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Dress to Ring Pillow

May 31st, 2009
Patty and Tim's Ring Pillow

Patty and Tim's Ring Pillow

My good friend, Patty is getting married in just a couple of weeks in San Francisco.  I really wanted to do something special for their wedding. A ring pillow was one of the first things I had in mind but didn’t really know where to start. Luckily for me, one of Patty’s bridesmaids saved the material left over from hemming her dress, which ended being the roses on the pillows.

To make the pillow itself is very simple.  I took a piece of fabric about 18″ x 9″, fold in half and sew around the edges enough to leave a small opening, turned the fabric inside out, stuffed it with polyfil, and hand-sewed the opening closed.  (You can find a pattern and more detailed instructions online.)  But the elements are inspired from the piece of material from the bridesmaid’s dress.  I didn’t know what to do with it at first but I just kept playing with it and twirling it and twisting it… and voila… roses!  Initially, I was going to put them in the center but then I really wanted the rings to be in the middle.   So that’s where the decision was made to put them off to one corner.  The ribbons were a complimenting element to draw your eye across the whole pillow so the focus isn’t completely on the roses.

by Mel | posted in Ceremony, Design Ideas | 3 Comments »

The Big White Dress

May 30th, 2009

When we first got engaged, I couldn’t wait to start planning.  First things first, I need a dress!  That was the one thing I had complete sole control over at that point.   The big white dress–  is probably going to be the most expensive outfit I’ll ever own and wear only once. 

Luckily for me, I was engaged in November.  And December is sample sale season!  All the bridal salons were clearing out last season’s dresses to make room for their upcoming one.  Bridal salon sample sales are a bit different from typical fashion sample sales, where you have to make an appointment.  Also due to high demand, some places may require a credit card to guarantee the appointment .  I had made two appointments: Kleinfeld  and Amsale. 

At my first appointment, I tried on about a dozen gowns and was about to call it a day knowing I had another appointment later on that week.  But right before we were about to leave, one of my bridesmaids spotted “the dress”.  I fell in love immediately after having put it on.   

I won’t be sharing any pictures of the actual dress before the wedding.  Sorry.  But here are some of other dresses that were runner ups. 

dress-image

Not only was the price already marked down for the sample sale, I was also able to negotiate it little further.  After the past few months of wedding planning, we’ve come to realize everything is negotiable. 

Have you ever been to a  sample sale at a bridal salon? How was your dress shopping experience?

by Mel | posted in Attire, Budget | 2 Comments »

“And you’ll definitely be able to wear it again, isn’t it great?!”

This is one of the most common phrases every bridesmaid hears regarding the dresses selected for the bridal party.  Is it true?  Well, it’s not often true, but it’s been known to happen.  In my six (to date) turns as a bridesmaid, I’ve worn one dress again.  It was when I was a bridesmaid in another wedding, but it still counts!

Some words of wisdom and things to keep in mind when choosing your bridesmaid dresses:

  • Choose wisely – you could be in one of their weddings and in the bridesmaid hot seat next
  • Stay away from fabrics that are very shiny and very clingy – dresses like that are really only meant for .01% of the population
Step away from the gold lamé and no one gets hurt

Step away from the gold lamé and no one gets hurt

  • Decide how important it is that your bridesmaids all wear the exact same dress – consider letting your ladies choose their neckline style, shades of the same color, etc.
Same color family, similar lengths, different dresses. Courtesy InStyle.com

Same color family, similar lengths, different dresses. Courtesy InStyle.com

Same color dresses, different necklines. Courtesy InStyle.com

Same color dresses, different necklines. Courtesy InStyle.com

  • Take all or some of your bridesmaid to the store so they can model the options for you – more often than not, brides end up going with a different style after seeing their initial choices on their friends
  • Is a dress the best choice?  Consider two-piece mix ‘n match combinations that many stores are now offering.  David’s Bridal has a great tool where you can match up different separates with accessories to see which look you like best.
  • Try to choose a store that has a wide selection – David’s Bridal is one great option.  They have a huge selection of bridesmaid dresses in a wide range of sizes and colors.  Other popular chain stores include Alfred Angelo and J. Crew (they always have a decent selection of dresses on sale). Another up and coming brand I’ve heard a lot about is Melissa Sweet – her dresses are lovely, but they’re not the most affordable option
  • Unless you’re planning to purchase the gowns for your bridesmaids, make sure to pick a dress that everyone can afford
  • Like when you purchase a wedding dress, leave enough time to place the order and make any alterations if necessary

