“Did you know, unless you are bananas-rich, you are kind of expected to plan an entire wedding by yourselves? Venue, invitations, colors, flowers, caterers. (For example, Papa John’s requires a two-month lead time for weddings! And they don’t do cakes.) You even have to be sure of things like “will the wedding venue have a sadsack on hand in case one of your wedding guests besmirches the restroom?” It really is that detailed.”
My new favorite word for weddings is now bananas.
Last week was a exciting week for me in the world of wedding blogs. Snippet and Ink did a whole week devoted to wedding planning on a budget, which was super exciting for me. Above is her budget wedding brunch board (yay brunch!). I firmly believe budget wedding shouldn’t be a bad thing, and it shouldn’t limit your sense of style. I find it makes you extra creative if you know your resources have a limit. The wedding industry seems to be set up to make us feel badly about what we don’t have, and to pressure us to spend more. Instead, shouldn’t we feel grateful for all that we do have? Celebrating having found our life partner should be incredibly joyous whether we have cake and punch on the lawn of a church, raise a cold beer at a dive bar, or have dinner and dancing in a ballroom. Which is a round-about way of saying that I was super excited to have a blogger as talented and creative as Kathryn over at Snippet and Ink talking about budget weddings for a whole week. Hooray to that!
Additionally, Abby over at Style Me Pretty did a unique weddings week, and had some beautiful real weddings. Check them both out.
My grandmother and mother sat down together shortly after we announced our engagement and flipped through a bridal magazine to look at dresses. Grandma apparently spent the entire time talking about all the “nakedness” of the models in their strapless dresses. She kept asking my Mom where their jackets were. She even flipped to one designer’s page and commented to Mom that “those are lovely nightgowns.”
Indeed, Indie Bride. Indeed. And bedazzled, at that.
This from Nicole, who’s planning a wedding that makes me want to hug her (and who’s antique engagement ring is very similar to mine, even!):
-our number one priority should be an amazing and unique reception venue, that no one has been to before, that leaves our guests breathless. if this kind of venue isn’t in our budget, we should cut guests from our list.
-our number one priority should be an incredible photographer, who shoots magazine-worthy photos, and will photograph our wedding in a fully artsy and MoMA-worthy style. if our budget doesn’t support such a photographer, cut guests from the list so that it does.
Girlfriend, I hear you. I’d rather have all our friends and loved ones delicately nibbling peanuts out of the palms of their hands, then have five people with us eating steak at the plaza. But that kind of thinking isn’t going to land me in a wedding magazine, now is it?
Continue reading Engament Photos: This is how it’s done
If there is a better argument for thinking outside the box when planning your wedding, I haven’t seen it. How is this for a stunning and meaningful bridal entrance? This from the groom:
Our wedding started with us advancing from different directions up to a veil that separated us. By virtue of the time of day, this was what I saw, which caused my heart to stop beating and the whole world slow down.
Pictures from Live Journal via Offbeat Bride.
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