Cash vs. Open Bar

We may get a lot of flack for this, but apparently we're committing a major wedding ettiquette no-no: we're having a cash bar. gasp! Yes, our guests will pay for their own alcohol if they want to get sloshed at our wedding. Stingy? Maybe. But open bars are soooo expensive. And while making our list of priorities, alcohol wasn't one of them. The fiance and I, we don't drink. As in, hardly ever. As in, virtually never.  I'm not opposed to a little social drinking every now and then, but I just never cared for alcohol. My fiance is the same way.  My fiance is LDS, so he and pretty much 25% of our guests don't drink at all. Seriously, we won't miss it.

Well, what about your guests?

We know that most of our guests of 110 closest family and friends are not social drinkers, meaning they've been known not drink even if it is available. But we're not holding back completely on the liquor. We will be serving the restaurant's best champagne for the toasts and the meal. Guests also get complimentary soda, tea and coffee. Besides, why spend hundreds more on an open bar for an afternoon wedding???? Who gets drunk at 2 p.m.?

Oh, but why make your guests pay for their own alcohol? That's so cheap!

Call us stingy, but I just can't justify spending $$$ on an open bar so a select few can splurge on their afternoon alcohol binge. And if any of our guests are going to throw a hissy fit over liquor...honestly we don't really care. People certainly get all self-righteous when it comes to what they deserve as guests. I read a thread about worst wedding stories, and folks were getting real snooty about details like cake (you know how I feel about that). Apparently, a guest had been to a wedding where the bride and groom served a sheet cake, and this guest declared it the worst wedding ever! Not only that, but they had a cash bar! Oh how tacky!

We're inviting only our closest friends and family. These people won't care whether or not they shelled out $7 for their liquor for the day. These people won't care whether or not they got silly drunk. They're here to watch us get married and celebrate. And believe me, if you know our family and friends, we have fun, we get crazy, we get silly, with or without the alcohol.

Isn't she loverly?

So who's my fashion inspiration? There are many, but let's start with a timeless classic, the ageless epitome of chic: Audrey Hepburn.

Would have made a "loverly" wedding gown, don't ya think?

bridal shopping blues

I thought searching for the perfect gown would be a lot more fun than it really is. You see,when you think of it, there are not a whole lot of styles to chose from. You'd think designers would try to be more creative with a white dress, but noooo! It's either A) strapless or B) strapless. Give me an interesting neckline to work with folks! Give me modesty with style! Yes, I want straps or sleeves, but give me sexy, too!

You see, here's my dilemma. I'm at an average weight. Not too big, not too small. I'm tall (almost 5'8), but that's all in my legs. From my hips up, I'm more of a short Filipina. My shoulders are narrow, my chest is flat, but my hips...daaayum! They're so wide my sister's nickname for me is "Hipster." I'm also kind of self-consious about my back and shoulders because, well, I've had scoliosis since I was a teenager and I know I can't keep a straight posture at all times. That doesn't give me much to work with when everything is strapless with a plunging back or neckline. And my weird body combination doesn't give me a whole lot of flattering styles to work with.

Not only that, but I'm looking for a style I'm not sure exists. I want something formal enough to wear in a church. I'm partial to a long train. I also don't want anything too extravagant, as we're having a morning wedding/afternoon reception. I also want something unique. Nothing too much like a ballgown. I don't want to look like I'm trying out for Miss Georgia, or anything like that. I want modern, a little modest, but not too stuffy. Something chic, a little vintage. maybe. Something elegant and refined. And...here's the big one...it can't be more than $700 (yes, much more than my previous $250 budget, but still a huge limiting factor in my bridal gown search).

I know I need to order soon. Most dresses take up to 6 months to come in. I'll also need time for alterations. But I haven't really found The Dress. I thought I did, about three times already.  First, I tried on this Alfred Angelo dress:

I thought it flattered my figure, and I especially loved the corset back. With a cute feathery hairpiece, the dress gave off a vintage vibe. But the sample dress I tried on didn't have the A-line look in the photo. It looked more trumpet-style. I thought, I really like this dress, but I didn't want to have my heart set on it right away. I wanted to keep looking.

