June 30, 2010

Welcome! And Here's Your Welcome Bag! :D

Didn't have Internet all weekend because I was helping the bf move into his new house! :D Very exciting! And the past couple days I have been helping him clean the place...not as exciting :P

So I will do my best to go from house mode to wedding mode again! :D

I want to use my creative energy :D and really want to try to figure out what to do for welcome bags, aka out-of-town bags or OOT bags for short.

Since I plan on having a destination wedding, and having a smaller budget, I would rather put more money and effort into the welcome bags instead of the favors. I mean it's the first thing they'll see when they arrive, I want them to impress!

The container you put the stuff in is almost as important as what's in it! They really set the theme or mood!

Here are some affordable containers that caught my eye:
46 cents each, OMG WANT!!! :D
Gorgeous white and purple swirl design gift bag
58 cents each, ALSO WANT!!! :D
Gorgeous purple and white swirl design gift bag
96 cents each, also pretty but may not be worth it...
Clear with white damask design gift bag
A WeddingBee post led me to tote bags for only 59 cents each! :D

Affordable colored canvas tote bags
After you DIY some custom label or picture on the bag, they will look like you spent a fortune! (I have always liked tote bags)

Even though I love the purple bags, (and the tote bags,) I want to think more out of the box, I want something different...

Eh, I guess I get more creative juices flowing once I have a general theme for the wedding, lol.

June 24, 2010

An Award?!? For Me?!? :D

I have been officially recognized! This is so cool! I don't know what to say...

Oh wait, I do know, I need to introduce The Fabulous Sugar Doll Award I received!!! Isn't it neat?!

The Sugar Doll Blogger Award!
I'm very new to this, but apparently the rules to receiving this award are that you thank the person who gave you the award, share 10 things about yourself, pass the award on to 10 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic and then contact them with the good news! :D

Awesome! Let's start! Thank you very much Lyndsay! You're a great storyteller, I got a great feel for who you and your fiance are right from the start! Your blog is really cute and fun, I hope to hear more wedding planning tales from you soon!

10 Things About Myself:
1. I'm kinda a klutz XP
2. I think Finding Nemo is freaking awesome!
3. I can fold an origami crane, box and frog on demand.
4. I proudly eat frosting right out of the can.
5. I get wayy too into movies.
6. Favorite fictional lovable dorks: Philip J. Fry and Ethan MacManus.
7. If you speak Spanish, I will instantly love you more! (I don't speak it very well but I love to practice!)
8. The only history that interests me is in the B.C. years. (Egypt = Win!)
9. I have a strange fascination with the crazy and massive following of Twilight. (Why the hell do so many people like it so much?!)
10. I LOVE MUSICALS!!!

Crap, I just realized that any friend reading this who didn't already know it was me, now will have no doubt that it's me. Please don't tell my boyfriend! XD

Since I haven't been blogging for that long and haven't been exploring too many wedding blogs, some of these are already very well known and kinda obvious? But this is realistically what I have read in the past month, so bear with me...

And the winners are...

2000 Dollar Budget Wedding
I feel that every bride needs to be pulled away from all the wedding glitz, glam and bling for a day and come back to the true emotions and core of what a wedding is all about. A must read about two people who truly understand who they are and not afraid to show it.

Offbeat Bride
These women really aren't afraid to show everyone who they are, and they create really fun weddings in the process! Being a computer major myself, and my bf being a Star Wars/Star Trek/gaming/computer geek as well, this gives me so many wonderfully nerdy and fun ideas to consider! A must-see for any bride who doesn't want the standard wedding!

A Practical Wedding
I will admit, I have not been able to read as many posts as I would have liked from this blog, but I love how this is another blog that takes the time to go past the pretty flowers, invitations, dress, etc. and goes on to the emotional side of weddings and marriage in general. I greatly look forward to reading their insightful and inspiring messages!

