The Tale of Two Dresses

Your reception is your time to celebrate, let your hair down, and make bank off that money dance! Some brides, after they ditch the veil, have been swapping out their tent sized dresses for shorter, tea length dresses for the reception. I've seen it at places from Alfred Angelo to Kleinfeld! So is it worth it? I guess it depends on how much you want to spend on your wedding dress(es)! If you get two dresses, you can go the ball gown route for the ceremony and then switch to the tea length one for the reception. David Tutera even designed a dress where part of the skirt detaches to make a shorter dress. That or you can go the easier, and probably less expensive  route and get a  dress that you can make a statement in and dance in. Either way if you love your dress/dresses you'll be looking and feeling fabulous.

I'm on a Boat!

Yesterday while trying to turn myself back into a human from my previous state of human popsicle I watched the movie 27 Dresses. It's a movie about a woman who is like the superman version of a MOH but has never been married herself. I'll try not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but at the end the main character jumps onto this cruise ship where there's a wedding reception. That got me thinking, where else can you have a reception?! In a blimp, or even in an underwater sea cave? *scuba masks or mermaidism required*. Seriously though, a boat would be kind of cool for a reception site! Just think of it, you and your new spouse can make your entrance to "I'm On A Boat!". O.K. maybe that's a terrible idea, but a nautical reception would be pretty unique! I've heard of other brides holding their receptions in castles, ski lodges, and wine vineyards, so why not on a boat? As long as people have food, entertainment, and lets not forget alcohol, they'll have a good time! So don't be afraid to step away from the normal and have your reception somewhere different!

What the What!!?? How Much is That?

I read yesterday that the typical wedding costs like 15,000 to 20,000 dollars, not gum wrappers, aluminum cans, or soup labels, dollars. Personally, I could never, ever, in a million years, spend that much on anything except a down payment on a house! I don't have the spending power of say Khloe Kardashian, and even if I did...no! As important as your wedding is, it's just one day! On the flip side, I know no bride really wants to have her reception at the local Elk Lodge, or High School gymnasium, so how do you have a fabuluos wedding that won't break the bank? I came up with some ideas with help of the knot, and Simple living Weddings

1. Cut the guest list: Do you really care if your Dad's, former boss's sister is in attendance? I didn't think so.

2. Get a two layer wedding cake: Apparently all you need is one layer to cut into, and one to save for your anniversary. Have a sheet cake in the kitchen for everyone to actually eat!

3. Pick one or two things to splurge on, then save the rest: If you want a one of a kind dress then center your budget around that and go simpler on everything else!

4. That being said, have a budget and keep to it: Nothing is worse than fighting about money, and the last thing you want to be doing after your wedding is surprise your new husband with an unexpected $5,000 bill!

5. Be upfront with your vendors about your budget: they might be the nicest people in the world, but every vendor is trying to run a business. They will probably try to sell you the most expensive thing they can.  If they're really good they'll probably try to persuade you to spend more than you said you wanted to, so be direct with how much you want to spend and stick to it.

6. It's O.K. to  negotiate prices with vendors: some people think this is tacky, but especially during "off seasons" vendors may be a little desperate for your business. Besides that, it never hurts to ask!

7. Consider having your wedding in the off season: I.E. not spring! Also you can save a few bucks typically by not holding your wedding on a Saturday night!

8. This one's tried and true. Reuse the flowers from your ceremony at the reception site. Do you have a friend that can hall them over? Great!

The point is, you don't need to go crazy to have a spectacular wedding! Don't go overboard with little details, and do stick to the budget, at least as much as humanly possible ;)!

The Bridesmaid Dress Debacle

Very rarely do you hear a bridesmaid say, "I love, love, love my bridesmaid dress".  I take that back, very rarely do you hear that without a heavy dose of sarcasm. The stereotype is that you're supposed to vehemently hate your bridesmaid dress but why? Is it because one dress doesn't fit all? Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't get why everyone has to completely match. From the dress, to the hair, to the shoes, jewelry and makeup! It kind of reminds me of when parents with a lot of small children dress their kids in matching outfits so no one gets lost at the park. Plus what if your bridesmaids have different body types? For example, I know I cannot rock a halter dress, but my friend Rachel can.