Then I headed to a bridal shop in Temple City, CA and I tried on a Casablanca #1831

I thought the midriff area really slimmed out those hips of mine. The v-neck actually made me look like I had something there. The sample was a near perfect fit and the shop was going to sell it to me off the rack for $400! But when I went to my fiance's place to think about it, I caught sight of my future sister-in-law's recent wedding photo. It was the same exact dress! Sorry, the dress had already made its debut!

Then I went to a bridal shop in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and tried on another Casablanca dress, #1901

 

I didn't think I would like it because it was a trumpet style and really hugged those hips of mine, but when I tried it on, I don't know, something switched in my head. You see, it had everything I wanted. It was different from all the dresses I've seen. It had a long, beautful train, sleeves and an illusion back. I think another reason why I wanted to love the dress is because the fiance and I had seen it before in a bridal fashion show. He casually mentioned to me that he thought that was the prettiest dress he saw that day. I thought for sure, this is The One!

The shop wouldn't let me take photos, and since I was by myself, I didn't have anyone to snap a few guerilla-style. They even quoted me at $1200! Whaaa? That was way out of my budget range! I went home to do more research on the gown. I saw that the original retail price of the dress was about $1000. They were going to overcharge me by $200!

Then I got a price quote from an authorized online retailer with mostly positive reviews. $700! That was $500 less than what the last shop quoted me at! I called another online retailer with good standing and they quoted me at $640. This retailer offers to beat any authorized online retailer by 5%, so their offered price on the gown became $608. That's about half the price of my very first quote! I was so excited thinking I got a pretty good deal for myself!

Then, I invited my sisters to come see me in the dress. They snapped a few photos when the salesperson wasn't looking. Their verdict? It's nice. Just nice. Not the response I was looking for. I was hoping for Wow! Beautiful! It's gorgeous! Nope. My sister later admitted that the trumpet style wasn't doing much for my figure.

When I saw the photos, I saw what she meant. My hips really did look big in the photos, and yeah, I look nothing like the model in the photo. It didn't look the way I had hoped it would on me. Alas, it's not meant

to be!

So I'm back with a clean slate. It's pretty frustrating. I messed up once before on my dress, and I really want to get it right this time. I think I'll head back to Alfred Angelo and try on that dress again. But it's back to the beginning...again.

I will start working out...tomorrow

I tried on a dress I had already tried on before. Same exact sample dress, same store. Much tighter around the hips than I remembered. Saleswoman had a much harder time zipping up. Oh, holidays! Why must you tempt me with abundance of food!

The cutest ever.

STDs (the cute paper kind, if you don't know wedding blog lingo yet) from Vera D.  Thanks for the inspiration!

Vintageous!

Merry Christmas everyone! Wow, it's Christmas, already???? Just thought I'd post an entry for all those looking for something a little different to wear on their wedding day.

I had seriously thought about wearing a vintage wedding dress, but decided I wanted something a little more modern and formal for my gown. But I do love vintage! In fact, I'm thinking of wearing one of my own cream-colored mod 60s dress (a vintage shop find) for my rehearsal dinner. Retro chic is all the rage in the wedding world, but if you don't have time to scour all the vintage shops in your area, check out Vintageous -- an online source for all things vintage. The site offers a selection of wedding dresses with most selling below $300, but the items regularly sell out. These are pretty much one-of-a-kind dresses. Wait too long, you'll see a red SOLD on your dream dress.

I was in heaven checking out all the styles. Here are the wedding styles (or those that can pass as a wedding gown :) still available at the time of this posting.

