Sponsored Post: Our donation/placecards from Vistaprint

As a most brides know, printing can take up a bulk of your budget. If you're like me, spending $1000 on paper that most will toss by wedding's end did not sit well with me. One place where I've saved quite a bit of money has been printing my stationery items through online printing stores such as Vistaprint. Nothing can beat some of their prices. For instance, $24.99 for 100 postcards! Some folks might be wary about the quality of the prints, but after ordering a few items through Vistaprint, I have to say that I'm very pleased! Sign up for their newsletter and you can even get things for FREE, like your Save the Dates and Thank You Cards!

What's also great about Vistaprint is that you can upload any design to have your own customized prints. To save money and trees we decided use our donation cards as placecards for each seat, instead of two separate items for each person. We grabbed the idea with these placecard/menu cards in one:

We uploaded our donation card design to their 4"X8" cards. The process was pretty easy and you can preview it before you print! Our design left a little room at the top so we can print each name of our guests later.

The cards came within days of ordering and they came out exactly as I had hoped they would! We also ordered escort cards through Vistaprint and they were just as good! So definitely look into Vistaprint as budget-friendly printing option!

*As a the writer of this review, I received 150 4"X8" cards. However, this did not influence the opinions expressed in this post.

Wedding Inspiration: Alphonse Mucha

One of my favorite artists is Art Nouveau icon Alphonse Mucha. The Czech artist is renowned for his ethereal, sensual portraits of women. His paintings captured each woman's natural grace and beauty in their long cascading tresses and flowing frocks. In college, I would plaster his work all over my dormroom walls, admiring how each woman seemed free and confident; feminine yet bold.

And what great inspiration for a vintage wedding! Think warm colors of gold, purple and green. Think bohemian chic with long, natural hair and lots of flowers. Think empire waist gowns evoking turn of the century vintage chic!

Ahhh...*swoon*

Up and away!

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For those who've seen the film Up!, this one's for you! And if you haven't, rent it now! Worth it for the tear-jerking beginning scenes!

Affordable Centerpiece Alternatives

Nowadays, it seems like "affordable" and "centerpieces" just don't fit in the same sentence anymore. That's what it felt like early in our planning, when it seemed like the only worthy centerpieces were $100 or more. Try $300 each for the manzanita arrangement one florist quoted me at. When I asked for something cheaper, the florist showed me what $25 a centerpiece would get me...four daisies in a tiny glass vase wrapped with a ribbon. Really? I can make that for just under $10! But after doing some research and scouring the Net, I saw that with a few items, and relatively less dent to your wallet, you can make "Wow" centerpieces for your wedding!

It's amazing what candles can do. 
I was really inspired by this Wedding Bee post. With glass votives from IKEA and Molokai plumerias from Hawaii, one bride created this gorgeous look for just $25 a piece!

Via Wedding Bee

Go au naturale
Sometimes less is more! A minimilist, simple look can create that modern chic vibe.

Rocks

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I heart cymbidium orchids!

Sea Shells
Some sand, sea shells, a candle and a glass vase creates this beach themed centerpiece.

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Potted plants
For the bride who lacks time for arranging (morning brides out there?) or the budget for a florist, potted plants can be the answer. And really, some plants don't need a whole lot of dressing up. We're ordering a bulk of potted orchids from the LA Flower Mart, and with a bamboo vase and some extra moss and flowers to cover the base, we're done! Easy Peasy!

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Fruit
Why not dress up those few daisies with fruit. They add a vibrant, colorful and surprising touch to your centerpieces!

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 Get Bookish

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I've always loved the idea of books being the centerpiece, especially old, weathered vintage books. You can purchase these from any used bookstore or even scope them out at thrift stores where you can buy them for a steal! And if you're a true bookworm like me, you've just added a few classic treasures to your library!

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Lanterns create the mood
I love lanterns, and they work best for evening outdoor weddings or venues where the lights are set down low. What a romantic ambiance!

Moroccan lanterns
You can actually order these for a few dollars each, and with a few clustered together, they look very classy and wordly.

Via Style Me Pretty

Paper Luminaries

Maybe not for dining table centerpieces, but great accessories for say a walkway or guestbook table. And they're pretty cheap and easy to make!

Photo Frame Lanterns
Give your lanterns a personalized feel. Very easy to DIY, too!

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Any other affordable centerpiece ideas? Please, share!

DIY Flower Fascinator

From Miss Jellyfish at Wedding Bee

Ever wondered why that wedding day hair accessory is $50 or more? After seeing this tutorial, I'm still wondering! Courtesy of Miss Jellyfish at Wedding Bee, check out her DIY flower fascinator tutorial where you can make your own hair accessory for about $7. Yup!

Mmmm...more origami

Saw this over at Wedding Bee (who got it from Eat Drink Chic) and, well, I had to join the bandwagon.

But check out these origami invitations! Aren't they adorable?

From Eat Drink Chic

From Eat Drink Chic

From Eat Drink Chic

Eat Drink Chic offers a downloadable template and you can view a video tutorial here. I had been thinking of inexpensive invites to send for our rehearsal dinner, and I orginally thought an evite would suffice...we are just having a casual backyard BBQ/potluck. But, call me old fashion, I always like the real things. Hmmm, cute, unique and very cheap. I think it's a win! We're already folding 1000 paper cranes...what's 20 more rehearsal dinner invites? (I can hear my fiance groaning :)

Asian flair

Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year everyone! Not only was Sunday Valentine's Day, we also rang in the Year of the Tiger! My fiance is half Chinese, and we spent the holiday weekend with his family, eating oranges and other sweets, as is the New Year tradition.

