BloomsBlog

Introducing the DIY Goddess and Budget Bride Margot

danielle — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:59:13 +0000

After reading this entry from Margot I was floored by her family! They are all so gosh darn talented… I want book them all as vendors for my wedding (which won’t be for a long time ; )). Anyway, I love Margot’s approach to DIY’ing her wedding. She also gives great advice on choosing vendors. I’m so happy to share such amazing entry! Thanks so much Margot, keep it up for the next 10 months!

First off, I want to thank The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box for the truly awesome opportunity to win $500 worth of flowers. My fiance’ and I are planning our September 2011 wedding for 2/3 to 1/2 the cost of a typical San Francisco soiree (depending on the source that you consult). So, we welcome the opportunity to save a little cash.

My first recommendation to any budget savvy bride is: enjoy a long engagement. My fiance’ and I got engaged on Christmas 2009, making our engagement 21 months. But, we got to planning right away, shopping around for vendors who could meet our budget and our standards. We had a goal of getting our top three priorities in place before the 12 month mark, when most other couples with our wedding date would be planning. And, we’ve succeeded in beating out the competition! We have a caterer, photographer, and venue in place.

I also went through lists of typical wedding elements (escort cards, programs, etc.) looking for what I could cut painlessly. I’ve planned, for instance, for my bridesmaids to wear corsages instead of holding bouquets. Our ceremony will be informal and in the round, so we won’t need bouquets to give them something to do with their hands while standing on an altar. Moreover, a standing ceremony saves on chairs. I am thinking of combining our programs and menus into one small booklet to outline the entire evening. We’re holding our ceremony and reception in the same place to cut location and transportation fees. We decided to serve beer, wine, and champagne only. We are planning on a family style meal, which saves on rentals. And, we are DJing our own wedding with customized playlists that we’re already having fun putting together. Cuts like these, that will save us big, but that won’t compromise the feel of the event, have been essential to making our budget work.

And then, of course, there are DIY projects. I think that most brides think of DIY projects as an opportunity to personalize their wedding while saving. Luckily, we have very talented family and friends, so we see DIY projects as an opportunity to get our community involved in our wedding, making it personal to those who are close to us, as well as to us as a couple. I often think of looking back at our wedding photos one day and remembering: Oh, Aunt Peggy arranged all those flowers. Or, Amy, designed those invitations for us at the start of her graphic design career. And, looking around the room on our special day, those touches (which represent special people) will mean so much. So, when it comes to DIY, this is what we have in the plans:

My future mother-in-law is knitting me a lace blouse for our rehearsal dinner.

My future sister-in-law is a graphic designer. She is designing our invitations and any other paper elements for the wedding day, such as signs, the booklets I mentioned, and escort cards.

My mom, an interior designer, is helping to make sure that the overall look of the wedding is cohesive, in the way that a wedding planner might do.

My sister, a fashion stylist, is styling all my bridesmaids.

I plan to make favors for our guests, likely gingerbread caramels for which I am known.

My aunt, an amazing floral designer in St. Louis, is coming in early to arrange our flowers.

My uncle is planning to play jazz guitar for us at some point in the evening, adding live music to our special day.

My fiance’ and I are designing our playlist, as I mentioned.

So far, I have only spoken to things that have worked in my planning process. If anything hasn’t worked, it has been trying to negotiate with vendors who are too expensive from the start, and worrying about whether we will find vendors who will work with our budget. There are so many fish in the sea. For us, recommendations from friends have been key to finding the right resources.

Also, I have had a hard time getting comfortable with the cost of having a wedding. Even on a budget, the whole prospect is costly. To make spending the money more comfortable, we’ve only selected small vendors who we strongly support and personally like. Our photographer is a friend of a friend. Our catering company is a local, family owned business. And, the designer who is making my dress and my bridesmaids’ dresses owns a small woman-owned outfit in Portland. Ladies, the right vendors feel right; I think any bride would feel good about supporting good people and companies as they help to fulfill her wedding hopes and wants.

11 months down and 10 to go! I hope that this advice is useful to other brides. And, my fingers are tightly crossed that I’ll be the winner of Blooms By The Box!

Tips from Taryn, a fellow Budget Savvy Bride

danielle — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:57:29 +0000

Taryn, thank you so much for this awesome entry! I still can’t get my head wrapped around the fact that you are finishing college and planning a wedding at the same time, this girl deserves a medal! I love that you got your DJ for by “haggling”, and absolutely could not agree more with the advice that you give to other DIY Brides out there… it’s true, your wedding will be one of the best days of your life no matter that you spend! Good luck with everything!

