Budget Fairy Tale

Real Disneyland Weddings - Brettainy and Kyle

2012-03-01T07:38:00.001-08:00

Above images by Beverly Hills Photography

If you are a fan of Disney weddings, you have no doubt seen these images from Brettainy and Kyle's amazing and extremely enviable Disneyland castle wedding. Brettainy had a wedding fit for a princess; the kind of wedding that female Disney fans of all ages usually can only dream about.

Brettainy and Kyle's wedding has been spotlighted all over the internet as the ultimate Disneyland wedding. Even though this wedding took place a couple years ago, I am so glad that Brettainy was willing to share with us all a glimpse into what it was like to have this amazing wedding, and she also included some "rare" photos of this wedding taken by her brother!

(Below photos are all from the couple's personal collection. Hair and Makeup by Fairytale Hair and Makeup.)

Hello, my name is Brettainy and this is the story of our dream wedding.

On September 23rd 2009, I married my prince Kyle. Kyle and I met in high school; we are celebrating our 10th year as a couple! Kyle and I are each other’s first loves, we have grown into adulthood together, and have been together through each other through thick and thin. In October 2008, Kyle proposed, and of course I said yes!

I have always loved all things Disney, but to this day, I love Disney Princesses above all. My favorite Princess is Snow White. She became my favourite when I met her in Disneyland for the first time at age 15. Many people find my Disney Princess obsession very odd, and often ask me… why? My answer is simple: Each represents a spirit of kindness, positivity, thoughtfulness, and strength of character. Take Snow White for example. Her story shows the ultimate bravery, and making the best out of a bad situation through positivity and kindness.

Needless to say, I wanted to live out my Princess fantasy through my wedding.

Originally, Kyle and I had to planned to have our wedding in the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. This was a close to a castle as I thought I could get… but after investigating we found that a Disneyland wedding would cost around the same, and be the ultimate dream.

Now, I was excited to have my wedding anywhere on the Disneyland resort, but it was Kyle who insisted he was only going to get married in Disneyland IF we got married in front of the castle. And, really, how could I disagree with that?

We had previously had a trip to Disneyland for January 2009, so we called and met with the wonderful Traci Banister at Disneyland Fairy Tale Weddings. Kyle played hard ball right from the get-go, he refused to see other wedding ceremony and reception sites, and was very clear this wedding was only a go if it was in front of the castle. Traci was unbelievably accommodating and beyond professional; she wrote down date options for our wedding and sent them to be approved.

We found out several weeks later, our date had been approved!! September 23, 2009 was the official date, and the wedding planning was set into motion.

My inspiration for the wedding décor was purple, white and gold with crystals and my favourite flowers, roses. I wanted the décor to look sophisticated and classic with a hint of Disney magic. I told these things to Traci, and she came through with beautiful prototypes. There was nothing I wanted to change; they were exactly as I had imagined.

In July 2009 we went to Disneyland for vacation and to attend our meal tasting. This was my favourite trip to Disneyland I have ever taken! It was so fun to see the décor in person, and to realize my dream wedding was really coming true!

Photos from Brettainy and Kyle's planning session and menu tasting, showing the sample floral designs.

Thank you so much, Brettainy, for submitting your photos and story to us! Congrats on your amazing Princess wedding!

Vote for Me in the Lover.ly Unbundled Contest!

2012-02-29T08:09:00.002-08:00

Hello! And Happy Wednesday to you! This is where some people, most people, would make some kind of hump day reference. I am not one of those people! For one, the word "hump" still makes me giggle like I'm a 10-year-old schoolgirl. Plus, I feel that wishing people who work on the weekends a Happy Hump Day is just cruel.

Plus it's Leap Day! I hope you are all wearing your blue and yellow. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little bro! He turns "Five" today. How old is he really????? No one really knows.

Okay, I'm glad that's all out of the way.

I come here today to beg your participation and assistance in yet another contest I am entered into. This contest is sponsored by my newest favorite time suck Lover.ly (it's Pinterest for weddings, y'all - read about it here). The prizes on the line are a $500 gift card to Nordstrom (!!!!!!) and an entire line of Paul Mitchell hair products worth $200. Have you seen my wardrobe and hair lately, people? I NEED THIS.

Here are all the things I need to buy with this gift card:

Dress for the rehearsal
Dress for Welcome Party
Dress for Dessert Party
Dress for potential Just Married photo shoot inside Disneyland
Dress for Farewell Brunch
Shoes and Accessories for all of the above

SO MANY DRESSES!

So here's how you vote:

Go to http://blog.lover.ly/contest and click on "Vote Now."

2. Look for the entry by "MindyJoy."

3. There will be a little green "Vote Now" button. Click on that! You can vote once every 24 hours.

4. Tell all your friends! Copy and paste this into Facebook or Twitter:

Help my pal Mindy @BudgetFairyTale win a $500 @Nordstrom gift card from @Lover_ly! http://bit.ly/zuGSa4

5. Receive my undying gratitude!!!! Even if I don't win, seriously, thank you to all of you.

Hugs and kisses and pixie dust,
Mindy

Festival of Brides 2012 at the Disneyland Hotel

2012-02-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday was the Festival of Brides luxury bridal show at the Disneyland Hotel! I went to this great show last year when I was just at the very start of our wedding planning, so I was excited to go back to the show one year later, feeling wiser and much more relaxed. You shall not intimate me, bridal expo exhibitors, RAAWR!

The expo takes place in the Disneyland Grand Ballroom, and yes, it is a wedding reception venue if your guest count (and bank account) is big enough. And they had Cinderella's Carriage on display, sans horses and footmen.

This is the closest I'll ever get to it.

Here are some of my favorite displays from the vendor booths.

If someone wants to buy this for me as a wedding gift, I wouldn't hate that!

Tara and her team at Fairytale Hair and Makeup was on-hand to do hair and makeup trials! Here is a lucky Disneyland Bride getting her trial on! Fairytale Hair and Makeup is one of DFTW's "preferred vendors."

Pixie dust gobo!

There was also a fashion show featuring Kathy Ireland's new line of wedding gowns.

The absolute best part of this expo at the Disneyland Hotel is getting a glimpse of DFTW in action. They have some of their ballrooms on display and decked out by the DFTW floral and decor team. This year we also got to talk to a DJ and a photobooth operator regarding their services.

Members of the amazing DFTW team!

First we went to check out the Trillium Room at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. This is our reception venue so it was nice to see it open and on display!

Dessert buffett, yum yum! Yes, you can have this for your wedding!

Next we headed over to the newly renovated Mark Twain Room at the Disneyland Hotel.

Of course we had to try out the photobooth in the corner.

But the highlight of the day was meeting celebrity wedding planner Kevin Lee! I told him he was awesome on Conan and he posed for a picture with me (I was alone so we had to do the reverse iphone thing).

Shesheshe, fabulous darling!

And finally, there is the swag. Oh, the swag!! I tried to keep it to a minimum this year since I don't need any more vendors for our wedding, but I still ended up with tons!

Meet my new favorite pen.

If you are considering a Disneyland wedding, I highly recommend attending this expo!

Oscar Fashion 2012!

2012-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

I love awards shows, and yes, I am one of those girls who loves to watch the red carpet and critique the fashion. Since I have started wedding planning, I also turn to the awards show for bridal fashion trends. Tonight was no different. Let's take a look at some of my favorites!

(Photos from Hollywood Reporter, Zap2it, and Muppet's Facebook page)

Penelope Cruz looks really great in this periwinkle blue ball gown. Love the off-the-shoulder sleeves.

Only Miss Keibler can wear a dress with an enormous rose on her hip and not look like a fatty-fat. She looks great in Oscar gold and already is taking home the most coveted trophy of the night.

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911 = love forever) looks like a proper princess in this gorgeous lacy ballgown.

I love the sparkle in the skirt of Cameron Diaz' ivory mermaid gown.

Kristin Wiig looks so pretty in this vintage + ruffled gown.

SPARKLE! There really is never a shortage of sparkle on the red carpet - I especially love Ellie Kemper's copper gown.

WHITE! White gowns are one of the hottest trends in bridesmaids fashion so it's no surprise to see it in abundance on the red carpet this season.

HIGH NECK LINES! In a world where the strapless gown reigns supreme, it's great to see some neck line variety.