I’ve worn four black dresses, one baby blue and one deep lilac dress.  The blue one was donated to a charity, two of the black ones are collecting dust in my closet, I wore one of the black ones twice (in my friend’s wedding and then in my sister’s wedding) and the purple one needs to be dry-cleaned before it joins the other black dresses in my closet.

Questions for both the bridesmaids and brides out there – how did you choose dresses?  Did you ever wear them again?  What did you do with them afterwards?

by Anna G | posted in Attire, Budget, Design Ideas, General Planning | 3 Comments »

I just saw a post on one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess, featuring some really cute bowls, and knew I had to share it with you!

Image from velocityartanddesign.com

Aww, so cute!

So now, to the purpose of my post: how to register for cute little things like this.

Firstly, there are many tips out there on setting up wedding registers:

  • depending on how many guests, 2-3 registeries is common
  • register for things in various price ranges
  • look for registries with bonus completion gifts
  • pick stores that are accessible to where your guests are located
  • set up a honeymoon registry if you’re not really in the market for new stuff
  • only register for a couple of things if you’re primarily interested in money rather than gifts
  • look at the return policy before setting up a registry – make sure it’s easy to return unwanted gifts without a receipt

The standard registry options usually include 2-3 stores such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Macy’s, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Walmart, and Amazon (there are plenty of others out there, but these are the ones I see most frequently).

Let’s say you register at Macy’s and Crate and Barrel, but in your travels you find some cute stripey bowls at Velocity Art and Design, a one of a kind painting on Etsy.com, and a unique side table at Urban Outfitters.  How can you register for all these things without having wedding registry overload?

Enter Amazon Universal Wish List.  Set up a wedding registry at Amazon, then add the little bookmark to your web browser.  Whenever you stumble upon something you love, just click on the button and voila! Cute item from random online seller is added to your registry!

(Note, there are also a number of other universal registries that enable you to add things from various sellers to your registry – the Amazon one just seems so much simpler!)

What registries have you been using? Do you have any recommendations or tips? Have you put some unique gifts on your registry?

by auschick | posted in General Planning | No Comments »

Hello, my name is…

May 28th, 2009

Melissa, but my friends like to call me “Mel”.  I was really excited when Christine and Scott asked me to join Big Fat Cake.  Of course, I immediately said “I do”.

So a quick bit about me.  I’ve been engaged since November 2008 to my best friend.  We are having our wedding in New York City at the New York Botanical Garden on August 28th.  Just a few short months away!

The wedding will feel something like bittersweet because I am falling in love with wedding planning.  I don’t want to stop planning but at the same time, I absolutely cannot wait for the big day to be here!

by Mel | posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »

Having Our Cake Too

May 27th, 2009

The venue we booked has a baker as part of the deal. It’s pretty exciting actually. The bakery they’re using is Carlo’s Bakery, in Hoboken. The main guy – Buddy – has been on the Food Network a bunch of times, and I just found out that he just launched his own show on TLC called Cake Boss.

carlos

I’m not sure how I feel about this. One the one hand, it’s great to know that the bakery that’s going to make our cake is good enough to get on TV. The downside is that I’m afraid he’s going to get “too big” and that his wedding customers will get less-than-perfect cakes. Here’s hoping that he can balance both, because he really does seem to do great work!

