Wedding Vendors - To Help Your Budget

One of my goals during wedding planning was to keep my wedding on a reasonable budget. I didn't feel I need to spend money on little extras that may never be used again. I wanted to have things that could be reused again and looked nice on a smaller budget.

Bridesmaids
We registered for gifts early on and as I flipped through my packet from Target, I discovered they had Bridesmaid Dresses. It's not common knowledge, because they aren't carried in stores, but they were great. Knowing I was going to have 3 bridesmaids in 3 different styles, this gave me an option to keep the color the same because they were picking from the same brand, but also gave them a reasonable price. Especially because there was a coupon code included in my gift registry packet.

Groomsmen & Ushers
For the guys, I wanted to keep the look simple. I didn't like vests and I also thought white shirts were boring, so to add the color I desired, I used my gift registry coupon from Kohls and then other coupons as I got them to get each groomsmen a mint green dress shirt.

Then for their ties, I discovered Bows 'N Ties. There were many color options at outstanding prices. I was able to get ties for the groomsmen, ushers & dads that all tied together.

Guestbook & Photos
I went with Shutterfly for these. When registering at Target, I got $20 to spend with Shutterfly, for buying a dress at David's Bridal, I got a free photobook and a 20% coupon. Combining all of these I was able to design a personalized guestbook and print off engagement pictures for very reasonable.

Extras
For my garter, I wanted to have something Iowa State themed. However, I didn't want to pay a big price for something that was going to get thrown to a drunk guy who would probably have it on their head or arm the rest of the night. So, I went for a homemade choice, but not homemade by me. I found the Romancing Juliet storefront on Etsy. Here I was able to order a garter and then choose the colors I wanted. It was great, the seller was super easy to talk with and very prompt about getting it out to me.

Dollar stores became our friend too. We wanted to have big bowls for snack mix and popcorn, but didn't really want to serve out of glass. So my mom went on a search and found 'fancy' looking plastic bowls at the dollar stores that looked good, served the purpose and didn't cause heartbreak if they broke.

Centerpieces
Hello Hobby Lobby! My favorite craft store from growing up, was really key in making this all happen. With the Hobby Lobby app, I could get 40% off a regular priced item. So every time I went by Hobby Lobby, I pulled in & got a pack of votive candles and anyone who was with me also had to grab a pack. The ribbon, wedding aisle goods & glitter purchases were based around when they were on sale. The sales cycle through every 3-4 weeks and is also stated on the app, so I never bought anything at full price. It wasn't necessary if it was planned. Plus since Hobby Lobby was on the way home or near my mom's destinations frequently, we didn't need to make unnecessary trips to get what we needed.

Don't be afraid of the coupons, they'll really help you stay on budget!

Fence Facelift

Our yard is fully fenced in & it's awesome for Sadie, but we own very little of it, so can't control the state of the fence, most of them are lovely. One of them if I ran at it, I could have run through it completely, so we grabbed a roll of chainlink fence right after we bought the house & stuck it to the poles on our side to make sure we didn't have a runaway pup on our hands. However, the part that we do own, was gray & kind of unattractive. So I got it in my head that staining it would be much more appealing.

Little did I know, that sanding would be significantly more intense than anticipated. We grabbed a pack of sandpaper sheets when we were going to start the project because we weren't able to hose off enough to make it look like good wood again. So we started sanding...with small sheets...by hand. Bad decision, it took forever, my hands hurts, my arms hurt & my fingernails were getting sanded down as well. 

Left - After Sanding | Right - Sanded Needed

Well, 1 week of evening work we had the biggest section of fence done & it looked stellar. So we took a 2 week break. 

Then it was time to do the smallest section. I decided to venture out on this section on my own. I am a perfectionist when it comes to painting, I apologize, but this is a trait that comes from my father, so I can't help it! But during the 1st section, I couldn't handle watching Greg stain, it was dripping, he held the brush all wrong & I was stressed! So I let him help sand & then asked him to let me stain by myself. And it was done!

This weekend I finally was able to crank out the last part, got up early, sanded...added band-aids to my fingers...everyone of them actually because hotspots popped up all over. Hosed it down, let it dry & then finally wrapped up the day staining. It looks so much more appealing, love looking at it from the swing!

Steps:

1. Hose it down in JET setting

2. Sand until you can see the wood grain again

3. Hose again to get the dust off

4. Let is dry

5. Stain (with proper technique & no dripping stain!)

6. Relax in the swing with wine or coffee

Welcome Chalkboard

I started following the blog Little Baby Garvin about a month ago & really enjoyed her decorating style. I had wanted to make something to put up in our little entry area & this blog inspired me to make my own chalkboard. I have no where near the amount of artistic ability she has, but I was still able to make the type of sign that fit our entry area well.

For my sign, I wanted something to be on there permanently & I wanted the ability to  rotate the message for different timeframes. So I came up with the idea of getting our name on there & then the rest was a chalkboard.

So I went to work. I found chalkboard at JoAnn's, it's about a 13x17 with a wooden frame. BUT the best part is that it is also magnetic, so I can add magnets to this entrance board too!

I had my mom cut out "O'Briens" on her Cricut & then I taped it down & traced around it with pencil before taking the letters off & taking out a white paint marker & filling it in. I then added 'The' & 'Est. 2014' to add some personalization.

Then it was on to the message & since our ISU season tickets had come in, it was time to start the countdown until kick-off! However, I have a pack of Crayola sidewalk chalk, which I don't recommend (they are really crumbly & break easily), so I am able to rotate colors & messages as I see fit.

Adding a Personal POP

A lot of my wedding was my twists on Pinterest ideas. Those personal twists are definitely what makes your wedding yours & shows your personalty. Here are some that I really liked.

Blue Heart Patch - One of my grandpa's passed away about 2 years before my wedding. And after seeing the idea of putting a blue heart patch on the back of your dress as your something blue, I knew (even before I was engaged) that I would have a piece of my grandpa's handkerchief sewn into the back of my dress. The night before (yes, the night before), my mom finally was able to get her emotions in check enough to get it sewn onto the back of my dress.

Memory Candle & Board - Another thing I wanted was a memory candle. Three of our grandpa's had passed away and the 4th (my grandpa) was in the hospital & unable to attend. So the wooden plaque was spray painted & my mom wrote on it for me. The roses were in colors that matched the grandma's corsages.

Mint Green TOMS - I can't wear heels. My ankles & back hate them. I look like a klutz & I'm incredibly tall compared to everyone but Greg. So I knew from the start I was not going to wear heels and I stumbled across the mint green TOMS. I knew they were it & it was a way to add the color in for the bridesmaids who wore gray. In the process of collecting sizes, TOMS discontinued the color & I was unable to order them. I was crushed! After finding a disappointing back-up, my mom spotted the TOMS on Zulily. I immediately jumped on & ordered up 4 pairs & was ecstatic. We had comfortable & awesome looking shoes! Completely my style.

Necklaces - Another little 'POP' of color I had for the bridesmaids was their necklaces. I made each of their necklaces with metal letter stamps on flat metal charms. The style of names was different, some got their nickname from me others got their initial + their significant others initial. My pregnant bridesmaid, also not a mini charm with the initial of her baby on it. The 'POP' of color came from the mint green bead I added to lay on top of the charm.

Tulips - Finally, the other fact of the wedding I have known forever was tulips. I love tulips. I am a Dutch kid, probably would have done wooden shoes if wouldn't have had such a traumatic experience walking in my first pair, in fact the blisters may still have scars on my feet! :) I wanted the tulips to be varying colors & really be the bright spot. Each bridesmaid had a different color & mine had all the colors together.