Saturday, May 14, 2011

Wedding movie countdown

I love the thought of keeping the stress at bay and excitements high with wedding movie countdowns either as "all-nighter", once a week, or every night of the month leading up to the big day event. I guess I've always been game for building excitement leading up to anything worth celebrating. (If I had it my way birthdays would be week long celebrations). So..just in case you find hype in any way appealing. Here are a few movies that could be part of you wedding movie countdown. See that empty couch? Invite some friends over, grabs some snacks and GET EXCITED!!!!




1) Father of the Bride (w/steve martin) - the story of a father and his adventures and role surrounding the wedding. It's focus is on the wedding cost and extravagance. (Comedy)

2) Meet the Parents (w/ Ben Stiller) - a man meets his future in- laws who aren't quite what he'd thought they'd be. (Comedy)

3) My Big Fat Greek Wedding - a lonely woman's love story about finding love outside of her overly traditional wedding. (Comedy)

4) Runaway Bride (w/Julia Roberts) - a bride that can't commit finds out what she truely wants with the help of a pesky reporter who slandered her name. (Comedy)

5) The Wedding Singer ( w/ Adam Sandler) - A love struck singer begins to fall in love with an already engaged waitress who assist at his shows while each of their own relationships have troubles. (Comedy)

6) Wedding Bell Blues - Three friends promise each other if at age 30 they are not married they will all go to vegas and get hitched on a fling. (Drama)

7) 7 Brides for 7 Brothers - Classic Musical in which the eldest of 7 woodsman brothers gets married to a girl he barely knows and and his 6 brothers get the hint and go caputure their own brides. (Musical)

8) Fiddler on the Roof - Classic Musical in which set amoung turn of the century Russia 3 sisters find love amoung the trurmoil. (Musical)

9) My Best Friend's Wedding (w/ Julia Roberts) - a woman who is still in love with her best friend trys to win back his affection. (Comedy)

10) The Wedding Planner (w /J. Lo) - a wedding planner that has never been able to that special someone finally does, the problem is he's one of the grooms she's planning for. (Comedy)

11) While you were Sleeping (w / Sandra Bullock) - MY PERSONAL FAVORITE - a lonley woman, saves her dream man's life, and in order to see him in the hospital she pretends that she is his fiance. (Comedy)

12) Love Actually - I don't know if you'd really call it a "Wedding" Movie there is certainly a wedding in there but it is just so cute with so many love stories it's irasistalble. (Comedy)

13) Mystic Pizza - three waitresses in the town of Mystic, CN Each try their hand at love. (Comedy)

14) Bride and Prejudice - (The Bali wood version) - I presonally prefer Pride and Prejudice, but the above is more relative to the topic. (Romance)

15) The Corpse Bride - Dark, Tim Burton film in which a man acidentially marries himself to a dead woman. (Dark - Claymation)

16) The Bride of Chucky - Dark Film about two dolls that go on a killing spree. (Horror)

17) The Brady Girls get Married - a Cheap movie made after the TV shows inwhich both Marsha and Jane get married and the craziness around their family. (it's okay to watch once and then that's it)

18) The Wedding Date - a lonely woman uses an add for an escort service to take her to her sister's wedding. ( Comedy)

19) The Princess Bride - classic love story or adventure, fantasy, and true love. (Adventure)

20) The Bride of Frankenstien - a mate is created for Franenstien. (Kinda cheesey but everyone's gotta watch it once) (Horror)

21) Stepmom (w/ Julia Roberts) - a man proposes to re-marry adding another woman to the family and how the family adjusts.

22) 27 dresses (w/ Katherine Heigle) - a woman has been a brides maid 27 times. ( I haven't seen it yet but I want to)

23) Lisence to Wed - a young couple must go through a wedding course before they are allowed to marry.

24) Four Weddings and a Funeral (w/ Hugh Grant)- the story is exactly the title. The story follows a young man around wile he and his friends through out the film are married.

25) Wedding Crashers (w/ Owen Wilson) - 2 best firends decide to capitalize on the good feelings that are shared at weddings and use the oppertunity to meet women.

26) American Wedding - the thrid tale in the American Pie genre in which Jim and Michelle finally get married. The movie include all the humor of finding a dress to the family.

27) Murial's Wedding - a woman seeks to get married for revenge.

28) The Bachelor ( w /Chris O'Donnel) - a young man learns he will inherit a forutne if he is married by his 30th birthday the problem is that's only a few days a way.

29) The Prince and Me 2 (The Royal Wedding) - Not as good as the first but still. A young woman must prove she is worthy enough to marry the Prince.

30) Monster - In - Law (w/ J. Lo) - a woman becomes engaged, but her future mother in- law has different ideas about that.

