Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Flowers, flowers, flowers






Flowers! As you may already know I am going with faux flowers. That gives me a year to play with them and we can keep them forever. Here are my DIY flower projects:



-Flower cake topper (with the "D" monogram)
-Boutinniers for the groomsmen, FOB, and FOG
-Crosages for the MOB and MOG
-Bouquets for the bridesmaids and my bridal bouquet
-Pomanders (What the heck are those? See the above picture from Wedding Obsession)
-Flower girl petal cones (Used in place of baskets)

And none are completely finished lol. I have plently of time. I am hesitating to finish because I think I may find some type of greenish flower, grass, or shrub type thing that might look great and break up the cream colored roses. Green would add to the theme too.

On a MUCH lighter note



Although I am quite upset with customer service at BonTon the good part about my recent dress discovery is that I have a picture! The dress is much prettier in person but I will post the picture anyway. No one show Jason! He wants to be surprised.

P.S. That isn't me in it! Lol.

I am furious


So I keep seeing ads for the new search engine Bing. (http://www.bing.com/) So I thought I would give it a try today. Why not search for a picture of my wedding dress to post on the blog? So I type in a VERY generic description and BING! I didn't get a picture....... I FOUND THE DRESS! And guess what? It's at a store that BonTon owns..... BonTon, that said they have none left in any of their stores or stores owned by their company. BonTon, that sent me the completely wrong dress!

What to do now. The problem is the dress on the site is three times the price that I paid for it. It's also after five p.m. so there is nothing that can be done today anyway. I am so furious though. I am definitely writing a letter to BonTon. Once I have it done, I'll be sure to post it.

Guest list!


Guest list update!

We are at 184!

Back to centerpieces




I almost forgot.... table numbers! I am thinking about making wine bottle labels that display the table numbers. We might name the tables after different varieties of wines instead of traditional numbers.

Escort cards, place cards, favors














I love the idea of a wine theme for the reception because Jason and I love wine and I'm a bartender. We are making CDs as favors. And I found a picture of CD favors used as escort cards. (Theknot.com) So then I thought about using four corks to make stands for them. These stands would also be nice for menu cards. Now the escort cards will help families or couples find their table. At the table I am considering wine glass charms to help people find their specific seats. Rather than have to offload almost two hundred wine glasses I think guests will also take their glass home with them.

I also love the wine cork trivets I saw on CraftStylish. I think they would be great cake stands. I don't want to go over board with the wine theme but I think some small touches would be nice.

Divine disposables!

What a beautiful place setting, huh? It's all disposable! Can you believe it? I found a website called "Divine Disposables." (The above picture is from that site.) I am going to order some samples to see what the plates and cutlery look like in person. I really think we should use real flatware, wine glasses, and cloth napkins.... I think everything will look nicer. I may even make napkin rings and wine charms.
I'm thinking disposable plates. It's a pain to buy real plates and then try to resell them. Shipping would be outrageous. If we rent most places want the plates washed first, which means someone would have to wash dishes on my wedding day yuck. Before I buy anything in bulk I am definitely going to wait until we decide on a caterer. The caterer can probably tell us where to get stuff cheap or if it's better to rent. They might even have the stuff we need.
I will update when I get the disposable samples!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Bridesmaid dresses!


Everyone wants to know about the bridesmaid dresses. I am definitely thinking sage green. It will look nice on everyone, I love the color, and it's super easy to match and find it. Then, I can always add accents if I decide to incorporate a second color. It might be a champagn-ish color. My dress (assuming it's going to fit!) has some details that are a chamagney-taupe color.
My plan was to wait until next spring to get the dresses. Everyone's weight fluctuates and I don't want major alterations..... too expensive...too stressful.....too embarrassing. Nobody wants panels! That's why we are also planning to STAY OUT of the traditional bridal shop. The dresses always come in needing to be altered.
Well here comes my idea. Aunt Kathy (travel agent, wedding coordinator, support system) said she had coordinated a wedding where all the girls wore the same color but different styled dresses. And it looked really sharp. Hmmmm... What if I have the girls pick their own dress? The only rules being it must be labeled sage green, be the same length as the others, wedding appropriate, same sleeve style (strapless or no sleeves, etc) and CANNOT be a duplicate of the other girls. It would be fun for the girls! I would love to see what styles they all like and where they wind up finding their dresses. What do you think?

