I ♥ Frederick's

So on a recent trip to Florida I decided to make a stop at the mall to check out the Frederick's of Hollywood store they have there since there are none where I am from. I am so glad I did! They have some really pretty and scandalous stuff in there and I was able to stock up on some goodies for the honeymoon, including the little number below. I like that it's a bit girly but risque enough for FI to appreciate ;) Frederick's and Victoria's Secret both had sales going on so I also picked up a black and red lace two-piece lingerie set, a pretty pink satin slip, a leopard print bra and skong set, and a black garter belt that has little zebra print accents with a matching balconette bra. Yay for sexy little things!

Just gotta wrap it all!

The last part of the girls' gifts came in today so we now officially have all the bridal party gifts accounted for and in our possession. I think the monogrammed key fobs turned out really cute! Just gotta wrap all the goodies up and we're good to go! FI and I also decided on what to get our parents for their gifts to show our appreciation for all they've done since their help has been crucial in getting this wedding planned and paid for. Since my mother tends to read this blog from time to time though I'm not going to divulge that information here :)

Who really looks at feet anyway?

I took a trip on down to Rack Room today and picked up all the BM's shoes. Rack Room was the only store that I found had a decent selection of dark brown dress shoes! The girls are wearing pink dresses with brown sashes so I figured brown shoes would work well and maybe, just maybe, they can actually wear them again afterwards. Of the five maids, three picked the Fabulaire "Ava" shoe, one chose the Maripe "Brittany," and the other will be wearing the "Kensey" by Maripe. The heel on the Kensey is probably higher than you're supposed to have for a wedding but it's a sexy shoe so whatever, right?! I went against the advice of numerous others and let the girls pick their own shoes so long as they were dark brown. I wanted them all to be comfortable and I don't really see it as a big deal as long as they (and their feet!) are happy. Who really looks at feet anyway? I have pretty bridesmaids so I doubt anyone will be looking at or caring about the fact that their shoes don't match. The colors look like they vary a bit on the monitor but in person there's not a noticeable difference. I guess we'll see if the world comes crashing down as a result of my brazen lack of respect for uniformity on the day of.

Must-take photos

I've collected a ridiculous number of photos that I must have taken at the wedding and/or TTD shoot. I'd really like a wide variety of styles and I'm excited to work with my photographer to capture all the pics I want because from her portfolio I think she can really make my vision into reality. Without further ado, here is my extensive collection of must-take photos:

Things I've learned

Throughout this crazy wedding planning process I've learned a lot about how much it actually costs to get hitched these days! Unfortunately for the ol' wallet, I couldn't convince myself to just run off and elope or make a visit to the courthouse. I've discovered some good tips for saving money though that I thought I would share here in case they'd be beneficial to anyone reading this who's just begun the planning process.

1. Get married on a day other than a Friday or Saturday. Our venue gave us a pretty decent sized discount for getting married on a Sunday since it's not the typical wedding day and they wanted to fill up their calendar. Lots of other vendors give discounts for Sun-Thurs weddings too.

2. Give your florist some creative freedom with the flowers. It's a florist's job to know what flowers are in season as well as ways to help cut costs with cheap filler flowers or making the bouquets in a way that they can be reused for reception centerpieces or decor.

3. Remember that DIY isn't always cheaper. Sometimes by the time you purchase all the supplies necessary for handmade projects, the costs are actually higher than they would've been if you had just purchased an already finished item. My save-the-dates were nice and pretty, but ended up being more expensive than if I would've caved and just ordered them online.

4. Consider having a sheet cake along with your main cake. If you have a lot of people to feed it's more economical to have a small tiered cake for the actual cutting and then a sheet cake of the same flavor hidden in the back to be served to guests. Sheet cakes don't have to be elaborately decorated so they're cheaper, but your guests won't know the difference.

5. Order the bridesmaid dresses from the same shop you got your dress from. Many bridal salons will give your girls a significant discount on their attire if you've already purchased your wedding gown from the same store. David's Bridal gave each of my maids $20 off their dresses since I bought my dress from them and also gave me a percentage off my accessories.

6. Ask for what you want. Lots of brides are too afraid to ask vendors for freebies or special requests, but with this economy those vendors are hurting for business and are a lot more willing to please than you might think. I've gotten my ceremony music for free from a DJ, a complimentary 'trash the dress' session from my photographer, and every time I go to get my e-ring cleaned the jeweler always cleans and buffs my other ring that was not even purchased there for no cost. The lesson is it never hurts to ask.

7. Find a photographer who is building their portfolio. Photographers need albums full of pictures to show potential clients, so if you can score one whose style you love but that doesn't quite have as many wedding photos as they'd like they are usually willing to charge a bit less to get some extra shots and your glowing letter of recommendation.