31) Steel Magnolias (w/ Julia Roberts) - the ultimate chick flick. "My wedding colors are blush and bashful! " Her wedding colors are pink and pink." "Momma my colors are blush and bashful" -

32) How to Marry a Millonaire ( Marilyn Monroe) - a woman sets out only to marry a millonarie but there is more than money to a man.

33) Fools Rush In - a man gets his girl friend pregnant and rushes to marry her.

34) I do (but I don't ) - a made for TV movie of the wedding planner with Denise Richards

35) Sweet Home Alabama - (w / Reese Witherspoon) a yound woman gets engaged to the perfect man (Patrick Demsepy - oh yeah) Problem is she's already married.

36) Sixteen Candles - a young woman's birthday is forgotten while her older sister is getting married.

37) Honeymoon in Vegas - a man promises his mother on her deathbed that he'll never get married. On the spur of the moment a vegas wedding seems to be the solution.

38) Bridesmaids - (Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph) Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.

Have anymore suggestions for your favorite wedding movies? I'd love to hear them!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Who should be paying for what?



Among the top 10 questions asked by brides is the questions of who pays for what among the wedding expenses. I think the answer is largely dependent on whether you're wedding and situation is traditional or non-traditional. By tradition, the bride/brides family pays for most of the wedding while the groom/grooms family pay for things such as the wedding and engagement ring, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, gifts for the bride, gifts for the men participating in the wedding ceremony (typically ushers and groomsmen), wedding license, and alcohol. Non-traditionally but among recent trends is that of weddings being paid for in majority by costs being split between the bride and groom. In such cases, it really depends on what each can afford. For our wedding, we paid for many things with contributed gifts from family and family friends on either side to help us out. My grandparents offered to pay for our food and gave us our choice of their time-share for the year to use for our honeymoon. A family friend offered to cater our wedding for free. My husbands parents paid for the rehearsal dinner, made MANY pastries and desserts for our reception and allowed me use of their vast array of antique dining and serving ware for my vintage themed reception. My husbands grandfather offered to pay for a portion our decorations (SUCH a sweet little Italian man!) Aside from that, my husband and I paid for anything else. From the beginning it may be a good idea for both you and your fiance to talk to your own families and get a feel from them if they will be able to/want to contribute to your wedding and what those things are in order to know what will need to be taken care of by the both of you and budget accordingly. Non-traditional weddings, I would say, make a budget even more VITAL as you will need to know what expenses you'll be paying and saving for, when. Make sure you are planning ahead and are giving yourself enough time between your engagement and wedding to make or have saved the money you need to pull your wedding off.

Another thing I think many brides wonder is what the bridesmaids and groomsmen should be paying of their expenses to participate in your wedding. In the beginning I thought to myself, "I'm asking all these people to pay all these expenses to come and support me?! I can't ask them to do that!!!" Here's the thing (which our wedding party practically forced us to comply with) they are your friends and you are asking, and they are accepting to be there to support you on one of the most important days of your life! We paid for our girls bridesmaids dresses and we tried to take care of most of our wedding parties' meals while they were in town as well as a way of taking care of them for being there to take care of us. Heck, you may even decide that paying for their attire or flight is what you'd like to for their gifts but based on simple logic, if they are truly your friends, they will be honored to do whatever it takes to be there for you because that's what they (friends) do.

That said, I will note that in our wedding, we had sleeping accommodations for our party. In 100% of the weddings I've been a part of that had a long distance bridal party, a place to sleep was planned and provided for the entire party until the morning after the wedding. If your wedding party is local, I'd at least consider having them stay with you and the groom the night before the wedding for both moral support and logistical reasons. 

Initially this can feel a bit overwhelming if talking about money with other people is hard for you. I know that it's not fun BUT if you get this kind of stuff done early out, only the fun stuff is left as you get closer to your big day. You've got this!




Hope this helps!!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

**DIY time**



For our wedding we had to go low budget but didn't want to skimp on our decor. Luckily i have a knack for making the most low cost things look beautiful and was happy to do so for our wedding. My husband and I really enjoy a mix of rustic and eclectic decor and I think these cotton centerpieces would be gorgeous for a vintage, rustic, eco-friendly, or outdoorsy wedding!

It's as simple as this:
1) Order online or purchase cotton in store
2) Run to your nearest thrift or vintage store and grab a few of your favorite bottles or mason jars
3) Leave as is or decorate according to your taste (could wrap with a ribbon or twine bow dip in paint and dry, whatever your creative mind comes up with)
4) Cut cotton stems to desired length and pop them individually or in groups into the containers you purchased earlier

There are many approaches that could be taken for a diy centerpiece depending on your colors
If doing your own search, your going to want to search for either dried cotton or cotton bolls, you can also check out some of the places I found:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TALLCOTTONnPEAS
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LeRoys (also does cotton boutonnieres and bouquets)
http://www.cottonman.com/Dried%20Cotton%20Plants.htm



Thursday, April 7, 2011

Registry: what to put on it and how to let people know

While I didn't have the slightest preparation for what I'd want in a wedding, if there was one mental picture and thing I had seen in the movies...it was pointing that scanner gun at everything one could ever possibly hope for in their new home. Punch bowls, textiles, duvet covers, stock pots, and shower curtains....this was one thing I was pretty much pumped for!