Source

This 50s wedding dress is so adorable! And it comes with a cute bolero jacket. $179

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Looking for a full-length gown? This 50's tulle and lace gown might fit the bill! The dress also has a button back. $265

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Some gals might think this too modest, but I think it's very chic a la Grace Kelly in her long-sleeved classic wedding gown. The gown also has a gorgeous train. $315

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How about this shimmering brocade dress? $155

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The photo doesn't do this dress justice. Apparently, it was too snug on the mannequin, so they couldn't button the back (whaa? Too small for the mannequin?) So, if you're smaller than a mannequin, this is a perfect dress! Check out the lace underlay on the bodice underneath the bolero. Very pretty! $190

Source

Blue is not traditionally worn by brides, but shoot! $88 for this lovely 50s halter dress? Blue is the new white!

The site has more wedding stuff to chose from, as well as non-wedding items. Check it out!

What our invitation will say

Nothing too extravagant...simple and to the to point. As you might remember, we purchased DIY printable invites from Michaels with our 40% off coupons.

Our invation will be kind of small to avoid a higher postage, so not too much text space. But the centerpiece card in our pocketfold will say this:

"Two lives, two hearts, two families
united forever in love.
(My name)
and
(His name)
invite you to share in a celebration
as we exchange our marriage vows
(our date), two thousand ten
eleven o'clock in the morning
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church
1849 Lake Avenue
Altadena, California.
Reception to follow"

I like how the wording kind of captures in a few words the gist of how we view our wedding - two lives coming together--and these lives include the families, friends and cultural backgrounds that have made us who we are. Nice.

There will be a separate card for reception information, as well as a separate card for RSVP directions (we're asking guests to rsvp on our Web site).

Yes, we'll have to print the invites with our trusty printer, but the real DIY process will be the part where we get to be creative and personalize them. Right now they look a bit plain. Hmmm...how to dress them up a bit to reflect our colors and style? Another DIY trial to come!

Our Web site is finished!

Yay! We have a Web site! There's something about a Web site that makes you more legit, so here we are! A legit couple in the World Wide Web! Our site is from http://www.justproposed.com/, a free web site you can tailor to your own liking. You can upload your own slideshow, photo and video gallery, and music background. It adds a little more character than some of your other free template web sites out there. Check it out!

Our homepage is actually a slideshow of our e-shoot set to the Hawaiian tune of White Sandy Beach by the great Iz Kamakawiwo'ole. Yep, that black mess on the screen is my shabby attempt at privacy.

Here's our info page, with tabs for the ceremony, reception and other parties. There's also an "Additional Info" box to update with more information, or even a map.

Our story page. There are two tabs for the bride and groom to each tell their own story. I wrote about his big proposal and he wrote about how we first met.

Our RSVP page. No need for postage, just a click of the mouse! This page won't be visible until our invitations go out. Our invitations will have specific directions on how to rsvp on our site (we'll need them to add their reception meal option in the "Remarks" box.)

What I like about this site versus other sites is that it's more interactive, a little more fun and the RSVP page has more information. Guests will need to leave their contact information so that if we, or they, any questions about their reservation, we can easily get back to one another.

Our E-shoot

Who doesn't love e-shoots, those precious moments of ultimate PDA? I enjoy admiring over them, but the thought of actually having to go through one? Uh, not so much. Why? It's kind of weird to get all close and snuggly to my guy with someone's huge lenses poking in on our makeout session. I just couldn't see myself feeling natural with the whole thing.

But we didn't think we would have an e-shoot, because we thought it was an added expense we couldn't afford. Besides, an e-shoot fell in our nice-to-have-but-not-all-that-important category. So a friend of ours borrowed a camera and we headed down to San Clemente where the fiance proposed. We had a blast playing around at the beach and hanging out. My fiance and I wore Samoan beaded necklaces--the same necklaces his parents wore on their wedding day. I also wore a flower on the left--a Polynesian tradition to signify me being "taken"-- and an old white sun dress I've had for a couple years.

So, in the end, it wasn't a stiff photo shoot, but a chance to just have fun at the beach with friends...and get some neat pics out of it, too. They weren't professional photos, but I think they came out nicely. Not only were the photos free, but my friend--an amazing graphic designer--offered to retouch them and give us all the photos. So we can use them for whatever we wanted, like the Save the Dates (which she also designed), a photo guestbook and our Web site. We'll print a few photos and display them at our reception, as well.