RUFFLES! I'm not sure how I feel about this style but Tina Fey can do no wrong in my eyes.

Last, but certainly not least, it made me so happy to see Kermit and Miss Piggy on the red carpet. Her hair looks fab in that side ponytail and check out that plunging neckline, wowza!!!

***

What was your favorite fashion trend this year? Who rocked the red carpet the hardest?

Friday Favorites - The Best Wedding Ever, Another Printable from Wedding Chicks, and More!

2012-02-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's time for my roundup of what I found interesting on the interwebz this week.

Photo credit BG Productions

I am "mad"ly in love with this Alice in Wonderland inspired wedding featured on DIY Bride. All the little subtle details are soooooo cuuuuuuute.

Photo credit BG Productions

And this tattooed couple with their giant cupcake is seriously making my heart squeeee. Did I mention the bride made her own dress???? I can't find anything about this wedding that I don't love.

Photo credit BG Productions

Oh, did you see the mismatched, mixed gender wedding party? Sheesh, stop being my favorite wedding of all time, this wedding!!!!! You can see all the amazingness right here on DIY Bride.

Okay, I'm going to try to move on!!!!

Wedding Chicks has done it again, this time it's a free printable Thank You card. You can input your names and date, choose the colors, save it, and print it out. THE EASIEST. Playing around with the dozens of color combinations is super fun. Go ahead, try it!

Lovely Little Details has some fantastic advice about letting go of the "I wishes" and "I should'ves" after your wedding. Must remember this!

On the Disney Wedding Inspiration Blog, we featured the Walt Disney Wedding of Crissa and Tim, (complete with budget!)
On the Pink Wedding Guide we shared our favorite pink pins on Pinterest this month!

***

Have an awesome find you would like to see on Friday Favorites? Please email me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

"My Fair Wedding" Recap - Control Bride

2012-02-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

Wow!!!!! What a difference a week makes! After last weeks snoozefest of an episode, David came back strong this week with what may possibly be my favorite episode of MFW of all time (aside from the Disneyland episode, of course).

When I saw the title of this episode, "CONTROL BRIDE," like most of you I was thinking, "Oh noes, this bride is going to be a total PITA." But it was just the opposite! Those title come-up-with-ers, they are tricky people!

ON WITH THE SHOW.

But before we begin, David would like to remind you that this episode is rated "G" for General Audiences. But I'm pretty sure that toddlers would be bored as heck with this show.

The G doesn't stand for what you think it stands for.

MOVING ON.

Meet bride Leigh-Ann. Normally this would be a name I harp on because of the non-traditional spelling, but after Sno E. last week, Leigh-Ann is a breath of fresh air. Also meet groom Jared. NORMAL FOLK WITH NORMAL NAMES, Y'ALL!

After the last two episodes, you can only imagine my elation to meet a bride who doesn't look like a toddler who just finished playing around in mommy's makeup drawer.

Normal bride looks normal!

Early on we learn the bride and groom had a long distance relationship, and the bride just moved to Southern California a few days ago. This means that the bride has been planning her wedding from afar, and mostly letting her future MIL plan everything. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.

I KNOW, DAVID, I KNOW!!!

Dust the cobwebs off your shotglasses after last week's dry spell, because we are just a few minutes in this week and here come the waterworks.

Next we go into the house and see the collection of Asian-zen-type things that FMIL has been collecting.

The bride admits she doesn't know where all this stuff came from, and David comments that it looks like a kitschy themed Chinese party.

The bride wants an Asian themed wedding but also needs to incorporate Jewish tradition. The groom wants a modern Zen wedding. The bride tells a lovely story about how Jared sent her purple orchids after they first started dating, and she was trying to incorporate them into the wedding decor.

After the Table 'O Stuff, David sends Jared packing and we move on to bridesmaids. Leigh-Ann explains that she asked all her bridesmaids to wear whatever they wanted. Jared's sister comes out in this:

It should be noted this is the first time the bride is seeing this dress.

And despite this face:

... David really likes it.

Then Leigh-Ann puts on her dress and it's actually not hideous.

Whoa guy.

David tells her she looks gorgeous, but the bride doesn't feel comfortable in it.

The bride breaks down and tells David that she needs guidance and she doesn't want to be in the dark about her wedding any more. David tells her usually HE is in control but that now HE is putting HER in control of her own wedding, and once you pick yourself up off the floor, please take Shot #2.

Next the couple takes David to their backyard where the wedding will be held, and David scoffs at the very thought!

Scoffing!!!

After the break it's time to change the bridal gown!

Dress #1:

"Meh" face.

She tells David she doesn't think it's her style. Then during the talking head she says she hates it, ha!

Even without the veil.

"Oh, crap."

BUT THEN, in the most SHOCKING MOMENT in MFW history .... David lets Leigh-Ann CHOOSE HER OWN WEDDING GOWN.

Leigh-Ann goes through the racks and picks out three gowns.

DRESS #1 RE-DO!

This one looks almost exactly like her original dress!

So now we know she has a very particular style.

Dress #2

Similar dress style, but I am fan of the ruffles on this one.

Dress #3

(Mindy's favorite.)

I think the bride likes it, too.

Leigh-Ann likes dress #3 the best and David agrees, so that's her dress! Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

Next we are tasting some food.

Yum.

Yum!

The bride likes the short ribs, and so it shall be done!

Then, David has a little surprise for Leigh-Ann. She thinks it's dessert, but instead it's ...

SHOES!!!!

OMG Shoes.

Leigh-Ann gets to custom design a pair of shoes!

She picks the heel size of one, the color of another, and the embellishment of yet another. What a lucky girl.

After the shoe buffet, David takes our bride to some kind of design space where she is going to pick out the table decor!!!! WHAT. This episode is way crazy!

But first David tells Leigh-Ann that he is moving her venue, and we have to take a break for Shot #3.

Okay, down to business. David puts Leigh-Ann to work decorating a round table.

Womp womp.

The bride feels it looks too Chinese restaurant-ish and asks if they can just ditch the entire Chinese theme all-together. David has a minor meltdown.

Moving on to table #2.

The bride likes this one much better.

Table #3.

With the help of the florist, the bride creates some beautiful centerpieces incorporating her beloved purple orchids. Gee, I wonder which one she'll like the best .....

You guessed it, it's table #3!

COMMERCIAL BREAK, AND GUESS WHAT'S BACK YOU GUYS!!!!

MY FAVORITE CANDY FOR MY TUMMY! I LOVE YOU, CADBURY BUNNY!

*ahem*

It's wedding day, and David's team is setting up a million vases and a million lanterns.

David has his usual pep talk with the bridal party.

One particular bridesmaid is trying to send us a message:

Breath Page? Brain Rage? Anyone? IDK.

David warned us that he has a few surprises for the bride and one surprise is these pearl earrings.

I think she likes them.

The bride and her ladiez get dolled up and she slips on her CUSTOM shoes.

We see the 'maids all lined up in their individual black dresses. I have a hard time believing that they each picked out their own perfectly fitting dress with no outside help whatsoever, but hey, I love this episode so much that I'm gonna let this slide.

David got them all matching necklaces and shoes to pull all their looks together.

Kthxbye!

David tells the ladies to scram because he wants the bride to have a special moment with her parents.

Shot #4

David surprises her with a bouquet of none other than purple orchids.

The groom sees his bride and says "Oh my god," and that's when yours truly starts to tear up. YUP.

Mozel Tov!

Next David shows our couple the reception space.

WOWZA.

I want all your ghost chairs.

It's their names!

Soon into the reception there's a special surprise for the couple.

I have been to a wedding where there are Chinese drummers and dragons, and yeah, it's pretty fun.

And then we all eat cake and THE END.

OMG, you guys, what did you think of this wedding? Did you LOVE IT as much as I did? Seriously, one of my favorite episodes AND favorite weddings in MFW history. But, I'm afraid that my recaps aren't as entertaining when there's nothing to make fun of. Please let me know what you think in the comments, after you enjoy your Faces of David.

The BFT Approved Voter's Guide to the DWB Awards

2012-02-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

As the title says, welcome to ....