About 15 minutes into this very event, I quickly realized how overwhelming it all could become. We had a wedding representative from the store give us a basic run-down of what to do and even what to consider when comprising your wedding registry (at Bed, Bath, and Beyond). Regardless of the help, the more items we came across in the store, the more we realized how many tiny little things and enormous things we'd actually need. Here are my pointers on how to get the most out of wedding registry(and by most I don't mean quantity, I mean quality.)-If at all possible, make note BEFORE going to begin your registry of necessities that your home-to-be will need. Our apartment did not come with a microwave and for our first month we were reheating everything in the oven, not good or time efficient. If you do not have a washer/dryer you may want to include a sturdy laundry basket/hamper. Basic necessities that you will immediately need for day-to-day, should immediately go on your list, don't miss these things first before you go "kid in a candy store".

-Once you have comprised this list, remove anything that you will probably end up purchasing on your own

-A lot of what you will get will probably be kitchen items. Know the measurements of your oven before adding any bake-ware, drawers before adding any drawer organizers etc.

-Know your storage capabilities. You're going to have a sudden influx of things that will all need a place to go. Look around and see where you've got room, consider whether it may be a good idea to either add some shelving to your registry or maybe plan ahead to make a trip to Ikea(or wherever you prefer) when you get back from your honeymoon.

-Because you probably won't have the option of letting others know which items are most important to you or that you want most, consider registering with two stores one comprised of the things you want most and one of all the other things. I'm pretty sure every bride or groom has that one person in their family who everyone else will call if they have any questions about your wedding, registry, etc.  Always make sure you convey to that person, anything that you want to be the general consensus. If the registry of your "must-haves!" is at Crate & Barrel and your other items are with Target, let the person know that if people ask, a lot of your favorites are at C&B and you are also registered with Target. This would be the same idea if you are hoping to receive mostly cash, let your go to person know that you are hoping for mostly cash but are also registered with (insert store)

-Do not let the registry representative talk you into putting expensive "quality" items on your registry that you really don't care much about. If you don't care if your skillet is $200 or $20 but you'd rather have a Kitchen-Aid mixer over a generic store brand, don't let the sales person also sell you on the skillet. The sales person may tell you that it is important to have a range of prices on items so that those who want to get a larger gift for you aren't stuck buying every utensil on your registry to meet there spending amount. This is true, however, who's to say that person doesn't look at the registry and grab the skillet (that sales person talked you into scanning because of the "quality") instead of the mixer if it's on your list. For that reason, I'd say, keep the more expensive items limited to only things you really want. Remember, most ppl won't ask you which one you want more.

-Get to scannin!!! Have a good range of items with different prices and don't assume you know what others will want to spend on a gift for you. Enjoy yourself!!!
(Also check out this Registry 101 list from The Things We Would Blog)

Monday, March 14, 2011

**DIY time**

Paper Doily Stars/Flowers

I happened upon this gorgeous and creative d-i-y recently at thehappyhomeblog and I have to admit...I was immediately bummed I hadn't seen in 5 months ago in time to add to my own decor. To be fair, it's probably for the best that I didn't have one more thing to do myself beforehand, or I may have gone under. Anyhow these are originally described as stars but the first thing I saw when I looked at them was the potential for flowers if vintage buttons or even patterned paper circle paper cut-outs were placed in the center. What I love most about these is that they can be used for wedding decor, home decor, or even Christmas ornaments! Whether your choice is star or flower, I hope you find this D-I-Y to your liking!!


For the full how to step-by-step:

                             http://thehappyhomeblog.com/?p=2391

Friday, March 11, 2011

**DIY time**


Cardboard Suitcase Card Box
I began thinking today that if this blog ever gets popular, the chances are, not every bride will stumble across it at the beginning of there journey and may even show up at the end. With that thought in my mind, I decided to intermittently splice great d-i-y projects, resources, tips, and other things that can be useful to a bride at any stage of wedding planning.

The first one of these posts is a great idea from one of the girls over at weddingbee. Is this not the cutest idea for a card box ever?! I had been looking around for something bc I didn't want to just gift wrap a box with a hole it. Simultaneously, I didn't want to get something that just looked like a tissue box marked "Cards" and came across this. I hope you or a bride-to-be you know will find this as great as I did.

Always remember to be resourceful and think outside the box ;) !!!

Check out more:
http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/04/21/the-best-projects-are-simple-projects/

Deciding on colors/themes?


