Even More Comfy Cozy Winter Wedding Inspiration!

Considering the amount of snow days being given throughout the US lately, I figured more winter wedding inspiration would be quite fitting!

This post is best enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate :)

Or better yet, a mug of hot buttered rum! :D


The recipe can be found at Real Simple's blog Simply Stated. Am I a dork for thinking of Harry Potter's butterbeer every time I see hot buttered rum? XD

An easy way to get a winter wonderland feel is to include these cute but inexpensive Icelandic bowls from Country Clean Paper Supplies.


Starting at $1.50 for a regular 16oz bowl, $5.50 for a 3.5qt bowl, and just $12 for a giant 12qt punch bowl, how could you go wrong?!

This pretty snowflake wedding cake is easy to execute given that the royal icing snowflakes can be done in advance! So then you can bake, assemble and frost, (fondant optional), then add the royal icing snowflakes in small groupings around the cake.


It looks like some of the snowflakes were pressed onto the frosting to make an imprint of a snowflake as well as having the royal icing ones attached. However I think doing that technique could easily backfire on a novice cake decorator like I. I would try doing in a pretty blue color though :)

For help on creating the snowflakes, start reading the tutorials at Mahalo and Martha Stewart Weddings. Also check out this forum discussion at Wilton to read more on the difficulties of removing these icing lovelies from wax paper.

o.0

*swoon*
So gorgeous for winter, they're frigging perfect! Found on At Home with Kim Vallee, in reference to Fauchois Fleurs florist. You know it's a good florist when you don't care that their site is in French. XD

A cute and creative way to display sweets for a dessert table would be to include these easy-to-make meringue cookie trees!


This tutorial at Little Dishy gives her version of the meringue tree, including a rum-flavored icing that will make the cookies easily removable for your guests to enjoy!

I'm loving this beautifully ruched, a-line wedding dress, Cleo by Maggie Sottero:


Such clean and modern lines, with a romantic flower sash and corset back...stunning. Usually I don't go for dresses that do not have a lot of beading, but for some reason this seems to have enough character that it doesn't need anything aside from the sash.

Gah, this is the problem though with looking at designer dresses, you're not going to find them used anywhere until they had time to become a little out of style, had the time to be worn for a wedding. So all the latest fashions now won't start popping up until several months pass by.

I tried looking for this model online, and got prices around $900-$950 for sites that did not accept returns XP So I can only assume that this lovely will cost about a grand in a wedding dress boutique. For now.

Maybe I'll be stalking this dress in the used dress classifieds in the fall :) lol, you never know!

The Cricut's Here!!!

8D

Yes, the crazy lady got her Cricut for Christmas!!!

It's so pretty isn't it?! It's a collector's edition for National Breast Cancer Month, and came with the special edition Pink Journey cartridge! Plus Plantin Schoolbook and Accent Essentials cartridges.

I got the special edition because it was a fantastic ebay find, an auction that had an incorrectly labeled title, so any passerby would think it was just a regular Cricut for sale. Not to mention that for other unknown but fortunate reasons, it was not being bid up as much as other Cricuts on ebay at the time.

I figured a collector's item would be worth more in the long run, in case I wanted to sell it after all the wedding preparations are over. Also that Pink Journey cartridge? Worth over $100 on average! 0.0 (A normal Cricut cartridge will go for approx $30 on ebay, depending)

After bugging my mom for two hours debating whether I should buy it or not, my mom offered to use her bidding program to help me out. I anxiously waited for the end results...and...wait, what? Who won this?! z***t?! Who the hell is that?!?

I called up my mom saying her bidding program didn't work, z***t won the auction, and started getting slightly frantic. Her response? "Oh, okay then, I guess we'll have to wait til Christmas to see if I really won the auction or not. :D" My mom is always trying to get "surprises" for Christmas gifts, lol.

So obviously I knew she had it :)

Ebay is, apparently, pretty good at disguising bidders names. I don't remember the exact number offhand, but I believe we won the auction around $185 plus approx $25 shipping. Which is a steal considering my mom sold the Pink Journey cartridge for me for $125! :D

(No offense to those who would have kept the cartridge, however I am fortunate enough to not have a breast cancer victim in the family, so I hope that I never need it.)

So, being gifted the Make the Cut! cutting program as well, I had to figure out how the hell to get this thing working!

Coming Up: Setting up your Cricut with Make the Cut!

