The Prudent Bride
January 12, 2010 by: Kyra
One of my favorite bridal shows is Rich Bride Poor Bride shown on the WE channel. The best part of the premise is guessing the amount the couple has budgeted for their wedding and seeing if they stayed on track or not. Throughout the planning process I often placed my fiancé and I in this show in order to keep myself on track with our own spending. The twist during the shopping was adding up the original retail price of each item or venture and seeing how much I saved.
Since I very much enjoy a good deal, I decided early on that I would not pay full price for anything; I kept a log sheet of my spending and savings totals all the while allocating a specific projected percentage for each category. I referred to the general bridal budgeting guides (48% reception, 10% attire, 12% photographer, etc.) and made some tweaks along the way. I learned SO much when it came to spend versus splurge and discovered the best way to save money is by doing your research and taking your time. Certainly it’s good to negotiate but you should know when to pick your battles—no one likes to work with a crazy bride.
Giving Thanks
December 10, 2009 by:
The art of the well written note…such a task for those must send thank you letters. Words are free and yet so many of us convey the language of love all wrong. I’ve read the etiquette books. I understand how to address the gift giver with Dear so and so, . Next I am told to specify with purpose how I we “plan to use the gift received”. Blah, blah, blah.
Something Blue
October 27, 2009 by: Kyra
As I have shared before, I am a fairly traditional gal. I do however make an exception to this rule when it comes to fashion. In the world of weddings-with the plushest of fabrics and the softest of silks available, this diva over here is kind of a retail snob (I kid with love here). One compliment repeatedly expressed is how beautiful my bridesmaid dresses were. To be fair, my girls had an upper hand to begin with as they are all seriously gorgeous, but even still it is definitely a nice surprise to have guests insist these girls were the best dressed maids ever. Perhaps that is due to the fact that none of them wore a ‘bridesmaid’ gown…
Call me crazy, but girls usually do not enjoy attending a party where there is another girl wearing the exact same dress as she. Now add 5 additional party goers to the mix and this scene is all that much worse (insert the side by side Us Weekly poll of “Who Wore it Best”). Long gone are the days of trying to fool evil spirits to conceal which girl is the bride. Maids no longer dress the same as the bride, and since white is now the long standing traditional color for brides (thanks to Queen Victoria), a bride will always shine through in the crowd. So for me I saw no need in forcing my girls to look the same as each other. Even recognizing that many bridal designers now offer collections with coordinating styles to cater to different body types, I still wasn’t satisfied with my favorite ladies donning a gown that clearly says “bridesmaid.”
Wedding Memories into Newlywed Bliss
September 30, 2009 by:
So the dust is starting to settle and it’s back to work for this little newly married gal. I must say that much like planning a wedding, being a newlywed has its mix of emotions. Personally I went through a little wedding planning withdrawal (you had to know this would happen to me) and I’m just now starting to ease back into my routine of watching wedding TV shows and slowly gazing at wedding magazines thrown on the racks of grocery stores. No longer will I be tearing out pages and stealing ideas for my own special day but rather it’s on to assisting my friends and perhaps my own little sister someday. Yes, my wedding day has passed but it must be shared that it was indeed the most amazing day of my life.
Now, contrary to Ursula’s unbelievably kind words, it was actually not perfect and everything did not go as planned, but on that special day I couldn’t have been a happier bride. Someone once told me that if the bride and groom are having a good time, everyone else will have a great time too. That piece of advice couldn’t be truer. Jeremiah and I both smiled more than we ever had in our individual lives combined. People said we were beaming and I could feel it coming from both of us. If you are a do it yourself kinda bride (like me) then most likely the final days preceding the wedding will be the most stressful and unpleasant days of the entire wedding planning process. But come the day of, the little details that didn’t get quite finished, the chargers that never arrived or the shuffle to seat the unexpected family member that decided to show up after all, truly will not matter. A great attitude makes everyone feel amazing and I promise you the day will not go by as fast as everyone says it will. My hubby and I both shared that we remember everything from sunrise to sunset and those tiny memories in themselves are such a gift. Prepare yourself to enjoy your wedding day from the moment you wake up to the very last second—just before you close your eyes in the arms of the man you now call your husband.