The
Budget Fairy Tale
Voter's Guide to

For Disney Weddings fans, the Disney Wedding Blog awards are one of the most exciting times of the year. Every year, Carly over at the Disney Wedding Blog asks fans to vote on their favorite weddings, and the top five go on to the final voting round. While I'm sad our engagement photos didn't make the top five (*sniff sniff*), there are a lot of Disneyland weddings nominated and I would love to see a DISNEYLAND SWEEP of the awards this year!

To make voting easy on you, I have compiled this guide of the BFT approved nominees. Just click here to be taken to the Disney Wedding Blog to vote! You can vote once per computer, and voting ends on Sunday, February 26.

Best 2011 Disney Proposal

There are two Disneyland proposals in this category. Both seemed really fun but I'm throwing my support behind Michelle and AJ, because, c'mon, a proposal in the Dream Suite is pretty spectacular!

Michelle and AJ, Photo by White Rabbit Photo Boutique

Best 2011 Disney Engagement or Honeymoon Photos

Wow, Disneyland Engagement sessions COMPLETELY swept this category! However, two of these couples nominated are dear friends of mine and I couldn't possibly choose between them! BFT suggests voting for either Becca and Mike, or Nerissa and Jared!

Becca and Mike, Photo by Tsubaki Photography

Nerissa and Jared, by Beverly Hills Photography

2011 Best Dressed Disney Bride

There is one Disneyland bride in this category, and it's Natalie!

Natalie, Photo by Rob Greer Photography

Best 2011 Disney Wedding Floral

There are two Disneyland weddings in this category, Wendy and Patrick, and Victoria and Brian! Their floral arrangements are two very different styles - rainbow and funky, or white and simple. I love them both!

Wendy and Patrick, photo by White Rabbit Photo Boutique

Victoria and Brian, Photo by Root Photography

Best 2011 Disney Ceremony or Reception Decor

There are two Disneyland weddings in this category: Christina and Ransen, and Jackie and Eric.

Christina and Ransen, Photo by Jason Lanier Photography

Jackie and Eric, Photo by Ari Photography

Best 2011 Disney Wedding Photo

There is one Disneyland wedding nominated, for Eric and Mat! I absolutely adore this photo!

Eric and Mat, Photo by Beverly Hills Photography

Best 2011 Disney Wedding Overall

Very sadly, there is no Disneyland wedding nominated in this final category, so I am voting for Erin and Rick's colorful DIY Walt Disney World wedding. How can this picture NOT make you smile?

Erin and Rick, Photo by Root Photography

There you have it .... now get to voting!!

Friday Favorites - A Pretty DIY Wedding, an Alice Cake, and More!

2012-02-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

It's time for my roundup of what I found interesting on the interwebz this week.

Photo from Oh Lovely Day; photo credit Athena Blude Photography

I'm not sure what I like most about this lovely wedding featured on Oh Lovely Day. Is it the bride's sparkly Toms? The simple yet stunning centerpieces? The purple bolero? Saying vows in the rain? The mismatched 'maids dresses? Yeah, I think it's the dresses.

Photo from Betweenthepagesblog.typepad.com

I am all about this detailed Alice in Wonderland cake by Antonella Di Maria Torte & Design. It would be perfect for a tea party bridal shower.

Photo credit Lindsey Orton Photography

Lindsey Orton Photography created a styled bridal shoot based on Jasmine from Aladdin. She also did one based on Snow White and Pocahontas! Super cute. *ahem* Perhaps Mulan is next?

Over on Disney Wedding Inspiration, we blogged about the new Alfred Angelo Disney Fairy Tale Weddings bridesmaids gowns.

Over on the Pink Wedding Guide, we shared ways to incorporate a touch of pink into your groom's attire.

***

Have an awesome find you would like to see on Friday Favorites? Please email me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

"My Fair Wedding" Recap - Snow White Bride

2012-02-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

HELLO AND WELCOME to my recap of "My Fair Wedding." Sorry this is a little late. You all know the drama. But, I think I have enough material to put a decent (aka HILARIOUS) recap together. If you enjoy my recaps, please leave me a comment and let me know!

*DISCLAIMER - I'm kind of having a bad week and I may be taking it out on this episode. Or maybe I just really, really was let down by this episode. You can tell me if I'm being unfair in the comments.

This is Sno E. (yes) and Kevin. Sno E. says she was named after Snow White and therefore she wants a Snow White Winter wedding. Based on her name I'm guessing Sno E. was born in a bathtub deep in the hills of Topanga Canyon, where she was home schooled and taught to put on makeup by gypsies. But now she lives in Reseda (818 power!) with a tiny dog.

A tiny dog wearing a pink dress, the Valley Girl staple. Somehow this is all your fault, Drachkovitch.

It seems that Sno doesn't have a "thing" that evokes empathy from us, which is unusual for a MFW bride, although we have to assume that having the name Sno E. for 25 years deserves our sympathy.

Once David arrives, Sno shows (sno shows, sno shows, sno shows, say that three times fast I DARE YOU) him her table of Snow White inspired decor, which is basically black and white stuff and red apples.

CANDLES!

APPLES YAY!

At some point David makes a Seven Dwarves joke and this is when the bride informs us that she wants her bridesmaids to wear "dwarf" dresses and this is when we first see David's "concerned face."

Luckily for us and David, the bridesmaids dress doesn't look anything like dwarf clothes, but David is still not a fan.

Then Sno comes out in her dress, which is SO NOT A WEDDING DRESS.

OH HAY GIRL

". . ."

And then we learn that she is a PAGEANT GIRL and now the Real Housewives makeup make sense.

Next we see the wedding venue - her backyard.

Aisle?

Concerned David is Concerned.

After the break, David and Sno meet up at a mansion of some kind (?) and he tells her that his brilliant idea was to create a STORYBOOK FAIRY TALE for her. Really??? That's the best you could come up with, producers? A storybook for the bride whose wedding is based on a fairy tale?

I really hate the cheeseball factor of this but, if I had to endure it, SO DO YOU.

"She needed a brand new stunning ...."

BRIDAL GOWN?!??! *CLAPS* YAY ME!

At least the Book of Cheese brought good news - a new wedding gown.

Dress #1

Dress #2

Dress #3

Ummmm ... is it just me, or do all these dresses look the same? Even though they all look alike, Sno likes #1 and #2 the best.

So, whatever.

Next we go to another part of the mansion and we have to endure the Book of Cheese again.

Now this is where my Time Warner App really fails me and things get a little fuzzy. I tried to piece it all together but there were signature cocktails and new bridesmaids dresses, all thrown together???

THIS SEGMENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY KORBEL, DUH.

Yay booze!

Bridesmaid Dress #1

Dress #2

Dress #3

They are all silver-ish ... is it just me or is this episode really bori-zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Next at the Mansion From Which You Can Never Escape, the bride meets with a lady who makes scents. She is picking out a diffuser/candle situation for her bridesmaids, I THINK. Connection still fuzzy here. I don't know what it is about this show that they like to make people smell things, but it amuses me greatly.

Next up on our never ending adventure is some food tasting.

"Something something, food tasting."

Chef Do-Rag has created three dishes using *gasp* APPLES.

FINALLY (omg) we come to the last destination of this extremely long segment.

Oh it's a romantic dinner with Kevin.

Whoa there, Miss Shorty McShortSkirt

MMMKAY, It's finally wedding day and David shows up to show Sno E her dress.

"It's the white A-line one!"

"Yay, that's the one I wanted!"

Let's take a quick second to appreciate how PRETTY this bride is without her gypsy/pageant makeup.

At this point the wonderful team from Fairytale Hair and Makeup (who also happen to be doing MY wedding hair and makeup in a few months) comes in to work their magic.

Meanwhile, David checks out the decor.

Yep. That's a lot of white.

Time for the big dress reveal!

It's the silver one!

Not a joke, I thought those were antlers sticking out of the bouquet at first.

Our first glimpse at the ceremony space.

This can't possibly be the aisle, no one would be able to see anything.

Oh .... I stand corrected.

Peek-a-boo.

"Remember that time we got married next to a sleigh?"

The 1980's want their lipstick back, but otherwise the bride looks fabulous.

"Remember that time we went to that wedding and stared at Douglas Firs the whole time?"

Can you spot the bride and groom in this picture? Neither can the guests.

After a quick change over, the ceremony space becomes the reception space and is revealed to the couple.

