Budget Bride Blog

Tabatha Roybal!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. Really, everyone’s a winner considering Pink Avenue Bride’s low prices. I definitely encourage newcomers to check out her stock at pinkavenuebride.com.

Tabatha will be receiving the 5th Avenue table numbers in merlot with black ribbon (different colors pictured below).

Tabatha, please send an email to info@pinkavenuebride.com to claim your new cards!

Here we are, last night’s birthday girls. We had a great time celebrating with our friends at New York’s Maritime Hotel. However, there were a few hiccups to the night that actually made me think about weddings and how important it is to just go with the flow in order to truly enjoy yourself.

There is so much pressure to make your weding into the perfect day, despite the fact that there are few things perfect in life. Last night we dealt with no-show guests, incredibly rude venue staff, and the disappointment of not being able to spend as much time with each person as we would have liked.

Sounds like a wedding!

I should have promised myself going into this party that I wasn’t going to let anything get me down, not for a second! I made this promise to myself before my wedding day, and guess what, it worked! However, ast night I had a few frowny moments that I could have avoided completely had I been in the right sort of mindset.

It’s amazing how your happiness depends entirely upon the way in which you view things. Our wedding day was absolutely the happiest day of my life, but if I hadn’t made a concsious decision to “go into the pink bubble” and see only the good, I could have been bogged down by the following:

• No-show guests, just like last night
• Half of our ceremony flowers just not showing up
• Forgetting to pay the accompianist AND the officiant
• Our video camera running out of batteries before the end of the ceremony
• Not getting extremely touching toasts on tape
• Being unable to get through our choreographed first dance because my dress kept threatening to fall down
• My hair coming completely undone
• People leaving early
• Many more mishaps I’m surely forgetting

As you can see, our wedding was far from perfect in the technical sense. However, there’s nothing technical about happiness, love, and celebration. So take this bit of advice from a wife with one more year under her belt:

Choosing to be an optimist at your wedding is what will make it the happiest day of your life.

My twin sister and I turn 27 today! We have quite the par-tay planned, so I’m afraid there isn’t much time for a totally wedding related post. But I will say that birthdays are a great cure for wedding withdrawal. Much happiness comes with marriage, of course, but some ladies get the post wedding blues once they realize there are no more favor bags to tie up or ceremony programs to assemble.

Well, guess what: Once a year, you still get to be a princess. And while planning our birthday took about a one hundredth of the energy it took to plan my husband’s and my wedding, Heather and I will be princesses tonight. Oh, yes. We will.

Here’s a pic of my sister helping me with my eye makeup on my wedding day. Yes, we really are identical twins. Black is not her natural hair color, but it looks great on her, as does every color she goes with (she’s sported them all). Because peacock feathers played a big role in our wedding, my sister even dyed a streak of her hair peacock blue for the event! How’s that for a committed maid of honor?

Photo credit: Kenny Pang Photography

And here we are last year, on our 26th birthday. Some people don’t make big deals out of their birthdays, and some years I’m inclined not to do so myself, but being surrounded by all our friends that night felt really, really good. I felt blessed to have then in my life. It was a similar feeling to the one I had on my wedding day, a day which inevitably comes to be about so much more than just you and your husband.

Well, budget brides, I’m off to celebrate! Brunch with the husband, a man-pedi, and then it’s party time! Enjoy your weekends!

Best Wishes,

Bethany

Not only are wedding flowers expensive, they’ve certainly been done before. I find flower alternatives much more interesting, which is why I’m so excited to introduce a new Budget Bride series: Non-Floral Fridays!

Every Friday post for the next eight weeks will be dedicated to some sort of flower alternative. I thought I’d kick off the good long run with this romantic idea found on Once Wed.

Yes, Yes, there are flowers included, but they’re definitely not the focal point. Which means you can stuff these log vases with faux flowers, dried flowers, paper flowers, anything but the expensive variety, and still make just as cool an impression. I don’t have to tell you that what makes these the coolest are the romantic carvings.