My mother and father each have full-time, stressful jobs, and are currently putting two daughters through college while also carting my younger brother around to high school football practices and the such. Needless to say, when I sprung on them that I would be getting married in March of 2011, a mere 9 months away at the time, I swear I could hear through the phone the beads of sweat rising to my father’s forehead. While neither my mother nor father has ever said anything about a budget or put any restrictions to my dreams in any way at this point, I realized quickly that for my parent’s health and sanity it was important for me to do everything I could to stay within a budget. At this time my goal budget for our wedding day is $8000. When I first started this planning process I thought this would be more than enough money to have a beautiful wedding. However, upon researching ceremony and reception sites, musicians, caterers, photographers and all the other vendors I thought I would need for the big day, I realized that having an $8000 wedding for 100 guests was going to be much more difficult than anticipated! After a couple days of stress-eating and a few moments of seriously considering driving to Vegas to get married by Elvis himself, I came to the conclusion that I would find a way to make my budget work, even if it meant getting my hands dirty.

As my parents and siblings currently live in Massachusetts while I reside in Arizona with my fiancé as we finish up college at Arizona State University, I have had to handle the brunt of the wedding planning thus far. I learned early in the process that sometimes you have to shop around for the best deal. I had my heart set on a few different sites that could handle both my ceremony and reception, but everything was so expensive! I was literally just days away from signing a contract and sending in a deposit when I contacted ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona. Their website had some information on hosting group events but it didn’t seem as if they had hosted many weddings in the past. I emailed the food and beverage manager and explained (okay maybe hinted is a better word) that my fiancé and I are both ASU students trying to keep things on a tight budget as we are poor college students looking for a location to have our wedding. The manager, being an extremely gracious woman, obviously understood my not-so-subtle hints and immediately offered the location to us for free as long as we have her restaurant cater our reception. Seeing as how their catering prices were much lower than anyone else I had seen, I was extremely excited to have fallen upon such a great deal.

The next lesson I have learned is that the art of haggling isn’t just reserved for car dealerships. I found the cheapest DJ I could find that also had great reviews from past clients. He was willing to play for 6 hours during my ceremony and reception for $725. I thought this was a great deal and just had to wait for the final word from my father who was out of town at the time. However, the DJ seemed a bit overzealous and would call constantly to talk about what was included with their services and to check in and make sure I was still willing to use their services. I finally emailed him saying that I was talking to a couple of other DJs (I wasn’t really) that were a bit cheaper just to make sure I was getting a good deal. My attempt at haggling worked great as he quickly emailed me back with all new price quotes. I ended up saving almost $200 from the original prices I was quoted!

The final lesson I learned is that DIY projects are my wallet’s best friend! I have done so many things by myself and plan to do much more before the big day. I believe that the biggest savings I have incurred thus far has come from designing and printing my own Save-The-Dates and Invitations. There are so many wonderful invitation designers out there, but they do charge a pretty penny for their services (as they should). I decided that there was no way I would be able to order custom invites while staying within my budget, and that DIY was my best bet. I thought there was no way I could create anything that would even compare to the beautiful invitations I found online, but once I got started I actually surprised myself! In fact, I got so into it that I ended up creating five or six different designs before I decided on the ultimate design I was going to use. I plan on also creating all the stationary for the ceremony and reception (programs, table numbers, menus, etc.) using the same design! Some other things I plan on DIY’ing for the big day include collecting old tin cans left over from family members’ dinners for the next few months to use as vases for flowers for the reception centerpieces, having a candy bar serve as our guest’s favor for joining us at the reception in lieu of a more expensive option for each guest, and buying and arranging all bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpiece arrangements with the help of my bridal party rather than hire a florist. I was planning on using Gypsophilia (more commonly known as baby’s breath) for all arrangements not only because it is a much cheaper option than other more popular flowers, but also because I love the rustic, romantic feel it has. (In fact, I had already bookmarked the Blooms by the Box website as they carry Gypsophilia and their prices are extremely reasonable!)

My best advice for brides out there planning away on their dream wedding is to never underestimate yourself. If you feel that you can get a better deal or that there is room to negotiate, go for it! Do not be afraid of DIY projects, as there are some great websites out there, including Budget Savvy Bride, that have wonderful ideas and tutorials that will guide you every step of the way. Even if you think you lack a creative bone in your entire body, you may just surprise yourself (I did!). And finally, never forget to breathe and realize that when it comes down to it your wedding day will inevitably be one of the most amazing days of your life whether you spend millions or pennies!

