for a day that is!




from beachhouse.com.

how would you feel about renting this beachfront house complete with 4 bed/4 baths for $99 for a night. can someone say...for. the. AFTER PARTY?

#235: HOLY SH*T #4!

ok. you know that i don't know much about the wedding industry.

but apparently this photog is the shiz. such the shiz that a wedding day package is valued at $10,000. that's right. $10,000. ah-hem, and his clientele includes brad/jen and tom/kat.

so apparently he's offering an opp of a lifetime. read = FREE. so if you're getting married between now and march 15, check this out to figure out how to enter.

wowowowowow.

#234: HOLY SH*T #3!

ok seriously, what is this. WHY AM I NOT GETTING MARRIED THIS YEAR??? (uh...just kidding bf...)

is a wedding planner important? ABSOLUTELY.
will i be able to fit one in my budget? MAYBE.
if an accredited planner was offering her services free of charge to a lucky couple, would i be all over it? HELLS YES!

the planners at blue orchid designs are offering just that.

so go ahead...give them your story. or give them your friend's story. somebody just do something. puhlease.

#233: HOLY SH*T #2!

photo by karenscape photographers.

found courtesy of brooklyn bride, karenscape is...are you ready for this...OFFERING FREE WEDDING PHOTOG PACKAGES THIS YEAR! four of them! between this and jessica claire's dealio, i really really wish i was already planning my own wedding. daaaaaaah...!

get the scoop and deets on the karenscape blog. if your wedding venue is more than 75 miles outside of NYC, travel expenses will apply...but expenses schmenses...it's still a heavenly opportunity.

so go ahead! tell your sweet sweet story and win yourself an amazing photo session!

p.s. the bride's dress in the photo? LOVES IT.

#232: DIY-list worthy.

veil by leah c.

love the look of this short veil. if i could stretch an extra $125, i would. or...i could try to figure out what type of fabric/net/mesh this is...and practice my sewing skills...

#231: jack. pot.

i was blog surfing today and stumbled upon 2 new blogs.

glamour this and snippet and ink.

so happy to have found yet some more sources of inspiration...

#230: resolutions.

i think it's fun to have resolutions. i'll be the first to admit that i haven't made real resolutions since childhood...but still, it's good to have goals. or so we're taught.

here are my 3 resolutions for this year, pertaining to this blog.

1) more features. i think i should add a feature (or several!) where you could ask me for advice. i'm not a wedding planner nor am i brilliant nor am i an etiquette expert, but if you're open to suggestions, i could offer you insight as an uninvolved 3rd party. besides, i firmly believe that helping folks out helps me help myself. so in the end, i'm the real winner! um.

2) consistent blogging. i tend to post when i'm most inspired or when i come across something that tickles my fancy. sometimes, it's 3 posts in one day; sometimes, it's 1 post in two weeks. but i personally feel kinda bummed when the blogs i read don't post for weeks at a time. so...perhaps i should spread it out and commit to posting at least once a day. i don't know. what do you think?

3) my 3rd resolution is a surprise. for now. heheheh.

#229: my inspiration.

grace kelly's gown leaves me breathless. do you think it's the dress? or her beauty? or the sum of all parts?

#228: HOLY SH*T!

she's doing it again!!!

p.s. HAPPY NEW YEAR ya'll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!