It pretty much looks the same, but with tables and chairs.

The sweetheart table is now where the alter was, which is actually pretty cool. Maybe the only clever thing about this wedding.

(The lighting snow effect is actually pretty cool.)

But wait, what's this?!??!

There's magic in the air ...

REAL FAKE SNOW!

The bride approves!

UGH, THE BOOK but at least this is the last time.

AND NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE MOST BIZARRO PART OF THIS EPISODE.

W .....

T ....

FFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!

Okay, okay okay, calm down. Apparently this is some kind of interpretive dance retelling of the story of Snow White.

With half naked lady dancers.

This guy is a fan.

THE BRIDE, NOT SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Seriously, look at her face! She is SO NOT FEELING THE CREEPY-ASS SNOW WHITE PLAY.

Let's just have some cake and pretend this never happened.

Whew. Not gonna lie, this episode wore. me. out. What did everyone think of this wedding? Am I being unfairly judgmental?

While you think about it, here are some Faces of David.

***

Let me know what you thought of this episode! Obviously I wasn't feeling it! You better step it up for next week, Tuts!

Disneyland Engagement Shoot - Ilona and Erwin

2012-02-14T06:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! (Or Happy Day-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, depending on what side you're on.) Loathe it or hate it, it is very difficult to escape the love-fest that is February 14, and I'm afraid I'm a contributor. But when you see this gorgeous engagement shoot, you'll see why I had to post it today. The love between Ilona and Erwin will melt even the coldest of hearts. And I love that Ilona rocked her Minnie ears during the shoot! Thank you to Ilona and Erwin and Sarina Love Photography for submitting these photos to us. You can also read more about Ilona and Erwin's photo shoot on Sarina's blog.

***

Would you like your Disneyland engagement photos featured on Budget Fairy Tale? Just send your photos to me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

TRAGEDY - My Fair Wedding Recap Delay

2012-02-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Hello, and happy Monday night/almost Tuesday morning. I have been hard at work at this week's My Fair Wedding recap but it's going a little slow because most of my screen captures look like this:

So yeah, it was a rough Sunday night for me. I tried watching the episode TWICE via my iPad and got major connectivity drama both times. So some parts of this episode will have to be captured by taking photos of my TV screen. I may not have the recap ready until Wednesday or Thursday.

BUT, because I love you so much, dear readers, I made this animated gif to tide you over. (It took me all night to figure out how to do this so I hope you like it.)

10 Budget Tips From a Real Disneyland Bride

2012-02-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hello, and Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was swell and eventful, or if you're like me, you prefer the uneventful weekends. Either way, I hope you had a great weekend, is all I'm trying to say.

Today we have a guest post from Hope, who got married to her lovely husband Mike in August 2010 at the Disneyland Hotel. Hope comes bearing some really great budget advice for all you Disneyland Brides out there (myself included!), so prepare to take some notes and learn from someone who has "been there, done that."

(All photos by Nataly Lemus Photography)

Hope and Mike's Top 10 Budget Tips for Disneyland Weddings

1) Use what you already have to decorate! We used my snow globe collection as centerpieces for our tables and some Disney collectibles for cake table decor.

2) Skimp on the ceremony decor! As our imaginations soared and our savings dwindled, we decided to cut back on ideas for literal interpretations of "Sleeping Beauty" and kept things simple. We chose to incorporate a “Briar Rose” look for the ceremony and stayed true to the greenery and browns of the woods by leaving the Rose Court Garden virtually undisturbed. (Just some petals lining the aisle.) Since we were spending most of the time at the reception, we chose to splurge on colored linens for the tables. We chose the colors Fuchsia and Purple for the reception décor and for touches here and there. Purple because it's regal and it is Maleficent’s main color and Fuchsia because of the uplighting of the castle at Disneyland and because it represented Aurora. We felt those colors were as rich and bold as the palette Eyvind Earle used in the backgrounds of the film. Plus, they're my two favorite colors! We thought it all looked nice and it didn't cost us a fortune.

3) DIY where you can or ask creative friends for help! Our artistic friends created, printed and sent out our invitations for us and created our table names and escort cards as a wedding gift and I made a simple newsletter program for the ceremony and printed them at home for cheap.

4) Skip the fancy bridal store accessories! Yes they're gorgeous, but you're seriously only wearing them once (unless you plan to clean your house in your tiara). I purchased my necklace and hair flowers on Etsy for a fraction of the cost of a veil and tiara at a regular bridal store.

5) Hit up the Outlets for your attire! Mike scored a great deal on his suit by purchasing it at a Suit Outlet and we both purchased our shoes from discount shoe stores.

6) Custom isn't always more expensive! My "Fairies" had their dresses made by a seamstress for under $100 each which is way less than what traditional bridesmaid gowns cost at regular bridal shops. Plus, they were made of breezy cotton which means that they can wear them again! (Seriously, one of them already wore their dress out to a brunch meeting!) If you can't find a seamstress then consider buying "off the rack" at a discount department store. Just give your gals a color family to stay within and let them find their own dresses. It will save you the trouble of having to pick the dresses yourself and I'm sure they'll appreciate investing in a gown that they ACTUALLY want to wear.

7) Hire outside vendors! Don't assume that you have to go through Disney for everything and don't get caught up with the idea that because vendors are on a "preferred list" that they're the only ones capable of making your wedding dreams come true. All of our vendors were reasonably priced and way less than those on Disneyland's preferred vendor list. We hired outside entertainment (a harpist for the ceremony and a DJ for the reception) and everything worked out wonderfully. In fact, we were able to add extras to our event and to some of their packages (like uplighting for instance) because we saved so much money over Disneyland's recommended vendors. This isn't meant to imply that the vendors on the preferred list aren't worth the extra money, but if you're on a tight budget, going "off the list" and looking outside of Disney could possibly save you a lot of money.

8) Keep the guest list small! We had less than 40 guests and still managed to have a wonderful time together. Don't think that you have to invite everyone you've ever known. Most people should understand that it's impossible to have everyone you want there and shouldn't get offended if they didn't get invited. Weddings are very expensive and if you are on a tight budget, trimming the guest list to "essentials" is definitely the way to go. Plus, when you look back on your wedding pictures, you can honestly say that all those guests were seriously the coolest people in your life at the time.

9) Look into rewards programs to make extra money or save money! I did surveys online and managed to collect a pretty nice Disney gift card for my efforts that helped us pay for things. We also cashed in some of our Disney Movie Rewards and got our Thank You Cards and Photo Guest Book for free! If you have a Disney Visa, use it to pay for any wedding expenses. We converted the reward points into more Disney gift cards which also helped us pay for our day.

10) Don't get caught up in the hype! It's very easy to fall for trends and book the latest "it" thing, but don't lose sight of why you're really celebrating. At the end of the day, you're joining your life together with your one true love. We had our fair share of "extras" but we booked them because we thought they would be cool and not necessarily because we were hoping to impress our guests with them. When it's all over, no one cares about or remembers what your reception looked like or remembers everything you offered. All they'll remember is that you looked happy and that they had a great time, so don't try to over "wow" your guests and break the bank in the process. You still have to have money for your "happily ever after," right?

***

Thanks for sharing your budget wisdom with us, Hope! To see more of this awesome couple's awesome wedding, click here for their ceremony and reception pictures, here for their Disneyland castle photo shoot, and here for their engagement pictures. (Whew!)

Friday Favorites - DIY Pink Ombre Tote Bags, Disney Art on Sale,

2012-02-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's time for my roundup of what I found interesting on the interwebz this week.

I am falling head over heels for this pink ombre tote bag design tutorial on BlogHer. Three unique (and super easy) pink ombre designs and some include hearts. HEARTS!!!!! You know, for V-Day? No, the other V-Day, the one that some of us love and some of us hate that's right around the corner. Sorry to remind you about it if you loathe the fake holiday. But how cute are these totes? (Seriously.)

There's a sale on some crazy awesome Disney inspired art on Joss and Main. If someone wanted to buy me the Mulan Giclees shown above, or any of the Mulan artwork on the website, I wouldn't hate that. (Thanks to my pal Natalie for turning me on to this sale!)