Nancys Budget Savvy Beach Wedding

danielle — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:43:13 +0000

Yet another fabulous entry! This one’s from Nancy who is planning a beach wedding in Maine. I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with the beach, so I’m very enthusiastic about all of the DIY projects she’s incorporating in her wedding, especially the shell escort cards and the lobster trap. Thanks so much for sharing, Nancy! I love all of your ideas and I know your wedding will be the classy affair that you hoping for!

Everyone knows that weddings are expensive and add up quick, but I had no idea how quick until I was in the process. We didn’t set a budget. Our plan was to do everything as cheap as possible, but still classy. So what this came to mean is a lot of bargaining and DIY projects. My fiancé is doing the bargaining while I do the projects. Our wedding is not until September 4, 2011, so we will have all winter to do the projects while being snowed in!

My first project is the escort cards. Even just printing escort cards myself seemed to be very expensive if you add up the cost of paper and ink. Since we are getting married next to the beach, I collected large clam shells from the beach and other decorative shells. I then bleached the shells so they are all white (and not stinky anymore!). I am going to put a clear acrylic spray over them and either use diy rub-ons or handwrite the names myself. The back of the shell will have the table name. I tried using a calligraphy pen and writing the names on the shells, but found that the ink seeps to the side making it blurry. I didn’t plan on the acrylic spray, but it is necessary and will add a more professional look. I plan on placing all the shells in a box of sand with other small shells around for decoration. The shells are also a nice keepsake for the guests.

My next diy project is block letters. I don’t need letters, but I do want them. I couldn’t justify buying a wood letter for the asking price. I did some researching and found I can make them. All I needed was some cardboard to trace a letter on, then make a back (mirror-image) out of cardboard. I read that you can make sides to make it thick, which seemed too complicated for me, or you can place styrofoam cups in between the cardboard letters. I used cut soda cans since that is what we had around the house. Then all you have to do is paper-mache the outside then paint. Cheap, easy, a little messy, but worth it. You must make corners before paper-maching since it will be a defined corner. You can make defined corners with masking tape.

I plan on doing my own centerpieces too. I bought clear 1 ft. tall vases from the Christmas Tree Shop and ribbon from a cheap online store that matches my theme. I am tying the ribbon around the top of the vase in a bow and will add white roses to finish it off. We are going to order the flowers from Costco and arrange them in the vases. My bridesmaids will be helping, but did offer a little planning ahead for me: make sure our nails are done after the arranging!

I am doing other DIY projects, like printing my own envelopes, memory table poems, etc. I even was able to get a free monogram from The Wedding Chicks that fit perfectly with the theme. The monogram is being worked into all my own printing projects.

Lastly, I plan to make my own lobster trap. Not sure how well this will work out and am taking suggestions! Our wedding is in Maine and I think it very fitting to have a lobster trap as a card box, but they are extremely expensive!! Since it does not need to be functional, it seems easy to make. Just get some thin pieces of wood and nail them in around a curved frame. I know everything is harder than it seems, so I am a little worried that I will waste money on the lumber and it end up in the trash, but I must try!

More projects will come about I am sure, but those are it for now!

Is Kirsten the Ultimate Budget Savvy Bride?

danielle — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:17:49 +0000

I am so excited to share the first submission for “Blooms for the Ultimate Budget Savvy Bride” from Kirsten! I love all of the DIY projects she is incorporating in her wedding… and I especially love that she is making your own jewlery (so cool)! More importantly, the fact that she is a DIY / Budget Savvy Bride is not only helping her wallet, but she is also making it a family affair, which is amazing. Thank you so much, Kirsten!! And good luck planning the rest of your wedding!

Here’s what Kirsten had to say…

I am getting married next June on Hilton Head Island, SC. My family and I are very creative so we have taken on a lot of DIY tasks. One of the main DIY projects we have taken on is all of the stationary (save the dates, invitations, thank you cards, programs, menus etc.). Although it is not done yet since I have some time until my wedding, I know they will turn out great.

I am also making all of my flower girls headbands and all of the jewelry. My aunt who makes necklaces, earrings, etc. is helping me out.

My aunt also has worked with flowers in the past. I really want her to help me with my flowers. I think it would be special to know that one of my family members helped me with my bouquet.

Lastly, my grandma used to make wedding cakes. My aunt and I are going to take her special recipe and make my wedding cake. We did a test cake just to make sure we could do it and it was fantastic! I never knew I could make a cake like I did.

The best advice I could give to other brides is to try as many DIY projects that you can. You really can surprise yourself with how much you can do and save. What worked for me was taking the time to sit down and determine what I could do. I did samples and manipulated ideas to see what I liked. I also took the time to consider what I wanted to spend money on (DJ instead of an ipod with speakers, professional photographer). What I suggest that you don’t do is settle for something. If you don’t like a sample card you did walk away from the project for a little bit. Determine what you want changed about the sample. It is your wedding and you should not settle for something that you are not proud of!