Now, on a slight tangent. Just because we have a bakery lined up doesn’t mean that my fiance and I wouldn’t mind “shopping around” other bakeries so we can get in on some tastings. Have any of you ever booked a caterer/baker, and then still went around for tastings? We basically want to eat our proverbial cake, but avoid the incessant follow-up. :)

by David | posted in Vendors | 1 Comment »

In the last three weeks, I have been a guest at three different weddings (today being the third).  Each wedding has been quite different from each other, and with a completely different circle of friends.  Two of the weddings have had outdoor ceremonies, and if there’s one thing that I’ve learned from these, it’s this:

Grass + Stilettos = bad idea

I’d never really considered grass + stilettos as a problem, since the only other outdoor weddings I’d been to had me in flip flops for one, and wide heels in the other.

Jen & Ka-Wah's outdoor wedding

Jen & Ka-Wah's outdoor wedding

When my brother in law (Ka-Wah) and sister in law (Jen) got married a couple of weeks ago,  most of the bridesmaids and me were all wearing stilettos (or similar).  It had recently rained, so the soil was even more soggy than ever, and every time we stepped, our shoes got stuck in the ground.  We had to try and walk on our toes, putting no weight on our heels, but with the sloped hill, this was a little tricky.

I think I suggested putting some kind of platform down where all the bridesmaids would be standing so that they didn’t sink.  Someone found some square sheets of Styrofoam and put those down where the bridesmaids were to stand, and then put a white aisle runner (pictured above) over the whole thing.  If you’re familiar with Styrofoam, you may realize that it’s not all that strong, and breaks easily.  And when it breaks, it makes noise.

During the whole ceremony, the guests continually heard this random, loud popcorn popping sound (followed by bridesmaids and bride giggling).  This usually happened at the most inopportune times – like during the vows.

So, how do you have an outdoor ceremony without this shoe sinking issue? Well, you have a couple of options.  1. You can wear flats; 2. You can wear shoes with a wider heel; or 3. You can wear a Sole Mates High Heeler on your shoes!  These little puppies fit right over your stiletto heel, increasing its width so you’re less likely aerate the whole lawn (and potentially have a dangerous tripping accident). Now, I do have to say that I’ve not *actually* worn any of these myself, but I’m planning on buying some very soon.  Have you tried them yet?

Sole Mates High Heeler

Sole Mates High Heeler

by auschick | posted in Accessories, Ceremony, Wedding Watching | 3 Comments »

They say money makes the world go ’round and that you can never have enough.  The same principle applies to weddings – if you don’t budget realistically and determine your absolute spending limits, you can find yourself spending lots of money on little things.  You don’t want to regret anything about your big day!

I recently read a great article in the magazine I Do for Brides about three couples with three very different weddings – one with a $3,000 budget, one with a $10,000 budget and the last with a substantial $68,000 budget.  The first couple saved a ton of money by having the ceremony and reception at her parent’s house, arranging her own bouquets, purchasing her dress on eBay and limiting the bar to beer and wine, purchased in bulk from a store like Costco.

blingThe couple with a $10,000 budget spent the majority of their money on catering and the reception site fees.  The third couple, with a $68,000 budget, spent $29,000 on food and service, $5,300 on flowers and $6,500 for the reception site.  One thing the weddings all had in common?  As the budgets increased, the do-it-yourself levels decreased.  Also, all of the brides had connections through family or friends to photographers, florists, bakers, wedding coordinators, etc.  Lesson?  Call in the favors you’re due – ask your friends for help and advice, but don’t take advantage of them.

There’s no right or wrong way to spend money on your wedding, but don’t forget that you’re also getting married – you’re beginning a lifelong journey with your soulmate.  Get your budget in place and stick to it so that you can have a little something to put towards an exotic three week honeymoon through the South Pacific or towards your first home together.

How did you budget for your wedding? How realistic was your budget – were you tempted by vendors up-selling services because you were having a wedding?

by Anna G | posted in Budget, General Planning, Reception, Vendors | No Comments »

If there’s one thing I love about a long weekend, it’s the great sales that go along with it!  If your wedding is coming up – even if it’s months away – this is a great time to cash in on some cheap decorations, tools, etc.

First up: AC Moore has a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase until Saturday.  I’ve been receiving free newspapers from my county (Fairfax, VA) every week, and this week’s has the AC Moore catalog in it, with a 50% off coupon valid on Sunday and Monday.