Carly over at Love That Mouse shared with us an awesome find - a free website called Pixlr-o-Matic that easily adds special effects to your photos. I used it to add some pixie dust and a fun border to one of our engagement pics above. SUPER FUN and I can't believe this program is free. Thanks for the heads up, Carly!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to nominate us for Best Engagement Photos on the Disney Wedding Blog. To nominate us, please go to this website:

http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2012/02/send-in-your-nominations-for-2011.html

and scroll down to the Rafflecopter form. The second category is "Best Engagement or Honeymoon Photos." Click the green button, then put this link in the box:

http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2011/08/engagement-spotlight-mindy-tim.html

And that's it! You can do this once a day. AND every entry qualifies you to win an Amazon gift card, so that's awesome.

On the Disney Wedding Inspiration Blog, we posted about a Lego Castle Card Box and Mickey details from a Disneyland wedding!

On the Pink Wedding Guide, we blogged about (what else) Pink Ombre for your Wedding Day!

***

Have an awesome find you would like to see on Friday Favorites? Please email me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

A Couple Quick Notes for February

2012-02-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Today's post will be a sort of mish-mosh of random things floating around in my head.

First of all, today marks 100 DAYS UNTIL OUR WEDDING, OMG.

(I'm slightly terrified.)

As part of my fitness routine for February, I am participating in Fab Ab February which is a chart I first saw on Chic Runner and am pasting below for your convenience.

If you are in semi-decent shape, it's not too late to join in! The planks are what are killing me. Oh, the planks!!! (Also, I'm not ashamed to admit I do girl push-ups. If I can manage to do 25 girl push-ups at the end of the month I will be super proud of myself.)

Finally, this month I am participating in Gala Darling's Radical Self Love List of 100 Things I Love About Myself. This is not easy, y'all! On February 8 I only have three things on my list. :-/ I'll post my list at the end of the month!

And finally finally, thanks to all of you here (and on Facebook and Twitter) who asked me about Walter. She is doing well, albeit a little lethargic the last couple of days, so I hope she's just exhausted from the whole ordeal and it's nothing serious. She gets her stitches off on Saturday, hopefully!

Guest Post - Danica from ChicRunner.com and "My Fair Wedding"

2012-02-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday to you! Today I'm so, so, SO excited to bring you a guest post from Danica! Danica blogs over at ChicRunner.com, which is an amazing blog and I recommend everyone check it out (when you're done reading BFT, of course)! But, perhaps Danica's claim to fame is being the "Picnic Bride" from My Fair Wedding! You may recall when I posted about all of Danica's cute DIY items. Well, she saw my post, we got to chatting, I asked her if she would like to guest on Budget Fairy Tale, and she agreed! YAY! So here is Danica talking a little bit about her DIY projects for her wedding, and her reaction to David's changes!

(All pictures are from Danica's personal collection.)

Hello Everyone! I am so thankful that Mindy invited me to do a guest post here on Budget Fairy Tale! My name is Danica and I was the ‘picnic wedding bride’ on My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. It truly was a very special experience and our wedding was everything I had originally envisioned and so much more! David truly does take things and make them so much bigger!

My original idea was incorporating red and white gingham, because that was used at my mom’s wedding, and I love it. We also added accents of navy. Both my husband and I love red white and blue, and we were thinking of a Ralph Lauren Catalog, East coastish feel when we first started planning. Something BBQ-ish, that reflected both of our personalities. We are both really laid back and thought this was a great idea.

Then I started crafting. I made a bunch of little banners out of fabric that I liked and tied them all to twine. I saw this wedding and went this direction with our colors. I made the boutonnieres for all the guys. We picked out ties and my bridesmaids magically found their dresses on the sale rack at Nordstrom. We were originally going to use coke bottles, covered in different fabrics and lace to put the center piece flowers in. I made little flags out of paper and attached them all to different dowels. They were easy to make and added a lot of color to all our decorations I had thus far. Here’s a photo from our original table that I showed David! I had a picnic basket and the two things I’m holding are our pie toppers I made just by spray painting letters and gluing them to dowels. All the stuff for my projects I got at Walmart and Joanns. I used a lot of mason jars, a lot of hot glue and a lot of gingham. I also put our wedding menu on a black poster board, with a white paint pen.

David obviously had other plans! He brought our vision to life and added so many little decorations that I never imagined. I LOVED the lanterns that he added to the tables. He added huge baskets full of red apples, whereas I had a mason jar full of apples. He added so much baby breath and galvanized tins that made it look so rustic and country. He also added red umbrellas to hang the fabric banners from. One of my favorite accents to the wedding was the red truck that our cake was on! It was SO cute.

I literally had NO idea what he would do with our initial idea. I didn’t know what he would think of the BBQ theme and the summer feel to everything we had done. I didn’t know if he would like the direction we were thinking and what he would or wouldn’t change. I was so glad when he said he liked it! It was a wave of relief over me when we were filming.

I must say that everything on the show is truly as real as it appears. There are so many surprises and I really didn’t meet David until I opened the front door. I didn’t know the dress I was wearing until he came in the morning of our wedding and showed me in the big white bag. It was a crazy experience yet so much fun and exciting at the same time. David is truly as nice as he is on TV as well. He is so kind and genuine and fun to be around. With David comes the crew of the show, who are also awesome, but that adds about 40 people to your wedding, who you have no idea who they are! On the previous days of filming there were around 20 people there each day.

Both my husband and I are overjoyed with how everything came out and we still talk of our wedding all the time and how great everything was. The fire truck was so awesome and the church was so beautiful! It truly was a special memory that we will cherish forever!

Ed. note - How GORGEOUS is this picture?!?

Thank you, Danica, for sharing more of your My Fair Wedding story with us! As a fellow DIY bride, I really loved your vision and execution! Even if David hadn't come along, your wedding would have been awesome.

Friends, don't forget to check out Danica's blog Chic Runner for more behind the scenes pictures and commentary on her experience filming My Fair Wedding.

How My Cat Ruined My Wedding Budget

2012-02-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

This is a post about my cat, Walter, and how she dared to cut into our wedding savings. Here's a little back story on my cat:

She's a girl cat named Walter (I didn't name her, I adopted her that way).
I've had her for nearly 14 years, since I moved away from home. Which means she's kind of old, around 15 years or so.
I'm slightly obsessed with her. It's possible I love my cat more than I love my fiance.
She is my assistant and she sits here next to my desk pretty much my entire work day.

About 6 weeks ago, Mr. BFT noticed that Walter had a lump on her stomach. We inspected closer and actually found two lumps, one under a nipple. My first thought was breast cancer, of course. Then, I'm ashamed to admit it, but my second thought was "Aw crap, not right before the wedding."

I called our vet who said the lumps should be checked out immediately. We took Walt to the clinic the following Saturday and she was examined by the vet on duty, who recommended a fine-needle aspiration to check Walter's lump cells for signs of cancer. She also recommended taking a chest x-ray to see if, perhaps, any cancer had spread to her lungs. (Good news, the x-ray was all clear.) Still, that was just the beginning. $$$

The following week we got the call from our normal vet that the results of the cell sampling came back negative. Whew!! BUT, the vet still recommended we remove the lumps. He said the needle sampling is not always 100% accurate and even if it was, the lumps could turn cancerous later.

Now, whenever any doctor tries to talk me into anything that doesn't seem necessary to me, I tune out. But I sought a second opinion from the on-call vet who first saw Walter, and even a third opinion from a friend who works at a cat-only vet clinic. Everyone said the lumps should come out.

I was terrified to put Walter through what I perceived to be an unnecessary surgery, but through come coaxing from my friends and a lot of coaxing from Mr. BFT, we decided to do it.

Last weekend we took Walter back to the vet for her pre-op blood work - $$$$$ - and scheduled her surgery for Monday.

Monday was difficult for me. I didn't like the thought of putting Walter under anesthesia at her old age. I still wasn't totally convinced the surgery was necessary. I was weepy all day until around 2pm when the vet called and said the surgery was a success.

After work on Monday I went to pick Walter up and paid the bill. $$$$$$$$

Poor Walter was bandaged up like a tiny mummy.

She was drugged up, wrapped up, and confused. I cried some more.

