BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

If you want to dress up your cupcakes further than the frosting, these cupcake toppers are definitely an option for you. You can even have a custom order made to match your theme but of these four, my favorite is the beach theme.  The purse toppers I can see at a fun bridal shower!

Find 12 for $14 right now at Two Sugar Babies  on Etsy!

I know many of you are making your cupcakes and although I've posted recipes, cupcake wrappers, even tools and toppers...I haven't shown you yet how to Frost or Ice your  cupcakes. So with this video you will learn four techniques that you could use and remember you can find disposable piping bags, pastry tips and more at Sweet Estelle's Bakery Supply store.

HOT Bride Award presented by HelperOfTheBride. Real Brides, Real Advice

I got a message from The Helper Of The Bride team letting me know that I was nominated for the HOT Award, the Helper Of The Bride award, for "having a great blog that features great DIY projects and centerpieces!" Of course I'm excited about it want to thank the HOT Bride team members for the nomination.

Well, I've accepted the award and as part of the rules I now have to pass on a few pieces of advice to brides- to- be and here's the list I've compiled to you from me:

• When picking your wedding party make sure that everyone understands what their roles are and what is expected of them. Don't assume that they will help because they are a bridesmaid, for example. They may be thinking that means that they'll have to wear a dress you choose and stand next to you on wedding day! So make it clear that you expect a little help!

• Your centerpiece doesn't have to be huge and over- the-top to make a statement, small centerpieces are quite beautiful too. Sometimes all you need is a bud vase and one beautiful flower, which could have even been growing wild, to create a stunning centerpiece.

• Yard sales, thrift shops are flea markets can lead to some fab finds so don't steer clear of them while wedding planning. I bought 14 clear, glass vases for 25¢ each at a yard sale and those are the type of wedding items that can even be sold again.

• Don't be afraid of your local dollar stores! You can buy vases, plates, wine glasses, favor boxes and more there for $1.00, even less sometimes.

• If you are trying to save money on your centerpieces and using mostly candles, remember to choose the ones that will stay lit for your whole ceremony or reception. You can find some on save-on-crafts.com

• If you want to get custom items for your wedding let Etsy be you first stop. Either you will find someone there selling what you want or are willing to make you that crazy thing you have your mind set on.

• On wedding day, try to hold your bouquet at your belly button while walking down the aisle and taking photos! I remember my mom telling my sister this when she was getting married and when I see brides walking down the aisle with their bouquets at bosom level, I never forgot that piece of advice.

 
Passing the award on...
I Nominate these Real Bride Bloggers for the HOT Award:
2000 Dollar Wedding, Budget Bride Chicago, Beer Budget Bride's Musings, The Office Bride, XOX, B, Lover's Waltz, and The Thirty Something Bride!

Did you see Kim Kardashian on the Red Carpet at the 2010 Emmy's...her dress was gorgeous and definitely puts here on the best dressed Emmy Lists.

In a month or less I'm sure there will be dresses circulating that looks very similar to her dress with the gold neckline however I've found a similar wedding dress that's a look for less than $200!



I know the shoulder is different but this J S Collections dress is less Red Carpet and more wedding for a price that I'm sure is less than 80% of what Kim paid for hers. It's only $198 at Nordstrom.com and if you can't believe it, go see if for yourself!


Photo credit: www.sawfnews.com

I can't belief I haven't told you about Luna Bazaar before because they sell the most amazing products and the costs are budget bride friendly too. Every item is full of personality because the colors are vibrant and the painted products are so intriguing.  There, you can buy lanterns in over 30 different colors and choose from Eyelet Lanterns (which are my favorite), Cocoon Lanterns, Bamboo Cuff Lanterns and more starting at $2.00!



The collection is truly impressive and the Painted Parasols, which start at $8.95, are a sight to behold. You get a choice of Printed, Paper, Chinese, Japanese, Guilded, Square, Rice Paper, Balinese, Nylon and SAA Paper Parasols! They are truly some of the most beautiful Parasols I've ever seen and perfect for a bronze budget bride.




What I also love are the colored, decorative, medicine, glass bottles because  they would be so pretty with just one or two stems of flowers and grouped together to make a centerpiece. For a rectangular table they could be set at least six inches apart running diagonally with a candle set in between each one. 

These bottles cost $2.95 each and as you can see they come in seven different colors.



The vases that are sold at Luna Bazaar come in the same beautiful colors and are $10.00 each! Keep in mind that the more beautiful the vase is the more "awe" your centerpiece will have and even baby's breath would look great in these vases which you can get 10 bunches of for $119 at fiftyflowers.com.

                       

If you stick around Luna Bazaar long enough you'll come across these the Lotus Candle Holders which make great centerpiece all on their own. However, if you rather  something smaller, in Luna Bazaar style, you can find over 300 different types to choose from including their guilded candle holders which I find to be so incredibly beautiful.