DIY Rose bouquets




My current project are some DIY bouquets for my bridesmaids. I found these beautiful roses at AC Moore. They are very nice for silk and everyone that has seen them thinks they are lovely!
On the left is the before picture. Now the green stuff and the berry stuff is VERY artificial in person. On the right I have those pulled out. The right picture is the "in progress" picture. Now I am trying to decide what the next step is. I definitely want the stems wrapped in ribbon. But should I add more flowers? Maybe some pearl sprays? I just don't know. I guess I have a year to figure it out! (These are the same flowers I am going to incorporate into the cake topper's base.)

Yeah! My first follower!


I am so excited! I have my first follower! Thanks "mytype!" This means I need to start updating more! Let's start with pictures! I finished my DIY pearl cake topper. Well, the monogram is finished. I have started the base but it might need to go in a different direction.

Thanks Heather!


Last weekend one of my best friends growing up was visiting from New Jersey for my sister's sweet sixteen. She made me a beautiful martini glass that she hand painted herself. The top of the glass has little diamond rings around it. And under the base is a drink recipe called "Wedding." The recipe is 1 1/2 oz Vanilla vodka, 1/2 oz Strawberry vodka, 3/4 oz white creme de cacoa, and a spalsh of champagne. I think she should sell them! Thanks Heather!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The ugly dress

So the ugly dress has been returned minus the shipping I paid. Seems kind of silly that I paid for the WRONG dress to be sent to me, huh? Well that's a phone call for tomorrow.... as soon as I can find my phone.... that's a job for Jason when he gets home from work. I'm stuck with the dress I have now. But it's a great incentive to lose some weight and get into better shape!
We are super busy making wedding plans. Right now I have all the flowers torn apart. Putting them back together is actually going to prove easier than I thought. Some are going to be bouquets and some are needed for the cake topper. I also have my floating candles in the works. We finally have the right USB cord that goes with our camera, at least we hope we do! So, pictures should be here soon.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Cake cutter

I found a great deal on an engraved cake cutter. I saw this set on Oriental Trading's site and I was hesitant that it would turn out well for $19.99. But for twenty bucks, why not give it a try? It turned out BEAUTIFUL!!! And what a price! Some of the little things like that aren't really that important to me so why go overboard?

Wedding Cake Topper


Jason and I have been looking at a lot of different types of cake toppers... bride and groom, photo topper. flowers, bows, ceramic, initials, etc., etc. Well I stumbled upon this cute initial or "monogram" topper as they call them. And I really like it for two reasons. First off, I think it's unique. Most of the monogram toppers are silver paint finished. Second, it's definitely something I can make myself. I have really enjoyed making some of the wedding stuff myself because it keeps me busy and it's usually cheaper. Plus, I'm kind of one of those people that thinks if you want something done right, well, you know the rest. So I have a pearl "D" in process and as soon as I can finish it I will put up a picture!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wedding dress continued


I haven't posted in nearly a week, but for good reason. We are in the middle of a family emergency. And right now I need a distraction.


I stopped at my parents' house yesterday, which is my permanent mailing address. And guess what? There was a big brown box with my name on it! The box was so crushed I could see a white dress bag peeking out. The dress bag had become totally tangled in the clear packing tape. As I was unwinding it I kept thinking to myself, this is a really small bag for my dress.


And when I finally got through plastic I found, well, see the above picture. Definately not my dress. It was the same price, different designer, different length, and different size. (MUCH different!!!) Sigh, I thought we were out of the woods on this. As soon as I feel like I can deal I'm going to call the 1-800 number. It's been a long week.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Waiting Game

I am STILL waiting for word on the new wedding dress. I am trying so hard to be patient but it's really making me nervous. Will I get the dress or the "can't fill the order card." Sigh.... I should know by Monday. I'm having it shipped to my parents' house anyway, so I'm waiting no matter what.



