Trash or Treasure

This week's debate between me and Crystal is whether you should trash or treasure your wedding dress.

Check out this link to get Crystal opinion on the subject:

Crystal: Trash or Treasure?

Trash the Dress sessions are a new trend in wedding photography.  After the wedding, the brides dons her dress again for another photo shoot.  This photo shoot is often more trendy than you wedding pictures and since it's after the wedding, you don't have to worry about what you're doing to the dress.  Some brides get in water, some roll around in the mud, while some brides even go as far as setting their dress on fire.

I think doing the Trash the Dress session is a great way to get some more awesome pictures out of your dress.  There were a lot of pictures that I would have liked to get on our wedding day, but we just didn't get around to them.  Well, now I can do a trash the dress session and get those pictures I want, plus more.  

I'm planning on doing a Trash the Dress session with one of my friends who is a photographer.  We're going to do them on my university campus because I think they will make some gorgeous back-drops for the pictures.  There are also some gorgeous fountains on campus that I'm planning to jump in.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions are Trash the Dress sessions is that you actually have to trash your dress.  Most of the things that brides doing during trash the dress sessions don't actually damage the dress.  Water, dirt, mud, etc. will all come out in the dry cleaners.

I think a Trash the Dress session is a great way to get some more pictures out of your dress.  Even if you want to preserve it, you can still do that as long as you don't do anything that will permanently damage the dress.  Go have fun!

Thrifty Thursday

Discounts

Wedding Paper Divas -- $10 off a $99+ purchase, Code: WPDJUL (Expires TODAY!)

Giveaways

The Brooklyn Posh Blog is giving away monogrammed champagne glasses.  (Ends 8/29)

The Life Loves is giving away a tree guest book. (Ends 8/03)

Real Wedding: Lacey & Colin

Lacey and Colin were married on June 12th, 2010 in Muncie, Indiana.  They had a 100 person wedding for $8,000.  Lacey made her wedding extremely bright and cheerful with the color palette she chose.  She also DIYed a good bit of the decorations.  If you would like to read more about Lacey's wedding planning, check out her blog, The DIY Bride.

What aspects of your wedding were most important to you?: 

I wanted more than anything else to make our wedding very personal, and I definitely feel that we achieved that with all of the little details and small touches that we incorporated into the wedding. Our photography was also very important to us because these are the pictures that we will have for the rest of our lives, and share with our children, grandchildren etc. and we wanted them to be perfect.

  

Did you splurge on those areas?: 

As far as my DIY details, I didn't splurge because I did it all myself. We definitely splurged on our photographer, Meredith Rogers. I've known Meredith since high school and I knew one day that she would photograph my wedding, and we actually booked her before we were engaged because we wanted her so badly! She was well worth it!

 

What did you do to help save money on your wedding?:

All of my DIY projects/details,  from invitations, programs, decor, escort cards, menu cards etc., allowed us to save a lot of money. I knew there were some things that we couldn't do, so we left that for the professionals, but everything else was us. We also took the time to really shop around for our vendors and didn't jump into anything. We made sure to find the proper vendor within our budget that was able to provide what we wanted. Our vendors were awesome.

What was your favorite project that you did?: 

My favorite project had to be our invitations, by far.  While it was stressful because I worked on them for months, they were my greatest accomplishment. They were worth the time and effort that I put into them and they were beautiful.

 

What was the most memorable part of your wedding day?: 

I actually have two! One of the most memorable parts of my wedding day was when my husband and I had our "First Look." It was such a special moment to share because it was filled with so much love. That's a moment that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Another memoriable moment was our cake. We attempted to DIY and were up until 4am on the day of the wedding trying to do it, but it failed.. miserably! Since my husband is a baker, he explained our situation to his boss on the day-of the wedding, and his boss managed to make us a new cake from scratch in less than 6 hours for the wedding. It was such a blessing.

 

 Do you have any tips to share with other brides?: 

Have fun! If you have a specific vision for your day, do it. I wanted a bright, colorful, summer wedding, and that is exactly what I did. Trust your instincts. Also.. hire a professional to do your wedding cake =)

 

 

Vendors

Photography - Meredith Rogers www.meredithrogers.com
Flowers - Annie's Arbor www.anniesarbor.com
Cake - Conconnan's Pastry shop
Dress & BM Dresses - David's Bridal www.davidsbridal.com 

Ceremony Venue - Minnetrista Cultural Center www.minnetrista.net
Reception Venue - The Regency www.regencymuncie.com
Harpist - Megan Upchurch www.mysticalharp.com
Groomsmen Suits - Ford's Mens Wear www.shopfords.com

Postcard Printing Giveaway Winner

The winner of the postcard printing giveaway is...