That night was a sleepless one. Walter did not like her bandages. She kept writhing on the floor. I assumed she was itchy. So I brought her up on the bed and tried to pet her to calm down, but she kept writhing. Then she stopped. I reached down to pet her and discovered - SHE HAD WRIGGLED OUT OF HER BANDAGE.

I freaked out and woke up Mr. BFT. We tried our best to wrap her back up. I was so scared we were going to hurt her even more. I was so mad at her. What a moron. She REALLY didn't like those bandages.

I called the vet as soon as they opened and they told me to bring her back in to get re-wrapped. When I got there, they took her back for a long time, then finally brought her back out and said, "Yeah, we're just going to leave the bandages off." I can only assume Walter was not a cooperative patient. They assured me the stitches would heal just fine, but Walter had to wear THE CONE OF SHAME. Luckily, compared to the bill I was stuck with after the surgery, the price of the cone didn't seem so bad. $

I do not like the Cone of Shame

It was a rough week for me and Walter, as she tried to do her normal cat life through the restriction of the cone and a sore tummy. Not a lot of sleep was had by either of us.

On Friday, I got a call from the vet with the biopsy results. Walter actually had three lumps, and all three were malignant cancer.

So yes, we have less money for the wedding now. Which stinks when you have such a small budget to begin with.

But having a cancer free cat/assistant = priceless.

Less than one week after her surgery, FrankenWalter seems to be back to her normal happy cat self. The cone is off, she is eating her normal cat food, she's jumping around to all her normal cat spots, and even demanding tummy rubs, which we have to give veeeeeery carefully.

Friday Favorites - Nominate Us For the Disney Wedding Blog!

2012-02-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

It's time for my roundup of what I found interesting on the interwebz this week.

The 2011 Disney Wedding Blog Awards!

Please nominate our engagement photos for "Best Engagement Photos" on the Disney Wedding Blog! To nominate us, please go to this website:

http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2012/02/send-in-your-nominations-for-2011.html

and scroll down to the Rafflecopter form. The second category is "Best Engagement or Honeymoon Photos." Click the green button, then put this link in the box:

http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2011/08/engagement-spotlight-mindy-tim.html

And that's it! You can do this once a day. AND every entry qualifies you to win an Amazon gift card, so that's awesome.

On the Disney Wedding Inspiration Blog, we posted about using Disney figurines as cake toppers!

On the Pink Wedding Guide, we blogged about Hot Pink and Black wedding decor.

***

Have an awesome find you would like to see on Friday Favorites? Please email me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

Mindy Verses the Wedding Dress Industry - Part Two

2012-02-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

DRESS SHOPPING, ROUND TWO. Mindy vs the wedding dress industry.

When we last saw our heroine, she had just survived her first dress shopping experience. This next chapter takes us to David's Bridal.

My experience with David's Bridal was mediocre. Even though we had an appointment, we waited around 30 minutes for our consultant. This was after being asked if we didn't mind sharing our consultant with another patron. If we wanted personal attention, we would have to wait longer.

My consultant was nice, but the biggest difference between David's Bridal and the salon we visited during part one was that the consultant at the salon was trying to make a sale, while the consultant at David's Bridal was just trying to get through the day.

Also, the lighting at David's Bridal is HARSH. Kind of like trying on clothes at Walmart (not that I would know this from personal experience).

On a side note, it started hailing when we arrived at David's Bridal, which is super rare for Los Angeles, and I joked that hell must be freezing over since I'm trying on wedding dresses, although it wasn't really a joke.

Blah blah blah, show us the dresses, Mindy!

Dress #9
(I'm sorry I don't have the item numbers for these.)

I told my consultant I wanted a tea length gown and this was one of the few she brought over. I liked the little flowers but ultimately thought it was a little plain.

Dress #10

Another tea length (difficult to tell from the photo). I liked the top but overall it wasn't super flattering.

Dress #11

LOVE LOVE LOVE. This was a White by Vera Wang gown in blush, and I loooooooooved it! The first bridal gown that I tried on that I really loved and didn't want to take off.

Dress #12

This was overall flattering and a crowd favorite but all the detailing made it REALLY heavy.

(BTW, you can see my consultant helping another bride in the background. That bride tried on three dresses and found her dress, which is REALLY annoying, but good for her.)

Dress #13

I am not a fan of these "cupcake" dresses with all the pickups, but this was one of the few dresses that you could customize with color, so I tried it on. I think my face says it all.

Dress #14

Another tea length and it had pockets!!! But the pockets were pretty much the only thing I liked about it.

Dress #15

Another White by Vera Wang dress. My friend said it looked like some kind of creature was crawling up the side of the dress.

Dress #16

Another White by Vera Wang gown. I actually really liked this one but my friends all vetoed it.

Dress #17

Otherwise known as the Poofy Princess Ballerina dress! Yet another Vera gown. That smile on my face? Yeah, I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of this dress.

Dress #18

My friends pulled this dress with the hopes that the black detailing could be changed to pink, which was not the case. But it was an overall favorite for the day. Considering I am not a train person, I loved this train.

***

What do you think of this round, friends? Any favorites?

"My Fair Wedding" Recap - Shabby Chic Bride

2012-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hello! And welcome to our second My Fair Wedding Recap. The first one was a success, so we're going at it again. If you enjoy the recaps, please leave a comment and let me know!

This week's couple is Candice Marie and Ken, who are a very pretty, pretty couple. AND BONUS:

She's a "Polates" instructor, because apparently that's a thing. How do you feel about your future wife being a pole danc-- er, fitness instructor?

(No comment)

David shows up and if you're playing the MFW drinking game, please down your first shot now.

David meets Ken, who takes him out to the garage to show him the chandelier he has worked so hard on. It's actually pretty impressive and creative and kudos to any groom who tackles some DIY for a wedding.

Although, I suspect the producers just wanted to get David out to the garage to see The Pole (which Ken referred to as a "Fitness Pole."

I was really hoping David would go for a swing but we can't all get what we want.

So back inside with Candice she shows David her table of "shabby chic" items, which is basically some white and pink knick-knacks. Perhaps I am easily impressed but I liked all her stuff. It was kind of tough to tell what David thought, except he didn't think it all went together.

This is also the point where we learn the bride's "thing" (every Tutera bride has a "thing"), and Candice's thing is that her mom was murdered when Candice was four, which is FLIPPIN HORRIBLE and almost makes me feel bad about doing a light-hearted recap about her episode (almost). But it also kind of explains the "Fitness Pole" thing a little bit. OMG I'm going to hell.

David comes to the conclusion that Candice is creating a comfy, homey shabby chic wedding to recreate the comforts of home and family, or some junk. So that is what he is going to create for Candice, and he decided to rename her theme "Candice chic," and you have to admit that having a theme named after you is pretty flippin' cool.

Then David sees the bridesmaids dresses and has a minor fit when one of the bridesmaids is wearing white.

Then Candice's bridesmaid/sister starts talking about how amazing Candice is and we have to take shot #2:

Candice comes out in her dress which is a HOT. MESS. And then we learn she ordered it online and David had a second hissy fit.

Next they visited the venue which is a mansion that belongs to a "friend of the family." UH, NICE FRIENDS.

After the commercial break, the first order of business is to change the bridal gown. Praise Jebus. This is also where we meet Candice's "mom," who is also her aunt who took over raising Candice when her mom died, and it gets aaaaall kinds of emotional up in Panache.

Shot #3:

Take an extra shot when your momaunt cries:

OKAY THE DRESSES.

#1

Everyone likes this one, and the bride thinks she is all kinds of schexxy, and everyone has a good laugh.

Candice thinks this one is cute but isn't a fan of the flower strap monstrosity.

Candice likes it, so does momaunt, but sis likes #1.

ON TO BRIDESMAIDS.

Sis tries on three dresses.

#1.

OMG this is my favorite, and everyone on the show likes it, too.

#2.

Sis likes this one.

#3.

Candice thinks this one is awesome, but Sis thinks the color looks "old" but otherwise thinks it's "cool." They all like #3 the best but David thinks it might be too "over the top" which makes me say, HELLO, HAVE YOU MET YOU???

After the break we find out David has taken the bride and groom to Big Bear to go .... zip lining.

The bride looks really excited, and then David says "You're not afraid of heights, are you?" and then all of a sudden she's scared and keeps saying she's "afraid of heights, just a tiiiiiny bit, I really am."