If you really want a professional photographer capturing your prenuptial love session, then go for it! But, if you're strapped for cash, and would rather save the professional services for the wedding day, then ask a friend with a good camera and a good eye to be your e-shoot extraordinaire!

Eye Candy: Le Love

*Sigh*

From Le Love

The ultimate newbie mistake: The Gown

Ok, I knew I would be making mistakes along this journey of trying to plan my own wedding, but I never thought -- or at least I hoped -- I wouldn't make one as bad as this. You see, it involves my gown--supposedly the most important decision I'll make during this process. I don't know if this is true, in fact I vehemently opposed this idea at the very beginning. I wanted to prove this position wrong by telling myself I would be happy with any dress, just as long it was white, wearable and won't blow our entire budget. I had this self-righteous, "I would never spend $600 on a dress!" attitude from the very beginning. Thus my $250 gown budget. Thus grabbing the first dress that fit me at $175. Thus my anxiety attack the morning after. And I was feeling the pressure. People kept telling me I had to buy NOW. So I did, and I completely robbed myself of the bridal shopping experience. No, I don't mean having a Say Yes to the Dress entourage fawn over you and criticize you to make you feel like a self-consious princess. I mean having the experience of really looking at the possibilities out there, trying them on and finding the dress that makes you feel beautiful, and waking up in the morning and feeling absolutely thrilled with your purchase.

You see, my original dress, in my opinion, was a good deal. It's a Mori Lee gown, originally retailed at $600 down to $175. It's strapless, satin, beading with a long train and very pretty--if that's what you want. But you see, it wasn't a style I really wanted. I was more enamored with the price than I was with the dress. I was so fixated on staying within budget that I sacrificed what I really wanted just to fit a specific price point. I tried to love the dress...believe me, I did. I kept telling myself that I was just being too self-conscious and insecure, the product of comparing myself to all the gorgeous gowns in the magazines and blogs. I kept telling myself that I loved the dress like some confidence-boosting mantra I repeated each morning. I hung the dress in my room and stared at it everyday. I tried it on and took pictures with me in it. I thought, "I look very pretty in this, so be happy that you didn't spend hundreds more dollars" but I didn't feel like myself. I didn't feel like I loved it. I didn't feel right. It fit my body, but not me, if you know what I mean. In the end, I knew I had made a mistake. I know now that decisions we make now doesn't always have to be about what's cheaper. You have to take into account the decisions that reflect you in the process, or the deal isn't worth the money you saved.

So, with regret and $175 poorer (actually $195 including the tax) I'm resuming my wedding gown search. I plan on selling the Mori Lee gown (e-mail me if you're interested!). But still, I actually feel so much better finding the dress for me. I know that I have time to find another dress, but barely. Sure, it blows my $250 dress budget, but in the end, I'll have a dress that I'll feel proud to have worn on my wedding day, and proud to look at years later when I remember that day. I still am working with a budget (I don't want to spend more than $500), but I'll listen to what my sensibilities are telling me along with my sense. No, I still don't think the dress is the most important decision of the wedding day...but it is important, at least to a style conscious girl like me--(here's a personal tidbit...I work at a fashion magazine).  Stick to your budget, but stick to your own sense of style as well, and you won't have any regrets.

Planning for the future

I know this blog focuses a lot on the steps and planning of a wedding day, but really, all of that doesn't really matter if you don't have the days and years after the wedding day all figured out. OK, no one has anything all figured out, but it would be foolish not to even give it a thought.

Today, we made some serious steps toward financial planning as husband and wife, meeting with fiancial consultants to discuss options for our future. Granted, it was just a consultation, but we are seriously considering hiring professionals to give us some realistic financial goals to shoot for.

I had been both anticipating and dreading this talk. Anticipating because, well our future is much too important not to have a structured plan. My fiance and I are both ambitious people and we know the importance of planning and goal-setting. But I've also kind of dreaded this discussion -- especially with strangers-- cuz, well, my income has dwindled down to zero, or pretty much close to that in recent months. Recession sucks. Who wants to listen to how bleak your financial future is based on your bleak present status?

