BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

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!

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.

At YorkPhoto.com if you register today you get to print 40 photos printed for free! That is a help to all the brides who have so many photos to print after Wedding Day from family and friends. This would really save some moola if you take advantage of this deal and at Bronze Budget Bride we're all for saving money, so visit them today!

Have you visited WicksnCandlesticks yet?

Well, at WicknCandlesticksticks, which is owned by one of the most wonderful ladies I know, Carla Lowery, you will find a beautiful assortment of luxurious gift baskets and products! I've had the pleasure of sampling some of bath & body items and oh my goodness, they are exhilarating.

My personal favorite is the Mango Coconut Shower Gel that smells sooo good and leaves the skin delicately scented for hours. I could shower with this for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. The smell is so vibrant, yet the gel is so gentle and calming that I spent almost 15 minutes in the shower lathering over and over again the first time I showered with it.

After using the shower gel, a perfect compliment to it is the handmade Emu Oil Body Lotion which is the most amazing body cream that I've come across. It is rich, creamy, smells incredible and there is not need for perfume once you've covered your body with this lusciousness. My husband noticed it the very first time I wore it and his reaction was "Is that a new perfume, you smell really good, I like that, what is it?" It is now the only lotion I want to buy!

For the quality of the products, everything is reasonably price and would make wonderful gifts for anyone in your wedding party or for yourself. So hurry to WicksnCandlesticks today to get free shipping on the Candle Gift Baskets using the Promo Code: FREESHIP during check out!

Sarah Darling at wedding bycolor.com has some wonderful instructions for making your own wedding garter on her blog. She took really great photos while making her red and black theme inspired garter and everything she used came to $6.00.



These are all the items she used to make it and would you believe they cost just $6.00. With a sewing machine and one hour  she had a garter that I think is pretty fantastic... robot and all!



Go here to read all the DIY instructions and let me know if you think you'll be attempting to make your own now you see how easy it is to do.

If you don't think that you can tackle it yourself but want a custom wedding garter that both you and your hubby-to-be will love, then CustomWeddingGarters.com is the place for you!

This was posted on NJWedding.com, a New Jersey Weding Planning Resource and I just had to share it with all of you here since it's a poem that I think should be read by anyone entering into marriage or are already married!

Just a video I thought you'd all enjoy and could learn a few tips on how to create an amazing dessert buffet table at your wedding reception.

Let's be honest; many of you have been to the wedding boutiques, Michael's, Wal-Mart, and have seen these cutesie little "kits" with their satin bags and little sample packs of what they consider necessities, charging $25 or more and they contain less than an off-the-shelf business first-aid kit.  I say hogwash.

This is the one day that you want to be prepared for anything that can happen; you want to be smart, on-the-ball, ready for a crisis with a calm head and a gleam in your eye knowing you'll knock whatever comes along out with a one-two punch and land on your satin heels without wrinkling your veil.  And they expect you to do this with a clutch that wouldn't even hold most of our wallets?  Get real.  Then get a gymbag.  Yes, a gymbag.  Your wedding emergency kit must be exactly that - an EMERGENCY kit.  Entrust it to your MOH after the two of you have filled it, checked and re-checked the list to ensure nothing is left out.

Now, fill it with the following: 
1)  2 bottles of nail polish - one clear for touch ups, runners, etc. and one in your color (if you are wearing a color);
2)  Two extra pairs of pantyhose;
3)  6 Alka-Seltzers - and 2-3 Bromo Seltzer packages (Bromo Seltzer can be purchased at any drugstore and is for pregnant women or people with aspirin allergies);
4)  Smelling salts or ammonia packs for reviving those that get a "touch of the vapors";
5)  Nail glue or super glue;
6)  Safety pins - one box of each size;
7) Push pins;
8) Deodorant;
9)  Band-aids (throw the whole box in there - you never know);
10)  Hair brush and comb;
11)  Two types of hair spray;
12)  Bobby pins and hair pins (yes, there is a difference)
13)  Hair combs or black/brown clips
14)  Tissues;
15)  Baby wipes (trust me);
16)  Lip balm;
17)  Sewing kit with several colors of thread;
18) Scissors;
19) Nail clippers AND cuticle trimmers;
20) Mirror;
21) Curling iron;
22) Q-Tips;
23) Tums/Rolaids AND Pepcid;
24) A box of quart size Ziploc baggies;
25) Breath mints;
26) Tooth paste and tooth brush and floss;
27) Spray spot remover;
28) Static guard;
29) Lotion;
30) White chalk;
31) White and black shoe polish;
32) Hair dryer;
33) Masking tape and duct tape;
34) Bottled water;
35) Baby powder;
36) Oust or Lysol;
37) White chalk;
38)  All your make-up, including eyeshadows you may not need and waterproof mascara (wedding party, remember?);
39) Benadryl and Sudaphed;
40) Aspirin, Tylenol, Excedrin, AND Advil or Motrin;
41) Cell phone;
42) Wedding party phone list;
43) Sandpaper (rub it on the bottoms of your shoes if they're new to keep from that slipping disaster that happened to Aunt Ruth);
44) Sanitary needs; and
45) Crackers with cheese and/or peanut butter, and your favorite nuts.

Why crackers and nuts?  Because one of the main things a bride forgets to do on her special day IS EAT.  You MUST have a good dose of protein prior to your wedding, at least an hour or so before.  This helps lower blood sugars, calm the jitters, and give your stomach something else to think about so you can concentrate on the wedding.  Do NOT overload on caffeine; drink mainly waters, Propel, etc.

You may say, Amy, that's a pantload of stuff.  And you'd be right.  But you can't be Wonder Woman without your toolbelt.  Chances are you won't need the majority of the things in this bag.  Do you want to take the chance and find out?  I'll let you talk to a couple of brides who didn't listen to my advice...oh, wait, can you get me Item #4?

Platinum couple Candes and Milan got married in 2008 with 74 guests present at their $300, 000 nuptials! If you love the photograph above of the couple then you'll love to know that you can create a similar look on your wedding day. This is a shot from a platinum wedding so you can bet those are Swarovski crystals hanging behind the couple but you can use acrylic beaded curtains that you can find at ShopWildThings starting at $21.99! So for under $45 you can have this a platinum shot from your bronze budget wedding!

A very important element to keep in mind as you plan your wedding is the atmosphere you want to create on that day and remember that nothing can create that more eliquently than music. Choosing the right wedding songs or music for your wedding day is very important but in the vast world of music it becomes increasingly easier year after year to find music that is perfect you and for your day.

Websites such as TopWeddingSongs.org, OurWeddingSongs.com, SecretWeddingSongs.com, WeddingWire.com/wedding-songs  has song suggestions for each part of your wedding which is very helpful because of the millions of songs out there to choose from and whether you choose a band or DJ to play on wedding day it is still a great idea to have a list of songs selected for each part of the ceremony and reception.

The music choice is most important for the ceremony, cocktail hour, the first dance, the dinner portion of the day and after. The music should match the theme of your wedding, for example if you are planning a more formal, traditional wedding then classical music would be appropriate.

For my ceremony I want "Here Comes The Bride" played as I walk down the aisle and I want our song "Please Forgive Me (I Can't Stop Love You)" playing quietly in the background as we say our vows. Just thinking about it makes me a bit teary eyed, so don't take this task lightly and ask a professional or friends and family for help if you need it.