Starla729

Starla, I have emailed you.  Please respond within 48 hours.  

Thanks for entering everyone!

Make It Yourself Monday

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend.  Finish any DIY projects?

Lucky in Love made hurricane vases out of items from the Dollar Tree.  I'm currently working on making some for my house.

Little Miss Wedding Planner made rehearsal dinner centerpieces out of tin cans.

It's the Little Things that Make a Home shows how to make a sign to direct your guests.

Little Miss Wedding Planner made her our flowery ring bearer pillow.

The DIY Bride added puzzles to her programs to keep her guests entertained while they were waiting.  (Let me clue you in on a secret.  I will be featuring her wedding on Wednesday.  Squee!)

Tallahassee Wedding Yard Sale

Haley Lauren Couture is hosting a wedding yard sale at her shop on Saturday, July 24th from 7am to 11am.  There will be multiple people, including yours truly, there selling gently used wedding items.

Here are a few of the items that I'll be selling:

So, if you're in need of some cheap weddings items, make sure to come out to the sale on Saturday.  I look forward to seeing you!

Haley Lauren Couture

3852 Killearn Ct

Tallahassee, FL 32309

If you have any questions, please contact Hayley at (850)668-0259.

Thrifty Thursday

Discounts
Wedding Paper Divas -- $10 off a purchase of $99+, Code: WPDJUL (Expires 07/27)

Giveaways

Busy Bee Lifestyle is giving away a $100 gift card to Beau-Coup Party Favors. (Ends 08/04)

Happy Hour with a Housewife is giving away 100 postcards. (Ends 07/25)

The DIY Bride is giving away copies of her two books. (Ends 08/01)

Mismikado Down the Aisle is giving away a set of custom door hangers (Ends tomorrow!)

Accent the Party is giving away a headband and chandelier earrings (Ends TODAY!)


I also have a special offer for you.  The first 50 readers who register at Wedzine with the code, BonB, will receive a free standard digital Wedzine.

CSN Store Giveaway Winner

Thanks for everyone who entered the CSN Stores giveaway.  We had over 100 entries for this one!

Also, thanks to CSN Stores for hosting such a fantastic giveaway.

Now, on to the winner.  The winner of the $60 CSN Store giveaway is....

Ali from Redhead Reports

Congratulations Ali!  Please contact me with 48 hours to claim your prize.

Great Alcohol Debate & To Trash or Treasure

Last week, I introduced you to Crystal over at Dream Weddings on a Budget and filled you in about our cross-blog conversation.  I filled you in on my thoughts of a cash bar and now Crystal has put her thoughts on the subject out there.

It seems that we both agree that having a cash bar is rude.  You should never make your guests open up your wallets at your wedding.  Crystal made the point though, that there are some areas where cash bars are regional.  If you are in an area where your guests expect a cash bar, you definitely have a little more leeway than regions were it is not common.

To Trash or Treasure

The topic of this week's cross blog conversation is trash or treasuring your wedding dress after the wedding.  This has become a recent debate with the popularity of trash the dress sessions growing. 

So, my question to Crystal is - How do you feel about trash the dress sessions?  Or do you think that  the wedding dress is sacred and should be treasured?

Postcard Printing Giveaway

I have another great giveaway for you!

My Postcard Printing is offering up 100 4x6 postcards to one of my lucky readers.  You can get online postcard printing for any occasion, whether it be your bridal shower or RSVPs cards for your wedding.

Here's what you'll receive if you win:

100 4x6 Flat Postcards   
14pt Cardstock Gloss   
4 Color Both Sides Printing    

 

Mandatory Entry: Leave a post telling me what you will use your postcards for if you win.

 

Extra entries (Please leave an additional comment for each entry you do)

- Be a follower of Bride on a Budget

- Follow Bride on a Budget on twitter.

- Blog about the giveaway

- Tweet about the giveaway

 

The giveaway ends on July 23rd at 5pm EST.  The giveaway is open to US residents only.