On a lighter note.... I am trying to stay organized so I don't have to rush at the last minute. For example: I am starting to gather addresses and phone numbers and e-mail addresses to make sending the invitations go a little smoother. We are planning on printing the invitations ourselves. And yes, I have started playing with the wording. I'm thinking it will be easier to just print address labels rather than write out every envelope. (Estimate right now is about 150 invitations, guest list is at 188.)



We have a lot of major stuff left to do. Meet with our priest, find and book a caterer, dj, and photographer/videographer, and decide how many tables/chairs/tents, etc. we need to rent and then book those too. And joy oh joy Jason and I have to apply for passports!



We've got fun stuff too though! I brought home some wine to "taste test." I am going back and forth on wine bottles with corks or bottles with screw tops. I just hate the thought of uncorking upwards of 6-8 cases of wine. Yuck. At this point though taste in reference to price is going to win. If we decide on getting married at church (we haven't made a final decision yet) then we need a unity candle. I am busy looking at our options. We are also thinking about toppers for our wedding cake. And what seems to be the hardest fun job is picking out a song for our first dance. And a song for my dance with my dad!



I have plenty to make too! I am making labels for our wedding bubbles. I have to "alter" our bouquets, they have ugly plastic junk in them. Centerpieces, CD favors, place cards, place card holder, floating candles....... and the list goes on and on. Luckily there are things that just can;t be done right now like place cards and addressing invitations.



Ok.... back to waiting for my dress!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Wedding wine


I almost forgot! I may have found a steal on wedding wine. As long as it's drinkable I don't care about the vineyard, vintage, or grape variety! There is a new craze out west on $2 wines. So I tried to find something available in New York State. "Lost Vineyards" is about 3 bucks a bottle! We plan on taking the labels off anyway because we are going to have custom labels. All that's left is a taste test!

Dress Drama


My wedding dress: I bought the first dress I looked at it. Not because I wanted to get it over with or anything like that. Sheila, my maid of honor, and I started looking at bridesmaid dresses for fun. We were walking through BonTon and Sheila called me over to look at a wedding dress which was actually a prom dress. Sheila convinced me to try it on because she knew it was "the dress." Well long story short I couldn't zip it up but I have over a year. We bought it on sale for less than 100 dollars!

Of course it can't be that simple. It's not going to fit. And it isn't a lose weight and it will situation.... it's a hip bones in the way situation. I called 10 BonTon stores within 200 miles to find a larger size. The tenth store asked me if I had tried the 1-800 number. AHHHHH! SERIOUSLY??? I could have just called one number? Lol, it figures! So the search is on. By next Monday I will have the dress in the mail or a notecard saying they were unable to fill the order. Fingers crossed....


Four out of six bridesmaids saw the shoes in person today and I think they all liked them!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Bridesmaid shoes

Yeah! I found cute shoes for my bridesmaids! The dresses are most likely going to be sage green. These taupe shoes are from Target. We are going with flats because the reception is outside and I don't want any heels sinking into the ground. I just want everyone to be comfortable. We will have to see what the girls think!

Wine bottle candelabras


My ideas for centerpieces have evolved since we started planning. We are planning a wine themed reception because we both love wine and I have been a bartender for years. My original idea was an empty wine bottle surrounded by a wine cork wreath. Then I was going to stick a cork in the bottle and have the table stuck in the cork. Well then we started to think about how dark the tent might be at the reception. We needed some candles, but I had my heart set on wine bottles.... Problem solved! I found these candelabras online. We will have to see how they look with the wine cork wreath. I have labels with our names and wedding date coming. I will post pics once I have a good example!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Welcome to my blog

Hello! My name is Beth and I am trying to plan a beautiful and memorable wedding on a dime! As special as your wedding day is I don't want to put a burden on everyone and start my marriage in the red. I want to keep everyone informed on our progress and I need a spot for people to give me their opinions. I am hoping that others can use some of my ideas and share some of theirs!
The wedding date is August 14, 2010. We have plenty of time but I like to plan. I always have to know what I'm doing and when I'm doing it. We have about thirty spreadsheets started! By we, I mean me : )
So please check back often and tell me what you think!