Photo credit: Kenny Pang Photography

It’s time to close the story of how my husband and I found our wedding venue, Branch Nightclub and Event Space. Of course, any quest to find an inexpensive wedding venue doesn’t just end with the signing of the contract. Couples must continue to find ways to keep costs low, even after the space is booked.

What helped me and my husband immensely in this area was sticking with the mindset that our wedding was a party, a celebration and a festival rather than a formal affair. We saved thousands of dollars by keeping the guest list low (not a difficult feat since with so many friends and family spread throughout the country many people just couldn’t make it to New York), as well as choosing not to have a sit-down dinner.

Even if we had had the budget for a full dinner, we wouldn’t have done things this way. We wanted our guests to have the freedom to move around and mingle with whomever they pleased. We wanted to have this freedom, as well! I didn’t want to spend one second sitting at a table. I wanted to dance, to talk, to party the night away.

Photo credit: Kenny Pang Photography

For the first half of our four hour reception passed hors d’oeuvres were served. We then had stations brought out: fruits, nuts and artisan cheeses, a mashed potato bar, and pizza. Yes, pizza. Not Pizza Hut or anything of the like…it was as gourmet as pizza could get…but it was still pizza. And I’m not apologizing for it. It was fantastic.

Not only did we save on the overall cost of food, we also didn’t have to worry about seating charts, table numbers, or place settings. Having “one big cocktail hour” was probably the best decision we made when it came to our wedding.

If asked to leave budget wedding venue seekers with just three pieces of advice, I’d say:

1. Look beyond the bridal mags. Seek out restaurants, parks, art galleries, museums, and even bars at which you’ve never even heard of a wedding taking place. Just ask the owners: “Will you host a private party?” Actually, you know what? Don’t even be afraid to use the “W word” when making your request. Some venues would be thrilled to open their doors to a wedding party, and might even throw in a handful of extras if given such an opportunity. Getting their name out there as a potential wedding venue can do wonders for business!
2. Don’t be afraid to bargain. The quote you’re given is most likely completely malleable. Bring costs down by asking about less expensive food options, considering going for just beer and wine as opposed to top shelf liqour, or simply giving the venue a number you can actually afford and watching where they go for it. Not being a “yes person” doesn’t make you a bridezilla. It just makes you budget savvy.
3. Ignore all naysayers. There will be all kinds of been-there-done-that former brides or industry insiders who may scoff at the scale you’re hoping to work with. As I’ve said before, if we’d listened to all the people who told us we’d never find a venue for the price we were looking to pay, not only would we have ended up spending way more than we could have or should have, we probably would have settled for the same old reception hall everyone else was signing up with. Frugal is usually far more fascinating.

Getting married in a unique, budget-friendly reception space? Comment and share!

I previously posted about Pink Avenue Bride, who not only authors a wonderfully helpful wedding blog, but also runs a well-priced wedding boutique full of all kinds of sweet accessories.

As a genuine PAB fan, I’ve been looking forward to doing a giveaway with the site for some time. And I’m happy to announce that said giveaway starts today!

The winner of the giveaway will be awarded her choice of one of the following items:

1. Bouquet Bling Kit
2. Bride and Groom Chair Sashes
3. 5th Avenue Table Numbers

To enter, visit the Pink Avenue Bride website to read up on the items and view more pics (hint: look for the items in “Reception Couture”, “Ceremony Couture”, and “Paper Couture”). Once you know which option you’d like to win, come back to Budget Bride and post a comment including the name of the item, as well as the colors you’d like to see used in its creation.

A winner will be chosen at random a week from Tuesday, May 19, so be sure to check back and see if you’re the lucky bride-to-be!

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being such a beautiful mother-of-the bride, both inside and out. Even though throughout the wedding planning process I was on the East Coast and you were on the West, it was as if you were standing by my side the entire time. You helped me over the hurdles with your steadfast support, raised my spirits with your undying enthusiasm, and never failed to congratulate me on every little accomplishment, whether it involved finally locating an affordable florist, or deciding on table linen colors.

