Invitations on the Super-Cheap

For a while, I was considering going with these Seal-n-Send invitations. However, I didn't want to spend more than $100 for invitations, and the Seal-n-Send invites cost a little more than that. Also, once I add the cost of shipping, and stamps both for the invitations, and for the response cards, the total cost is even higher.

Instead, I went to Michael's and got a Do-It-Yourself kit. FH and I were a bit worried about them at first, because our printer was on the fritz. Finally, it decided to not even turn on, so we got a new one. The kit has everything you need for 50 invitations and response cards, and it cost $39.99. However, as I stated in a previous post, my mother had $40 worth of gift cards for Michael's that she was saving for wedding stuff. Therefore, I only had to pay $3.19 in sales tax. Even if we have to get new printer cartridges, the cost will be well under $100 (not including stamps), and we'd need printer cartridges for non-wedding stuff, anyway.

Sorry it's been a while since the last post; classes are definitely in full swing, and I haven't really been making any real progress on the wedding planning front.

However, I have done a bit of research, and have bought a few things (some of it may be review):

1. Bridesmaid Gifts: I've been ordering stuff from Silverjewelryclub.com whenever I see something appropriate for my three bridesmaids. For $6 (or $9 with a chain), it really is a good deal.
   
2. More gifts: I'm thinking of getting this for my Maid of Honor. She likes knives. She also likes getting the strangest things in the color pink, such as judo uniforms.
3. Until I find something different, I'm going for this gown, with lavender trim. The question is how to purchase it:
• At a local bridal salon
• Online
• In New Jersey (no tax on clothing, even if it's over $110)
  
4. I'm going to go the DIY route for a veil. Most places charge way too much for a little tulle and a comb, in my opinion. I got a pattern from McCall's for $9. I can also get Swarovski crystals for not too much. I really want to try and do this myself, but if I have too hard a time, I'll ask my mom to save me.
5. We're going to have as much of a geek theme for the reception as possible. I want to get some miniature Tuxes for cake toppers (I'll use some spare tulle to put a veil on one of them). And these can be the place cards.
6. For a while, I was wracking my brain over silverware and dishes. On one hand, I want things to look nice. On another, I don't want to spend too much. I wanted to rent dishes, but my mother brought up a good point: "Who's going to wash them?" I think I found a happy medium with these high-quality plastic dishes and flatware. All the disposability of plastic, without looking too darned cheap.
   

Well, that's it for now. I should be studying for midterms, so don't expect to see me again too soon!

Centerpieces... check!

I went to National Wholesale Liquidators to check out the floating candle holders I mentioned before. My mom had mentioned that MOH's mom got them for $10. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there, because while these were $10, the ones I mentioned before were $3.99. I bought 12 of them (we have 10 tables, with enough guests to fill 8, but I got a couple extra just in case). You should have seen me, with three huge plastic bags full of the things, hopping on a bus, then a train, then another bus to get home with them all. Now, it's just a matter of where to put them for 9 months >_<.

I'm still contemplating whether to further decorate the tables with little votives that can double as favors, or with flower petals. If petals, then real or fake? If no votives, then what will I do for favors? I'm leaning toward these bookmarks. People should definitely have use for bookmarks! If not, then please pretend you do, if only to avoid a rant on the state of education...

For the cake table, food tables, etc. I might have live floral centerpieces. I'm thinking of going with these guys for personal flowers, but if I get one of their packages, I'll have extra bridesmaid bouquets/centerpieces.

At least I finally feel as if I'm making some sort of progress with the planning. It didn't feel like I was truly planning a wedding until I actually got some wedding stuff. It kinda felt as if I was pretending to plan a wedding. Even though we've set a date, we didn't have to place a deposit on the venue, so there's no piece of paper proving that we have actual plans.

