My Review of the Royal Wedding

What a lovely wedding we saw today. :)

In my opinion, Kate kept things simple, classic and elegant.

She could have gone over the top.
She could have ruffled some feathers being more "modern".

But she didn't! And it was perfect!

I was actually very surprised with her understated elegance.

Her dress:

Very simple and sleek, with a v-neck lace bolero-like top over a strapless neckline, with an (I believe) an a-line skirt and a decent (but not excessive) sized train.

It's modern due to it's simplicity, yet is traditional enough that there's no question it is a Royal Wedding gown.

Her tiara and earrings are gorgeous, but not over the top, and do not demand too much attention, so the focus is on the beautiful bride!

Having her hair half up and curled was perfect for her ensemble as well, very regal, and very pretty in an effortless way.

Her maid of honor:

I was very surprised to see her sister Pippa wearing white! (Or ivory, I cannot tell the difference really! XP) However she does look very lovely in a sleek, trumpet style dress which I believe does have some lace on the sleeves.

I kinda really loved the way the bridesmaid's hair was done, with a bunch of lily of the valley pinned to back of her half-up hairdo. Again, effortlessly pretty!

(and btw those flower girls are A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.!)

Her flowers:

At first I thought most of her flowers were mainly baby's breath, but with a bit of research I learned it was bunches of lily of the valley! What a high-class touch! Her bouquet consists of lily of the valley, hyacinth, ivy, a sprig of myrtle, and sweet william! (That is just too cute!)

I was very surprised at the size of the bouquet as well, compared to American brides, it is definitely on the small side! Not that it matters, it just wasn't what I expected. Still very romantic!

The ceremony:

Westminster Abbey does not need much decoration, so anything added to this space just adds to the elegance, charm, and awe of the place! Tall trees lining the beginning of the isle is a very modern touch in my opinion, really works with the height of the Abbey, and the rest of the flower arrangements were large, but fairly traditional with white flowers. Kept them straightforward but pretty!

Also the ceremony had a very nice timeline, it was not too long or drawn out, with a lot of audience participation with the hymns. It was very enjoyable to watch.


But the most important thing of all...they look so happy!


I wish the couple much happiness and joy in their new marriage! Congrats you two!

<3

As If You Needed Another Reminder...

BUT...

...just in case you haven't heard, the Royal Wedding is tomorrow morning!!!

It officially starts at 3am EST, however I found this Guy's Guide to the Royal Wedding to be a very helpful article that will save you some sleep while still enabling you to see all the lovely details. (What? I have a job to go to in the morning! XP)

According to the article, the wedding doesn't officially start until 6am EST, and the previous footage will be guests arriving at Westminster Abbey!

Now I know some people are interested in what the Queen's wearing and whatnot, but can't you see that in the highlights??? I sure can for 3 extra hours of sleep!

So, if you have a 9-5 job like me, go to bed early tonight, turn on the TV at 6am, watch as much as you can before leaving work, then catch the rest of the details throughout the day until your wedding bug is satisfied!

Royal Wedding highlights/thoughts/reflection/complements post to come tomorrow!

I Am A Wedding Schizophrenic.

Hey guys,

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I found myself slightly uninspired (soon to be fixed by the Royal Wedding coming up soon...)

So I decided to organize all that wedding inspiration I have been saving up the past year and place it into neatly organized folders, with the potential to go onto Google Docs so I would have access to my stuff from anywhere!

Once I was done, I wondered where my focus for wedding planning was going, so I opened up each folder and looked at the elements I had...

And I found out something slightly troubling...

I'm a wedding schizophrenic. XD

With each category of wedding planning, the dress, the flowers, the decor, the invitations, I had at least three or more major themes.

Obviously, I'm already confused with the winter vs. summer wedding, and that doesn't help matters.

With winter, I'm showing a more nature-oriented and rustic look:



But the summer one is still having an identity crisis...