Make It Yourself Monday

I was very excited to see that there were more projects linked up to last week's Make It Yourself Monday.  I think it's fun to share your DIY projects with others.

The Maryland Budget Bride linked up to her instructions on how to make your own pocketfold invitations.

The DIY Bride put together delicious looking smores kits for her guests.

Lucky in Love put together these cards for friends and family to give them advice for married life.

Susie Harris teaches you how to make your own display for the cupcakes at your wedding.

Shooting for a $3000 Wedding made puzzle books to keep the kids at her wedding entertained.

Tropical Honeymoon Cruise Outfits (Night Out)

This will be the last post of my tropical honeymoon outfit series.  I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you were able to find a couple of cute pieces if you're taking a honeymoon to the beach.

Sometime in the next few weeks I plan on doing one for colder climates because I know some people like to travel up north for their honeymoon.

There are a lot of different activities you can do after dinner on a cruise ship.  They have shows you can attend, clubs to go dancing at, casinos to spend you money at, and tons of bars to drink the night away.  You will never get bored on a cruise ship. 

Outfit #1, $34

Dress -- Forever 21, $14

Shoes --  Forever 21, $14

Earrings -- Forever 21, $6

Outfit #2, $49

Shirt -- Forever 21, $28

Skirt -- Old Navy, $14
Shoes -- Payless, $7

Tropical Honeymoon Cruise Outfits (Formal Night #2)

I'm going to post two today since I didn't get this posted yesterday.  Look out for the party outfits later in the afternoon.

Here's some outfits that I put together for the second formal night on your cruise.  It's more relaxed than a long formal gown, but you still look nice in case you want to take some more pictures.

Outfit #1, $40

Dress -- Forever 21, $30

Shoes -- Payless, $7

Earrings -- Forever 21, $3

Outfit #2, $49

Dress -- Target, $25

Shoes -- Target, $20
Earrings -- Forever 21, $4


Outfit #3, $50

Dress -- Forever 21, $25
Shoes -- Target, $22
Earrings -- Forever 21, $3

Blog Conversation with Dream Weddings on a Budget

I have teamed up with Crystal from Dream Weddings on a Budget for the next month to bring you some cross-blog conversations on hot topics in the wedding world.  If you would like to learn more about Crystal, check out her about me page.

Crystal and I will be discussing hot button issues in the wedding world.  You'll be able to read my half of the conversation here and you can check out Crystal's half on Dream Weddings on a Budget.  We will include links back and forth to the conversation so that you don't miss out.  I would highly recommend also added Dream Weddings on a Budget to your reader so that you can keep up.  Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions on the matter in the comments of either of our blogs.

This week's discussion is about alcohol at a wedding.  This can be a really large chunk of your budget.  At our wedding, we opted to just have beer, wine, and two signature drinks instead of having an open bar.  That dropped our costs dramatically because we were able to choose cheaper liquor to use in our signature drinks.

A lot of budget brides debate on whether a cash bar is a good idea at their wedding.  They do this because they don't want to foot the cost for their guests getting drunk.  

I personally think it is extremely rude to have a cash bar at a wedding.  Your guests should never have to open up their wallet at your event.  Would you invite them over to your house and ask them to pay for their drink?  

I understand if you can't afford a full bar, but at least host some kind of drink for them, even if it's just beer and alcohol.  Or, you could do some kind of alcohol punch.  That would cut the costs drastically.

So Crystal, how do you feel about having a cash bar?

Visit Dream Weddings on a Budget to see what Crystal has to say about having a cash bar at a wedding.

CSN Stores Giveaway

 You've heard me rave about CSN Stores before.  CSN Stores have 200+ stores that sell everything from dining room sets to high heels.

They have plenty of items on there that you can use for your wedding.  Or, you could buy some of the items that you didn't receive off your registry.

*Giveaway*

CSN Stores has kindly offered a $60 gift card to one of my readers.  You can buy a lot at their stores with $60!  

To enter, please go over to CSN stores and take a look around.  Come back and tell me what you will use your $60 gift card on if you win.

Here are some ways you can earn extra entries.  Please leave an individual comment for each one you do.

 

1. Be a follower of Bride on a Budget.

2. Follow Bride on a Budget on twitter.

3. Blog about this giveaway.  Link back to your post in your comment.

4. Tweet about this giveaway.  Please put @brideonbudget in your tweet.

5. Vote for Bride on a Budget in the Wedding Channel blog awards.

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, July 21st at 5pm EST.  

This giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

Guest Post: Using Online Coupons to Save Money

How to Use Online Coupons for Rings, Flowers, Invitations and More...

By Christian Gordun, CEO and founder of Coupon Craze

There are TONS of ways to save on wedding expenses, but one of the most obvious ways tends to be one of the most forgotten – COUPONS! That’s because people generally associate coupons with grocery markets or drug stores. To help brides-to-be think outside the grocery cart, I put together a list of 5 ways they can use online coupons when getting wedding ready. These tips can help you save no matter what stage you’re at in the planning process. 

1. Hide Your Budget, Shop Online: Take advantage of online coupons when purchasing wedding favors and invitations because when buying in bulk, a percentage off coupon can go a long way. Try online retailer American Bridal which is offering some fantastic deals this summer. You can get chic, affordable, and even personalized invitations and favors without anyone knowing you’re on a budget.

2. Plan All Year Round: To avoid racking up a credit card bill and paying interest fees, all you have to do is space out your purchases! This approach works great because coupons and deals from wedding retailers remain steady all year round (often not the case with other types of specialty stores). Take advantage of these deals and don’t make any impulse buys that will leave you with a credit card bill that you can’t pay off at the end of the month. Slow and steady wins the race!

3. Something Borrowed: A bride’s wedding day is likely one of the most glamorous days of her life so no detail is too small – especially her jewelry. But what if the budget just isn’t there to purchase pieces that can stand up to the rest of her look? That’s where the notion of “something borrowed” comes into play. Adorn Brides offers an innovative approach by renting out exquisite diamond bridal jewelry that will have you looking like a million bucks – regardless of what your budget is.
    
4. Give the Guy a Hint: When your guy starts dropping hints about tying the knot, be sure to point out all the fabulous online jewelry stores that offer coupons. Zales, Blue Nile, MyJewelryBox.com, Diamond.com and Ice.com all offer coupon codes at Coupon Craze which can help your finance-to-be save some serious dough – think how far a 20% off coupon would go on such a big purchase. Teach him to be a smart shopper early since what’s yours will be his and vice versa! You can find additional Jewelry coupons here.

5. Get Fresh Flowers for Less: Online flower shops offer some of the best coupons out there (see some examples here), which means that there’s absolutely no reason to pay full price for your flowers – whether it’s for the wedding, the bridal shower or the rehearsal dinner. You can shop in the stores, figure out what you’re looking for and then purchase your order online using coupons codes from retailers like 1-800-Flowers, FTD, Teleflora, and more. Shoppers save an average of 15% on flowers at Coupon Craze which can really add up!

Coupon Craze has an entire coupon category devoted to weddings, so don’t order anything online without checking for a coupon code first!

Tropical Honeymoon Cruise Outfits (Formal #1)

Depending on how long of a cruise you take, you will have either one or two formal nights.  For the first formal night, I always wear a longer gown because that's when we take most of our pictures.  For the second formal night, I often wear a cocktail dress.

Here's some outfit ideas for a formal night with a long gown.  Some of these are over $50.  Long, formal dresses are hard to find for very cheap and after your accessorize, it can get kind of expensive.  So, I went up to $100 on some of these outfits.

Outfit #1, $50

Dress -- Forever 21, $35

Shoes -- 6pm, $15

Outfit #2, $74

Dress -- David's Bridal, $50

Shoes -- Target, $18

Earrings -- Forever 21, $6

Outfit #3, $98

Dress -- David's Bridal, $60
Shoes -- Target, $18
Earrings -- Overstock, $20

Tropical Honeymoon Cruise Outfits (Pool/Beach)

Since you're taking a tropical cruise, you will most likely spend a lot of time at the pool or beach.  I don't blame you!

I always try to take at least 3 or 4 bathing suits with me so that I don't have to worry about them drying.  You don't want to have to wear a wet bathing suit back up to the pool.

Also, if you're planning on going into the hot tub, make sure to take an old suit that you don't really care about.  The heated salt water can fade your bathing suit.