Progress... Gown, part 3 and more

It's been a couple of weeks since the last post (and that one was a blurb). Here's some of what's happened on the wedding front:

1. Went to another David's and tried on more gowns. Out of the 5 I wanted to try, only 3 of them were available in my size, and this is the one I'm leaning toward:
   but I'd change the color of the trim to match my wedding colors (pink or purple). There's also a gown by Alfred Angelo that's quite similar, but with a little more embroidery on the bottom and the back. They also have more color choices (read: shades of pink and purple).
2. Met with the minister at the church - checked out the church and hall. Set up date for 7/14/07! Yes, I know it's Bastille Day, but I figured it was the best weekend of the summer for us (and the only Saturday in July the minister didn't have stuff going on). If we can afford it, we'll have some quiche or crepes or something. Maybe I can make some Quiche Lorraine.
   
3. My mother's on a roll! She scoped out the centerpieces at my MOH's sister's sweet 16. They're something like this one here, but with pink flowers, and a pink candle. I might put one of those, or 2 or 3 of the smaller version on each table, and get some petals to sprinkle around.
   
4. MOH's mom lent us (practically shoved in our hands) a chocolate fountain. My mother asked if I wanted milk or white chocolate. I may go with white chocolate dyed purple! She also found someone to lend us a fondue pot (for cheese). I wasn't originally thinking of fondue, but hey!
5. My mother said she's going to start a wedding planning book, so she can keep track of what she's going to delegate to whom.
6. My mom and her friends are insane! A Michael's craft store recently opened up near my her. They gave away free $10 gift cards to the first 200 people. My mom wasn't able to go because she had worked the night before. However, 2 of her friends, and their mothers, went, and gave all four gift cards to my mother! That's right! My mom was able to score $40 in gift cards for wedding supplies while she was sleeping!
   
7. FH and I are seriously considering naming the tables after computer operating systems (my original idea was to go with Linux distributions, but there's no reason to limit ourselves!). Yes, we're quite geeky; FH is a sysadmin, who likes putting various flavors of Linux on his computers.
8. I pretty much have wedding day undergarments set. I know it seems insanely early, but since I am rather endowed, my strapless options were extremely limited (to only one brand). Unless I lose a crapload of weight by the big day, the bustier I got to try on gowns is the one I'll wear that day. (It cost me $80, but once again, I had no choice.)
   
9. I did some research on invitations already, and will most likely go with seal-and-send invites. I know they're not traditional, but neither is the wedding. This will be one of the first indications to invited guests as to the formality of the wedding, so informal invitations are fitting. They're also pretty cheap; I figure invitations, plus fancy seals for the envelopes, plus postage will come up to less than $150. (And this is with buying 75 invites when the guest list so far only requires 43 invitations.) I ordered and received samples of 3 invitation styles, and I like these invitations the best.
• However, I'm temped to print my own on this set from Target. FH prefers we go with the other ones because our printer's not very reliable. I don't see it as that much of a problem since my parents, MOH, and her family are all willing to let us use theirs. We'd save a crapload of money with the Target ones, and we'd be able to get matching place cards and programs too (though that would bring the price up).
  
10. The wedding party has more than doubled. Initially, we were only going to have a Maid of Honor and a Best Man. However, FH chose my brother as Best Man. My mother insisted that we invite FH's siblings (2 sisters and a brother) to be in the wedding party. His bro's a maybe, his sister's a yes, and I have to ask their mom about the other sister (she's 11).
    
11. Bridesmaid Gifts: silverjewelryclub.com. I've heard nothing but great reviews from them. The have a small selection of silver jewelry for free (+ $6 shipping) that changes every 15 minutes. I've been watching it for stuff that would fit the bridesmaids (and me!).
    
12. I found a photographer for less than $1000. I had also forgotten that my brother's friend is a photographer, and has done a few weddings. I haven't seen his wedding work, but I've seen some awesome pics he took of snowboarders in the Alps. I'm sure whatever he charges would be a lot less than a usual photographer. Plus, he's a pretty fun guy.
13. Did I mention the interracial cake topper before? At least it's half the price of the one the Knot is selling.
    