I've Gone Cricut Crazy

Hello again,

I was working on a post to explain each element in my inspiration board, but I sadly can't find the source of the branches with the hanging crystals and candles in the top left of my board...and I looked in what seems like all my saved links! D: So until I can give the proper credit, that post will have to wait.

But in the meantime, I started to be allured by the amazing-ness of the Cricut.

With so many stunning DIY paper crafts out there, a crafty not-yet-bride like me HAS to include one of them! And if that involves a creative shape? The poor girl's fingers are aching from scissor overuse! But the Cricut, ah, the Cricut, can do it for you!

It can cut out cute shapes for escort cards!:


It can save you money by eliminating the need for cute punches!:


It can really jazz up your invitations!:


It can make birthday/Christmas/thank you cards!:


It can help you make envelope liners!:


It can churn out banners!:


It can make tags!:


It can make packages, boxes, and bags!:
(I really did not expect to find these projects, I just wanted to put in part of the Dr. Suess quote! XD)

It can produce cupcake liners!:


It can make ornaments!:


It can help you design custom stamps!:


It can create embossing folders!:


It can cut out custom wall decals!:


It can even help you etch/paint wine glasses with a professional look!!!:


So yeah, it can basically take over the crafting world!!!

And now I *might* (crosses fingers) be getting one for my birthday/Christmas.

SQUEE!!! XD *dances*

Okay, the crazy lady is done now :)

Renting Vs Buying, The More Sane Approach

I began to think about the last two posts and I realized it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I'm sure many brides and events have done a mix of both rentals and purchases to get a nice happy, more work-free medium.

Okay, last post on this, I promise:

Chairs:

Padded chairs = $2.50 each
Cost for 115 = $287.50

Chair Total: $287.50

Linen:

-Tablecloths for round tables = $12 each
-Found at linentablecloth.com
*Cost for 12 = $144
-Tablecloths for buffet tables = $15 each
-Found at cvlinens.com
*Cost for 6 = $90
-Napkins = $0.53 each
-Found at efavormart.com
*Cost for 115 = $60.95

Linen Total: $294.95

Dinnerware:

-10" plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-7" salad plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-Bread plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-Cup and saucer = $1.05 each
*Cost for 115 = $120.75
-Sugar bowl = $1.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $27.60
-Creamer pitcher = $1.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $27.60
-Salt and pepper set = $1 each
-Found at Dollar Tree
*Cost for 24 = $24
-Sauce boat w/stand = $2.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $51.60
-Chargers = $0.38 each
-Hexagon 11" plastic plates found on Ebay
*Cost for 120 = $45

Dinnerware Total: $503.55

Glassware:

-Champagne glasses = $0.39 each
-Plastic glasses found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $46.37
-Goblet = $0.55 each
*Cost for 115 = $63.25
-Juice (or water) glasses = $0.55 each
*Cost for 115 = $63.25

Glassware Total: $172.87

Silverware:

-Salad fork = $0.16 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $19.40
-Fork = $0.13 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $15.60
-Spoon = $0.12 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $14.40
-Knife = $0.23 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $27.90

Silverware Total: $77.30

Add all these together with the venue rental cost, minus the venue chairs...

Grand Total = $1,846.05

Difference From Renting Everything = $221.85 less

Possible gain from re-sale = $220.57

Possible Net Cost = $1,625.49

This seems to be the best way to go about things, because now you have the rental company taking care of transportation and cleaning of most of the dinner items, what you have to do is wash a lot of silverware, (easier to transport anyways in my opinion,) iron the linens, and bring salt and pepper shakers, chargers, and disposable champagne glasses. After the event you would need to wash the silverware and linens for resale.

So never fear readers, I haven't completely lost my mind and out to buy 100 sets of dishes... :P I just did that for sake of comparison and curiosity!

Okay, really, I'm done with this subject...
:P

Renting Vs. Buying, The Big Debate Continued

A continuation from the last post, I scoured the internet for the cheapest prices on all the items mentioned previously for rent.

Wow, this took some time! Most of my free time was spent thinking about where or how I could get something cheaper...that would still have enough quality for a one-time use.

