A bit off the subject

Well, I had an interesting experience this weekend. While out shopping on Friday (and yes, it was a bit scary), I ran into a couple girls in the dressing room. That wouldn't have bothered me so much if they hadn't been trying on and showing off the santa-style lingerie.

I'm sure it looked fine; I'm not the type to check out girls in the dressing room so I wasn't looking that close, but when the one said "And I could even wear it to school because it goes past my hips", I lost it. I was laughing hysterically (while trying to remain quiet) as I went on trying on my pants. The next thing I heard was "but how are you going to get it past your grandma?". I mean, seriously, this is a problem.

Has anyone else had an experience like this they'd like to share?

A Thanksgiving Wedding

For your guests

Want to give your guests a favor to remember your special day, but don't want to spend a fortune on trinkets? WrapWithUs carries a huge selection of affordable favors, including these (all under $1!).

1. Bath salts 2. Picture frame 3. Rose-shaped candles 4. Cookie cutter set 5. Mint tin 6. Bookmark 7. Keychain 8. Scented candle 9. Bottle stopper

A not so rosy wedding

No, I'm not saying the wedding went bad, although there were definintely things that could have gone better (i.e. bridesmaid #2). I'm saying I didn't want roses at my wedding because everyone uses roses. I had daisies. I love daisies! They're just a happy flower!

The other thing that caused me to choose daisies is the thought that I really wanted a green and yellow wedding, not particularly due to John Deere (though my husband would say otherwise). Actually, I just love green and although there are other colors that go well with it, none go as well as yellow.



The plan was that my bridesmaids would wear hunter green and maid of honor would wear yellow, but that went downhill fast because she absolutely could not pull off a yellow dress to save her life, so we decided to go with purple for her dress (from B2), which ended up being my other color. So the only way I got to have my green and yellow wedding was to have yellow flowers, and although yellow roses are by far my favorite flower, I didn't want to have your normal wedding. (Yellow roses are also symbols of friendship, which seemed not quite right also.) Daisies are so happy and so simple, it was just so me. Daisies also seemed more informal, which is me through and throuh.



So if you haven't already gone for the traditional roses, take a look around. Daisies are a wonderful option.



Lastly, I'm going to leave you with this picture. I just thought it was a beautiful picture. I LOVE DAISIES!

Nerdy links

Guys put up with a lot of the wedding process. They're willing to wear a stuffy tux, stand still while tons of pictures are taken, or heaven help them even wear pink.

So why not encourage to let a little bit of that original nerdy charm shine through with their cuff links. I was seriously tempted by these for my own wedding as my guy adores Legos but he said no (spoil sport).

These are all from Cufflinks and the bottom left is an actual usable pen drive.

And these from The Clay Collection while they all look like earrings with a simple note can be turned into amazing cufflinks.

My favorites are the little BLT sandwich and Tom Servo.

Something old...

I've spent the majority of my life thinking it would have been so cool to grow up in the 1940s or 50s. The music, the clothes, the cars... what a life! It would be fun to go back just for a day. This thought (and a poster of Audrey Hepburn) inspired my board for today:

1950's Wedding

1. Bridal gown 2. Wedding night lingerie 3. Shoes 4. Record-player cake 5. Fur shawl 6. Cake topper 7. Jewelry 8. Suit 9. Rental jukebox

Grandma would love this!

A Fruitfilled wedding

This is a great idea for any fall wedding (and I seriously considered for my own for a bit). All you need are a bunch of tea lights, a special tool (though if you are talented a paring knife would work as well) and any fruit of your choice.

It's called a candle carver and you can use it to cut a little top out of anything from apples to pumpkins to even lemons. And then you put in a tea light to give a gorgeous glow for centerpieces.

The only big issue is that you would have to do it the week before the wedding and even then you'd probably want some fruit fresh (or ascorbic acid) to keep the apples looking good.

So if you got a lot of friends willing to help you out and a fall wedding maybe some fruit candles would make a great centerpiece.

Or instead of candles you could put some flowers inside of the apples.

Damask wedding set

If you're really big into damask or the idea of a black & white wedding here is a sample of some of the places you could showcase damask for a wedding:

A gorgeous black and white damask wedding invitation

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The program paper

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A little favor box

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A damask garter

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A damask ring bearers pillow

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The guest book

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And for a nice final touch, some damask earrings.

Cherry Blossom Invites

After a cold snap here it has suddenly warmed up to a gorgeous and sunny 50 degrees (practically shorts weather really) putting me in mind of spring and the gorgeous blooming of cherry trees.

Here are some gorgeous invitations for the bride that is madly in love with cherry blossoms:

This simple design is from CricketPrinting at $3.75 a set.

