Wedding Tip of the Week: Bar Saving Tips

We are all trying to find ways to cut cost, here are some suggestions that you can cut cost when having a bar at your reception.

• Deal with the caterer. Sometimes you can get a discount on drinks if you deal with the same caterer for food and drink.

• Ask the caterer or your wine and spirits merchant to select solid, second-line merchandise. You don't have to serve top shelf liquors. Consumers often pay for a company's advertising and marketing budgets when they buy top brands. Many smaller houses can offer the same quality at a better price.
  



• If you're serving beer, think kegs rather than bottle. Kegs cost less.
  



• Choose generic mixed-drink ingredients rather than name brands. When you are paying for a hundred guests the difference in price makes itself felt.
  



• Ask the caterer to go light on the salt. Salty foods will increase your guests' thirsts.

• Don't allow the catering staff to take drink orders at the tables. Set up one bar. The longer the wait for service, the fewer drinks get served.
  
  
• Purchase all the liquor yourself and have a family member or friend play bartender for the night.

Some of these tips may assist you in still being able to have a bar at your wedding with reduced cost.

(Some information found here)

Garter

After I had held my first giveaway for a custom Julianne Smith garter, Julianne made me one for my wedding. I finally got it and here is a picture of it.

I think that it is pretty. Since it is not made of shiny fabric, it does not move on my leg and is really comfortable. I wore a garter to my senior prom, since all my friends were wearing one, and since it was made out of the fabric of my dress, satin and lace, it bothered me for most of the night. Between the lace rubbing on my thigh or my just pulling it up to stay on my leg, it just became an irritant. I ended up taking it off and putting into my purse half way through the evening. I am pretty confident that I will not have a problem with this one. I am sure it will stay on until the garter toss. Check out Julianne's website for a garter for your special day.

DIY:Petal Cones

Petal cones are completed. The cones will be given to guest, probably 1 per couple or 1 per person, when they enter the ceremony. I would like my guest to throw the petals when we take our walk down the aisle after being introduced as the Mr & Mrs. They were really simple to make. Here is what you need:

• petal cone template


• decorative paper or vellum paper


• double sided tape


• scissors or a shape cutter

On the template you can change the names, quote, font and colors to anything that you want. It did not take me long to make them. One day I printed them and cut them out. Another I put them together while I watched CSI and part of The Eleventh Hour. The most time consuming part, I thought, was cutting them out. I will be filling them with the petals that I talked about in a previous post. I think that they turned out nice. I can not wait to see the photo of the rose petals showering us as we walk down the aisle.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Custom Drinks-- Drink of the Week

Cuervo Platino Banana-Black Raspberry Martini

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo Platino
1/2 ounce banana puree
1/2 ounce black raspberry puree
1 whole fresh squeezed lemon
2 1/3 ounces simple syrup
2 pieces raspberries

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients with ice, shake well and strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with black raspberries.

A New Day

No matter what your politics are, it is hard to look past the restoring spirit that has swept the country. The spirit of service and duty to one another as Americans. On this day, let us remember that it took all us to elect him and it will all of us to help him in his vision for America. For today, it is a new day as Barack Obama takes the office of President of United States. Congratulations, Mr. Obama and congratulations to America.

Your Inner Bride

I created my inner bride on the knot website. It is a fun part of the website,where you create a dress for your bride, select her jewelry and hair accessories and even select the type of background for her. To create your inner bride click here.

Flower Girl

Have you found your flower girl dress? I have been looking. I really do not want my friend to have to spend a whole bunch of money on a dress for a child that she may only wear once. I have been looking local stores, since it is the season that some of them start pulling out their Easter dresses. I think a fancy Easter dress would do just fine..especially since my wedding is the day before Easter and if she does not get anything on it she can wear it the next day. I really like the one pictured above ( of course..I found it on EBay).I want my flower girl to be comfortable and be able to have fun in the dress. I told her mom to just pick some white dress shoes that she could wear to church and I will probably pick out some of those big frilly socks for her to wear that match the dress. (side note: I hate to see little girls with tights on and big socks. It makes me hot just looking at them, so I know that their feet have to be sweating.) What do you want your flower girl dress to look like?

Dye or not to Dye?

There is a current trend of brides adding a splash of color under their all white with dyeing their shoes. Many dye them the color of the wedding or some think outside the box and dye them a color not associated with their wedding. I think that I am going to dye my shoes and make them my something blue. So what are you

doing? Are you dyeing your shoes?

Point and Click

My fabulous photographer Sarah Gee has a new portfolio site with some of her pictures on it. Check it out at http://www.sarahgeephotography.zenfolio.com/. There are even some our engagement pictures on the site.

I Love Ebay

I love eBay. I have been going over what type of jewelry to give my bridesmaids for the wedding. Everything that I looked at was to expensive. I had resolved myself to making them some jewelry. I had even bought some beads and jewelry supplies to make them. Then early last week I was looking on eBay and found some jewelry sets, with earrings and necklaces, for $4.99 and the person had 7 sets, which covers all my bridesmaids and maid of honor. Of course I bought all of them. I purchased my matron of honor a set that was similar to theirs on eBay for $8.00. This was a great fine. Go eBay!! I am not going to post pictures of them since my bridesmaids read my blog and I want it to be a surprise. One more thing off of my list. Now I just have to return the supplies that I bought to make the bridesmaids jewelry and get my money back...my whole $5.00.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Custom Drinks-- Drink of the Week

Non-Alocoholic Wedding Punch

Ingredients
1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice
1 (46 oz.) orange juice
1 (12 oz.) frozen lemonade
4 pkgs. Kool Aid
3 cups sugar
1 qt. pale ginger ale
4 qts. water or enough to make 2 gal.