Brides eat cake, sleep honeymoons, and breathe wedding dresses, but those around them, well…don’t. They must therefore be careful that when out with their friends they don’t launch into too many monologues about calligraphy or DJ playlists. I tried hard to abide by this rule. But it was difficult! I was excited! Good thing I had you to call or email. I could always count on you to talk wedding planning with me to my heart’s content. The fact that you were as into the event as I was made the entire experience more fun, more real, and simply, more lovely. And while so many mothers squabble with their daughters over their decisions, you were consistently supportive while still offering excellent advice.

Thank you for telling me to go ahead and buy that second wedding dress, if that was what made me happy. And geez, thank you for paying for it! You didn’t have to do that, Mom! I am so glad I was able to try the dress on for you when I was home for Thanksgiving. That experience is, in all honesty, one of my most cherished memories of all time. We decided on my veil together that day, and when it was stolen from your house (I still wonder what random crazy person is running around the streets of Sacramento wearing my wedding veil) you worked to get me the exact same one with very little time to spare. You are a superhero, Mom!

You did all the calligraphy on our wedding invitations. THANK. YOU. MOTHER.

The day of the wedding, you looked so spectacular. Doesn’t she look spectacular in the picture, everyone? I am lucky to have her smile. We had both been working to lose weight before the big day, and last I’d heard, Mom, you’d been having some difficulty, Ha! You just wanted to surprise me with your svelte figure! You were thin! You were glowing! You managed to find a dress that perfectly suited your graceful, heartfelt, beautiful personality. And even though you were having madcap foot problems, you managed to dance up a storm that evening. You go!

Thank you for your reading from The Velveteen Rabbit at our ceremony. Reading with you as a child made such a cozy, yet incredible impact on me. Hearing you read those storybook words again on my wedding day was ever so special. You read them in the same manner you did when I was little. Your recitation was meticulous, sweet, and sincere, just as you are.

I couldn’t have planned or so enjoyed our wedding without you, Mom, just as I couldn’t have endured or enjoyed this life of mine without you. I am so blessed to have you as a mother…and a mother-of-the-bride.

So much love,

Bethany

Many brides do their own wedding makeup (myself included), but I’m not sure I know of one woman who did, or plans on doing, her own hair for her wedding. If any readers are going this route, please, speak up! I’d love to hear from you! It seems to me that “DIY wedding hair” really isn’t such a bad idea. I mean, a simple blowout could look just as pretty as an elaborate updo, depending on the overall style of your event.

Having a beach wedding? Spritz and scrunch with a product like Bumble & Bumble surf spray to get cool, casual waves like the ones Kate Hudson usually sports. A simple, one inch barrel curling iron will also do the trick if you want your look to be a bit more polished. I wear my hair like this all the time. Heck, all it really takes is putting in a little product, sticking my hair in a messy bun for half the day, and then letting it down at night!

The ponytail is becoming more and more accptable as a formal hairstyle. This recent pic of Drew Barrymore that’s been popping up all over the place certainly helps to solidify the trend. To achieve this sleek look, blow dry hair, smooth with gel, wrap a section of your tail around your hairtie, and then gently curl the ends.

I’m sure you’ve all seen plenty of this bride from the Estee Lauder Beautiful Perfume ad. Seriously, how long do you think it took for someone to do her hair? It looks pretty easy-breezy to me! I also love her mantilla veil. Always have. The whole look says “natural beauty” rather than, “It took five hours to get me to resemble someone other than myself.”

Now. I’m not saying DIY wedding hair is an easy budget fix for all of us. Some women just aren’t as skilled in the hairstyling department. I’m one of them. Yeah, I can get the beachy waves down, but they just weren’t right for my wedding. But if you have no trouble wielding a hairdryer and curling iron, hey, I say go for it!!

Although my own wedding occurred almost two years ago, if you’re feeling burnt out on wedding planning, I can still completely empathzize. Oh yes, I can.

Wedding planning is easily a full-time job in its own right, and when you already have a 9 to 5 commitment, stress comes pummelling your way much faster than the sweet bliss you may have counted on upon your engagement.

Right now I’m temping full-time as a campaign consultant for a local nonprofit while simultaneously working on two different books, upholding this here blog, launching two more blogs, and pouring myself into several additional freelance gigs. I love every bit of each of the things I do, but wowee, what a workout!

