Mr. D and I knew that we were going to pay for the wedding ourselves. So when we set an initial budget, we were shooting for $10k. So how close did we get? Well, let’s find out!
Attire:
Mrs. Doily:
Dress (including bustle, undergarments, and tax—no alterations needed): $1,309
Accessories:
Earrings: $54.60
Bracelet: Gifted
Necklace: Borrowed
Veil: Borrowed
Shoes (Both the heels and the Toms): $87.54
Hair Flower: $5.78
Beauty:
Hair and makeup (trial and tip for both included): $180
Manicure: $50
…Anyone catch the reference to Sex and the City in the blog-post title? Yes? Even 10-plus years since that show aired I am still a huge Carrie Bradshaw fan.
A lot of wedding-planning checklists include tasks related to beauty, such as “get in wedding-day shape,” “start a beauty regimen,” “consider whitening your teeth,” “consult a dermatologist for skincare advice,” “test out spray-tan treatments or self-tanning creams,” etc. There is so much pressure to look perfect on your wedding day. And glossy photos on wedding blogs and in magazines don’t help! As the wedding day got closer, I frequently thought about what I should’ve or could’ve done differently over the course of our engagement. Should I have spent more time with a dermatologist trying to get rid of my pesky adult acne? Should I have started a tanning regimen so I didn’t look pasty in my low-back dress? Should I have spent less time on crafts and more time on an elliptical?
I keep going back to an awesome article by a wedding photographer that was posted on Offbeat Bride. Angie Gaul writes:
Very early on in our engagement, Mr. A admitted that the one thing he was really looking forward to was getting a wedding band made out of tungsten carbide. Stronger than gold, steel, and titanium, tungsten carbide is completely scratch resistant and virtually indestructible (on the Mohs hardness scale, tungsten carbide sits at a 9; diamond sits at a 10, just for comparison). It’s substantially heavier than titanium and has a super-cool gunmetal color to it, which really does look awesome on men’s hands (and kind of sexy, if I do say so myself!). Noticing he’d put a lot of thought into what kind of wedding band he wanted, I was definitely on board with the tungsten carbide idea. The only caveat I presented was suggesting he actually go and try one on at a store so he’d be sure that the tungsten ring was what he really wanted. Luckily for us, BM Mascara works at the local jewelry store in town, so we set up an appointment to go in and look at wedding bands with her during our town’s annual “Christmas on the Square” shopping event.
We were totally surprised by the variety of tungsten carbide rings they had in the store, and Mr. A was pretty much like a kid in a candy store trying on different styles and widths and telling BM Mascara what he liked and didn’t like about each one. She was able to lead us to a tungsten carbide beauty that fit all of his wishes: a thin, six-millimeter-wide, beveled-edge ring with a brushed matte center and high polish on the sides and inside. In all the excitement I forgot to take a picture (bad me!). But don’t worry—I’ll show you a picture of exactly what he tried on in a sec.
Aurelie is selling a Demetrios wedding gown with spaghetti straps. She is asking $1,800 for the size-6 dress.
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Other great items for sale:
Let’s go back in time for a bit, shall we? Back to last spring when the Beanstalks were still planning their wedding! So, we had our venue…the amazing Sundy House in Delray Beach, Florida. The Sundy House was going to be where both our ceremony and reception were going to take place. With that said, we had no idea who was going to actually marry us! You might remember how I posted about my Catholic upbringing and my personal struggle with a church wedding (to have or to have not)…well, even though we ultimately decided not to wed in a house of worship, I still wanted our ceremony to be religious (or have religious aspects). It was going to be an outdoor garden ceremony and I knew finding a Catholic priest was probably not going to happen. But I still wanted our ceremony to reflect the Catholic faith, to an extent.
Back in the springtime, when I broke my foot and was on my leave from work, I spent my days sitting on the couch, doing wedding research online (what else was a soon-to-be-bride supposed to do?). It was during this time that I realized the clock was ticking and we needed to find an officiant and soon! I had just read Real Simple Weddings (highly recommend this magazine to anyone planning a wedding) and used some of their suggested links to help start my search for an officiant. I still had hopes of finding someone with a Catholic affiliation, but kept my options open. I don’t even remember what I searched for, but I stumbled upon Archbishop Sean Alexander’s website. Sean Alexander used to be a Catholic archbishop but had left the church for spiritual reasons. Sean Alexander’s website sums up his religious walk best: He became “bishop of an interdenominational ministry which enabled him to serve all faith communities, including the catholic faith in a different capacity.”