Part of the insanity of buying over 100 place settings is that in theory you could sell the stuff back and get some of your money back. (Note some, potentially like 50% or less)

After hours of searching, here's what I came up with:

Linen:

-Tablecloths for round tables = $12 each
-Found at linentablecloth.com
*Cost for 12 = $144
-Tablecloths for buffet tables = $15 each
-Found at cvlinens.com
*Cost for 6 = $90
-Napkins = $0.53 each
-Found at efavormart.com
*Cost for 115 = $60.95

Linen Total: $294.95

Dinnerware:

-10.5" plates
-6" salad bowls
-7" bread plates
-4.5" small bowls
-Cups and saucers
-Napkin rings
-Serving platter
-Serving bowl
-Salt and pepper set
-Found at Walmart
*Cost for 6 place settings = $40
*Cost for 19 sets = $760
-Sugar bowl = $1 each
-Found at Dollar Tree (seen in store)
*Cost for 24 = $24
-Creamer pitcher = $1 each
-Found at Dollar Tree (seen in store)
*Cost for 24 = $24
-Sauce boat w/stand = $2.52 each
-Found at katom.com
*Cost for 24 = $60.48
-Chargers = $0.38 each
-Hexagon 11" plastic plates found on Ebay
*Cost for 120 = $45

Dinnerware Total: $913.48

Glassware:

-Champagne glasses = $0.39 each
-Plastic glasses found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $46.37
-Wine glasses = $0.83 each
-Found at Ikea
*Cost for 114 = $95
-Juice (or water) glasses = $0.25 each
-Found at Ikea
*Cost for 114 = $28.31

Glassware Total: $169.68

Silverware:

-Salad fork = $0.16 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $19.40
-Fork = $0.13 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $15.60
-Spoon = $0.12 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $14.40
-Knife = $0.23 each
-Found at Sam's Club
*Cost for 120 = $27.90

Silverware Total: $77.30

Add all these together with the venue rental cost, plus rental cost for the chairs...
(What? You didn't expect me to buy 100 chairs did you? lol)

Grand Total = $2,252.91

Difference From Renting = $185.01 more

Possible gain from re-sale = $727.71

Possible Net Cost = $1,525.21

BUT!

A very important thing to note!

If you do not rent, you're the one stuck with the transport, washing and ironing of all these items, not only once, but twice if you want to sell them to get your money back!

That is a LOT of work. But who knows, it may work for someone, possibly if you're having a smaller wedding than 100 XP

*Whew!* Maybe I'll stick to more fun posts for a while, that was a lot of (hopefully not too boring) info! :P

Renting Vs. Buying, The Big Debate

So some of you may be thinking that Opera House is looking pretty damn good right about now. But how good is it really?

I managed to find a site for rental supplies located in Watertown, NY (half hour away) and calculated out an estimate for all my rental needs...

I estimate that I would need 115 of most per person items in case someone drops a fork, a glass, etc. (I can be pretty clumsy, lol :P)

I would need to rent chairs because the theater has only 80 and metal would be fairly uncomfortable for a long meal...

Chairs:

Padded chairs = $2.50 each
Cost for 115 = $287.50

Chair Total: $287.50

(Edit: I realized that colored linens were the same price as white ones, so I have changed the pricing and the totals accordingly.)
Linen:

-Tablecloths for round tables = $12 each
*Cost for 12 = $144
-Tablecloths for buffet tables = $12 each
*Cost for 6 = $72
-Napkins = $0.50 each
*Cost for 115 = $57.50

Linen Total: $274

Dinnerware:

-10" plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-7" salad plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-Bread plates = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-Cup and saucer = $1.05 each
*Cost for 115 = $120.75
-Sugar bowl = $1.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $27.60
-Creamer pitcher = $1.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $27.60
-Salt and pepper set = $1.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $27.60
-Sauce boat w/stand = $2.15 each
*Cost for 24 = $51.60
-Chargers = $1.15 each
*Cost for 115 = $132.25

Dinnerware Total: $594.40

Glassware:

-Champagne glasses = $0.60 each
*Cost for 115 = $69
-Goblet = $0.55 each
*Cost for 115 = $63.25
-Juice (or water) glasses = $0.55 each
*Cost for 115 = $63.25

Glassware Total: $195.50

Silverware:

-Salad fork = $0.45 each
*Cost for 115 = $51.75
-Fork = $0.45 each
*Cost for 115 = $51.75
-Spoon = $0.45 each
*Cost for 115 = $51.75
-Knife = $0.45 each
*Cost for 115 = $51.75

Silverware Total: $207

Add all these together with the venue rental cost, minus the chairs...

Grand Total = $2,067.90

And you still would need catering, bartenders, setup, cleanup, etc.

So one wonders...is it better to own and sell everything back?

We'll find out next post :)

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

58 cents each, ALSO WANT!!! :D

96 cents each, also pretty but may not be worth it...

A WeddingBee post led me to tote bags for only 59 cents each! :D

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.

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 :)