My current stress level absolutely reminds me of the wedding planning experience.

But guess what: That’s actually a good thing. Because even though working full-time while planning a wedding made me want to pass out for years on end, I also knew that what I was undergoing was something special, celebratory, and fun. There’s really no reason why I can’t look at my current situation the same way.

So let us raise a glass together to burning the candle at both ends in an effort to create a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime experience. And for what it’s worth, here are some bits of advice that helped me get through the stress of being “The Bride.”

1. Remember that your vendors are professionals: I’ll admit that I can be quite the worrier. And while I wasn’t as assertive a bride as I could have been, I definitely stressed over things being “just so.” I couldn’t seem to convince myself that things were going to turn out okay without my controlling every teensy weensy detail. But the day of, I had to wonder where my worries came from. The people I’d hired had it all under control. Because that’s what they do for a living! Trust that the vendors you picked for a good reason are doing their utmost to make you happy. You may be new to being a bride, but they’re hardly new to working on a wedding.
2. Go into the pink bubble: When planning my wedding, I read an article in which a bride relayed this piece of advice: She said a friend of hers had told her to “go into the pink bubble,” meaniing she should realize the importance and the beauty of the day and not let the little hiccups along the way disturb this special feeling. Keeping this in mind “the day of” definitely helped me to enjoy myself.
3. Take a wedding planning vacation: If wedding planning encompasses your entire life, you’re definitely setting yourself up for “wedding withdrawal,” the dreaded syndrome in which a bride doesn’t know what to do with herself post nuptials because for a year her existence revolved around just one day. Your life is about so much more than your wedding, so keep your sense of perspective by forcing yourself to forget about the wedding once in awhile. Remember that guy you’re in love with? Spend some time with him during which no mention of wedding planning is made. You might as well get used to doing this now, because once you’re married, there will be no wedding plans to talk about.

Even now, two years after walking down the aisle, I find that this advice comes in handy. My worries are eased when I remember to trust those around me. Counting my blessings and staying positive obviously does wonders when it comes to boosting my mood. And taking time out for myself, whether this means going to a museum, curling up with a book, or letting loose with my friends, is incredibly important to my well-being.

My husband-then-fiance and I were just about to settle for one of the venues we were feeling merely so-so about when I received an email from Cristina of Branch Nightclub, an event space I’d found and sent an email to on somewhat of a whim.

I didn’t know if the space had ever accommodated a wedding before. It was a nightclub, after all, and was fairly new to the NYC scene. Honestly, I can’t completely recall how I discovered it. It was probably the result of a fervent string of googling terms like, “event space” and “private party venue, NYC.” I had never seen the place in person, but I was intrigued by the pictures on the web.

I liked the venue’s use of color, as well as it’s modern, yet organic atmosphere. I knew it wouldn’t take much to dress up such an already interesting space. Plus, since we were planning on going with a bird/plane motif (we had our reasons for this offbeat theme, I assure you) the name “Branch” alone gave me a sort of serendipitous feeling.

In my email I simply requested a quote, letting Cristina know we were planning on having an intimate wedding reception with hors d’oeuvres and stations only rather than a full sit-down dinner. I suppose it was the tiny bit of traditionalist in me that didn’t expect to be met with a positive response. “It’s a nightclub. A party space. They’re not going to be gung ho about a wedding reception,” I thought. I also kind of figured that being in NYC, the cost of the space alone would inevitably be out of our budget.

When Cristina emailed me back, I couldn’t believe the quote she came up with. It was far less than any of the venues we were already considering. It fit perfectly into our itty bitty budget. She invited me to come check out the club in person, and I sped over after work that very day.

Walking in, the space felt so right. My suspicion of any venue calling itself a “nigtclub” evaporated as I took in my surroundings. Branch absolutely fit our bill, and not just monetarily. It was unique, that’s for sure. But it had a certain elegance to it that made it totally wedding appropriate. And as a place that knows how to party, it assured me that our guests would be ready to celebrate as soon as they set foot in the door.