On the late September morning of our wedding, I awoke to this rather wet view of Austin:
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Rain on your wedding day: not so ironic
Well, shoot. It had been raining for at least 24 hours, and I knew the ground at our wedding site would be totally soaked. Even if it didn’t rain during the actual ceremony, it was pretty darn unlikely that we’d be having the ceremony outside. (Picture chairs, shoes, etc. sinking into muddy lawn…not so nice.)
I love organization. If my closet space allowed it, I would hang everything (in order of length and color within length, of course). Unfortunately, this particular closet doesn’t allow me my fair share of hanging space, so instead I’ve had to *shudder* fold some of my stuff. I’ll come clean—not having to fold things is the main priority in hanging clothes. It’s much more difficult to color coordinate when things are folded…sigh.
Image via I Can Haz Cheeseburger / Text added by yours truly
Anyway, when it came time to think about a hanger for one of the most significant pieces of clothing I’ll ever wear, it was obvious I was going to get something special. (OK, so wire hangers have been done a lot, but that doesn’t make them any less special to me!)
There were so many options…
It’s no secret that I LOVE free stuff. If there’s leftover birthday cake, Halloween candy, or any food at my office, I am all over it. (C’mon, who doesn’t love free food?!) And I always stash the mini shampoo and conditioner bottles when I stay in hotels. (They always turn out to be helpful when I’m road-tripping or camping!) So whenever I see something wedding related that is free, I jump on the opportunity. My favorite free detail is the design for our rehearsal-dinner invites. I found the template, created by the talented Betsywhite Stationery Boutique, on The Sweetest Occasion blog.
Free printable invite by Betsywhite Stationery Boutique via The Sweetest Occasion
The designer, Gia Graham, was inspired by Cinco de Mayo and al fresco destination weddings. So the theme suits our rehearsal dinner of South American fusion cuisine perfectly, no?
About 10 years ago I attended my cousin’s wedding. It was a very high class Southern affair with a big outdoor tent and a delicious buffet of traditional Southern delights. Even years later I still I remember that they displayed framed photos of both the bride and the groom’s parents on their wedding days. I remember thinking what a sweet gesture it was, and how I would never be able to do the same thing at my own wedding.
My parents were divorced when I was 13 years old. It was mess, and even 16 years later there are still a lot of old wounds and scars on both sides of the family. In fact, I am really dreading the potential drama that now looms ominously on the horizon as our wedding approaches, namely the fact that my mother has never met (nor has any desire to meet) my stepmother. Mr. C’s parents are also divorced, and his parents currently coexist in an emotional stalemate. It’s trouble on both sides. Trouble to the point that we are reserving room blocks at two different hotels in order to preserve the peace. But more on that later.
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My mom and dad on their wedding day. I love my mom’s lace dress and I love the fact my dad is very obviously checking her out!
But here’s the thing—I wish there was some way that we could honor both of our parents’ first marriages, seeing as we (Mr. C and I) were the results of those unions, even if they didn’t end with “happily ever after.” I wish we could display the photos without opening old wounds or creating awkwardness (there will be plenty of that anyway, to be sure). This is definitely something we would have to consult our parents on beforehand to see how they feel about the issue. But something tells me it probably isn’t going to be possible, which makes me sad.
ArmyWifey8.23 shows off her semi-DIY wedding invitations.
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I found my wedding crush!! You know what I’m talking about right? That wedding that seems to match something of your theme/style/decor and gets you inspired for your own Big Day?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to view the entire gallery of this wedding but the photos I discovered are truly awesome and affirming. And hopefully our wedding will look pretty similar to this except for 50 degrees colder.
Here’s what I found:
MEN IN KILTS THAT DON’T MATCH
It’s no secret I’ve been slightly concerned (but mostly just curious) about how our photos will look with each of the groomsmen and Mr. Sword sporting different tartan patterns. Furthermore, they’ll all be wearing different jackets with all the groomsmen in the more formal Prince Charlie style and Mr. Sword showcasing the more semi-formal Argyll jacket. After seeing this photo, I’m happy to report I’m digging the mismatched guys look and I’m SO excited to see how our bridal party pulls it off as well!
photo by Leah Fontaine Photography
Note the different sporrans and how beautiful they all look together!