Blooms for the Ultimate Budget Savvy Bride

danielle — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:42:59 +0000

What makes you the Ultimate Budget Savvy Bride?

Okay, everyone isn’t Chelsea Clinton and can’t spend $3 million on their nuptials. So, the Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box are joining forces to make your wedding a little easier on your wallet. We want to know how are you planning on saving some cash at your wedding! What DIY aspects will you be incorporating? From making your own invitations to arranging you own wedding flowers, we want to know it all. What advice can you give other brides during the wedding planning process? What worked for you? What didn’t?

We want to hear your stories! The BSB and Blooms are looking for innovative, detailed responses. Feel free to write as much as you’d like! Pictures are welcome and encouraged! Please send your entries to danielle@bloomsbythebox.com.

The winner will receive a $500 gift certificate from Blooms By The Box! With our great prices, that’s ALL of your wedding flowers!!

Good luck to all!

Essay Contest Period

Launch: Monday, August 30^th, 2010 at 12:00:01 a.m. CST.

All Entries must be submitted by: Sunday, September 19^th, 2010 by 11:59:59 p.m. CST.

(We (BSB and BBTB) will review entries for a few days and collectively pick the top 5 we think are the most deserving.)

Voting Period: Thursday, September 23^rd, 2010 at 12:00:01 a.m. CST and ends on Thursday, September 30^th, 2010 at 11:59:59 p.m. CST.

Winner Announced: Friday, October 1^st, 2010 via blog post on BSB and Blooms By The Box’s Facebook Page.

Contest Rules

Eligibility: All participants must be Brides-to-Be and legal residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and other territories and possessions of the United States) at the point of entry. All participants must have a valid e-mail address.

General Conditions: All participants must “Like” Blooms By The Box and The Budget Savvy Bride on Facebook in order to qualify and be eligible for winning the prize. All essay entries submitted after the specified dates will not be eligible. Voting will be conducted on The Budget Savvy Bride via comment where as the voting participant will comment on what essay they liked the most and their reasons why. Comments on the BloomsBlog will not count towards the contest votes. All comment votes submitted after the specified dates will not be counted. Both The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box will review all entries and choose the Top 5 essay entries we feel are most deserving. Then the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite essay, which will determine the winner. The essay with the most comments (votes) will receive the $500 gift certificate from Blooms By The Box.

Entry: Limit one entry per person. All entrants must provide a valid email address in order uphold the official rule of one entry per person. All entries will be submitted via email to danielle@bloomsbythebox.com by the times stated above and will then be posted. Any entries submitted after those times will not be eligible. Entries must be entrant’s own original work, must not infringe on any third-party rights and must be deemed suitable by both The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box. Entries deemed lewd or offensive might be disqualified, at the BSB and Blooms By The Box’s sole discretion.

The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box are not responsible for malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer hardware or software, or any other technical problems related to website entries. Any attempt at entry as above stated is void. Entries become property of The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box and will not be returned. By entering submissions, entrants are agreeing to have their submissions published and promoted on both www.TheBudgetSavvyBride.com and www.BloomsByTheBox.com and any affiliated websites. The Budget Savvy Bride’s computer will be the official clock of the Contest.

The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box both reserve the right to disqualify any individual they find to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, or any web site related to the Contest; to be acting in violation of the official rules; or to be acting in a non-sportsmanlike or disruptive manner.

Prize details: The winner will receive a $500 gift certificate from Blooms By the Box. Cannot combine with any other promotions or discounts. The awarded $500 can be spent on any items available at www.BloomsByTheBox.com. BloomsByTheBox.com will only ship in the United States. Prizes are not transferable. No cash redemptions or prize substitutions are allowed. If the prize or any part thereof is unavailable for any reason, as determined by Blooms By The Box in its sole discretion, Blooms By The Box reserves the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value.

Winner Notification / Selection: The winner of the contest will be announced on Friday, October 1^st, 2010. The winner will have 7 days from notification to respond to Blooms By The Box via email (danielle@bloomsbythebox.com) to accept the prize. Failure to accept the price within 7 days from the notification, the winner will then forfeit the $500 gift certificate. In the event that no one claims the prize, the participant who received the second most votes will receive the prize and the same rules apply. Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period. The drawing of the top 5 essays to be voted on will be conducted by The Budget Savvy Bride and Blooms By The Box, the judges of the Contest, whose decisions on all matters related to these official rules shall be final and binding.