FREE Wedding Reception Ideas!

We all have things around the house (or family, neighbor, friends, etc... - anybody you can take stuff from...) that you can incorporate into your wedding.  Not only is re-purposing super cheap (or free!) for you, it's also eco-friendly too!  You can incorporate so many "found" things.

If you have...

1. Wine Cork - Make placecard holders!  Slice off a side of the cork so it doesn't roll around.  And then cut a slit on the top.  These here are $23 for 12!  Save yourself some money, and do it yourself!  (Besides, I'm pretty sure you've popped a few bottles of wine since your engagement anyways...!)

Bright and Bold

2. Mason Jars - Use any clear gas jars as flower pots, candle holders, centerpieces...

Intimate Weddings

3. Book Ring Holder - If you have a book that's meaningful to your relationship, than this is the perfect idea for you!  Just cut a whole inside the book, and use ribbon to tie your rings to the book for your ring holder!

Ruffled

4. Christmas Lights - Christmas lights look beautiful in the holiday season.  So why not bust them out for your special day too?  Or add tiny lanterns around icicle lights if that fits your theme!

Interior Decorations/Luxury Interiors

5. Clear Vase - Make a Cake Stand!  This only works with short vases - we wouldn't want your wedding cake to be a balancing act...!  Place flowers into your vase.  Then add a piece of glass on top to place your cake on!  Hint: for a more traditional wedding, use a round piece of glass or plate instead.

my DIY wedding day

6. Toilet Paper Rolls - Make napkin ring holders!  Toilet paper rolls are perfect sizes for napkin ring holders.  And what's great is that since you're only going to be using them for one day, it doesn't have to be as sturdy as store bought ones.  Just cut your toilet roll to 3/4".  Then wrap a small piece of fabric around it and glue.  So easy!

Do It Yourself Weddings

Here are some great ideas to to save you some money!  If you have other ideas, please share them with us!

TIP:  Before you throw things away, think about how you can repurpose the item.  Don't be afraid to call around to find more items you need.  For example, many local wineries are willin give away free cork if you just ask.

Tips for buying a Wedding Dress

I've learned a few tips from my time working at bridal gown store, and I wanted to share them with you!

Photo courtesy of: Stylish Soiree

1. Size DOES NOT matter!  I know this is a simple concept, but most people still get hung up on the Size #.  As long as it looks good, who cares what size it is?  And especailly if your dress is imported, it might not be the same sizing chart as you're used to for your normal clothes anyways.
2. Try on all colors of white. Usually only really pale people look good in ordinary White.
3. Get it altered.  You want to do the final fitting about 1 month before the wedding.  And if you're on a budget (and who isn't), it is usually more worth it to spend it on alterations than a more expensive gown.  You can make a inexpensive gown look amazing if it is customed to your body.
4. Don't bring your entire crew with you.  At most, bring 2 - 3 people that will HELP you make your decision.  I know everyone wants to come - your mother, sisters, bridesmaids, cousins, grandma, your mother's best friend, etc...  But with too many people telling you what they think, it's hard to figure out what YOU want.  After you have already picked out your gown, then go ahead and invite them to the fitting.  Then they can all ooh and ahhh on how fabulous you look!
5. Sweetheart neckline & Corset looks good on almost eveyone.  Even if you're not considering these, you can try it on to see.  The sweetheart neckline is a good shape for your chest, and the corset gives people a great hourglass shape.
6. You CAN haggle.  In this economy, you can pretty much bargain everywhere you go.  And sales representatives in this industry usually work on commission.  So they rather make less money, than no money at all.  It's a win-win.  (Sometimes you might need to ask to see if the sales person can ask the manager.)  Even if you can't get a discount, maybe you'll score some fee accessories like the veil, jewelry, or a garter.  Never hurts to ask!
7. Caution when buying online.  So you thought you tried it on in the store, found the exact dress you want (and this is the only time you should EVER buy your wedding gown online), and then found a great deal from some random place online.  But it arrives, and somehow looks...different.  Many stores now sell "like" so-and-so designer.  So it might look the same, but the quality's not the same.  But there are many deals that can be found online, so definitely look, just be careful!
8. Don't buy the first dress you see!  Many brides-to-be fall in love immediately.  But PLEASE try on at least 5 different gowns.  (I'm going to try on like 100! Just kidding...maybe.)

If you have any questions about buying a wedding gown, leave me a comment!  Good luck, and congratulations on the engagement!

One-of-a-Kind

Ever look for something that you want, and can't seem to find where to buy it?  Have you tried Etsy? 

Etsy is a website that allows people to sell the stuff they create, vintage finds, and a great resource for weddings!  Just about everything is handmade, and one-of-a-kind.  Now don't mistake this stuff for things that you made if your crafts class...

Looking to get something custom made? Many of these Etsy sellers are willing to create something to your specifications.  But there's literally hundreds of thousands of things listed. Everything from jewelry to toys to clothing...

BONUS!  Because things are sold by individuals, there's a lot of stuff that is cheaper than if you went to the store and bought it. 
Check out some of these gorgeous items:

$58 from VieModern

$81 for all 3 from ToyBreaker

$30 from RavensBloom

Notice the peacock theme :)
Lately, I've been crushing on all things peacock feathers!  I'm not getting married, but I'm thinking about getting some peacock feather pillows for my new place...hmm...so many choices!

TIP: These is a great place to find all kinds of one-of-a-kind gifts.  Mother's Day is this weekend, don't forget!

Egg-tastic Center Piece for your Easter Brunch

Just to proclaim, I love eggs.  I think it's God's gift to Earth.