SHE HAS FOUR BRIDESMAIDS AND THEY ARE IN DARK COLORED DRESSES
My four bridesmaids will be in long dark eggplant dresses and my honor attendants will be wearing short black dresses. I love the look of these dark dresses next to the bride’s light gown.
I saw a hair “salon” with that punny name in eastern Kentucky. (It was in a pretty run-down shack, so I’m a little hesitant to call it a salon.) Ever since then, “Hair it is” has been my favorite hair pun. You have to say with a real good Southern accent to really appreciate it. But I digress, before I even begin.
I want to talk about hair (obviously). I just read in Glamour magazine that hair is what takes a look from “good to great” or “OK to terrible.” And I’m inclined to agree. I’ve got a few pictures of myself that I’d be happy to burn so that no one would ever have to see the frizzy mess sitting on top of my head. (Thank god digital images weren’t really around until I left high school. I do not want any of those pictures floating around the internet.) So anyway, I’ve spent a LOT of time thinking about what my hair should look like for the big day.
The first thing I knew was that my hair will most definitely be up. It’s time for me to confess something. I kind of have an issue…with sweating. When I’m at the gym in an aerobics class, the instructors all know me as the girl who asks for the fans to be turned on. (Yeah, it’s embarrassing.) And for whatever reason, the sweating is absolutely the worst on my face and neck. I know for a fact that I will be sweating on my wedding day. It doesn’t matter if it’s 20 degrees outside. I’ll get nervous, and I’ll start sweating. So, wearing my hair down is just not an option.
Because I knew I wanted it up, I started growing out my hair basically as soon as I thought Mr. Whale and I would get married. We weren’t engaged (in fact, we didn’t get engaged for another year and a half or so). But I used to have this cute little sassy bob, and I knew it would take ages to grow it out, because it was angled in the back. (I was right. It took about a year to get it to shoulder length.)
MOH and me / Personal photo
So now I officially have long hair, and that means I can do whatever I want!
We had so much fun taking these photos. Since we went to college with most of our bridal party, everyone was already friends and excited to spend some quality time together.
Photography by Palos Studio
The whole group, including our two cute ring bearers.
I can truly say that many of my dreams came true on our wedding day. From marrying a man that I love with my whole heart down to the cake, it was perfect. Since you have heard plenty about Mr. Dalmatian, let’s talk a little more about the cake! You may recall that after sifting through A LOT of cake-spiration I landed on my dream design of a pink ombre cake.
Well, Patty Cakes did an unbelievable job bringing this inspiration to life. Words cannot describe this dessert masterpiece so I will now turn to pictures.
One of the many things that I adored about our venue was the fact that it had a room solely for displaying the wedding cake—chandelier and all! Now let’s get a little closer…
We can’t wait for our newest bee to share her fairy tale with us! Join me in giving a warm welcome to Miss Bat!
Miss Bat, Kalamazoo, MI
Age & Occupation: 21, Religious Studies Student
Fiance’s Age & Occupation: 21, Philosophy and Psychology Student
Engagement Date: July 9, 2012
Wedding Date: May 2013
Venue: The bride’s hometown United Methodist Church near Kalamazoo
About Me: Once upon a time, there was a church-loving, introverted, gluten-intolerant Midwestern princess (me!) who fell for one of the first guys she met in the far-off kingdom of a tiny liberal arts college: Mr. E, my tracksuit-wearing, philosophy-quoting, only-beige-food-eating knight in shining armor. Other than Mr. E, I love Shakespeare, Gilmore Girl marathons, and coffeehouse culture (not to mention coffeehouse coffee), while my prince prefers video games (especially Halo!) and traveling the world. Shortly after our wedding, he’s bound for law school and I for seminary to become a pastor (hopefully in the same city!). We’re both aspiring fiction writers who bonded over both our own works and fairy tales, and are bringing in our dates of watching pretty much every Disney movie together by having a fairy tale-themed wedding! With the help of our family and friends, our tiny budget will surely turn pumpkins into golden coaches for a perfect happily ever after!
