BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

This post is for a dear bride-to-be (who shall remain nameless) who wants to look her sexiest on her wedding night with a $40 Lingerie limit. I did a little research for you darling and the websites I liked best were Amazing Lace because most of the Bridal Lingerie were actually under $25 although there wasn't a very large selection.

Lingerie Gifts and surprisingly Amazon have everything to help a new bride make her honeymoon night fun, sexy and/or romantic. You can choose from bustiers, corsets, honeymoon kits, lingerie for him, plus size sets and fun tees too.

Yandy, Fredrick's of Hollywood,and Electrique Boutique are worth browsing too although there wasn't a lot to choose from in the Bridal Lingerie department, they do carry a vast selection. You may not want your sleepwear in white anyway, you may want something red or black instead. If that is the case, between these five websites you can find something for under $30 that you'll love... and that he'll love too!

I've shown you these cupcakes wraps before from Bella Cupcake Couture that you can find at save-on-crafts.com for 70¢ each but if you like those, you'll love these wrappers because they are half the price and just as beautiful!



They are called Treat Wraps by Bakery Crafts and 48 of these cupcake wrappers sell for only $14.99. The best part is that they are reversible too so you get two designs for the price of one, both of which are just as cute as the other!


If you are interested in buying these to adorn your DIY cupcakes for your wedding, then you can find a few to choose from HERE at shopbakersnook.com!

There is a lot of planning involved with a bachelorette party and this type of celebration should not be thrown together at the last minute, so brides inform matrons of honor (maid of honor) about being prepared and organized when it comes to designing the bride’s bachelorette party!

Things to consider when hosting a bachelorette party for the bride is the budget, guest list, timing, activities, entertainment, location, menu, and decorations. If brides are on a strict budget then consider a bachelorette party at the home with simple decorations, entertainment, and appetizers. Once all the important details are made, this this will give the matron of honor (maid of honor) and bride an idea on a budget and planning can begin from that point.

Now, it is time for the Bachelorette Party Responsibilities:

1. Price Comparison: Start by doing some price comparisons, but make sure you write down the name of the person, the date, and time of the person you spoke with regarding the pricing. Remember, prices are always subject to change.

2. Always Ask for Discounts: Do not be shy about asking for discounts or find out the lowest rate is for service and if you can get it in writing that is even better. Companies usually work out special deals for customers.

3. Time Frame: Do not book services at the last minute especially during wedding season.

4. Organization: Get organized by using a PDA, notebook, filing system, and guest tracking list.

If you follow all these bachelorette party tips for hosting a bachelorette party, then I can guarantee this event will be a successful one! For more wedding tips, wedding planning, or wedding advice, please be sure to visit www.theweddingdiaryonline.com.

For the Plus Size Bride, PlusSizeBridal.com offers an extensive collection of wedding gowns to flatter your figure. I've read the many reviews from brides who have ordered from this site and most of them were very complimentary. Of course, you are always taking a risk while shopping online but I thought it would unfair not to share this latest find with you.



The dresses on PS Bridal Online are said to be 100% Authentic Manufacturer Designs and I love that the prices are so budget friendly as well.



And if you are shopping for wedding night, there's a nice stock of sexy lingerie too. *wink*

This is one of the most moving, breath-taking, inspiring , beautiful wedding videos I've ever seen. It made me cry...you might too!

One of the things my brides are asking continually..."Do you have any ideas to make just that extra difference?"  Considering the ideas, websites, blogs, and conversations at numerous Starbuck's that are out there, getting new ideas to give the personal twist to a wedding is becoming harder and harder for us planner girls!  However, I do have one or two still tucked in my sleeve that I'd be happy to share.

One bride and her husband met in English class in graduate school - both getting their Master's Degrees in Literature.  So, for her wedding, we took an aisle runner (you can find plastic runners at Michaels.com, HobbyLobby.com or any discount wedding supplier) and spread it completely out.  Then, with a thick-pointed gold paint marker and using a Carpenter's T -Square (i.e. LARGE RULER) we started a foot or so from the top and wrote some of their favorite poems by Browning, Shelley, Keats, etc. all the way down the length of the wedding runner.  Once we finished that, we went back to the top and wrote at the very beginning "These Are The Words That Led Me To You."  We hot-glued silk rose petals in strategic areas all over the runner, then rolled it carefully back up.  Before the wedding party walked the aisle, one of the ushers rolled it from the back to the altar, and she walked to her groom on the words of the greatest love poems ever.