Can't Stop Making Things
I found this through her DIY Tiara post. Look through her previous crafts, and you'll get really clever ideas that can be applied to your (possibly long) list of DIY projects! As a graduate student, I don't get to do crafts very often. :( So blogs like this one help me (vicariously) use my pent-up creative energy! :D

Elizabeth Anne Designs
A beautiful blog with equally beautiful wedding recaps and DIY projects! This blog reminds me a lot of Style Me Pretty, but I do love how the DIY page is more user friendly, with easily-seen photos of the projects listed, and all organized by category! Plus this is one of the few blogs that have posts about Boldt Castle! Definitely a win in my book :)

Ever Ours
Haven't read too many posts from this one, but this is another gal who's not afraid to blog about weddings without the engaged or married status! Plus she gets inspiration from musicals!!! Must. read. more. XD

The Broke-Ass Bride
A fundamental blog for a bride on a budget! So many clever ideas that won't break the bank! Like she says "it's not about how much you spend, it's how you spend it!" So many posts to read...so little time! :D

Landlocked Bride
A WeddingBee bride blog that I didn't know existed until I recently stumbled upon it! I was already following Ms. Argyle's posts anyways, and her personal blog is lovely! I absolutely adore the Tuesday Shoesday! <3

The $15,000 Urban Wedding
$15,000 budget. 'Nuff said. But I'll say more anyways XD I'm almost mad at myself for not reading this sooner, I mean we have the same budget goals! Reading a post here and there it seems like this gal has a great sense of humor! Save for later reading, check!

iDIY
With such a deliciously technical name, I just had to take a peek! Have to love the freebies category, with lots of clip art, templates and fonts for a bride's crafting needs! She seems to have a more vintage feel to her style but definitely worth taking a closer look!

Wow, I think I will forever be reading blog posts now XD

June 22, 2010

Bit By The WeddingBee...

(Note: I know that bees don't bite, but I like my title anyways :) :P)

Ever since I started looking for cute purple shoes, and reading about fun-loving Mrs. Sea Breeze and her shoe woes, I have been really interested in WeddingBee.com.

The Weddingbee site icon
It seems to be an extremely popular wedding site, and I can see why.

This blog doesn't just have one bride, they have over 30 brides-to-be, plus all the posts of brides who have been "bees" in the past. And most post almost daily about their wedding adventures! (sure makes me feel nervous about my posting habits, lol)

There are a wide variety of brides on the site, with different locations, themes and budgets. Plus I can't stop sifting through the dozens of DIY pages oozing with creativity and fabulousness!

And, (when I actually start shopping for wedding items,) they have a glorious classifieds section, full of wedding items that brides want to get rid of!!! Not to mention this is a fantastic way to get some money back after the wedding's said and done!

All of this (and more!) makes WeddingBee.com a goldmine!!! :D

So I guess this explains why I can't go a day now without looking at the new posts

XD

June 21, 2010

A Little Love For The Cupcake

Now, I'm not a fan of cupcakes for a wedding...

But this is the first thing I've seen that makes cupcakes look good:
(I'd never thought I'd stay this, but thank you Martha Stewart?!)

Martha Stewart's castle cupcake display.
They're DIY-able, and they even kinda look like castles... :D

This isn't half bad either...What I like are the flowers and the cupcake wrappers, but I'm not too keen on the uneven mix of chocolate and vanilla...
(from a wedding featured on Style Me Pretty)

A purple and turquoise tiered cupcake display.
Hmmm, I wonder if the liner is chocolate... :D

A cupcake with a fancy lace cupcake wrapper.

June 16, 2010

A Budget To Be Realized

So, in response to my last post, I have done a mock budget for what I feel is important to me and my wedding experience.

Please note that yes, some prices are lower, and probably unrealistically lower too. The reason I feel I can make some important numbers cheaper is because I would learn to not try to find something "perfect" but try to find something enjoyable. I would be able to compromise a lot more than when I was first planning everything out...

Will this happen?! No clue, but that's why this blog exists!

Consider this a "hopeful," experimental budget:

Reception:
Location, Rentals, Food, Drinks: $3750??? (only if I can somehow find a cheap but nice venue and have a limited bar)
Cake: $150 (make my own yummy creation!)
Service Fees: $750 (complete guess, based on the $3000)
Gratuities: $325 (also a complete guess)
Total: $4,975

Attire:
Dress: $250 (ebay baby! plus alterations)
Tuxedo: $0 (groom's tux is usually free with groomsmen's)
Veil: $40 (planning to make my own)
Jewelry (minus the rings): $0 (use or borrow things I already have)
Shoes: $0 (use a pair I already have)
Garter: $10
Total: $300

Photography/Videography:
Photographer:$1500 (only if I can find a package with included prints)
Extra Prints: $250 (only if this amounts makes me feel like I have enough to remember the wedding by)
Photo Album: $20 (doesn't have to be anything fancy)
Videographer: $600 (only if I can find one for this price that's worth it)
DVD Copies: $30 (they don't cost that much to make/burn)
Total: $2,400

