Today after I finish volunteering at the Race for the Cure, I will be going to the German Village's annual community yard sale and "thrifting" at the some thrift store. I have my gear ready for the exploration. Rolling bag...check. Water bottle...check. Comfortable shoes...check. I am set. I am looking for a few things:'I ways find something interesting, I'm sure that tomorrow will not disappoint. Hey, talk about cutting cost for a wedding.
Open bar or pay? When having a bar..you need to think of how much you want to spend on the spirits that you will be serving. To cut cost, have a signature drink at your wedding. Having a signature drink allows you purchase on type of liquor instead of purchasing several different kind. Since my colors for my wedding are tiffany blue and brown, I have been looking for an aqua blue spirit to serve. In my search for the right drink, I have come across a few websites that have given me some ideas on what to have. The websites are:
When looking on these websites I found a few recipes for aqua drinks ( that I would of course try out first) that I would rename for my wedding to make it my own signature. I have listed a few of the recipes below:
Blueberry Martini (renamed Blue Love)
I realized after trying on wedding dresses, that I really was not feeling a traditional veil. I was not sure how I felt it looked on me. Since I had not officially made my decision on a veil, I started looking into hair jewelry and flowers that I could wear. When visiting , Kate's Wedding, I stumbled upon a posting about her birdcage head piece. I visited several websites to get an idea of the cost of the veil and found them ranging from $45.00 to $200.00. I am not about to pay $200.00 for a veil since my dress what only $250.00. Below are a few pictures of some of the birdcage veils that I liked.
I really like these birdcage veils. They give a flare and allow you to show you without all the fuss of a piece of long fabric in your face, that may catch fire as you light the unity candle ( I have seen it before). If you want a long veil you can have a long ( with extra fabric in the back) or a very simple short one. They are as varied as the bride.
When searching on the web, I located a few websites that have these birdcage veils, where all of these photos came from. I have found that these site help spark your imagination, of all the of the head pieces that you can wear for your big day.
I think that I am going to try to make one. I am going to wait until I get a 40-50% off coupon from Jo-Ann Fabrics and get my materials. It may take a few tries and lots of fiddling but I am going to give it a shot. How bad could it be. I have plenty of time to get it right.
If you want to play...here are my rules.
To follow my rules..I am going to tag An Excited Bride.
All the pictures in this posting are all dresses that I like. Can you guess which one that I purchased?
I won't tell.... You have to guess!!
Favors
Why do we spend money on favors? I know because they are fun, cute and if you do not have them at your wedding you can be considered cheap. Today many Eco-friendly brides are opting to not have wedding favors, but are using the money that they would have on favors on making a donation to her favorite charity in their guest names instead. Other Eco-friendly wedding items are edible items, such as chocolates or other candies. Check out the companies below for more ideas.
Flowers
We all have our own ideas for what type of floral designs for our wedding. I know that I am a hydrangea type of girl myself. If you want to be green about your floral design and save some money buy and use local and seasonal flowers. Seasonal flowers are more plentifully than flowers that are not. Buying locally helps local farmers. Check with your florist on what is in season during your wedding.
Another way to be Eco-friendly is to find other alternatives, such as candles, for bouquets or table decor.
Reception
Alot of times food goes to waste at receptions, due to guest RSVP and then not showing up, getting to drunk to eat the cake or the no one likes the sushi that you selected for the reception. Some ways that you can not waste food is to check a locate non-profit in your area, such as Second Serving, who comes to get food prepared by a cater and gives it to the homeless. Some of these agencies are disappearing due to strict health laws in certain cities.
Another way that you can do some environmental good is to purchases local or organic foods to be severed for the meal. Some stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods carry foods and even wines that are all organic.
Also, I know it is expensive, you can use washable linens,plates and silverware instead of plastic. If you can not afford that you can have your guest scrap their plastic plates and place the trash in one container and the plastic plates and cups, not forks, knives or spoons, in another. This bag with all the plastic in it can be taken to a recycling center.
Transportation
Cars pollute our environment with emissions daily. One of the ways to be green and to cut down some of that pollution is to have your wedding and reception all in one place so that your guest do not have to travel. Another way to do this to have your guest to travel to one location and to have buses, trolleys or ask them to car pool to the reception site.
Attire
There are many sites that offer green or Eco-friendly wedding attire. These companies offer Eco-friendly materials or Eco-friendly in the way that they process the fabric. Here are a few companies:
I know many of us, myself included, have a picture of what we want our dress to look like. To save some money and recycle clothing, there are stores that sell or rent gently used or donated wedding dresses. Also, when you are done with your dress, I know this will be hard, you can donate your dress to many non-profit organizations that have sells that the profits benefit breast cancer research, children's programming and other social causes. Check out Get Married, to find out more information about agencies in your area.
So that you bridesmaids do not feel left out in keeping that gorgous dress that you picked out for them, they can donate their dress and even their shoes to locate charities like The Fairy Godmother, that help give prom dresses and accessories to young ladies that are unable to obtain the attair for their prom. Put those dresses to use.
Check out resale shops, consignment shops or thrifts stores (all my favorite) for jewelry for your big day. Utilizing these places you can reuse something that was already used, instead of purchasing something new. Many of these places donate to charity or support local social programs.
Lastly, on attire is dry cleaning. Instead of having your attire dry cleaned the regular way you can have it wet cleaned. You would have to request this service for a dry cleaner. Please check before using this option with your bridal shop and with dry cleaner if this method is right for your fabric. Wet cleaning use alot less energy and does not use harsh chemicals.
For my wedding, I am looking at the amount of paper that I going to use in the invitations, having the guest scrap their plates and place the plastic in another bag and ordering just enough food so that there is not alot of waste.
We can all do little things, even if it is as simple as serving organic wine at your reception, that will help us all in the future. Heck, it is just one day (so I keep telling myself), but our world is here for a lifetime.
