Spreading the word...

OH!  One very important freebie to take advantage of is creating a wedding website.  It's a great way to get detailed info to your guests; links to websites, maps, things to do, etc.  Very helpful.  I found that The Knot offers the most user friendly one.  It's totally free and part of a very resourceful website for your planning and idea inspiration!  Check it out!!  :)   http://www.maryannmatt.ourwedding.com/

Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married....

Well, not quite a chapel... more like a backyard.  Or maybe exactly like a backyard, lol.  Long ago we agreed that we wanted a simple and sweet backyard celebration and that's just what we're doing!  I'm excited for the day to arrive, when our families finally meet and I get to par-tayy with my closest family & friends :) 

My shopping & planning are moving along nicely.  I'm proud of my decisions and purchases; frugally budgeted, yet not infringing on my tastes or expectations of what I want the day to look like.  One thing I have going for me is that I was never one of those little girls who played wedding; which means I wasn't a teenager dreaming of being married, and I wasn't a twenty-something that already had a binder filled with plans & ideas of my big day.  The other thing I have going for me is that I'm cheap... err, frugal.  Here's the short and sweet of what I've done so far...

The venue. Where better to host our family and friends than where we feel most at home? Our backyard. And it's free ;) What if it rains you ask? We have the luxury of having a large playground/park across the street that we reserved just in case. That was free, too. And by choosing to have an outdoor casual event, we opened the door to keeping the rest of our choices light, easy, breezy.

Save The Dates. Since we have people from out of state coming, this was a necessity. I have one word for you. Shutterfly. Zillions of options (well, lots anyway), inexpensive and fun. $20.00 for 25. Nice.  Postage = $11.00.

The cake. No way would I ever spend hundreds of dollars on a baked good. Bakeries, cakeries, and specialty shops all want too much. So, I stopped and thought, where would I go for a delicious cake any over day? Publix. They have a ton of styles & options for wedding cakes, a decorator to go over details, every color under the sun, and you can get as custom or as simple as you want. Cupcake tower with 8" cake on top, custom colors, serves 60... $125. Score!

The dress. I found a wonderful consignment bridal boutique in downtown Albany, where everything is either previously owned (worn once, gently), past year's designs, or items from unfortunate shops that had closed and needed a place to sell the remainder of their stock. I knew I had the right place when I was told by the woman assisting me that it made her sick to see so many women spend so much money (usually on credit) on their dress when there were so many perfectly lovely & beautiful ones to chose from outside of designer bridal shops.  Damn straight lady.  I tried on 5.  I bought the first one I tried on.  $199.00.  AWESOME.  This price is pre-alterations, which is one of the reasons why I set my dress budget so low.  Alterations can range between $50 to $150, especially for a midget like me, lol.
 
The rings.  The honey & I both wanted a simple, plain white gold band.  We price shopped at three local places; one local store and two national chains.  After confirming our ring sizes, the style we wanted, and having the three price comparisons, we did what any smart military couple would do... we went online and checked out USAA's website.  Another luxury we have.  We were able to order our rings, in a better quality, for under $500.  That was for both.  No tax.  Our rings should arrive on Valentine's Day... three years from the day we met.  Thank you, US Coast Guard :)
 
Invitations.  One thing that is always very important to me, with any event or party I'm involved in, is handcrafting items for a personal touch.  I feel that it shows how much the day and people mean to me, and hopefully shows my appreciation that they are there.  So, it was only fitting that I would make our invitations :)  It's harder to describe then than it is to show you, so I'll attach a photo.  With a little creative imagination, a printer and patience, they came out great!!  Invites and RSVP's = $30.00.  Postage is always what kicks the saving butt = $25.00.
 
So far, that brings our running total to about $900.00 for a large chunk of the important stuff.  SWEET!!!  Next is food & drink.  Oy vey!

Here's how the invites turned out...

WHOA!! Back that horse up!!!

What's that you say?  I never blogged about an engagement, getting married, ELOPING??? 

That's right, the Honey & I eloped on 11/11/11!  Who can resist the fun of a date that we'll never see again in our lifetime, right?  It was very simple, sweet, intimate & romantic.  My personal quote on that day "... a bride, a groom, a judge and a bouquet of red roses.  Perfect."  And it was perfect.

We most definitely wanted to include and celebrate with our family & friends, so on St. patrick's Day, 3/17/12, we're having a small ceremony & celebration... and that's where my last blog begins.

There, now you're caught up :)

Here comes the Frugal Bride...

Any of you reading this that have had a wedding of your own, already know what I'm learning... it's stupid expensive!  I've always heard that adding the word 'wedding' in front of anything bumps up the price threefold... or even tenfold, as I'm finding out.  What I'm not understanding is why so many brides allow themselves to be sucked in by it all.  Me?  I'm planning on a shoestring budget.  Not so much because I have to, but more because I can't stomach going into debt over a day that's supposed to be the happiest moment of my life.  I think I can live without the $2,000 dress and $500 cake.

So make way my firnds, here comes the Frugal Bride ;)