Outfit #1, $47.50

Bathing suit top -- Old Navy, $10

Bathing suit bottoms -- Old Navy, $16.50

Flip-flops -- Old Navy, $5

Cover up -- Target, $9

Outfit #2, $41

Bathing suit -- Old Navy, $15

Sunglasses -- Old Navy, $8

Hat -- Amazon, $18

Make It Yourself Monday

Well, the weekend's over.   Time for Make It Yourself Monday!  Did you have a chance to get any DIY projects completed over the weekend?  If so, link them up at the bottom of the post.

"I Do" Budget Weddings made gorgeous DIY flowers for her bridal party.

Shayne at Weddzilla made tulle wrapped candle holders as favors to her guests.

Judy Cat Crafts linked up to her bridesmaid clutches on last week's Make It Yourself Monday.

Judy Cat Crafts also linked up to her useful menu cards.

Make Grow Gather shows us how to make tissue paper lanterns.

Tropical Honeymoon Cruise Outfits (Embarkation)

I really enjoyed making the outfits for the pre-wedding parties post last week, so I decided I'm going to start making it a more regular thing.  I think it's fun to show you outfits you can put together on a budget.

This entire week I'm going to show you outfits that you can put together for a tropical honeymoon cruise.  I will show you outfits for everything from going to the beach to formal nights.  All of these outfits will be less than $50 because you want to spend your money on excursions, not clothes!

The first outfits I'm going to show you are clothes that you can wear for embarkation and sail away.  You want to wear something comfortable because you could potentially be standing for long periods of time.  There is always a picture taken before you board the ship, so the outfit needs to be cute.

Outfit #1, $46

Top -- Old Navy, $15

Capris -- Old Navy, $27

Flip-flops -- Old Navy, $4

Outfit #2, $47

Dress -- Old Navy, $40

Shoes -- Payless, $7

Outfit #3, $33

 Dress -- Old Navy, $20

Shoes -- Payless, $13

Passport Fees

If you are taking an international honeymoon and do not already have a passport, I highly recommend that you go get one before July 13th.  Fees are being raised a good bit.

For a first time passport application, fees are going up from $100 to $135.  For the passport card, it's going up from $45 to $55.

If you need to renew your passport, fees are going up from $75 to $110.  

If you would like to read up more on the fees, head on over to this link.

Bridal Blog Finalist!

Thanks to everyone who nominated my blog for the Budget Blog category on the Wedding Channel blog awards.  I am one of the finalists and I could definitely use your vote.  I would love to win the Budget Blog category again this year.

There is no limit on the amount of times you can vote, so feel free to vote to your heart's content!

While you're there, go vote for you favorite blogs in the other categories as well!

Thrifty Thursday

Again, not many discounts or giveaways this week.  Very surprising.

Discounts

 Wedding Paper Divas -- $10 off a $99+ purchase, Code: WPDJULY4 (Expires 7/13)
Shutterfly -- 20% off photo books, Code: JULYBOOKS (Expires 7/15)
Afloral -- 10% off your order, Code: JULY (Expires 7/14)

Party City -- $15 off a $75+ purchase, Code: PCKWMP15 (Expires 7/14)

Zales -- $10 off a $100+ purchase, Code: ZAFFSAVINGS

Victoria's Secret -- 20% off a swimwear purchase, Code: SWIMVS20

Giveaways

Love and Lavender is giving away 50 free wedding invitations from Minted. (Ends 7/10)

I Do Budget Weddings is giving away a 7" clutch (Ends 7/21)

Also, Victoria's Secret has their newlywed bikini on clearance for $6.99 a piece.  Use the code listed above to get an extra 20% off your purchase.  Great deal if you want something cute to wear for your beach honeymoon!

Pre-Wedding Party Outfits

Here are a few outfits that I created for you to wear to your pre-wedding parties.  All of them are under $100.

Engagement Party, $73

Dress -- Forever 21, $33

Shoes -- Payless, $23

Earrings -- Forever 21, $5

Clutch -- Forever 21, $13

Bridal Shower, $53

Dress -- Forever 21, $25

Shoes -- Payless, $20

Necklace --  Forever 21, $4

Clutch -- Forever 21, $4

Bachelorette Party, $76

Dress -- Forever 21, $28

Shoes -- Target, $25

Earrings -- Forever 21, $6

Clutch -- World of Bags, $17

Rehearsal Dinner, $99

Dress -- Forever 21, $22

Shoes -- 6pm, $62

Necklace -- Amazon, $15