Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Affordable Dress of the Month

I found this wedding gown on sale for $250 from David's Bridal (where I find all of my affordable dresses)... and I was so pleasantly surprised to finally find a pretty dress that wasn't strapless.

I remember searching for my gown and desperately trying to find something different from the typical strapless dress.  Unfortunately, it seems that most designers these days think that any kind of strap or sleeve is completely out of the question.  Anything that I found was unflattering and totally old school/ boring.

This one is a nice fresh take on the cap sleeve.  Subtle, but something unique and classy.  I hope you like it!  (Sorry so small, I had trouble enlarging it without making it blurry).  Visit the webpage to see full details...


http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Satin-Gown-with-Beaded-Chiffon-Bodice-WG9940_Sale-Sale-Bridal-Gowns

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

San Diego Budget Wedding - It Happened!

I recently helped my stepsister with planning her August wedding in San Diego.  You might be asking yourself how "San Diego wedding" and "budget" could possibly show up in the same sentence.  But they do, and it was a beautiful day!

Here were her basic tricks...

Location:  her ceremony took place FOR FREE on the beautiful cliffs of La Jolla.  They simply sent someone to stake out their spot early that afternoon and set up the chairs.  It's a public strip of land.  There were people picnicking about 100 feet away.  Anyone can use that space!


Guest List: 30 people.  Simple as that :)

Reception: House party with catering of various delicious hors d'oeuvres- no sit down dinner.  We hung out on the upstairs deck and lower patio/ yard and mingled.  It was great!

Built in Honeymoon:  Who doesn't love San Diego?!

I offered to do a video of the ceremony and tidbits of the reception with my flip cam, since she wasn't planning on hiring a videographer.  I wasn't expecting it to be great or anything, seeing as I'm not a professional.  But I really thought I could capture all of the important moments and put something nice together for her.

I was seriously dissapointed- I have used the flip for over a year now, and it has never steered me wrong. Crystal clear quality, so easy to work.  But I guess I never used the zoom feature before.  Well, at the most important time I needed it (for a wedding), it made everything blurry whenever I zoomed in.  I don't know if it's something I did, or if that's just what I should expect from a $200 mini video cam.

Anyway, if the blurriness had not been an issue, I would have been pretty happy with this video.  And I only used Windows Movie Maker, which is automatically installed in most computers these days.  The point is, if I can do it, anyone can do it.  Give it a stab some time :)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Signature Drink of the Month

The Cranberry Kiss

This is a great alternative to the common cranberry vodka.  It's has a little bit of an "island" feel with that spiced rum, and has that little extra zip with the collins mix/ sprite (as opposed to just cranberry and alcohol).  It would be a good for a summer/ beach wedding.  I try to pick signature drinks that don't have too many ingredients to keep it less expensive.  Enjoy!


  • 3/4 ounce(s) Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
  • 2 ounce(s) collins mix, or sprite (for less sweet version)
  • 2 ounce(s) cranberry juice
  • 1 wedge(s) lemon

Recipe & Photo Credit: http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/cranberry-kiss-drink-recipes 

    Thursday, September 2, 2010

    Fly me to the Moon

    Here's a great last minute deal for an affordable honeymoon...

    Sept 4-7, 2010
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    $106 per night- 4th night is free!
    4 star resort
    free parking, fitness center, and gorgeous pool



    I know this would be an extremely last minute trip, but it's good to know that you can generally find really great deals if you wait until the very last minute.  If you and your soon-to-be spouse are the adventurous type, wait it out and see what pops up the week you planned to go :)