We're Back!

Hey all!

I have to begin with an apology that it's been over a month since our last post. The tail end of summer wedding season and my own belated honeymoon have kept me SUPER busy...but that means I have new ideas as we gear up for fall wedding season - and I've got TONS of info for those of you planning to honeymoon in Maui. Un-freaking-believeable.

I leave you with MSN's recent piece on misbehaving wedding guests.

eBay Weddings - Thrifty or Just Plain Tacky?

As Americans find themselves in the middle of an economic crunch, many brides are utilizing unconventional methods to fund their big day. No doubt you've heard about the "eBay Bride" - a hairdresser from Virginia Beach whose modest wedding budget prompted her to auction off a prime spot in her wedding - that of a bridesmaid. To be honest, never in a million years would I have believed it would work. It can be frustrating enough to shell out cash for the dress, shower, bachelorette party, and a wedding gift (not to mention putting up with a bride's "princess complex") when you're doing it for your best friend or your sister. But a total stranger? Not unless you pay me. My price? $500 for the weekend, and you agree to cover travel expenses and the cost of that Pepto-Bismol colored taffeta Tooth Fairy gown.

Clicking through eBay auctions, I usually find myself asking "Who on earth would buy that?" Well, for the eBay Bride, Kelly Gray, the answer was surprising. The Dr. Pepper/Snapple Corporation offered a victorious bid of $5,700. The winner increased their offer to $10,000 with another shocking announcement: despite winning the auction, the company still doesn't know who will actually walk down the aisle next April. Current ideas include a celebrity bridesmaid or launching their own contest to win the spot. Was it a good idea? I wouldn't have done it. Paying taxes on the money and dealing with the media circus just isn't worth it to me. I started thinking, though, about eBay as a wedding resource. In 2006, I purchased several new items for my own wedding through eBay with great success. Many vendors offer special "lot" or "batch" items (favors, invitations, decorations) at a much cheaper rate than you'd pay in their online store, simply as a means to keep their selling volume up. After all, making 50% of their usual retail profit is better than making 0%, which means great deals for economical brides who are willing to do some research and take a bit of a gamble...and sort through all the junk.

If you're planning a wedding and feeling creative, take some time to look through eBay's current wedding catalog. Be specific about what you're looking for (i.e. "pink ring bearer pillow" or "summer wedding favors"), and keep an open mind. Do they offer anything that even interests you? If so, can you get it more inexpensively through an auction or "Buy It Now" listing than the vendor's online store? Are you willing to take the chance that you won't win the auction? If you can't find it new, are you willing to buy it used? For many frugal brides, the answer is an overwhelming "YES!" Be sure to check the seller's rating & user history, ask clarifying questions, and calculate shipping costs before committing to bid. It's certainly not for everyone, but if you're feeling brave, give it a try! You might just save enough money to rent me as your MOH. Just kidding. Mostly.

Coupon Codes!

Hey, all! Since I've been on the subject of invitations lately, I thought I'd post these coupon codes for those of you the "stationery" stage of your planning. And, bridesmaids, the coupons also work for shower invitations, so be sure to take a peek around!

*At My Wedding Favors Enter coupon code SAVE10 to receive 10% on orders over $150.

Obviously, if you're in the "favor" stage of your planning, this is the perfect time to buy, but they also offer a few DIY designs like this Platinum Border Invitation Kit


*At Wedding Paper Divas, enter the coupon code "AFL2" at checkout and receive 5% off all orders, including their colorful line of wedding & bridal shower invitations. Click on one of the images below to visit their site.

*And though they don't offer invitations, Beau-Coup Wedding Favors will give you Free Shipping for orders over $125 (Code: FREESHIP). So now's not a bad time to do a little window shopping if you're in the market for wedding favors, bridal shower favors, or personalized gifts for your wedding party.

'Mamma Mia' In Theatres This Weekend!

Ready for a new wedding flick? Me, too! I'm going to be honest, though. I was not super-pumped when I heard Hollywood was making a feature film out of the hit Broadway show Mama Mia! – not because I hated it, but because I am pretty much ambivalent about it and keep hoping against hope that they'll give Wicked a try one of these days. Music by disco royalty Abba: yikes. Story about a girl who decides she wants the father she's never met to walk her down the aisle: blah. The twist is that after reading her mother's diary, Sophie discovers that there are THREE candidates for the empty role of Father of the Bride, and her mom's not willing to dish. So, Sophie does what any girl would do and invites them all (unbeknownst to her mother) to her wedding in Greece (yes, that was sarcasm). Guess what? They all show. The next 24 hours are a musical, seaside adventure as Sophie and her mother, Donna, sing and dance their way to the truth about their family.

Until I saw the fairly impressive cast list, I had resolved merely to put Mama Mia! in my Netflix queue and hope The Husband didn't delete it. But it might be worth it to see Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan (Ouch! Really? Are they really going to let him sing?) on the big screen. In fact, I'm actually looking forward to Amanda Seyfried's performance as Sophie because she cracked me up as Karen in Mean Girls. And because I've never taken the many opportunities I've had to attend this show on Broadway or its National Tour – one has to wonder if I've been too harsh. After all, it's been seen by over 30 million people in 160 countries and 8 different languages. Why not give it a try? Take a well-deserved break from all that planning and hit the cinema with your bridesmaids. You might just find that perfect bit of inspiration you've been looking for!