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These from SandyPhotoArt are a little bit pricier at $4.50 for a set but I just love the twisted tree on the side.

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For something a bit more whimsical check out these invitations from Pink Lilly Press. With this option you can decide how much of the set you want.

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Finally if you love the look of cherry blossoms but aren't so big into pink with these invitations from Whimsical Prints there are 26 different color options for the branches.

He's making a list, checking it twice...

Have you been dreaming of a white (Christmas) wedding? Here are some Christmas themed ideas to add some holiday spirit to your big day.

1. Cupcakes 2. Poinsettia tuxedo vest 3. Bouquet with white roses and pine 4. Invitations 5. Customized favors 6. DIY Centerpiece 7. Serving set 8. Festive gowns 9. Cake

Bouquet Charms

It's pretty popular for brides to decorate their bouquets with cute little charms. For those who want to add their own personal mark to their bouquets why not try using a scrabble pendant:

1. Flower pendant 2. Growing heart 3. Pink Daisy
4. Love birds 5. Golden Horizon 6. Dogwood tree
7. Hot pink heart 8. Goldfish 9. Boy meets girl

These little popular pendants cost anywhere from $2 to $6 and there are so many different artists and ideas that anything you can think of could be used to decorate your flowers.

They're so cheap you could even give them to your bridesmaids to gussy up their own bouquets.

Anniversary band hell

Well for the last year or so, my husband and I have been on the look out for an anniversary band. I mean, it's not that I don't love my wedding ring, but in my line of work I need something that is more durable. My prongs are already worn on my diamond, so I'm worried about losing it.

I want something simple. Honestly, I don't even care if it has a diamond in it. Actually, I'd just about prefer it not because then I wouldn't be so worried about losing the diamond. When you go looking for an anniversary band, you're likely to come up with one of very few styles such as these: Myself, I like the second one better, but I'd prefer something unique, though maybe not this unique:

I'd kind of like something with a couple of birth stones and more of a plain (somewhat flat) band. Actually, the kind of thing that draws my eyes are mens rings with inset stones. Does anyone out there have a suggestion for me, preferably a relatively cheap suggestion?

Stars in the sky

If there is one thing to steal wedding ideas from it's Mother Nature. That lady has the most amazing ideas when it comes to blend of colors and mixing of textures.

For this decor we're stealing the night sky, mostly stars and how well a romantic night under them works for a wedding.

This is the super fancy holy crap I don't want to know what it costs idea.

But to make an even more gorgeous night sky all you need are some simple and cheap rope lights (6' for $18):

And then get a mix of cheap blue and purple fabrics (from hancock fabrics).

To put it all together you just have to first drape the rope lights then the fabric from the ceiling and you'll get a gorgeous warm and inviting starry night feel without having to shell out hundreds of dollars.

Funky Centerpieces

Want to have some major pomp and awe with your centerpieces but can't afford that huge tree in the middle of the table.

How about trying some funky lights instead.

These little glowing cubes are from Save on Crafts and 5 of them cost $15 which can easily fit inside of a cool vase and bring your tables to life.

Or if you are the more creative type you could get some glow wire at 6' for under $20 and create your own lighted spin on the centerpieces. Imagine how cool it could be to take a large fishbowl and wrap the wire around inside of it and top it off with some flowers inside.
If you want a few more color options here they come in orange and fuchsia.

Teal wedding

A teal wedding inspiration:

Top left: 1. JS teal dress. 2. A wedding in a box from http://www.giasweddingstore.com/ 3. Cake from http://www.tastylayers.com/

4. Cool hat 5. Vintage flower 6.Invitations from Sonjas brides

7. Bubble and teal table 8. Shoes from Amazon.com 9. Silk flowers from Budget Bride

My Inspiration

It was suggested that I make an inspiration board to showcase my ideas for my own (very distant future) wedding. My favorite color is pink, and I wanted to incorporate that into my special day.

My guy has agreed to the pink and black color scheme with the understanding that he will have to wear no more pink than a simple boutonniere. Here is a look at my inspiration board, followed by a description of the photos.

(From left to right, top to bottom)

1. The invitations are white with a pink peony design in the lower lefthand corner to both introduce the color scheme and showcase one of the flowers to be used on the day of the ceremony.