Good job, producers. Haven't you seen this bride climb her "Fitness Pole?"

David also keeps talking about this being an exercise in trust, and the bride and groom trusting each other, which is weird because they went on the zipline separately? Regardless of the fake plot points, I give this bride kudos because ziplining looks scary as hell and I would never do it.

Oh haaaay, how YOU doin'?

Afterwards the couple gets massages and champagne, oh, and a honeymoon to some kind of resort that was oddly kind of a throw away. And the couple hardly seemed excited about it. Maybe they were still on their massage downer?

This is my I-just-got-a-free-honeymoon happy face, okay?

It's the day of the wedding and David has kept the venue at the bride's friend's mansion, because, duh. Then David reveals the dress and the bride rejoices.

But David has another surprise - lots of bling.

(Biznitches love jewelry.)

David takes a look at the "Candice chic" decor, which is a bunch of random, vintage looking crap thrown together.

Back to Candice, who is getting her makeup done, and crying for reasons that are not fully explained. Shot #4.

All the bridesmaids come out in dress #3, and let's all take a moment to appreciate this hairdo:

(IDK)

Candice comes out in dress #1, already crying, so take your fifth shot.

Can I just take a moment to say I'm not loving her hair and the makeup makes her look 10 years older. She's only 23!!!!! Okay thanks, I feel better.

David gives Candice a custom brooch bouquet which includes a framed photo of Candice's birth mom, which leads us to Shot #6.

Ceremony time. If you're doing the drinking game, whenever a groom cries you drink the whole bottle.

After the ceremony, David shows his couple the reception site.

The guests come into the reception space and are greeted by synchronized swimmers in the pool, lol. I adore their reactions.

The couple brings up David and tells him to close his eyes because she has a surprise, and you can tell David is a bit uncomfortable.

So David closes his eyes and he is presented with ....

.... a painting that appears to have no relevance to him!

The bride says the painting is titled "Girl's Best Friend," and now it all makes sense (kind of, not really.)

Granny approves.

Then we all eat some cake and The End.

NEXT EPISODE LOOKS AWESOME, it's Snow White themed & I predict an extra long recap for that one.

And now what you have all been waiting for: Faces of David

***

What did everyone think of the Shabby Chic bride? I thought this design was really interesting and a bit daring. I really enjoyed the eclectic vintage chairs and tables. And even though the synchronized swimmers made me guffaw, those over-the-top touches are SO Tutera.

If you enjoyed my recap, please leave a comment and say hello!

Real Disneyland Weddings - Julie and Brian

2012-01-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

Hello, and happy Monday dear friends! We haven't had one of these features in a while, so I'm very happy to bring you the gorgeous photos from Julie and Brian's early morning castle shoot. A while back we featured Julie and Brian's engagement photos, so I'm very happy they are also sharing their wedding day photos with us, too! Please enjoy!

Photography credit: Cali Creative Studios
Dress: Custom made by the Bride's aunt

***

If you have a Disneyland wedding, engagement, or proposal story you would like to share on Budget Fairy Tale, please visit our Submissions page.

Friday Favorites - Special Cake Topper Edition

2012-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

It's time for my roundup of what I found interesting on the interwebz this week - but this one has a twist! The awesome folks at Lover.ly created this bundle of cake toppers, just because I asked them to on Facebook! I love Lover.ly! Here's a few of my favorites from their bundle.

Image from Inspiredbythis.com

Image from BridalMusings.com

Photo from PolkaDotBride.com

Photo from GreyLikesWeddings.com

This one reminds me of a certain Disney movie, haha! - Photo from WeddingChicks.com

On the Disney Wedding Inspiration blog, we posted about Disney inspired wedding favors, and a hidden Mickey reception game.

On the Pink Wedding Guide, we posted about pink wedding flowers and 5 ways to incorporate pink into your wedding.

***

Have an awesome find you would like to see on Friday Favorites? Please email me at budgetfairytale{at}gmail{dot}com.

The Budget Bride's Guide to Buying Your Future Husband's Wedding Band

2012-01-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

(This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.)

Shopping for Mr. BFT's wedding band has been a little bit of a challenge. While I could spend several hours perusing the displays at Tiffany & Co, Mr. BFT would rather cut off his right arm than go shopping. We went to one local jeweler to get him sized and try on a few styles. After an overzealous sales gal and a few frazzled minutes where a diamond-encrusted ring stuck got on his finger and I thought for a second I was going to have to buy that one, Mr. BFT came up with a list of wedding band requirements:

Silver metal
Plain - no intricate design or gemstones
As thin as possible
Preferred to never set foot in a jewelry store again

We put off wedding band shopping for a couple months until I saw pictures of this ring floating around one of the many wedding related Facebook groups I belong to:

Men's 10k White Gold 4mm Traditional Wedding Band Ring, Size 8

It fit ALL FOUR of Mr. BFT's requirements, so I sent him the link and he gave his reply of approval. So I ordered it, and it's great! He really likes it. It's very lightweight and thin, like he wanted. And you can't really beat the price - half off retail!

It arrived in a really nice dark blue box and velvet baggie.

So yes, I bought my fiance's ring on Amazon. Because I know how to TREAT MAH MAN RIGHT.

***

What do you think of my wedding band score? I was willing to spend more, but this is the one Mr. BFT liked! I think we both won this one.

When Good DIY Goes Bad - Glitter Shoes

2012-01-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

(This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.)

Sit back, while I tell you the story of my DIY project gone wrong.

These might not seem wrong, but they are. They are so wrong.

Lately I have been a big ball of stress because, OMG, there's only four months until our wedding and I still haven't found SHOOOOOOES! I have been searching high and low, in person and on the internet, for the perfect shoes with zero luck. It doesn't help that I am gravity challenged and was searching for a 1"-2" heel, and the heel had to be wide, because the heels that have the girth of a pencil don't work with my body. And the shoes had to be white or light pink, and not patent leather, so I could get them designed by Figgie Shoes. But alas, it seemed these shoes didn't exist. So it was time to broaden my search.

I had seen these tutorials online about using glitter to decorate shoes. I had spoken to a couple of my friends who actually tried this method and it worked great. I decided the glittered shoes really fit my personality, and I loved the DIY aspect. So I set out to find shoes - any shoes - that I found comfortable.

And then, I found them!

Aerosoles Tapestry, with a 3" (gasp) heel that was WIDE, and holy hell, are these shoes comfortable! I found them at DSW for $50. They only had dark grey, which was fine, because all the glitter tutorials I have read said that the shoe color doesn't matter because the glitter covers it up.

I bought the shoes and then ran to Joann Fabrics for glitter and Mod Podge. They had the perfect pink glitter! When I got home, I set up to start my project.

I used a tiny tupperware container (I somehow have a million of these) to mix the Mod Podge and glitter. It should be a very high glitter-to-Podge ratio. When I do this project again (spoiler alert), I will add even more glitter to the Mod Podge.

Glitter in bowl pre Podge

Then I used the brush to apply a layer of glitter/glue. I had a paper towel handy to wipe glue off the bottom rubber part of the shoe.

Here's the result after one layer.

It doesn't look great now, but it does get better.

Let the shoes dry for about 30 minutes and then put on another layer. Repeat as necessary. This was my result after four layers of glitter.

They look good, right?

But I don't like them. Not for our wedding.

This isn't necessarily a post about a DIY project failing miserably, but a post about me being a super perfectionist.

The black shows through too much. The tutorials that say the shoe color doesn't matter, are lying liars. You can't put light glitter on black shoes, you just can't! And I don't love the black sole, not with an ivory wedding dress. I didn't think about that when I bought them.

BUT. Hope is not all lost! After some sleuthing I found the same shoes in pink! With a TAN sole.

I'll be attempting another glitter assault on these bad ladies. Worth a shot, right? And my glitterfied grey shoes? I'm going to add a layer of black glitter and turn them into some swanky Fancy Times shoes. (If they aren't a complete disaster, I'll post them here when finished.)

***

Thank you for following along with my shoe #firstworldproblems. Stay tuned to see if this shoe tale ends Happily Ever After!

"My Fair Wedding" Recap - Hawaiian Luau Bride

2012-01-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this week's My Fair Wedding recap. I had so much fun doing a mini-recap of last week's episode that I thought I'd try a full blown, balls-out recap this week.