I ran home to my guy and told him he had to come back with me to see for himself. I knew he would love it, and I was 100% right. It appealed to my artistic nature and his love of technology. There would be no need to rent tables and chairs. The dance floor was front, center, and calling our names. After a little bit of bargaining, we excitedly signed the contract.

Lessons learned? Keep an open mind and look outside the wedding mags!

Check out more pictures of Branch at branchny.com and my Knot Bio.

Creative Custom Cardboxes creator Marni gold has been hard at work at many-a-cardbox, and one of them is for Carrie, our CCC giveaway winner!

Carrie’s box has a beautiful beachy theme that features actual shells and sand dollars. I especially love the bright, marine blue color!

Be sure to check out more of Marni’s creations at CreativeCustomCardboxes.com.

I love the homespun charm of these wedding banners. They’re the perfect accessory to the crafty, casual, deeply personalized weddings to which I’m partial. Hang them over a doorway, on your getaway car, or across your cake table. They’re inexpensive and far from glitzy, but their impeccably designed sweetness still manages to make a big impact.

I love the scalloped borders and mix of patterns incorporated into Ciao Bambino’s paper banners. These banners are completely customizable, so the sky’s the limit in terms of how you want to incorporate them into your wedding’s theme.

These intricately cut traditional Los Novios banners are delectably festive. Their maker, Ay Mujer, suggests that couples “String them over the entire reception alongside twinkle lights.” I find them particularly striking in black, but there are an exceptionally wide variety of colors to choose from.

Every letter of this “Love Banner” by BN Designs is a stand-alone work of art. I can definitely see these flags being framed and hung in a couple’s house post wedding. The banners can also be customized to feature a couple’s names. I like the how the ribbon that strings the flags together makes the overall look fashionable and luxurious.

Pendants ineveitably evoke a sense of excitement. I adore how seller Sweet Isobella incorporates an eclectic mix of patterns into her work while still managing to produce one coherent, harmonious piece. Paper product enthusiasts will enjoy working with Isobella to pick out the perfect designs for their wedding.

Like bees to honey are today’s brides to birdcage veils, making this shop’s name especially appropriate. As I’ve previously lamented, finding a birdcage veil for a respectable price is, for whatever reason, not as easy a task as a bride might think. Therefore, a vendor like Bee Vintage Honey is truly a fortunate find.

These birdcage veils take the trend one big step further with the addition of statement-making feather and floral fascinators. But despite these creative extras, Bee Vintage Honey’s veils manage to stay below the $50 mark.

The term “Hollywood glam” gets used so often in the wedding industry that I try not to apply it unless absolutely necessary. In this case, I’m afraid it can’t be avoided. A birdcage veil already has a vintage feel to it, and when comibined with luxurious, snowy feathers and a cluster of pearls, it’s instantly elevated into Jean Harlow territory. You’ve got to pair a veil like this with a simple dress. Otherwise, there’s just too much going on. But you’ve also got to leave it on during the reception, because it deserves to linger in the spotlight.

If you really want to up the ante, here’s a splash of pure fuschia for you:

There are lots of other styles to choose from, but you’ll have to head over to the Bee Vintage Honey shop to see them all.

Web-based store Hair Comes the Bride sells a wealth of bridal accessories, including shoes, earrings, clutches, and, of course, hair pins and clips. It’s absolutely a one-stop accessory shop, which is good news for busy brides. Every item listed on their site is beautiful, versatile, and affordable. Currently, they’re having a rather significant sale: A good amount of their stock has been discounted by up to 80%. Click here to browse through the many on-sale items. I’ve listed a few of my personal favorites, below.

I love how the delicate beaded fringe on this handbag hangs in frothy curliques rather than ordinary, vertical rows. This bag definitely has a vintage, flapper feel, but it’s still incredibly unique! Original price: $57. Sale price: $35.

I’m never afraid to make a statement, so this glamazon cubic zirconia cuff is 100% my style. It’s a great way to add a dose of drama to an otherwise simple look. If “trendy” matters to you, cuffs are definitely in style this season. Original price: $72. Sale price: $45.

I’m amazed by how much the Swarovski crystals on these earrings look like huge water droplets. Their organic feel is juxtaposed by total drama, especially considering the cubic zirconia studes perched on top. Original price: $45. Sale price: $35.