I don't know if I want more modern, elegant and sleek look:



Or a detailed, lush, romantic, girly affair:



I seem to approve of both ends of the spectrum! XD

I'm sure this wedding confusion is not going to end for a while, not until I start actually plotting out the nitty gritty details, and a focus starts to appear from my now blurry daydreams...

But until then, I guess being prepared for anything is a good thing, right?!

...right?

XD

Wedding Postage Woes Fixed With the New Forever Stamp!

Yes, yes, I know. The Forever USPS postage stamps presently have the Liberty Bell on them, and while iconic, probably aren't pretty enough for your colored envelopes and carefully constructed invitations!

But wait! Coming on the 21st, a new breed of Forever Stamps will emerge!

Presenting: the Wedding Roses Forever Stamp!

What does this mean for brides? Or ladies-in-waiting even?

Well, if you buy these lovelies in bulk quantities on the 21st for $0.44 each, then even if you're planning your wedding for 2014, (or waiting another who-knows-how-many years for your sweetheart to propose,) these babies will still coverage your postage on any one ounce letter, (such as your thank you letters and RSVP envelopes,) no matter how much postage goes up in that time period!

As many married women know all too well, postage adds up. With the inflated guest list comes inflated multiples of Save-the-Dates, invitations, RSVP cards, and thank you letters, all of which need postage.

Now, unfortunately I couldn't find any reliable statements out there about using more than one forever stamp for envelopes that weigh more than one ounce. But for the sake of argument let's say you can get away with 2 of them for your Save-the-Dates and invitations.

So you're inviting 100 guests. Right now, the stamps are $0.44. In 2014, pretend the stamp prices have increased to $0.50.

Cost for Forever stamps now = $264
Cost for estimated stamps in 2014 = $300
Total potential saved = $36

Now, $36 in the scheme of the wedding budget may not seem like much, but $36 saved is $36 saved! :D

And we all know that postage prices will continue to rise, given the trends of the past several years.

So the point is, (if you can use two Forever stamps to cover your invitations and Save-the-Dates,) why wouldn't you buy them now?!

One good reason: "The best made plans of mice and men often go awry."

In other words, your intimate 50 person wedding in your mind may escalate to 100 or even more, given family pressures and whatnot. So you purchased only half the amount of stamps you need, and still need to pay extra.

BUT you still are saving some money, if not the amount you originally wanted to.

And if you buy too many for you to ever possibly use? Well now you can send all your letters/bills/etc. for a cheaper price than the present postage costs, and they look pretty to boot! XD

So, I guess this is to say to presently engaged and thrifty women: Buy these on the 21st before postage goes up again!!!

Edit: I have received some great postage information from a reader, and here is the scoop on postage for wedding invitations:

Starting on April 17th:
"1st class, 2 oz - $0.64 (previously $0.61)
1st class, 2 oz - odd size* - $0.84 (previously $0.81)
1st class, 3 oz - $0.84 (previously $0.78)
1st class, 3.5 oz - $1.04 (previously $0.95)
1st class, 4 oz - $1.48 (previously $1.39)
Postcards, 1 oz - $.29 (previously $0.28)"
And the new Forever stamp can be used for 1 oz mailings.

100 Posts People! Break Out the Champagne!

Oh, My, Goodness, I can't believe I've reached the 100 post mark! I am so proud of this blog and so happy to see I have some people who (apparently) actually read it! XD lol

So I thought I would do something fun for those who do read my blog, and post some oldies but goodies posts that you may have missed due to the newness of my blog at the start, almost one year ago!

-My in-depth analysis of the feasibility of an iPod reception:

-My detailed tutorial of how to make your very own DIY wedding bouquet!

-Valuable tips I learned from attending a friend's wedding!

-Anyone who knows me knows I love cake, so here are the best ways to top your lovely cake or cupcakes, and all the lovely choices you have for the sweet confection!

-Thousand Island brides, don't despair! Here's my Thousand Island venue search series! First, Second, Third, and Fourth posts!

-Some great rules to plan and live by.

-The cost of renting versus the cost buying your own!

-And of course, my David Tutera - My Fair Wedding Phantom series! See all posts here!