When I was little, the first and only thing I knew how to cook was scrambled eggs.  And anytime I was hungry, I would make it.  Enough so, that my mom gave me a rule that I was only allowed 2 eggs a day...sad day for me!

Now that you know that about me, you can see why I'm so excited about this center piece idea for Brunch that's coming up this weekend or anytime!

Center piece idea courtesy of Shelter Pop

Photo courtesy of Shelter Pop

All you need are:
- A few vases that you can buy from Ikea for $0.79/piece (gotta love Ikea!)
- Roses
- Water
- And lots of egg shells!!!

1. Take the roses, and clip off all the thorns.  Then clip the stem off the rose.
2. Fill your vase about 2/3 the way with water
3. Poke a hole at the bottom of a few of the egg shells.  Stick in your stem from the rose.  Stack the rest of the egg shells.
4. Place the rose on top of all your egg shells, and you're done!
Have a wonderful Easter Weekend!

Open Bar or Cash Bar?

We always get questions on whether if an Open Bar is worth it?  An open bar can cost an average of $3,000, and it's definitely a large factor when their is a limited budget.

And the answer all depends on you (assuming you are the bride/groom/or someone who is paying for the wedding).

Photo courtesy of: MG Events

Here are some things to consider:

1. Budget - no explanation needed.

2. Guests - This is probably the main factor to deciding whether to have an Open Bar, Cash Bar, or even no bar at all!

If the majority of guests are just family, then you might just consider having a few bottles of wine at each table.  Keep in mind that an open bar is usually charged by the number of guests, and children are considered too.

But if your guest list consists of mostly people you go to happy hour with, then you might want to splurge on the open bar.

You can also have drink tokens for guests.  Give 2 tokens for each guest (over the age of 21) to get whichever drink they want.  And if they want more than that, then they can pay for it themselves.

If you are have a lot of guests flying in from out of town, please remember that they are already paying a lot of money just to attend your wedding.

Remember to have non-alcoholic drinks for those who can't drink or don't want to!

Photo courtesy of: Cococozy

3. Atmosphere - It used to be that having a cash bar was a big no-no at weddings.  It was considered improper etiquette, and rude. However, now weddings are more laid back and pretty much anything goes.  (BYOB is still considered tacky!)

With that in mind, if your wedding trends on the more traditional side, then it would be better etiquette to have an open bar.

Photo courtesy of: Capability Events

4. Venue - Most venues now have a variety of options on alcohol.  So ask your venue how much an open bar or cash bar would cost.  Remember to make sure that they have a liquor's license!  Consider bringing in your own liquor, but ask about the corking fee.  And remember to ask about protocal for tipping the bartender because that adds up!

And don't forget about the champagne toast!

Photo courtesy of: Love is the Cure Blog

5. Type of alcohol - We all know that the prices of alcohol vary greatly.  Therefore, it's really up to you on what types of alcohol you prefer.  Here's a great article by Real Simple on when to spend and splurge!

If you're looking to cut costs:

- Instead of buying a bunch of different types of cheap alcohol, see if buying bulk of 2 or 3 kinds of decent alcohol would be less costly.  Quality is better than quantity.

- You might want to have only one signature cocktail that matches the colors/theme of your wedding.  Then just serve your favorite inexpensive beer/wine.

- Go with cheaper vodka.  Vodka drinks are usually mixed in with something else.  Therefore guests won't really taste much difference. 

Photo Courtesy of: Prima Donna Bride

TIP: If you cannot decide, have an Open Bar for only an hour or two during the reception.  That way guests who want can go for the Open Bar, but you don't end up paying for a lot of extras.  Think about doing it when you are taking your photos.  That way your guests have something to do while your busy capturing once in a lifetime memories!

What's for Lunch?

Here's an awesome new website for you readers to check out: Lunchwalla

The site makes getting together with your friends super easy!  Basically it gets everybody together for Lunch (or dinner, breakfast, cocktails, etc...).

Example - If I want to get together with my friends for happy hour after work today...
Step 1: Invite friends
Step 2: Select the place(s) I'm considering of going (yes, I can pick more than 1 place - read on to see what I'm talking about!)
Step 3: Send the Invitations, and you're done!

Now here's the cool part...
Your friends can vote on which place they want to go!  So by happy hour... everyone will know who, when and where to be! Easy!

Some other cool features:
- There's lots of coupons on the site!
- Import contacts directly from your email(s)
- State if you're a vegetarian
- Sign up with your Facebook account (which I assume everyone has, unless you live under a rock, or you're my parents... I'm just kidding! not really...)

Finally...a website that helps indecisive people like me

Systems for Managing Your Mail in Small Doses

Recently I have noticed that living with more than one person that recieves mail, the piles can get out of control and just plain messy. I have decided to throw out a few pointers in getting your mail organized and under control in no time! Everything has a place for it, even your mail. Follow these 5 simple steps:

1. Designate a workspace-it can be a storage box, basket or a bin to put incoming mail (one storage item per person recieving mail). It should no be bigger than holding a weeks worth of mail.

2. Have a recycled bin near the workspace to get rid of junk mail right away. This will decrease the pile of mail to sort through.

3. Make time- Dedicate at least 5 minutes sorting through your mail per day. Or wait till the end of the week and dedicate a half an hour.

4. Develope another filling system to place the different types of mail you recieve. This can be a filing bin or a mounted mail organizer in categories like credit cards, personal mail, utilities, student loans, etc.

5. Get a shredder- Any documents that has personal information and you no longer need should be shredded to avoid identity theft.