But the two consultants we met with today were a good balance between realistic and encouraging. They looked at our assests and our income, our goals and told us what we needed to do to get there. It was also a helpful overview of stocks, bonds and savings strategies. So, no, it wasn't the dismal, guilt-ridden, ego-crushing lecture to send me further into financial depression as expected, but rather a positive reality check to make us feel confident and take charge of our future with both ambitious and realistic goals. Our choice to set our wedding budget to $15,000 was made because we'd rather make sure we have funds left over to build on life after the wedding. You know, for marriage.

What were some of the tips we got out of our first session? Well, it starts by laying out some basic steps (Remember, these are questions you should ask between your fiance and yourself, as you make decisions together):

1. Set goals: Where do we want to be? Career-wise? Fiancially? Do you want to be fiancially independent? Do you want to buy a house? When? Do you want to set aside a fund for regular travel?

2. Look at your current fiancial status:  This can be ultra-sensitive area, because it hits you where you might be hurting. How much income are you both taking in? Do you have any assests? Retirement fund? Savings fund? Do you have any debt, credit cards, college loans, etc.

3. Develop strategies to get to your goals: How do you go from point A (which might be at the bottom of the gutter) to point B (the light at the end of the tunnel)? This might require some help as not everyone (including myself) are savvy about their fiancial options. IRA? Stocks? Bonds? Taxes? Huh? It definitely helps to do your research or get some helpful advice to navigate through all of this. Also, goals always change as life will always change. Always reassessing goals is key.

I encourage everyone to seek out fiancial planning assistance -- whether you hire someone or seek advice from someone you know. Sure, you want a nice wedding, but it all won't matter if you don't put that same energy, focus and planning into your future and well-being.

Guys have it so easy!

When you think about it...what do guys really do for a wedding? I mean, they have it so easy! Ok, they put all that effort into buying a ring and planning the big proposal...but what about the months into planning the big day? I think I'm pretty lucky that my fiance has been a huge supportive help throughout this process, but I've noticed that not all guys are like that. I watched an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians on E! and Khloe's groom Lamar Odom boasted, "All I'm doing is showing up!" (OK, not the best example of a real couple, but I've heard a friend's fiance say the exact same thing.) Not only do we expect the grooms to take a back seat in the planning, but we make picking out the groomsmen's attire even more insanely easy! A bride can visit dozens of bridal stores and try on dozens of dresses before she finds "the one," and well, a guy can head to Men's Wearhouse and pick out his ensemble in just 30 minutes!
I accompanied my fiance to the Men's Wearhouse to pick out his suit. The Men's Wearhouse has probably the best budget friendly deal for groomsmen attire right now (other stores offer free grooms' tuxes as well, but you probably have to rent five or six). But with MW, rent four tuxes and the groom's suit is free! They have several choices, but to a gal who has never lived with any men in her life -- except her father who has never worn a tux in his life except on his wedding day -- they all look pretty much the same. And, honestly, I don't think you can mess up a suit-- guys can wear any suit and still look sharp! But, shoot, I wish brides can have that kind of deal -- can I get my dress for free, too? Oh, ok, enough wishful thinking.
My guy is pretty simple and prefers the classic black suit and tie. No bow tie and vest -- since it'll be an afternoon summer wedding, he didn't want anything too stuffy. So here's the look --

The Groomsmen are going with the Kenneth Cole black three-button suit (no vest) paired with a plum tie, while my fiance will be wearing a Calvin Klein suit, paired with a champagne-colored tie.

Along with a coupon we received at a bridal expo, each groomsmen suit is $128. If you rent at least four-- your fiance's suit is free! Nice! Men's wearhouse has a partnership with David's Bridal so their colors should correspond with the colors at DB. While DB does have a plum option, it's only limited to three styles (all in a fabric I wasn't crazy over). So now I am on a mission to find plum, fashionable and affordable bridesmaid dresses!