Getting in Shape...

As I mentioned in a previous post, trying on bridal gowns was an eye-opening experience, especially when I got to see my back through the mirrors! I've known for some time that my abs need a litt lot of work, but I wasn't prepared for how my back would look in a strapless gown! I decided to do a bit of research on bride-specific workouts, and picked up Buff Brides by Sue Fleming. It has a bunch of clearly explained and pictured exercises, divided by which part of the body they sculpt (abs, back, arms, etc.). It also emphasizes getting at least 60 minutes of cardio each week. There's two programs in the book: the 6-month, and the 3-month. Considering the fact that I have 10 months, I should be able to improve things somewhat. I don't expect to end up with a supermodel body (I'd be very happy to be merely overweight instead of obese by the time I walk down the aisle), but I'd like less flab on my arms and back. Just a little less.

Expect to see more about my progress on this front.

More Gowny Goodness (The Current Top 5)

I had made a nice little table so you could clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of each gown, but Blogger has issues with it. :(



Halter-top gown from David's Bridal. As you may already know from a previous post, I tried this one on when I went there with my mom.

Plus:

• Halter-top gives a bit more support to the chest area than a strapless (can wear a convertible bra with halter straps)
• I like the neckline
• I actually got to try it on

Minus:

• Price: $599, + sales tax (unless I go to New Jersey)
• If I remember correctly, the train's too long for my liking

Halter-top gown from 1koo.com

Plus:

• Not much of a train
• Custom made to my measurements
• Total price, including custom-making and shipping: $188

Minus:

• Neckline not so deep (not sure whether it's good or bad)
• Online retailer (can't try on the dress first)
• Non-returnable, if custom-made. I can return or exchange if I get it in one of their sizes.
• Can't really guage quality of details/materials

Lane Bryant Cocktail Gown

Plus:

• Price: $149, plus shipping and tax
• Lane Bryant always has $50 off of $150 coupons, which I could use if I add a $4 pair of stockings. Total: $104 + shipping
  
• After coupon, clothes under $110, making it tax-free in NY (though the website still charges you tax. What's up with that?
• Reputable vendor (half of my clothes are from there, anyway)
• Reasonable sizing chart (low chance of needing alterations)
• Dress has wide straps, strapless bra unncessary
  

Minus:

• Jury's still out on quality. Some brides are satisfied with it, others say the work is shabby.
• Gowns are only available online.
• The length (isn't there some weird etiquette rule saying that bridesmaids' and mothers' dresses can't be longer than the bride's?)
• If it were floor-length (or chapel length), this would be my hands-down favorite.

Gown made by eBay retailer Cinderella's Bridal Shop

Plus:

• Can choose color for detail
• Custom made to measurements

Neutral: Price: $280 (including shipping)

Minus:

• All the disadvantages of an online retailer (though they have a high feedback rating)

Another gown from 1koo (but I'd get it in white, not ivory)

Plus:

• Nice wide straps (may be able to get away with a normal bra)
• Nice wide sleeves (I have big arms), can also give them my arm size
• May be possible to remove sleeves
• Nice-looking details
• Price: $154
  

Minus:

• Online vendor
• Somehow, I feel like it's too much of an unknown; I've never tried on anything like this before.
  

So, there you have it. As you can see, I've given up on strapless gowns for now. I was blinded by the fact that the vast majority of gowns out there are strapless. However, fashion experts and I seem to agree; I'm too busty for a strapless gown. (Bra manufacturers seem to agree as well, considering how hard it is to find strapless bras in my size. Even plus-size stores don't sell them!)

This is *not* a good way to save money on flowers!

Onlinewholesaleflowers.com has a history of sending out rotten flowers (by "rotten," I mean moldy. ::shudder::) ... then giving you "store credit" when you complain.

Read this bride's account of her experience with them on LiveJournal. She also has links to the Nevada BBB.


Edit: I don't mean to bash online florists. I'm sure there are reputable ones. This place just isn't one of them.