As you might know from reading my blog, I plan to incorporate some cultural details into our wedding, including some of my fiance's Chinese heritage and my own Filipino customs. So in honor of the year of the tiger, I put together some of my favorite Asian-inspired details. So many lovely possibilities...which ones should I choose?

I heart parasols! On a warm, summer day, these are lifesavers! And they're gorgeous hanging from the ceiling! (Left: Bride and Groom, Right: Source)

 (Left: Wedding Nouveau, Rice Paper Fan: Source, Palm Fan: Source )

On a hot day, your guests will love you for these fans!

Lucky Bamboo: Source,  Mini Bamboo Steamer: Wedding Things

(Left: Style Me Pretty, Right: Source)

Valentines for him on a dime

I'm really looking forward to this Valentine's Day. It's our time to take another break from wedding/marriage planning and just have fun with each other. But V-days always presented some sort of challenge for me. I never knew what to give my guy on Valentine's Day. Everyone always says it's a chick's holiday, but it doesn't seem right to forget about my significant other on a day about love.  But every site suggesting V-day gifts for him always named some sort of electronic gadget, and we all know any tech toy beginning with an "i" ain't cheap. So how do you show the guy in your life how much you love and appreciate him without shelling out major $$$? Well, if your guy is anything like mine, he'll love the thoughtful things much more than the expensive stuff. Seriously, it's the little things you say and do for him that will really get him!

My favorite budget gifts for him:

1. Dinner and a movie
So you may not be Paula Deen, but guys love a home-cooked meal. And if you don't make dinner often, it could be something really special you two can do together. What's more romantic than making dinner together, sitting down and having a great conversation over your culinary achievements? Sure it might be just Prego pasta and salad, but it's the time together that really counts. Follow up dessert snuggling on a couch with a rented movie.

2. Random love notes
An unexpected "I love you" note can really make your day. What makes them really sweet is leaving them in places around the house where he'd least expect it. How about leaving notes describing a favorite memory each of you had with one another, with the last note being a gift certificate or coupon for another new memory you can make with other another?

3. Love Coupons
Making him some "I owe you's" might make him excited about things to come. How about a massage? A dinner? A night at the movies? A day doing whatever he wants? If you're not crafty, you can download them for free .

4.What about doing things you both will enjoy, not just whatever he or she wants to do? For us, it would be a day hiking, a day trip sampling new cuisines, or trying something new and fun, maybe rock wall climbing, paint balling or bike riding along the beach. Look into your community's entertainment guide and you might find a lot of inexpensive or free ideas.The possibilities can be endless!

Everything is illuminated

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I have another unnecessary obsession, this time it's paper lanterns. Why, oh why, would I need lanterns, given that our reception will be in broad daylight? I don't know why. Just look at them! They're so pretty! Picture them, round globes hanging in the air like some whimsical celestial setting. Bunched together or hanging at different lengths, how can you not look at them and just *sigh*. And, they would add a great Asian-inspired detail to our intercultural wedding. I can just envision them hanging from the rafters of our venue. Check 'em out! 

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So how much would this cost me considering our decoration budget is quite meager? A brief online search brought me to two sites. You can get a plain, 10" lantern for as little as $1 each here.

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Looking for more colors? Try Luna Bazaar.

I found these plum colored 14" lanterns for $5.20.

I'm sure the lighting to go with this will be the tricky/expensive part, although I'm thinking considering the time of our reception, I might not need it. I'm also not sure how many lanterns I'll need, or the best way to hang them. Are you hanging lanterns at your wedding? Anyone have any suggestions/advice?

STD's...they're infectious

We thought we weren't going to send out Save the Dates. It just seemed like they were an added expense we didn't need since most of our guests were local. But when you see STD's like these, it's catching (I'm sorry, just had to throw that pun in there). And it's hard to wait until three months before the wedding to share the good news! You want a cute official announcement of your exciting day, and sorry, newspapers aren't cutting it anymore. (Although I still read the paper, I hardly know anyone that actually subscribes to them anymore!)

It's just ridiculous how creative people are getting w/ their STD's. I saw this cute, budget-friendly and paperless STD, and I got envious. I just can't copy this. This is just too cute and unique to even try.

So why STD's? Yes, they're a recent trend in the wedding world and yeah, I thought they were just a frivolous expense. Someone told us that our STD's were a waste of money and since we're on a tight budget and we're having a local wedding, we shouldn't even bother. Well, luckily for us, our STD's were free. A friend of ours designed them and the folks at work printed them as kind of a wedding gift. Even if they weren't free, I would have probably thought of sending some out at some point. We are having a summer wedding, people have busy lives and tend to plan out their summer vacations in advance. I know my trips are usually planned out at least six months ahead of time. Friends are even starting to ask us when the big day is so they can work their summer plans around it. STD's can be a great courtesy heads up for the guests you really would like to attend your wedding.

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?

The cutest ever.

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

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!

The Dress Envy begins

I know I have my dress, but I covet this dress, and any dress by this Filipino designer: Veluz Reyes.  Elegant, stylish, yet modest. Beautiful!

Veluz Reyes

How can you not like details like this?

Bolero!

Even though our church coordinator assured me it was ok, I still don't feel comfortable walking down the aisle in a strapless gown. I'm not really too much of a conservative, but I am a product of a Catholic school education and after years of covering up for mass, I feel a little awkward standing in front of a priest with exposed shoulders.
So what to do? I've purchased my gown and I love it.  How about a bolero? It's a kind of mini-jacket that can be really stylish and make a normal strapless gown pop out. I'm not sure if I'll buy one (wow, $100-$200 for one bolero! That's almost as much as my entire dress!) or if I'll have one made. But here are some to provide some inspiration:

Rose Blossom Bridal

Wedding Bells

 

Good Orient

Ella Bridal

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