Real Wedding: Flights of Fancy

*Sigh* Oh, how I try not to be so envious. But it's hard after seeing weddings like this -- Brian and Ngoc in Nebraska. It's a wedding that seems to have it all -- style, class, creativity, gorgeous details, incorporation of culture and, well, love. The bride's not wearing all white, but she's looking too cute with that baby blue bolero! Who needs conventionality when you're looking this hot?

Ngoc's whole ensemble is beautiful, but daaayum, those Badgley Mischka shoes and her baby blue bolero...perfect!

I love the "Bird/Asian" theme goes seemlessly together with the soft blue and green color schene. Perfect! The lanterns and the origami paper cranes are a very nice touch.

All photos by Ling Photography

Wedding photo of the Day

This was one of those photos where I literally stopped, stared and thought, "how fricken clever!" As a wannabe photographer without any real training or equipment to speak of, I was jealous I never thought of that angle/shot/idea before. But I would put the page to Song of Songs -- I think the most romantic and sensual (yes, sensual) book in the Bible. Beautiful!

From Burns Wedding Photography

Our bridesmaid bouquet

After our trip to the LA flower mart, I'm thinking our selection of bridemaid bouquets can be expanded beyond carnations. I still think they're cute and very budget-friendly, but I'm liking this bouquet:

Cute, unique and fits our color scheme of purple/plum/gold very well. I know that roses come in the cheap at the LA flower mart but don't know how much the orchids will cost me. I'll do another DIY trial with these flowers, so stay tuned!

It's...just...cake

So we're cutting back on a few things, but cake is not one of them. Although it may look like we are from the looks of our single-tier 10 inch round wedding cake we ordered. No, everyone is getting cake -- a pretty good-sized portion and mighty delicious. But it ain't coming from the cake the fiance and I are cutting. That's just for show cuz, well, we're dropping $45 just so we can have a mound of flour and sugar to cut into. Our restaurant offers a dessert option meaning everyone will already have chocolate mousse cake with their meal.

mmmmm

But you might recall my moment of insecurity when the future in-laws griped at our decision to order a tiny cake, the cake they coined "Mickey Mouse." Never mind that everyone will be served cake. Never mind that dessert is already added to our catering expense. According to our in-laws, we must have the tall, gigantic wedding cake for the photos and for display. Who cares that no one will have room to eat it. Who cares that it will cost us another $300 (at least). They even offered to pay for it. Now some folks won't mind the offer and gladly accept. But I would rather put that extra cash somewhere else. It just seems such a waste for a prop.

But it will be so embarrassing. Who wants to look at that tiny little cake? You don't want a mediocre wedding!

Yes, those were their words. Mediocre? But...it's...just...CAKE!

As a foodie, I love cake. I love anything that will satisfy my obsessive sweet tooth. But I think our chocolate mousse cake will be far better than any three-tier confection we can afford to buy. I don't feel like purchasing a huge cake just because, OMG, what will people say???

So I think our 10-incher will suffice. It's from Ninong's Pastries in Granada Hills, a Filipino bakery that also serves some yummy Filipino-style breakfast (ahhh, longanisa and eggs!). We had a cake tasting at their shop and even though we thought chocolate was the winner, we went with vanilla. It will be a nice contrast to the Chocolate Mousse cake we're serving to everyone.

So, it will be a vanilla and buttercream cake, and they even offered to add strawberries to the filling for free. It serves about 30-40 people and we figure the wedding party can have dibs on it if they chose to eat it. With a bridal expo coupon, we purchased the cake for about $42.

Can a single tier wedding cake look classy? I figure we'll place it atop a tall cake stand. Our baker will wrap the base with a ribbon. We'll also top it with some fresh flowers.

Here are some inspirational photos to make me believe that yes, it can be done!

Here's something closer to our color scheme. I like the pearls and swags.

I like the simplicity. Don't think we'll be going with the bride and groom cake topper. It seems a little dated to me.

Pretty. Simple.

Oh, but how are we going to decorate the cake table with such an itty bitty cake? I thought I'd place some flowers at the base, like below. Champagne glasses...no...maybe some candles.