Also in the AC Moore Catalog:

  • Tiki Torches – $1.50 each (great for outdoor weddings, but make sure your venue lets you use them)
  • Mason Jars – $1 each (great for putting tea-lights inside and either sitting them on tables or hanging them up with wire)
  • Bridal bubbles – $4.99 for 24
  • Hurricane vases – $4.99 (great for outdoor candles.  Can also be used for a sand unity ceremony, possibly an outdoor unity candle ceremony in a windy location too)
  • Cute pink and brown purses for your bridesmaids ($16.99)
  • Silver washtubs – $4.99 (great for decorations, flower holders, ice buckets)
  • Coloring books and markers – $1 (if you have kids coming to your wedding, it’s great to provide them with something to do!)

And coming to both AC Moore and Michael’s this Saturday from 1-3pm is a demo of the new Yudu screen printing system.  I’m really tempted to go, but this is my first Saturday in 3 weeks to get stuff done around my house, so we’ll see!  (I’ve been to 2 weddings in the last two weeks, and have another one on Monday! – and yes, I’ll be blogging about them soon!)

Yudu Printing Press

Michael’s is having a 4 hour sale on Memorial Day, and you can use this coupon to get 20% off everything (including sale items).  Here’s some deals they also have going:

  • Beads – 2 for $6 (I made my bridesmaid’s jewelery – it was surprisingly easy and really cheap!)
  • Ribbon – 2 for $5, and 2 for $3 (great for embellishing invitations, favors, programs, candles… *many options here!*
  • 40% off a lot of fake flowers and arrangements (you may want to mix up some fakes with your real flowers – as long as you get nice ones, no one can tell, and sometimes they look even better than the real ones!)
  • Eyelets, snaps, brads – 2 for $4 (great for invitations and programs, depending on your style)
  • 25% Martha Stewart – great deal! This range is hardly ever on sale! (great for many aspects of your wedding designing)
  • 40% off baskets (think program holders and flower girls)

There’s also deals abounding from all the airlines lately.  If your fiance is organizing your honeymoon, have him sign up to TravelZoo (click “select an edition” if you’re located outside of the US) for some great vacation deals (is this where I say that it only costs $700 to go to Australia from the West Coast and back at the moment? hehe, I’m so patriotic!).

Also this week, I received the latest Real Simple Wedding Newsletter – if you’re planning your wedding, I highly recommend subscribing to their newsletter.

by auschick | posted in Budget | No Comments »

If you’re a regular reader of my posts (and if you’re not, why the heck not??), you know that I bemoan the cost of a wedding a lot. A lot. So, it made me feel good to read this article on crazy stupid expensive weddings from Mental Floss, via WSJ.

My two favorites:

5. The Mittal Affair

In possibly the most luxurious wedding in history, Vanisha Mittal, daughter of Anglo-Indian steel tycoon Laxmi Mittal, married Amit Bhatia, an investment banker who literally cashed in. The wedding, held in June 2004 in a chateau in France, lasted six days and was reported to have cost over $90 million (yes, that’s U.S. dollars). The guest roster included some of Bollywood’s brightest stars and some of Europe’s deepest pockets. Among the expenditures: $520,000 for a performance by pop diva Kylie Minogue, who performed for a half hour. That’s almost $300 per second. In case you’re wondering how to plan a $90 million wedding, the bride has divulged all her secrets on a wedding-planning website.

7. Star Jones & Al Reynolds

In 2004, the former View co-host set (unofficial) records in both the shameless wedding product placement and bridezilla categories. Jones shilled for several companies in exchange for free stuff, including invitations, bridesmaids’ gowns and tuxedos. Continental was the official wedding airline of the Jones-Reynolds nuptials. After the ceremony, Star scolded her co-hosts on air: “I could not believe that my cohost [Joy Behar], not only did she bring a camera, but had the audacity to pull it out to take my picture.”

Holy mackeral, Toledo, moly, etc.

by David | posted in Wedding Watching | No Comments »

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