8. Search for wedding decor and necessities online. The Google search engine is a handy tool for finding things you need for the big day at a fraction of what you might pay at a wedding specialty store. There's literally thousands of products to compare prices on right at your fingertips. Ebay is good for finding discounted wedding items too, and sites like Freecycle.org let you post want ads in your local area to find free items that someone else might no longer have a use for.

9. Skip the limo. If you have a friend with a nice car ask if you can borrow that for your getaway transportation instead. Or even see if renting a luxury vehicle from a rental company is an option since they are generally cheaper for the entire day than renting a limo for just an hour.

10. Be smart about planning the honeymoon. You don't have to go to some far off locale with an expensive cost of living to have a great time. You can stay in the states and go on a road trip making stops at cities you've both always wanted to see, visit islands that are U.S. owned like Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands so you don't have to pay for a passport, or go on an all-inclusive cruise and visit many different ports for a fraction of the price it would be to stay at a resort where you're stuck in one place the whole time.

Kitten heels are sexy too!

I ordered my shoes for the wedding today after having my first fitting. It's the Coloriffics Carmen, which is just a smaller heeled version of the Sierra that I originally wanted. This pair works for two reasons-one being that FI is the same height as me and didn't want me towering over him, and the other being my dress fits perfect as is and if I have anything over a two inch heel it's not going to skim the floor like I want. I really love the ankle detail! I wanted something pretty without being distracting when I'm walking down the aisle, and these are perfect. I'm looking forward to showing them off during the garter toss. Ooh la la!

Table numbers are done

So table numbers are done. Got the wooden numbers, brown paint, and brown glitter from A.C. Moore and FI helped me knock them out today. You can't really tell from the picture that they are glittery, but they are. I'm actually going to put a bit more on them to add some more sparkle since we have plenty left over and as they currently are they don't yet have the pizzazz I was going for. But I think the idea of 3D table numbers is pretty nifty and paired with the centerpieces and bright white linens the venue provides, these babies will really stand out and help the guests find their tables just fine!

Goodies for the bridal party

I finally got FI to sit down and pick a gift for his groomsmen. They're all very different guys and he didn't know what to give them so I'd been helping him brainstorm. We ran through the list of typical groomsmen gifts but personalized beer mugs were a bad idea since some of the boys are non-drinkers, pocket knives just seemed so boy scout-ish, money clips are lame when most guys just have wallets, and pricey fountain pens seemed like a waste. We finally came up with the idea of cufflinks. Now cufflinks to me also seemed cliche, but instead of making them all matchy FI is ordering each of his men cufflinks that represent them individually so they will have special meaning, and I'm sure his guys will be happy to wear them again later on down the road. I'm pleased to say I'm on top of my girl's gifts too. I got them all sets of pearls, those neat and oh-so-handy purse hooks, a little photo album to put pictures of all of our bachelorette and wedding shenanigans in, little mini bottles of lotion from Bath & Body Works, and monogrammed key chain wristlets I found a great deal on by searching ebay. Now we've just got to figure out what to get our parents!

Let the good times roll

Me and FI's bridal party and loved ones are all driving at least two hours to get to our venue for a run-through of the wedding day festivities. I want the drive to be worthwhile and I've been racking my brain thinking of where to have our rehearsal dinner (or luncheon really since we have to hold the rehearsal early because there's another bride getting married in our venue the night before our ceremony) and I was having a really hard time. Our wedding is a formal sit-down dinner so I wanted something really low key for the rehearsal where the bridal party could just let loose and have fun conversing and hanging out. I love the idea of a backyard BBQ type thing, but since no one on the guest list nor my family lives in the city in which I'm getting married and thus there are no familiar backyards available, that posed a problem. And I discovered that the local parks don't let you rent out shelters for events so it would have been a bit disorganized and we would've just had to hope that nobody else was occupying the pavilions that day. My brilliant idea was that we could hold a rehearsal picnic at McCormick Field where the Asheville Tourists play since FI is a big baseball fan and sports marketing major and he used to take me to games there all the time. That way our loved ones would get a meal and the opportunity to watch an all-American pastime with great seats and we would get scoreboard recognition and a little baseball memento (not to mention a keepsake photo with the mascot! lol). But sadly the team is playing away that weekend so that's a no-go. So after consulting with the ladies of the August '09 board on TK, I'm feeling Shan's idea of having a rehearsal dinner at a bowling alley! FI and I are really just big kids, so this is pretty "us" anyway. So far from the comments I've heard from our bridal party, they are all excited about it. I mean what's more fun than bowling, hot wings, pizza, and beer?? And really nothing coordinates better with a cute ass rehearsal dinner dress than bowling shoes.