Another bride had a severe allergy to flowers - of just about any kind.  But, of course, she wanted fresh for her wedding.  Isn't it always the way?  Who could blame her though?  So we had to get creative.  Realizing that our answer was outside in nature all along, we used a combination of some silks for the greenery we could not find seasonally, and made all the boutonnieres and bouquets completely of herbs, Eucalyptus, Ivy, Pampas Grass (yes, pampas grass), and Pussy Willows.  The herbs we put in small batches and wrapped with floral wrap, followed by a small ribbon, and used those as boutonnieres.  The groomsmen told me later that they were starving from smelling Oregano, Thyme and Basil!  We used the Pampas Grass by holding the bottom ends and wrapping them tightly with floral tape, then curved the leaves back down and wrapped them at the bottom as well, creating "loop-de-loops" with the leaves.  We then put in some Baby's Breath to fill in the holes, along with some different lengths of Pussy Willows and Eucalyptus.  We cascaded Ivy around the outside and down the sides, and finished it off with ribbons and pearls.  With 14 total attendants on both sides, we created bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and the bride's bouquet for a whopping $175.00, including ribbon, floral foam, etc.  It was a very different, and very beautiful!

My last recommendation came from one bride and groom who had been "Sandbox Sweethearts," together since they were 18 months old! Their parents were best friends, and they just always seemed to "click."  For their reception centerpieces, the family had a TON of pictures of the two of them together growing up - literally - with each other.  So, we took the 8 1/2" x 11" Plexiglass sheet displays (from Staples, Office Depot, etc.) making sure they were the ones that didn't lean - you had to be able to see from both sides.  We glued dried flowers around the edges on both sides, then placed two copies of a picture (one on the front, one on the back) in the display and placed in the middle of the table on top of a mirror, which the reception site provided.  Surrounded it with glass tealights (20 for $5.00 at HobbyLobby.com) and glass gardening rocks in her wedding colors around the "frame."  Then, for the seating chart, we printed the name of the guest, and a small "thumbprint" of the photo on their table - they had to mingle to look at all the pictures to find their table.  This made for a wonderful evening of people getting to know each other who otherwise wouldn't have talked, and everyone got to see these two wonderful people in all the stages of their lives.

I hope maybe these have been an inspiration to some of you to think outside your box for things to make your day truly "your" day.  And if not, well, maybe it's at least been a good read!  Thanks!

If you are on the prowl for wedding shoes and want something elegant with a bit of bling then check out the strappy rhinestone sandals online at DebShops.com. You can usually find a Deb stores offline in a mall near you and this store locator will help you to find one in your area so you can go in and try them on before you buy.

Every bride and groom needs to reconnect during the week and take a break from the wedding planning process. Here are our top five movie suggestions for couples to watch at home.


Breakfast at Tiffany’s
This is the ultimate classic romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard that makes audiences think about how they need to reexamine their own life, love, and happiness.









An Affair to Remember
Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a courtship that blossom into sheer romance. Problems arise when Allie’s parents do not feel that Noah is a good match for Allie and separate the young couple and then several years later, they meet again and the romance they once shared is rekindled.




Dirty Dancing
"Baby,” Actress Jennifer Grey, was vacationing with her family and during her stay on property, she falls in love with dance instructor Johnny, Actor Patrick Swayze.









Sleepless in Seattle
Actor Tom Hanks (Sam) and Meg Ryan (Annie) is headed to see her family on Christmas Eve and listening to a call in radio show to hear Sam’s son Jonah speak about his mother that died and how his dad needs a wife. Annie is determined to meet Sam because she feels a strong connection between Sam and Jonah. When they finally met, it was as if all the stars aligned to find each other.



The Notebook
Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) begin a courtship that blossom into sheer romance. The parents do not feel that Noah is a good match for Allie and separate the young couple. Several years later, they meet again and the romance they once shared is rekindled.

I had this bouquet of flowers saved on my computer for my original plum wedding theme. I was about to delete it when I realized that it can work for my current theme, so at least I get to add something from my original plans. The thing is...I recognize the blue roses, but what is that other flower?

I've Google "blue flowers with purple" and variations of those words and nothing. I also checked out some popular flower sites like fiftyflowers.com, wholeblossoms.com, theflowerexchange.com, BloomsByTheBox.com but didn't find them.

If you know what this flower is please be so kind and let me know. Thank you so much!

I love shopping at Dollar Tree and the clear, glass dinnerware above caught my eye while I was shopping there not too long ago.  I even mention to my Richard that we should buy some since we can never seem to have enough glass plates when we have company over. As for the reception, I think these would be perfect since I didn't really want white plates but it is what we would have rented since they were cheapest at 30 cents each. I know buying is more expensive, 70 cents more but I'll have the peace of mind knowing that if someone breaks one I don't have to worry about having to pay the rental place for it. Plus I'll will certainly have enough glass plates when company comes over and for future events we will have. I may add a decorative element to the under side of the plate, I'm not sure yet though but I am certain that I'll be buying 5 cases of the 10" clear glass plates as soon as possible. You  might want to check them out too!