Music:
DJ: $0 (ipod route)
Musicians for Ceremony: $500
Total: $500

Miscellaneous:
Marriage License: $40 (actual researched value for NY state)
Taxes: $300 (complete guess)
Tips: $300 (also complete guess)
Total: $640

Floral/Decorations:
Bouquets: $140 (making my own, obviously :D)
Boutonnieres: $30 (making these too)
Corsages: $20 (and these...I think I'll need some help, lol)
Ceremony Flowers: $50 (lots of rose petals...)
Reception Flowers: $15 (use the ceremony's bouquets plus some more rose petals)
Table Centerpieces: $180 (for about 12 tables...?)
Cake Table: $10 (eh, the cake should be the center of attention anyway)
Candles: $25 (lots of tea lights...)
Total: $470

Stationary:
(all of these are based on getting cardstock in bulk and making them myself)
Invitations: $40 (less elaborate)
Save-the-Dates: $30
Programs: $20 (less elaborate)
Thank You Cards: $30 (buy bulk cards too)
Stamps: $120 (for the invites, save-the-dates and the thank you cards)
Guest Book: $25
Total: $265

Rings:
Bride's Ring: $500
Groom's Ring: $500
Total: $1,000

Transportation:
Cost for transport of all guests from reception site to ceremony and back.
Transport to Ceremony: $425
Transport to Reception: $425
Total: $850

Gifts:
Wedding Favors: $150 (if I'm having favors, they have to be cheap!)
Gifts for Bridesmaids: $80
Gifts for Groomsmen: $60 (he'll probably just give them nice beer, lol)
Gifts for Parents: $0 (my parents have already said no to gifts, and *hopefully* his parents will agree to none as well)
Gifts for Each Other: $75 (we won't over-do it)
Total: $365

Ceremony:
Location Fees: $650 ($6.50 per person, per 1.5 hours)
Officiant's Fee: $0 (get a friend to do the ceremony)
Total: $650

Other:
Salon Appointments: $150
Bachelorette Party: $50 (hoping my girls will buy me drinks, lol)
Brunch: $150 (hoping to have add-ons to an already included continental breakfast at a hotel)
Hotel Room: $250
Total: $600

Grand Total: $13,015

Wow.

Did I add this right?!

Wow.

*Screeeeech!!!* A Pause...

As I was reading more and more posts from Wedding Bee, I stumbled upon a bride who gathered inspiration from a blog called 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding. I remember finding this a while back while looking for good wedding budget ideas, but almost instantly brushed it off as being a little too thrifty for my tastes.

But I'd thought I give it another go. I looked at the budget breakdown and said to myself: "OMG. I have to see how this whole thing turned out!" (They actually did it...really tiny, tiny numbers for everything...) So I read a post about the goals and vision of their wedding planning. (Read it!!! The whole thing. Done? Okay then, read on.) And it has really gotten me thinking about the whole wedding thing in general.

They had 9 fundamental rules for their wedding:

"1. To bring family and friends together to reconnect and form new friendships.
2. The experience will not be overly-orchestrated. It's a celebration of our love, not a show.
3. We will fight consumerism by spending only $2,000 max. The Wedding Industrial Complex is conspiring to make us think we have to spend more money. But we want to make the event special with sincerity, not money.
4. It will be good for the environment.
5. It will be connected to nature.
6. We will have real time to spend with guests. We want to be able to spend quality time with our friends and family. We don’t want to follow the traditional pattern of a few wedding “events” where the bride and groom only have time for a “meet and greet”: rehearsal dinner, reception, brunch the following morning. We want more of a family & friends reunion.
7. We will make all the decisions ourselves so our wedding represents us.
8. We only want to be surrounded by our closest friends and family.
9. We want to be relaxed and fully present."

Maybe I am going a bit too into the cookie-cutter, expected wedding.

Maybe I don't need the castle.

Maybe my family who would prefer to not travel for my wedding are cheering right now. LOL XD

But seriously. I like the way this girl thinks. She wants to go to the core of what a wedding is all about, and not the truly unnecessary things that, today, goes along with it.

Now I'm not saying that I'm now all against the "WIC = Wedding Industrial Complex" and not going to get a professional photographer or go save-the-earth/green for the reception. But I do love how she is looking at the whole of the experience, and how it will truly make her, her husband and her guests feel. I want to be able to feel my wedding day, not just agonize over how someone didn't set up the centerpieces right...