When to DIY: Wedding Invitations

Image courtesy of InviteSite.com

Do-It-Yourself wedding projects are more popular than ever. Couples are super-pumped to save money by not out-sourcing all their nuptial needs while having a truly personalized ceremony & reception from start to finish! Think you’d like to jump on the DIY bandwagon? Before committing to take on making your own wedding invitations, RSVP cards, thank-yous, programs, etc. you should ask yourself the following questions:

1. “Do I have the time?” Unless you’re well-versed in card making, graphic design, and crafting, chances are you have no idea how laborious this process can be. If your schedule is already packed, consider buying professionally printed wedding stationery – or have an independent design one-of-a-kind wedding collateral for you.

2. “Do I have the ability?” Be honest. If you’re great with shapes, colors, glue & scissors, then go for it! If you’re a little less left-brained, don’t be afraid to try a ready-made kit that is simple to assemble or seek the help of one of your more artistically gifted friends.

3. “Do I have the resources?” A lot of brides opt for DIY wedding invitations as a money-saving measure. If that’s your primary motivation, you should know that the extra time and effort may not be worth it in the end. If you’re not excited by the idea of making everything by hand, first shop the clearance sections at online boutiques or visit a locally owned print shop to see what they would charge to design and print the invitations for you. I found my dream invites in the clearance section of an online stationer, marked down just enough to fit my budget. When my father & stepmother got married, they took one of her original paintings to a small-town printer and had it replicated as their wedding invitation…for 20% of the cost of my clearance invitations. Being creative is half the fun – especially when it saves you money.

4. “Do I have the desire?” If you have no earthly clue how to make your own wedding invitations & even less inclination to actually do it, then, by all means – skip it! If you’re hoping to save money, there are many other DIY wedding ideas to help stretch your dollars. Likewise, if you know EXACTLY what you want and can’t find it (or are a perfectionist who doesn’t trust anyone but yourself!), then creating your own wedding invitations and other stationery is probably a necessary means of preserving your sanity.

If you (or a trusted friend!) can answer these questions in the affirmative, then you are certainly ready to start creating your own wedding invitations. If you don’t feel like taking on the entire wedding collateral, mix and match doing some pieces yourself while leaving some for the professionals. Whatever you decide, just be sure it’s what you really want – and don’t let anyone (even me!) talk you out of it. It’s your big day!

Planning Timeline: Invitations

You’ve got a list a mile long of all your wedding to-dos; in fact, you’re pretty sure there are 37 additional things you forgot to put on the list that MUST be completed in the next 6 months. So, where to start? After you’ve nailed down your ceremony & reception site and wedding date, you’re ready to getting moving on invitations!

Shop Around: Take a week or two to visit stationers in your area. Also, be sure to look online as many boutique designers, such as Wedding Invitations by Wedding Paper Divas have full-service websites. If you can’t quite decide between your top 3 choices, most paper companies offer to send samples so you can get the full effect – but keep in mind that it can take up to two weeks for some samples to arrive. Places like Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Wal-Mart & Target have also begun to offer easy-to-personalize wedding collateral lines.

Place Your Order: Once you’ve found the perfect invites, don’t waste any time ordering (and try not to order any later than three months before your wedding date). Allow up to 6 weeks for delivery (most companies deliver in 2-4). It’s important to order wedding invitations as soon as you are able for this reason: mistakes happen. If you allow a “cushion”, you won’t have to freak out if your save-the-dates are a different color than your invitations or if they spelled “Catherine” with a “K” instead of a “C”. Note: If you do end up with a stationery snag, don’t be a brat when you call the company. Yes, this is your big day. Yes, you’re paying good money for their product. But the fact of the matter is that the 19-year-old receptionist had nothing to do with the misprint and you’ll catch more flies with honey.

Envelope Stuffing & Labeling: Unless you’ve been a bridesmaid in the past, you’ve probably never experienced the tedium of delicately cramming the invitation, RSVP card, direction card, registry card and that flimsy little sheet of tissue paper into the inner envelope - and then into the outer envelope…250 times. It’s not a bad idea to begin this process 8-10 weeks before you plan to mail the invitations. As busy as you’ll be balancing work, family, and wedding planning it’s wise to plan ahead and give yourself some extra time – or rope in your ‘maids, mom, and sisters for a night of assembly line fun (she with the best penmanship should be reserved for the actual addressing). Don’t forget the stamps! Your local post office offers special postage specifically for weddings, so be sure to ask for it! Note: Though food & drinks make any pre-wedding activity more fun, keep them as far from your assembly line as possible. That red wine stain won’t come out of 250 pearl and ivory invitations.

Mailing: You’re almost finished! Since we all know that the postal service delivers top-notch precision and accuracy when handling our mail, you would be wise to mail out-of-town guests’ invites 6 weeks before the wedding date. In-town guests can typically be mailed 4 weeks out – but I say, why make TWO trips to the post office? Just dump them all in your nearest blue box at the 6 week mark to be safe. That gives everyone a little more time to RSVP – which means fewer last minute calls to your caterer to up your dinner count.