There’s lots to like about this rhinestone hair comb. It comes in a wide variety of colors, reflects light like a charm, is designed to really and truly stay put, and resembles both a blossom and a cluster of feathers. Original price: $32. Sale price:$16.

As soon as it was obvious that we wouldn’t be able to afford any typical NYC wedding venue (and it was obvious very early on in our planning) I buckled down and started to do some more creative, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants research.

No longer did I keep an eye out for the term “wedding venue.” Instead, I “event spaces” and called restaurants about “private parties.” I read up on public parks and dragged my poor less adventurous husband to abandoned rooftops and warehouses.

Keeping an open mind and doing a little extra digging eventually paid off. I managed to uncover several spaces that, with a bit of finagling, would actually fit within our budget!

The beautiful Chinese Scholar’s Garden in Staten Island definitely had me enraptured. Its unusual, striking landscaping was absolutely our style. However, the fear of rain kept me from pursuing the place wholeheartedly, as did my doubts about the catering services, which were required to come from the on-location café.

We received an impressive quote from Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, which is normally used as a bar and venue for live shows. We loved the space’s attentive, enthusiastic staff, mysterious, yet romantic vibe, and breathtaking reflection pool. But the bar tab wasn’t set, which meant that if our hard-partying guests got a little too out of control, we’d have a hard time footing the bill. In addition, the semi blank slate meant we’d need to rent tables and chairs, as well as bring in more décor than we had budgeted for.

I was quite taken with Alger House, an old carriage house that I actually had seen advertised as a wedding reception space! Its manager promised us a wedding on the cheap, as long as we went with a Sunday afternoon. Absolutely stunning in person, the two-story venue possessed an eclectic museum-like feel which appealed to my quirky personality. My future husband, however, was not having it. Something about the space didn’t ring right for him, and since the wedding belonged to both of us, I had to let Alger House go.

It was beginning to seem as if we’d never find a venue that was quite right for the two of us. I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how to make the impossible happen, when I received a serendipitous email…

To be continued…

I’m not usually a reader of the popular pop culture blog Jezebel.com, but being a wedding industry enthusiast, my attention today was called to a certain post by a Jezebel contributor called “hortense.” On Saturday, hortense asked readers to help her out with the term, “offbeat wedding.” You see, she wasn’t so sure where the “offbeat”portion of the definition came into play.

Hortense and I actually have a similar, broad understanding of this increasingly popular term. For the two of us, an “offbeat wedding” is a celebration that foregoes uber traditional wedding fare in favor of something more unique and personalized. We don’t necessarily feel that an “offbeat wedding” has to include “way-outside-thet-norm” attributes like hot pink hair, an underwater ceremony, or Lord of the Rings inspired get-up.

And yet, hortense feels that if you’re spending  money and time planning the “perfect” wedding, your event can’t truly be “offbeat.”

If you’re confused at this point, you’re not alone. The way I see it, every wedding, no matter how inexpensive or original, requires money and planning. The only other alternative is a quick courthouse paper-signing.

I reread the article several times, however, And I did begin to gather a bit more insight into what hortense is trying to say. At this point, I’m thinking she’s annoyed with the following:

Women call themselves “offbeat brides” in an effort to shake off the confining list of wedding industry “must-do’s,” and yet they still spend, spend, spend and plan, plan, plan, perhaps even more fervently, in an effort to make their celebration more creative than customary, more titiilating than traditional, more free-spirited than formal.

Uh…so what?

Let us spend. Let us plan. But let us spend less rather than more by getting a little creative. Let us create a day that speaks to ourselves and our soon-to-be-spouses rather than to everyone else. Tha’s  what being an offbeat bride is all about. Will we obsess over every little detail? Sure! But that doesn’t mean we’re not offbeat! That doesn’t mean we’re not unique! That doesn’t mean we’re not carefree! For some of us, even if we consider ourselves truly, madly “offbeat,” weddings arre important. They are our way of shouting from the rooftops, “I love this person!” So let us create that perfect moment. In an offbeat way. It’s possible. I swear.

Click here to read the article on Jezebel.