If you are looking for beautiful, unique wedding decorations to match your wedding colors and more, go see what you can find in Luna Bazaar's online store.

If you find these rings as stunning as I do and want to see more, you can see them at Jewelry By Johan's Etsy store!

Love these hand-painted shoes? You can find them at
Nora Karen, Studio Jelly Fish, Vino Gordiv, Rockococa, and Kez Birdie's Etsy Shop!

Hand painted wine glasses...doesn't that sound expensive? Not if you shop on Etsy. You can purchase a set of these for your head table instead of the traditional bride and groom glasses we see so often. Just another way Etsy can help you stand out on your wedding day!

Are they pretty?

Pretty My Drink's - Painted Modern Leaves Glasses - $13 ea




Sassy Glasses' Shop - Beach Bride and Groom Set - $40




Sassy Glasses' Shop - Fun Painted Bride and Groom Set - $40




A Stroke of Jeanneius' Shop - Damask Painted Glass Set - $27.50




The Cute Glass's Shop - Hand-Painted Glass Set - $28




Mary Wibis's Shop - Painted Peacock Glasses - $30




Alicia1106's Shop - Palm Tree Painted Glasses  $8.00




Eco-light's Shop - Floral Painted Wine Glasses - $5 each




Morning Glories's Shop - Tulip Painted Wine Glasses - $15




Divine Bride's Shop - Painted Bride and Groon Set - $30

I've mentioned it many times before that Platinum Weddings are all about personalization. Custom this and personalized that take huge chunks out of their budgets. You too can have a personalized wedding with custom details without paying an arm and a leg to get it. I'm keeping your budget in mind and definitely think you should visit Ten23 Designs!



Ten23 Designs on Etsy offers personalized decals that are not only pretty but budget-friendly. You can order decals for your dance floor, your get-away car, wine bottles, monogram decals for wine glasses and more.



The floor and wall decals start around $30 and don't worry, they are removable, so you would get in trouble after your wedding's over.



For your car, you can get personalized decals for only $15 which is something I highly recommend over using white shoe polish.




If you want to keep that theme going through your wedding, why not have custom labels done for your wine bottles, that's something a platinum bride would do and guess what, now you can do it too since you get 4 labels for $10.00! It's a smart way to make your budget friendly wine look as though they were flown in from Italy.

So visit Ten23 Designs on Etsy today and get some beautiful decals coming your way.

It's easy to plan a wedding Rustic wedding using Etsy since and there are so many cute things you can find there that will make it  more than ordinary! This wedding is $295 and you can find it at Wedding Heaven's Etsy shop.



Ooooo these are so cute, I love these toppers. They may be a bit pricey for a lot of you at $160 but you can always find something more in your budget if you search for rustic wedding items. These toppers though are available at Bthanari's Shop and they have to be custom ordered so you will get a bride and groom that mimic you and your wedding attire.



This is a dress your bridesmaid will love because it's a Convertible Wrap Dress sold at Caroline Beatrix's Shop and fits anyone from size 2 - 12! So you can buy this dress for each of your bridesmaids and they can wear it to your wedding in whatever version you agree on but the fabric and lengti will be the same. It's $79.99, so perfect for a bridesmaid on a budget and because it's convertible she can wear it this one dress at least 10 ways.



Isn't this ring pillow beautiful. You can order it at O Romeo's for
$16.99 in your wedding colors.



This is adorable and fits right into the Rustic wedding theme. This Unity Candle Set is on sale at The Peddler's Esty shop for $29.99!



I wasn't sure if I should include these but thought it would be a good example to see the jewelry you can find on Etsy. MNHince's Shop is selling these Rustic, Pearl Wedding earrings for $15.00 and they are perfect for the Rustic Wedding Bride.



These are cute, affordable and eco-friendly since they are recycled. For a set of 25 you'll pay $11.25 at Sillhouvette's Etsy Shop.



Hang these at the back of your chairs at the head table or hang them as decor, either way, they are definitely perfect for the rustic theme and they are available in Bragging Bags Etsy shop for $24.99!



If you want to go all out and have your cupcake stand say rustic too, then this one is perfect for you. It's priced at $12o at Jesse Dirk's shop but you can find a smaller version for $80 if you have smaller guests list.



One of the final things I want to show you was this Carved Wood Card Box being sold at Bragging Bag's shop for $49.99! Not only would this make a great centerpiece for your gift table it can also double as a guest book alternative or wishing chest . You can ask guests to write their well wishes for you and your groom, similar to what you would do with a wishing tree and just place it in the box. Then you can read all he well wishes every year on your anniversary. What a wonderful tradition that would be.