It's something I think every bride should consider and something to think about.

<3

June 15, 2010

(Hopefully) Fabulous Mother of the Bride Dresses

To be honest, I don't have a clear idea yet of what I would want my family to wear, I just don't want my mother showing up in a floral shirt! lol

For some reason though a lot of "mother of the bride" outfits kinda look the same to me...jacket and skirt, jacket and skirt, jacket and skirt...

Boring mother of the bride dress
A mother of the bride dress that's trying to be more modern...
An ugly mother of the bride dress :P
eh.

I'm not sure if I want to follow suit (haha, unintentional pun! :D) or try something different...but for now, I think purple or silver are good choices for colors :)

Here are some pieces that caught my eye:
(Note that many have multiple color options)

The Jacket Done Right:
A stunning copper colored mother of the bride dress
A lovely mother of the bride dress in a great ruby color
A flowy plum mother of the bride gown
Flowy Lovies:
A Grecian style mother of the bride dress
Another Grecian style mother of the bride dress
A purple ruffled mother of the bride dress
Showstoppers:
A gorgeous navy tiered mother of the bride dress
A stunning and fitted silver mother of the bride dress

So...
What do you think?! :D

June 13, 2010

Be Wary of the Allure of Dyed-To-Match-Shoes...

While looking for colorful footwear, the idea of dyed-to-match shoes did catch my eye! (and mentioned by a friend in my comments! :D)

So many styles to choose from, and any color I want! :D Sounds great right?

But then I started doing a little bit more research...

Apparently dyed shoes and water do not mix.

Suggestions for Choosing Dyeable Shoes:

"Dyed shoes are not weatherproof. They may run or stain if the weather does not cooperate. To reduce the chance that your shoes will run if it rains, apply a coat of water repellant, but don’t expect them to be completely waterproof. If your shoes get wet, reapply the water repellant."

Dyeable Bridal Shoes - Things to Consider:

"Moisture of any type will ruin the shoes for the day. (Can be re-dyed but will tie-dye when moisture comes in contact with the shoes.)"

"There is no protection that will keep water out. (Protection will also keep you from dyeing your shoes at a later time another or the same color.)"

Dyeable Wedding Shoes – Should You Do It?:

"The truth is that most of the horror stories that are based in dyed bridal shoes are the result of ignorance- people don’t bother learning about dyeing beforehand. As a result, they are often left to deal with a number of unfortunate incidents on their wedding day. Legions of brides and bridesmaids have ruined their shoes and sometimes even their dresses because the dye got wet. This is usually what happens during outdoor weddings."

"First of all, water is not your friend. When it comes to dyed wedding shoes, there is absolutely no way that you can protect them from moisture. Furthermore, any kind of moisture will ruin them- though you can re-dye these shoes again, you’ll usually end up with a tie-dye sort of pattern. So if the wedding is an outdoor one, this is something you should probably consider. Remember that even the sprinkler system or some morning dew can spell disaster for your shoes."

About Dyeing:

"Shoe dye is water soluble. That means that dyed shoes, when exposed to heavy moisture, will bleed or stain. We strongly suggest you do not wear your dyed shoes in the rain. However, if you must, we recommend you use a water repellent spray to, at the very least, minimize bleeding or staining."

So I guess

boats + dyed shoes
= potential disaster

As I dug deeper, I heard about a trick one can do to keep them from running -- use Scotchgard. (Weddingbee post here)

Was this true? I had to look further...but it looks like Scotchgard is just another fancy word for water repellant...

Link for yes:

"It is recommended that the dyed shoes are waterproofed using a scotch guard spray and Scotch guarding can be done very easily at home."

Link for no:

"Our dyes are not water-fast so customers mustn't get bags or shoes wet. A dyed shoe or bag can be made water resistant by spraying with Scotchguard or other silicon treatment, but cannot be re-dyed afterwards."

Link for maybe:

"We strongly recommend you opt for Scotchgard as this helps to prevent the dye from running especially if the shoes are worn in rain or on damp grass etc. (we don't recommend dyed shoes be worn in rain anyway!) You can do this yourself - make sure to wipe the 'sock' and sole immediately after spraying."

With the research given, unless I'm really desperate, I think it is wise for me to stick to the already-colored shoes...

June 9, 2010

Oh How I Do Love Shoes...

Okay, since I fell in love with yesterday's wedding photo, I have tried to find the perfect pair of bright purple shoes for me and my wedding party...

