BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

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!

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.

We're planning a wedding but I know we all want the happily every after. Everyone says that marriage takes work, but there are so many elements that have to fall in place on a continual basis that really makes any marriage a happy one. I know a thing or two since I've been married four years now but I love these seven tips that RedbookMag.com shares in the article How to Make Your Relationship Last! I enjoyed reading it and hope you do!

I've found some great items at garage sales in my neighborhood and yes some for my reception as well such as the clear glass vases  I've posted below for only 25¢. The home owner were collecting the vases for years from flower deliveries and told me to take all 14 of them, large and small for $3.50 so I saved quite a few dollars with this deal!

A garage or yard sale is also a great way to bring in some extra cash  for your wedding and get rid of some unwanted things around the house at the same time. That is why you should know about about www.TagSellIt.com where not only can you post your yard sales online or find out where the garage sales are happening in your area, you can also see and buy some of these items from sellers in the other states. I saw some great things there today but just like any garage sale you can't expect them to stay around for long so you'll to check out the website on a regular basis if you want are interested in the virtual sales.

If you are more a flea market gal like me then you can just get a lost of all the flea markets close by  so you can start scouting them for deals this week-end!

I've always known that I never really wanted to make my own invitations, save-the-dates etc. because the thought of it just doesn't excite me. Thank goodness for a website like Forever Friends which have won the OneWed Best of 2009 and 2010 WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award!

One of the reasons brides love this site is because at Forever Friends if you don't find the invitations you're looking for they will help you to customize any of the invitations to match your wedding theme. What that means that is that if you have a Sci-fi Theme or a Jungle Theme maybe even a Crocodile Dundee Theme, which sounds super cool by the way, you don't have to stress yourself out trying to find the perfect invites and you don't have to go the DIY route either...help is a phone call away.

Yes, if you dial 516-721-2635, not only can you get as much as 20% off the price you see on the website and you'll also get a chance to talk to Beth Fruchtman who owns the online store. She is yet another one of the reasons why brides love Forever Friends because not only is Beth incredibly sweet, she pays close attention to the details you want as a bride and brings them to life with her creativity!



Even if you're not interested in invitations there is a such a nice selection to browse through at Forever Friends. You can shop there for favors, wedding accessories, labels, gifts and much more...so click this link to visit the online store or give Beth a call at 516-721-2635.

This video offers up so much advice on how to move and look elegant all day long in your wedding gown. There are tips from how to walk in a big, Cinderella gown to how to pose in a more form fitting wedding dress. You may want to come back and look at this the day before your ceremony because it's that important to remember!



Photo Credit: EarlDress.com