2. The grooms tux (designed at Men's Wearhouse) will feature a black two-button jacket, and white vest and tie.

3. This cake is decorated with a pin-tuck design, with edible raspberry pearls.

4. The bridesmaid dress is Alfred Angelo, and is available in 55 colors.

5. This engagement/bridal ring is designed by Sirena, and may be found at Brodkeys.

6. The bridal gown is also Alfred Angelo, and is the main inspiration for the entire wedding scheme.

7. The shoes are by Dyeables.

8. The flower girl dress is by (surprise!) Alfred Angelo.

9. The reception centerpiece features the bouquet flowers, as well as some added greenery. It will look very elegant atop black linens, and is tall enough to add levels to the table, but short enough to allow guests to chat across the table.

10. The simple boutonnieres have 2-3 small rosebuds, and are the only way my groom will wear pink.

11. This unity candle is surrounded by roses and peonies. Fire hazard? Possibly. But it's just so pretty!

12. The groomsmen tux was also designed at The Mens Wearhouse.

13. This bouquet features pink and white roses and peonies. My two favorite flowers! The bridal bouquet will also have black roses incorporated into the mix.

My first rant

Well today I've got to vent about how picky an eater my husband is. Honestly, I think there's about 10 meals that I can make without treats (that usually end up being promises) that he's not going to eat it. I've never dealt with a picky eater, I'm probably the pickiest eater in my whole family, which means there are a few things that I won't eat: onions, coconut, and peanut butter for example.

My husband will eat nothing green and I'm not kidding. If it has an herb or spice in it that he can see is green, he won't touch it. I made garlic cheese bread the other night to go along with our spagetti. By gosh, he wouldn't eat it because I had put italian seasoning on it.

He's got other little problems too, like he tends to skip meals if there's no one to tell him to eat, which irritates the heck out of me because then he's hungry at suppertime and still doesn't konw what to eat because he's so picky.

Well, that is all for now. Likely, there will be more rants like this (possibly even about picky eaters). Does anyone have suggestions for recipes to feed him?

A Butterfly Wedding

Really want to have some butterflies at your wedding but can't imagine having to sneak out and trap them all in nets the night before or put butterfly feeders all around the outside of the church?

Why not try 3D Insects?

These gorgeous butterflies can come in many different colors and stick to any surface. But what makes them really neat are you can bend the wings to any angle you want and they're thin enough to flutter in a slight breeze.

Imagine how cool it would be to have butterflies fluttering on an altar or your centerpieces.

Dresses from Sears?

It's amazing the deals you can find at department stores for bridesmaid dresses: This dress has a lace trim on the bodice while the gathered waist flares into a pleated taffeta skirt. Just perfect for a black tie wedding on a brown suit budget at $80.

For a more muted but still eye popping red this $80 satin dress could blend in well at either a fall or winter wedding.

While this dress is made from a jersy fabric, the colored band at the waist adds a nice little twist on a more classic LBD staple. It also comes in at a whole $70

This beautiful teal dress comes in at a whole $50. I love the little jeweled accent on the bodice and the ruching. Reminds me a lot of my wedding dress.

This cotton dress is an absolute steal at $30, and the color scheme and pattern are so cool I could easily see someone basing an entire wedding off of it.

I hope I've been able to convince you to try checking out some department store sales instead of the bridal salons.

Folding Flops

As a member of a banquet staff at a high-end country club, I have witnessed first-hand how something as simple as a napkin can make or break the reception decor.

Things to consider when selecting a napkin fold for your wedding include:
Glassware - Will there be wine glasses to tuck a fold into?
Centerpiece - Will it be hidden by a tall fold?
Meal service - Will your salads be pre-set, or can the napkin be centered between silverware?
Menus - Will they be hidden by the napkin, or used to enhance the napkin fold?
Spacing - How many guests will be seated at each table? Will there be room for a more spread-out fold, or should it be simpler and more contained?

Check out this site to view a variety of napkin folds, and be sure to bring up the subject when meeting with your reception coordinator.

A little about me...

Leslie here. I guess the first thing I should do on here is to introduce myself and tell you a bit about me. I have been married for most of 4 years now. I have a little boy, Brett, that will be 4 years old in less than a month. He's growing up so fast. I'm also expecting another child in May.

If you want to see some pictures of my son, his website is on shutterfly.com.

My experience with wedding planning is short. I did my own, which may have been the world's simplest and cheapest wedding. I don't know the final budget, but I'd have to guess around $2500. My sister recently got married and I helped a bit in the beginning but then slowly throughout the process I seemed to get further and further from the picture. I was supposed to be a personal attendant at her wedding, but wound up doing nothing except helping to take care of her son during the wedding. Oh, and I made sure the kids didn't take off with the toys during the reception. That was a good help, right?

Actually my most recent experience with weddings was for my best friend. I got to be her matron of honor, which was definitely an honor. Her wedding was nearly as simple as mine, but due to a difference in location was probably double the cost.

Well since I can't think of anything else to add, I'll stop here.