And realized holy crap, cute purple wedding shoes are hard to find!

Most purple shoes either:

Have a really high heel
purple strappy shoe with high heels
Suede and studded purple high heel shoe
Purple shoe with rose embellishment
Look hideous to me
Alice in Wonderland lilac plastic shoe
purple high heel shoe with ruffles
Are not the right shade of purple
Lilac shoe
Etc.

Another bride on WeddingBee had this issue too in 2008, (after reading some of her posts, I found that she loves purple too...hmmm I can feel an immense amount of blog reading coming on...) and I will post it for your enjoyment here!

I am happy to report that she does end up finding a lovely, affordable, and practical pair of shoes!

I have found a style or two that I liked, but either have been discontinued or only in a couple sizes...
Like these ):
Lilac shoe with kitten heel
and these D':

Strappy purple shoe with a lower heel
Well, it looks like I will leave this as a challenge for later because availability seems to be so fickle...

At least the shoe shopping is always fun :D

June 8, 2010

The Artistic Beauty...Of A Shoe

Since I'm just starting out as a wedding blogger, and since I am not engaged as of yet, I have only begun browsing the dozens and dozens of wedding blogs out there.

But one featured such a cute idea (that I absolutely adore!) that I feel I must post it here!

CastleBride Couture - Colorful Shoes

A gorgeous photograph of a beautifully coordinated wedding party. Look at how the berries in the bouquets match the girls' shoes!
OMG.

I LOVE IT!!!

Is that not the cutest wedding party pic you have ever seen?
For me it is, lol.

I so want to do this, I just love how it looks!

The shoes match the ribbons on the bouquets, the shoes are ardorable, the ribbons fall loose at the top of the bouquets, the great pop of color, the beautiful contrast, even the size proportions of the bride and bridemaids bouquets are perfect!!!

Now the question is...
should the bridemaids' dresses or shoes be purple? lol

June 7, 2010

Now That I Think About It...

Going back to the lovely wedding I attended over a week ago, I realized something. I probably won't need to reserve 3 hours at the ceremony site!

I remember the groom worrying about rain and saying that they only had the site for an hour for the ceremony. (So if they had to delay it due to rain, they could have been short on time.)

Boldt Castle only gives 1 and 1/2 hour slots for weddings. Duke Gardens probably did the same thing with the wedding I attended. They seemed to have no problem setting up, having a nice ceremony, and cleaning up the site on time. And as far as I could tell, they had no problem taking pictures afterward either! (In other words, they could take photos outside of their ceremony slot)

So, I am revising my estimate for the ceremony location fee to $650, 1 and 1/2 hours for 100 people at $6.50 a head.

$650 down, $5K left to go, lol

XP

June 6, 2010

Garage Sales = Potential Goldmine

I love garage saling.

It is wonderful! You can get the shopping bug out of you, you can barter for pretty much anything, and *most* items are cheaply or reasonably priced! What more could a thrifty girl ask for?!

Some may be worried about going the garage sale route. There is no guarantee that you will stumble upon something "perfect" for your centerpieces/cake table/favors/etc. and the quantity of something you find may not be ideal. But for some things, it can really pay off!

While I was garage saling Saturday morning, I found tons of things that could potentially be used for a wedding!

Cake knife and server
Wishing well for cards
(it looked awful but one could fix it up if you really want a wishing well...not my style but to each his own)
Large shallow glass bowls
Decorative stones
Ribbon
Loose dried lavender
Fake flowers
Buttons
Glue
Fabric Paints
Wreaths
Small topiaries
Vases
Photo Albums
Floral Wire
And much more that I presently can't remember, lol

Really, look in the newspaper or on craigslist and start searching! Waking up early for a few Saturday mornings definitely can't hurt :)

June 3, 2010

Was a Nice Day For A White Wedding

I'm back any fellow readers!

Well I had a wonderful time at the wedding, a definite success in my book!

It was a small wedding, with about 50 guests, and this I think made them able to do what they wanted on a budget.

The ceremony was at Duke University's gardens, and omg, I can see why they choose that location.

It. Was. Gorgeous.

Flowers everywhere, cute little walks over streams and around ponds, birds and butterflies fluttering around... Truly a fairly tale setting!

Great tip to take from this ceremony: Pick a venue that is already has tons of character.