Now, I get that uniformity of the bridesmaids makes it obvious that they're in the wedding party and not just your 15th cousin twice removed, but does everything have to match? Coming from someone with zero experience, I have no idea, but my vote is no! If you want everyone in the same outfit great, but maybe let the girls choose the hair, with your guidance of course ;). Or if you know everyone isn't going to look good in a certain style, let your bridesmaids pick out dresses they look fantastic in that are the same color! Anyway you go, just make sure you love whatever look you choose and that your bridesmaids do too because no one wants revenge from a girl that had taffeta up her bum all night!

The Language of the Wedding, $$$$

Can I just say I would die for a Lazaro wedding gown? I can? Fantastic. I would. They are SO pretty and at the same time just a little bit sexy, which I love. The one thing that drives me absoluteally insane about anyone who sells them is that there is no actual price for the dresses. Just $$$$...what does that mean?! I see it everywhere, especially at the more expencive wedding vendors. Plus, if you actually can find a translation for what the difference between $,$$, $$$,and $$$$ is, it usually differs from site to site! Personally I am a big planner, especially if it comes to money.  If I don't know at least a ball park figure, I'm not going to go in and get sold a dress or anything else, that might be way out of my price range. I think a lot of brides are the same way, so why play the guessing game with all these dollar signs? It's like trying to ask a newborn to read Mandarin Chinese! I guess it's just a sales technique, and I understand the venders are trying to make some money. I just wish venders would be upfront and tell me what I can get for $$$$. I don't care if it's just  a roll of toilet paper and some double sided tape that says "some assembly required".

Deliciously Spooky Weddings

Someone reminded me yesterday that Halloween was next week. I'm obviously really up on things since I have no costume, plans, or any idea that it was so soon. The first thing that popped into my mind when they said that was Voodoo Doughnuts! I've recently decided, based on the crap food I love, I should be about 400 pounds...one day I'm going to achieve that goal. One of my absolute favorite things in life is eating a Voodoo Doughnut. If you've never had one, get on the first flight to Portland or Eugene Oregon and find the first delicious smelling pink building.... RIGHT NOW!!! Apart from the Voodoo Doll and the Bacon Maple, Voodoo Doughnuts does wedding ceremonies! That's right, you can get married and go into a diabetic coma at the same time! Thank God for America. I've never actually seen anyone get married there, but I've heard they do a real voodoo ceremony. Spooky, yes? Pros: Wedding cake out of doughnuts, the whole package would cost you about 1 tenth of what you'd spend on a wedding normally. Cons: potential eternal voodoo curse! O.K. not really with the curse but you do get a Voodoo Doll doughnut!

Break with Tradition and Get Rid of Some of Those Flowers!

I was watching "My Fair Wedding" the other day, and man, if David Tutera ever needs a kidney in exchange for him planning a wedding I'm going to be first to the doctor's, scalpel in hand. For those of you who've never seen it, it's a show about these women who want to do things like have a clown themed wedding, or something outrageous, and David Tutera comes in and fabulizes their crazy plans. He's like Super Man if Super Man wore Dolce and Gabanna and could throw together the worlds best wedding in like 3 minutes.  There was this bride who (I think) wanted lilly pads and frogs for centerpeices instead of flowers. After I could pick my jaw up from the floor, I started thinking "maybe flowers are kind of overrated. I mean think about it, they're everywhere, just waiting to explode your sinuses and give you itchy eyes!
Flower in the bouquets, boutonnieres, all over the wedding site, as centerpieces at your reception, on your cake! Next thing you know these flowers are going to go "Little Shop of Horrors'" on you! Now, I love flowers, don't get me wrong, but what if you don't, or you're deathly allergic to Lilly's? Not to mention flower's can cost a butt load! I went on to what I like to call the "Wedding Yoda" aka Martha Stewart, and found some awesome ideas for non-floral center pieces. Some, like the animals in a big glass jar, I thought might get you in trouble with a Peta lover, but others, like the Harvest center piece or the Branch and Leaf center pieces, were both beautiful and didn't involve a trip to the Pharmacy for some sinus meds! Check it out here