So, am I just being delusional, blinded by my need to cut corners? Or can this really work?

Say yes to videography

OK, we give in! We want videography. Or at least some sort of video at our wedding. But let me assure you, photography is our main concern. We would gladly skip video for photos we're proud of. So, why reconsider video when we're on a tight budget? Well...our photographers do videography as well, and while a full 40-minute video of the wedding day might still be out of our budget, they offered to shoot key highlights for free! Well, we do have to pay a $250 editing fee. Still, the entire photography/videography package keeps us within our under-$1000-photography budget. The video will look something like this, but a little longer:


Video from Bliss Imagery

After watching this clip, I feel like I was actually there! In the end, we figured, it is our wedding day. A video isn't something we'll watch every day, and sure, it'll likely collect dust in our collection, but it's one other way to preserve and relive memories. Unlike photography, video captures the movement of those memories. Maybe, once in awhile, we will watch the video, and we'll remember what it was like as I walked down the aisle with my father, or our first kiss as husband and wife, or how much fun everyone had. In the future, any ways you preserved those moments and memories will be things you were glad you did.

Purple Wedding Shoes

Part of the wedding planning syndrome is that you're prone to giving in to certain trends you never would have thought of before... had you not become addicted to Style Me Pretty or Snippet and Ink. No, I've never desired mustaches on a stick, the time warp vintage wedding, or macaroons (I've never even had a macaroon in my life!),  But I do desire a pair of plum color, peep toe heels as such:

I know I'm a bride, and I must wear all white and all, but c'mon! You gotta have a little splash of color, even if no one will even notice it! So I'm on a look out for these plum colored hotties. I found these available kicks on the web,

like these very hot, but very expensive ruffled "Salsa" sandals from Nordstroms:

at $154, it's almost as much as my wedding gown! But it doesn't stop me from coveting!

Then there are these selections:

Nina Kora for $76 at Lori's Shoes

This came off of the British site, Footwear Studio, for 22 pounds (that's double the US dollar!)

Here's another nice, and very affordable pair also at Nordstrom's.

I shouldn't really spend too much on my shoes, but...my eyes keep wandering back to the "Salsa" pair. Now those are hot!

Calling all DIY Brides: Head to the LA Flower Mart!

If you're seriously considering DIYing any flower projects for your wedding, I highly suggest...no, I insist you head over to the LA Flower Mart! Folks, this is where most of So Cal floral vendors get their flowers, and if you want to cut out the middle man, here's the spot.

 The LA Flower Mart offers tons of flowers at wholesale prices. I just about died thinking of all the floral possiblities I can do for much less than I would have paid a florist. $40 for a bridesmaid's rose bouquet? Psssh! How about for one for about $10?

A 40-count of roses is just $8!

Or a carnation bouquet for less than $5?

 

Mix n' match flowers, because they have just about every flower in season (and some not in season!)

 

I have never seen roses this shocking blue until I came here!

A bundle of Asian lillies for about $9 each

They have bamboo by the bundle:

 

and the elusive Manzanita branch for $7 each!

There also tons of accessories and supplies you'll need for centerpieces such as vases, candles, ribbon and even sea shells!

And we found our potted orchids! We found some for about $6-$9 each, but as we compared orchids from all the different vendors, we noticed some looked healthier and prettier than others. The ones that looked centerpiece-ready were about $15-$20 each. Still not bad considering some stores will charge you $40 for each!

 The flower mart is open to the public for a few hours each day, so you might want to check their hours on their website. It costs $2 a person for those who aren't badge members (which costs $50 a year). But the $2 general admission is worth it! The place is huge, so you want to get there early for the headstart and the fresh dibs on the selections. Also, prices and quality will differ between vendors, so keep looking. I would suggest making multiple visits so you can keep note of the prices and selection. Also, keep in mind that prices and selection differ between seasons.

And...since you're in the LA area and you might be hungry after all that flower shopping, grab a bacon dog!

Total artery-clogging goodness--it's what LA's all about!