Dishing for Dana: Help Another Thrifty Bride in Need!

Okay you guys, the creator of one of my favorite thrifty wedding blogs - The Broke-Ass Bride: Dana LaRue, needs our help!!!

If you read her blog, (which you so should anyways!) you have seen that poor Dana has had surgery after surgery, for rare and frustrating autoimmune diseases, (yes plural! D:) she has been dealing with the pass several years.

Even though her illness was the very reason she started the blog, the costs of her medical expenses are becoming too great, and in order to keep the The Broke-Ass Bride blog up and running for future thrifty and money-smart brides, she needs our help!

She even giving her contributors something in return...good yummy comfort food recipes!

I know, I know, you're not rolling in the dough either. But you don't even need to send cash!

Dana's looking for blog promotions of her fundraiser, recipes for the book, help with the site or book development, all for wonderful acknowledgment in the recipe book and a link on her site, which is viewed by hundreds, if not thousands, of brides!!!

Not only would you be helping a Broke-Ass Bride in need, but you would also be promoting your blog, site or business!

All information can be found here and here.

I will donate actual monies once I get my first paycheck, but at least I can spread the word!!!

For All The Ladies-In-Waiting

Okay, for once I'm going to get personal here.

Sure I talk about all the pretty, touchable stuff that is involved with a wedding, but rarely do I talk about what it's all about, what it all revolves around...two people declaring their love and their lives for one another.

Why? It's simply because my relationship has not reached that level yet.

But now I'm going to write about what I do know: what it's like to be a lady-in-waiting, as those in the wedding blogosphere call us.

We are the hopefuls lurking on the forums and blogs, hoping that the information and prettiness we absorb will soon be needed.

We are the ones who may be distracting ourselves from our annoyances with the waiting stage.

We are the ones horribly bashing into the brains of hinting to our boyfriends that we want something more in our lives.

But why are we so determined to get to the married stage?

It's different for every couple, but for me, I think a lot of it may be peer pressure.

It can be hard to be in a long term relationship these days. Traditional views are still very widely accepted, so you're probably hearing from your mother, your siblings, any other female in your family, and maybe some of your friends, that they can't believe you don't have a ring on your finger already!

At times when I'm comfortable with my relationship, the constant comments get to me, and I start doubting myself and my decisions. Then I start over-analyzing my relationship and wonder if I should cut my losses and get out of this dead-end relationship with no proposal while I can! (Yeah, I get kinda crazy sometimes.)

Moving in with your significant other doesn't help matters. For one who doesn't have a thick skin, moving in with your significant other can be quite embarrassing. Suddenly your entire family knows your shacking up with your boyfriend, sans ring. XP

It's hard. Speaking to your grandmother about your relationship suddenly seems very daunting, and I kinda avoid the subject as much as I can with them.

But it is a smart thing to do these days, just because if you can't live with your boyfriend, how are you going to handle marriage?! It's almost a necessary evil with relationships these days. On a positive note, usually this type of situation is financially beneficial for both parties, which is one of the big reasons why I moved in and why I'm not planning on moving out.

While talking to my boyfriend, (yet again,) about the proposal thing, he brought up a good point about why we should wait, (as much as I didn't want to admit that he was right XD).

Right now I just got out of school, just started my first full time job, and to be honest, I'm kinda picking up the pieces of my life left behind by the earthquake called a Master's program.

In other words, personally, I'm a mess. I don't like who I am right now, and for a while I just felt too overwhelmed to do anything about it.

This blog has been the only hobby I've had just because it is based on the Internet, which could go with me no matter what I was doing in my crazy life. It was so easy to work on and invest time in. It was free to do as well. And I have greatly enjoyed it.

But I realize now I need to focus a little more on my real, offline life and a little less on wedding-fantasy-land.

So yeah, I spilled out my guts on the Internet, oh no, let the regrets start flowing! Just kidding.

I may ease up on the wedding stuff for a little while...but I'll be waiting for one of my friends to get officially engaged *cough,cough*Anne*cough,cough* so I can start the mayhem all over again ;)

<3