Now, I believe in fully transparent blogging, so let me start by saying that I obviously didn't create the concept of recapping TV shows on the internet. And before you can say I'm copying so-and-so's idea, I'll stop you and say, "Yes, yes I am." A few years back I was mildly obsessed with America's Next Top Model, and the subsequent weekly recaps put together by Rich of FourFour. If you're not reading Rich's blog, you need to be reading Rich's blog. Not only does he hilariously cover all aspects of pop culture and make the world's greatest animated gifs, but he has an adorable cat named Winston (Winston even has his own Twitter account and has approximately 6,000 more followers than I do).

But. I. Di. Gress.

I used to read Rich's ANTM recaps with such awe. I think I was inspired by them because it combined my love of television shows with my love of making friends on the internet.

So here we are. I'm not even going to pretend my recaps will be nearly as awesome as his recaps, or anyone's recaps, or even awesome by definition. It will be short, because let's face it, I'm SUPER busy. Maintaining four blogs and planning a wedding is hard, y'all! But I hope it makes you smile. Because Mr. Tuts makes me smile. And sometimes produces other facial expressions. As you'll see later. Let's begin.

(Oh also, I took all these photos from the streaming Time Warner app on my iPad, and that's why they are kinda cruddy. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to get streaming video on my laptop.)

This week's couple is Kristin and Leo from one of my favorite towns, Anaheim, CA. Kristin was planning a Hawaiian Luau themed wedding because she apparently loves Hawaii. Which is a stretch, right? I mean, I love Hawaii and I've never been. But I'll agree that Hawaiian themed weddings are awesome. I went to one a couple years ago and the entertainment made a dude put on a grass skirt and dance. It was freakin' hilarious. No sarcasm.

The bride's Hawaiian concept looked very Party City. Unlike David, I really liked her bright pink orchid centerpieces.

And do I spy a stick-your-face-in-the-hole photo thingy? RAD. Also, that's what she said, maybe.

The bridesmaid came out in a blue floral print dress and David was like, uh, no.

Then the bride came out in her dress. I thought her dress was kind of plainish but David liked it and didn't change it.

If you're playing the MFW drinking game, you take a shot whenever the bride cries. Here's #1.

Then they went outside to the couple's backyard, where they were planning on holding the ceremony and reception. David didn't like how you could hear the Amtrak train every 10 minutes, but I think I would kind of like it because it would remind me of the Disneyland Railroad.

"OMG, DO YOU HEAR THAT TRAIN?!? IT'S LIKE WE'RE OUTSIDE OR SOMETHING!"

Next, David takes his bride to a rooftop lounge to try on reception dresses, naturally.

Dress #1:

It was purple and feathery. I approve.

Dress #2:

This one was white with a zebra-but-not-really design. David got a little handsy with this one.

Dress #3:

YES AND YES. DAVID, I PICK THIS ONE.

Next it was time to visit the Twobirds offices for bridesmaids dresses, which is strangely just a random house in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Dress #1:

If you have read my blog for more than one second you know I love ombre. So this was already my favorite. But in the interest of equal air time, there was also this dress:

.... and this dress:

.... which seemed to be the clear winner:

Next David had an exciting surprise for his bride! Some brides get to do go-kart racing, some brides go on hot air balloon rides, and some brides ... make their own perfume.

BTW, this is the appropriate face to make when you are told you'll be making perfume.

What did we learn from this segment? Well, I learned that making perfume involves telling random stories, looking at a million tiny bottles, and getting stuff waved in your face.

Srsly lady.

Next David took her to a florist to pick out some orchids to incorporate into her wedding. I'm gonna skip this part because the designs were kind of lackluster. She chose to have some orchids on her cake.

Then David told Kristin he was changing her venue and if you're playing along, take shot #2.

It's finally wedding day, and David stops by with a few surprises.

David surprised Kristin with the pink dress AND the purple dress.

YAY

Some matching shoes ....

Then David tells everyone they get to wear custom perfume ....

"NO WAY, PERFUME?!?!??!"

The ladies get done up by the fabulous team at Fairytale Hair and Makeup ...

... and then it was time for everyone to come out in their non-ombre dresses (bitter).

Pardon the iPad fail

Shot #3:

I love the way David incorporated a tropical feel into the ceremony and reception venue. I especially love the petals on the aisle.

I find it a little strange to invite nearly naked women to a wedding reception, but whatever.

At the end of the night, fireworks were launched. Private fireworks at a wedding are always damn cool.

Shot #4:

For reals though, I really love Kristin's jewelry and would like to know where I can get some in a pinker color.

And finally, last but not least, I bring you Faces of David:

And if you've made it this far, I love you and you deserve a special bonus Faces of David from next week's teaser.

***

If you read this far, THANK YOU! What did you think of this week's episode? I found it kind of boring, to be honest. Everything was really pretty but there was nothing dramatic or surprising about this design, which is what I come to expect from David.

A True "Guest" Post - Scenes From a Real Disneyland Wedding

2012-01-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, I had the great honor and privilege of attending my friends Courtney and Calvin's wedding at the Disneyland Resort. Not only was this my first wedding I've attended at the Disneyland Resort, but it was an In-Park reception (OMG). Their reception was held at the Animation building inside Disney's California Adventure!

(All these photos are from my personal collection.)

I arrived at the venue location (Disney's Grand Californian Hotel) just in time to see the bride make her arrival. The bride and groom did their first look in the lobby of the hotel. She looked amazing in her dress.

We made our way up to the ceremony location, the Parkview Terrace on the 5th floor of the hotel. We were greeted by adorable Vinylmation guest books and pretty programs.

The Parkview Terrace was beautifully decorated with candles and rose petals.

The bridesmaids were so pretty in lavender and yellow.

The ceremony was very nice - short and sweet, just the way I like them! It wasn't long before my friends were announced husband and wife ...

... and we gave them a proper confetti send off! This looked amazing!

We made our way downstairs to the Brisa Courtyard for Pre-Reception hour. I love the Brisa at night.

They had a cheese and fruit display, fried wontons, potstickers and edamame. Everything was delicious!

Soon the announcement came that it was time to be escorted over to DCA. Exciting! As a major Disneyland geek, I was super excited to walk through the park after closing.

But before we got to the Animation building, the couple had a fun surprise for us .... our own private ride on The Little Mermaid!

Once all the guests had their fun on the ride, our journey to the reception spot continued.

They had their names on the marquee ... so cool!

The room transforms into a reception space so nicely.

I loved their place settings - lavender tablecloths and yellow satin napkins. And check out my finely made Cosmo.

Pretty white chocolate castle favors with custom ribbon

Table names by Impressions

Tables were named after lands in Disneyland, using pictures taken by their photographers, D Park Photography

Gorgeous tall centerpieces

The newlyweds came out (with the bride in a second dress!) and did a choreographed first dance. It was adorbs.

Then we all got some yummy Magicale - Disney's special sparkling wine. Soooooo good, thanks Courtney & Calvin!!

Then, it was time for my favorite part about weddings - the FOOD.

They had a yummy buffet with so many options! I chose Cesar salad, penne pasta with mushroom sauce, potatoes with some kind of yummy sauce, roasted vegetables, and Lemon Meyer chicken.

They also had a dessert buffet which was pretty picked over by the time we got to it!

They also had a really fun photo booth with props. We spent a lot of time in here!

My pal Nerissa, who might not be my friend anymore when she finds out I posted this, haha

Soon it was time for cake and some special guests! Check out this awesome Mickey and Minnie cake!

The couple made their custom Vinylmations, and the cake also included some of their favorite Disney characters.

Then the special guests arrived!

The cake was cut and we all got a chance to dance with Mickey and Minnie for a bit. But I couldn't really enjoy the dancing because I had to head home. It was late and it was a work night!

Before I left, I took a picture of the rarest Disney sight of all - an empty restroom.

I loved how peaceful it was around DCA as I was leaving. What a treat to walk around one of my favorite places almost exclusively by myself.

And when I got home and took my boots off, this fell out:

I took home a little bit of Disney wedding magic.

***

What do you think of this amazing wedding??? Many, many thanks to Courtney and Calvin for inviting me to be a part of their special day. Best wishes to a long and happy life together!