Directions: Combine, chill and serve.

Information found here

Bathrooms revisited

After yesterdays post about the bathroom baskets, I received some more ideas for them. Please check out heidzillas for her detailed list of items for bathroom baskets and photos.

Thanks for sharing heidzillas.

Decor: reception, wedding ceremony, bathroom?

The place that I am having my ceremony at, my mom is concerned about the bathrooms. It is an older building and the restrooms are nice but small. My mom has stated since booking that we needed to do something to make our guest more comfortable, well I think that I have found it.

On the Bona Fide Preppy Bride she made these wonderful baskets for her guest at her reception. She made one basket for the ladies and one for the men (sample pictured above). With the baskets she has these wonderful signs:

Ladies signs:

We're so happy you're here to share our special day,But should something happen to go astray,Please help yourself to the contents within,Hairspray, hand lotion and even aspirin!Use what you need and leave the rest,It may be useful to another guest.So repair the damage that may have been done,Then hurry on back and join the fun!Compliments of the Newlyweds

And the men's' sign reads:

If you've stained your tie, your hair is out of place,You've got bad breath or whatever the case,We've put together a basket to help you along,Now hurry back out before you miss the next song!

Compliments of the Newlyweds!

These are so neat. I have already told her I was using these ( with her permission of course) for the baskets that I plan on putting in my baskets. Now that I have the idea, now I have to think of what to put in them. The Bona Fide Preppy Bride has given me some ideas like:

• Tylenol


• Advil


• Hairspray


• Q-tips


• Breath mints


• Mouth wash accompanied with mini cups


• Contact lens solution


• Hand Lotion


• Dental Floss


• Deodorant Spray


• Eye Drops


• Band-aids


• Rolaids


• Tums


• Tide Pen


• Disposable combs

I am sure I will think of some of ideas for mine, like tissues, extra toilet paper, nail polish remove and a sewing kit. I would like to say thank you Bona Fide Preppy Bride.. you have taken one more thing off of my mind.

"That sure is shiny."

Were my words when I went to check in on our wedding rings last Saturday. The clerk, Kevin, who we have been dealing with ever since the Broomjumpinggroom picked out my engagement ring. I saw my customize wedding band. It was so pretty with the aquamarine stones and diamonds. Kevin took my engagement ring and shined it up and put my bands with it. Then it hit me...I am getting married. Looking at my wedding set I realized how close I was to April 11. When we first picked that date, it seems so far away and now it was right in front of me. I still have one more decision to make with my wedding band, is if I am going to get them put together or just get a ring guard to hold them together. What are you going to do?

The Broomjumpinggroom ring is so nice. I showed the two bridesmaids that were with me the one that I wanted him to get and then they saw his actual ring and said that was him. The more I looked at it, it is really his style. I always thought that the rings had to match, but I am glad that we both selected something that are reflections of us at individuals and us as a couple.

Bang, Bang...Scan, Scan

If the wild west was like this, then this would be how I felt when the Broomjumpinggroom and I went to Target to begin our wedding registry last Saturday. I had the scanning gun and was whipping it out like I was at a shoot out at the O'K Corale. I scanned items that I thought we would need and items that I just plain wanted. The Broomjumpinggroom thought that I was scanning to much, but my thought process was to give the guest more options to choose from.

We registered at the following stores:

• Target
• Wal-Mart
• Macy's
• Crate and Barrel (going to their registry party in February)
• Lowes

I think that covers it all. A little something for the Broomjumpinggroom and a lot for me. He will be happy in the end with all my scanning, since we will receive some great gifts for our wedding. Where are you registry for our wedding?

TIP: If you do not have time to go to the store and create a registry, many stores offer it on-line. Most of the time you get a better selection of items in the store, than on-line.

I Am Uplifted

I had a real uplifting experience this past Saturday, when two of my bridesmaids and I went to be fitted for bras for our wedding attire. I never knew that my breast could be up that high. It felt great. Having the girls in the right place, makes your clothes look great. The bras is a long one so it also acts as a girdle. I can jump, bend over and shake and they will stay in place while I am dancing the night away at the reception and not giving a show to my guest. I never knew that there was a process in putting on a strapless bra. Barbara, the bra fitter and miracle worker, had a cute little saying on how to get the girls in the bra that I am sure that I going to have in my head on my wedding day when I am putting the bra on. My bridesmaids that went with me were very pleased. We all said that it was some of the best money that we have spent.

Also on Saturday I checked on our wedding rings and started our bridal registry, but I will blog about that later.

7 More Days to Go

Check out the trailer for Bride Wars. The movie comes to theaters on January 9, 2009. I can not wait to see it. Look at the website for the movie. You can actually be either bride in a bride fight game, it was kinda fun. It help relive some bridal stress.

Congratulations

I would like to congratulate one of my bridesmaids, Alena, on her engagement to her boyfriend Kenneth on 12/31/2008!!!! Welcome to the bridal club!!!!

Happy New Year!!

Wishing you a blessed and prosperous New Year!! Happy 2009!!!!