Affordable Dress of the Month

This month, I decided to scope out a cute bridesmaid dress since they can be really tough to come by.  This one has a really nice ruching that comes together with a pretty flower on the side waist.  It's $125 from David's Bridal, and there are about 12 different colors.  I think the ruching also helps to create a slimming shape and compliments a variety of body types.  I hope you like it!

Find this dress

A San Diego Wedding

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm going to San Diego to help my step sister pull off an intimate ceremony at the cliffs of La Jolla followed by an informal reception party for friends and family at her house.  I helped her plan her wedding in just 2 months, so if we can do it, so can you!  I'll be back with tons of pictures, stories, and video to share.

In the meantime, here's a great article from The Knot:
Wedding Budget: 30 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding

I'll be back on the blog next Wednesday.  See you then :)

Budget Friendly Favors

I'm always looking for affordable favors that are cute and practical, without looking cheap and/or cheesy.  I will try to post my best find on favors once each month.

This month, I found something that I thought was really original and that people would actually use- bamboo coasters.  They are only $1.50 per pack of 4, and $1.85 if you want to personalize the packaging.

http://www.americanbridal.com/bamboo-coaster-favors-dska22014na.html

Tip of the Week

Reduce Stress whenever you can...  Weigh the pros and cons of saving money in certain scenarios.  Sometimes, you can save a lot of money and have a lot of fun doing something yourself.  Other times, it isn't worth the stress, so you'll want to consider all options.

For example, you can find very reasonable invitations online that will be printed with everything you want (and you can order a sample first to make sure it's what you're looking for).  If you need 100 invitations, you can easily find options online for $2 or less per invitation-- printed and ready to go.

You might think, why don't I just get some blank invites from a craft store and print them myself for $1 per invitation?  Yes, you are saving $100, but if you aren't the most computer savvy person, you could end up pulling your hair out, or worse- ruin the invitations because they print out with the writing half off the page.

Say your wedding budget is $12,000.  In the scheme of things, $100 is not that much.

On the other hand, if you can save $10 per plate by picking a different style meal or different time of day, that might be something worth considering- it doesn't involve stressing you out; it's just a change of theme.  That's a savings of $1,000.

Just consider your priorities and time commitment and make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew :)

Have a great weekend!

Photo Credit: messed up wedding invitation

Wedding Inspiration

Use this inspiration board to make a budget wise version for your wedding...

This dress is from Target!

SUMMER GIVEAWAY WINNER

Thanks to everyone for participating in the CSN stores summer giveaway.  The winner of the $40 gift certificate for any of their 200 online stores is Stephanie, who posted a comment on July 15. 

Stephanie, I will send you an email with the information to redeem your gift certificate. 

We hope to be able to provide another givewawy soon!  In the meantime, check out our "Giveaway Scout" sidebar, that lists all the latest giveaways from other websites that you can participate in.

Weekend Wind Down

This weekend, treat yourself to a spa day with your girlfriends.  You don't have the money to spend a couple hundred dollars on massages and mani/pedis?  You don't need to.  Just invite some friends over and relax.  Sit outside and drink some fresh squeezed lemonade or iced tea, put cucumber slices over your eyes, paint each other's nails, and maybe even swap back massages.

When you're planning a wedding, you need to remember to treat yourself and relax every once in a while!  You might even squeeze a good chick flick in there- or some trash TV ;)

Have a great weekend, and don't forget- this is your last chance to enter the SUMMER GIVEAWAY! 

I recently added my blog to a website called Giveaway Scout, where they keep us updated with cool giveaways that are going on right now.  I've added their widget to my sidebar, so I hope you are able to win more great gifts after this one!

Photo Credit: http://tinyurl.com/27lsdx3