This helped me out a bit because I was worried about Boldt Castle being a public place, (it is an attraction for the area,) but for this wedding the visitors were not problem whatsoever. All of them were very polite and kept their distance, their presence was not noticeable during the ceremony at all. If you looked further into the gardens, yeah, people were there, but it didn't affect the mood of the event in any negative way.

Great tip to take from this ceremony: Don't be afraid to have the ceremony in a public place while it's in use. (Just make sure the proper measures are taken.)

There were musicians for the ceremony, a violin and a cello maybe? (I was too busy trying not to be late, lol) And they kept the ceremony short, which was very wise, since it was VERY warm and humid.

Also they were very courteous to their guests saying that it was a semi-casual affair, so the men didn't have to wear jackets. Some came with jackets anyways, to look nice and spiffy :)

Great tip to take from this ceremony: Realize the conditions of your location and try to be courteous to your guests. (i.e. No full Catholic masses outside in the hot sun! XD)

The bride and groom did the smart thing of only having one best man and one maid of honor, no other attendants. (Which saves money on corsages, bouquets, gifts for attendants, etc) But, to include other close family members, they had them do some small readings in the ceremony.

Great tip to take from this ceremony: Others can be included in the ceremony without being a groomsmen/bridesmaid.

Another great tip to take from this ceremony: Give out one program per couple, it will save on paper (and money) and everyone who really wants one has a memento, (I'm sure the date of your high school friend doesn't really want one...) and something to read beforehand.

The reception was at a beautiful hotel nearby, this place was so cute and quaint that it didn't need any decorations! It had a great old-fashioned vibe with a lot of nice modern touches. Even the chairs were stunning, nice dark wood chairs with pretty light blue cushions, so they didn't even need chair covers!

Since the guest list was small, they had the reception in a small dining room in the hotel, usually used for breakfast and whatnot. The only decorations that I saw where a white branch centerpiece to hold the cute bookmark placecards (the groom was very much into books,) and the centerpieces on the tables, which were books, with a teapot filled with flowers on top, accompanied by teacups with flowers in them on either side. But the great thing was that is all they needed!

Repeat great tip to take from this reception: Pick a venue that is already has tons of character.

The food fit the area of the wedding, great Southern cooking! :D It wasn't exactly buffet, but it wasn't individually served either. Servers walked along the tables and served each person from a big bowl of sweet potatoes, green beans, creamed spinach, etc. All the food was delicious, nothing really fancy, but it tasted great! The desserts were a bit more fancy, little truffles and cream puffs! Yum!

Great tip to take from this reception: Food suited for your particular theme might be cheaper than doing the normal sit-down meal.

Another great tip to take from this reception: If you are lucky enough, have a skillful friend make your cake. It was delicious and we had no idea until the couple thanked the friend during a toast, lol.

The drink selection was about 6-7 different types of alcoholic beverages, which included a couple beer and wine selections, and a specialty drink. It was a gin and toxic type drink, and it tasted great! I remember hearing the gin was specially made or something like that... Not to mention the cute little banners that were put in each one, saying "Enjoy!" and "Cheers!" :D

But I'm sure this helped their bar tab immensely, (only certain bottles were opened for certain drinks), and everyone could still drink and be merry!

Great tip to take from this reception: You can limit your alcoholic beverages, and if you pick them well, (i.e. make sure there's one great red wine, one great white wine, one or two great beers, etc), you save money and no one is the wiser!

They had an ipod for the reception playing during dinner, which goes on to probably the only negative to the reception venue, which was that there was not much room to dance. The couple had their first dance in an emptied-out room as others watched from the doorway before having dinner. So it was mostly mingling after dinner and cake was over. However since most of the guests rarely see each other in a big group, catching up was exactly what most wanted to do. So it worked!

Great tip to take from this reception: You don't have to do the normal "pattern" of a wedding if it doesn't work for you or your guests.

Just as a quick note, the bride looked gorgeous in a ivory, almost light yellow A-line spaghetti-strap gown, which was delicately decorated on top with a plain flowy skirt, and it looked lovely on her! The men wore gray suits with yellow shirts, if I'm not mistaken. (Note that the wedding colors were yellow and pink!)

Most of the out-of-town guests stayed at the hotel, and we received the cutest welcome bags ever! They were like pastel colored tiny suitcases, filled with sweets and a few small trinkets. They were really nice!

My bf and I had a fantastic time! Which leads me to my last tip...

Great tip to take from this wedding: A more intimate wedding can make you able to do what you want and make it all the more memorable and meaningful to you in the process.