  (Image Source: The Perfect Palette )

So...you may be one of those people who have had a favorite color(s) since you were a kid (at which point everything you owned and all the walls in your room were those colors). These same colors may have survived with you into adulthood but I'm gonna take a guess that chances are, they didn't.

And now you are presented with the decision of what colors to choose that will from that point on be coined as "your colors". Merited or not, people will often subconsciously pull from the colors and themes from your wedding when considering gifts for you and your soon-to-be husband in the future. Being their first memory of you as an official "unit", they'll think, "What should we get ____ ? Oh! I remember they like ___, ___, and _____ from their wedding!" If you think about it, rightfully so, as many people try to infuse their weddings with as much of "themselves" as possible.

A helpful way to start is base on elements you already know about your wedding.

What season is it in? Fresh and pastel colors for Spring, bright and vibrate colors for Summer, Earthy and warm colors for Fall and cool and crisp colors for Winter...with this, also take into consideration the feel that you want your wedding to have for you and your guests. I.E. taking care to pull the warmest shades from the winter color palette to avoid your wedding decor reading as cold... or pulling a few accent pops of color for a Fall wedding to avoid everything running together (and photographing) as a dull brown.

Is it themed? Romantic, Vintage, Retro, Rustic, Whimsical, Destination, Classic Black and White? Doing a little research on these thing will help you find the appropriate color palette from which you'll be able to better tweak and substitute where you choose. A great way I've found is by looking at photographs, magazines, and sometimes paintings that correspond with your theme and pulling possible colors from there. You can also try directly searching things such as "Romantic Color Palette".

 
This Palette's from: Creative Color Schemes



Here is a link to the knots wedding color ideas:
http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-colors.aspx

On colour lovers you can just type in a color in the search bar and you'll find just about every color palette imaginable (and some that you'd never think of on your own), using that color.
http://www.colourlovers.com/palettes/search

Once you decide on your colors, you can flip through their photos for tons of AWESOME ways to incorporate them
OR
if you're kind of on the fence about a few different combos, what hues to choose of the colors you want, or are just completely at a loss for where to start, it's always great to be able to kinda see them in action ;)


I was taking to a friend a few weeks ago about how she's having her wedding in her hometown literally across the country. She mentioned she was having a hard time conveying to everyone the specific green that was to be used for bridesmaids dress etc. She already had a dress that was the exact color and was worried that even the familiarity of referencing the dress would not be enough for everyone to find something in the exact color she had in mind. Being all too familiar with the difficulty of effectively communicating out-of state members of the wedding party, I quickly scoured my mind for ideas. I think this is common difficulty for brides.

Thinking back to when my husband and I had considered having a wedding swatch of colors instead of two or three, I remembered that we initially considered sending out a color swatch from the Lowes paint department for people to use as a guideline. This makes it easy to grab and take an item that is "the color" to lowes or home depot, match it up with a swatch, and either jot down the name/number/brand or grab a few. Most paint colors will pull up a swatch if you search them on Google and if not then wedding party members can easily run out to Lowes or Home Depot and grab a swatch of their own. With that, of course, there's always the option of mailing out the swatch to be sure they get it. As mentioned before, searching color palettes with also help as you can just print and mail or email them out.

I guess that's all I can think of for now, if you have any great ideas or suggestions that you found helpful in choosing wedding colors, I'd love to hear them!

budget, budget, BUDGET


No matter how long you've been engaged, I'm sure someone (whether a friend, family member, or wedding coordinator) has told you to do wedding budget first. This was honestly the thing I was dreading the most. The keeping up with and following a budget seemed right up my alley, it was more-so the idea of having to think of every little detail to make sure it was included in the budget in the first place that had me seriously dragging my feet. 

 My advice on this is to take one day, grit your teeth and just hammer it all out. Plan a time for you to sit down by yourself and just make a list of every expense you can possibly think of. Afterward, have a time set for you to put your heads together with one or two other wise people just for the sake of them maybe thinking of something you hadn't thought of or helping you re-categorize and trim the list. When you're done, it's time to take it to your family. From this point, you can both do any final add-ons or subtractions catered to your wedding and finally start plugging in numbers. 





At the point of plugging in numbers, there are a few of the best (and free) online options available.

 http://www.spreadsheet123.com/ExcelCalculators/wedding-budget-calculator.html  (generic budget calculator that can be printed off as well)

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/my-wedding (you have to create an account to access this tool)


http://www.ourdreamwedding.com/index.cfm?page=wedding_budget_form_1&crid=7
 (calculator and checklist that will ask for wedding budget, number of guests and bridal party and will then populate a budget for you based on likely expenditures or suggested allotments which can then be modified)

 Many wedding websites will often offer this tool and some stores you can get a registry through (such as bed, bath, and beyond) will also have a budgeting tool available. I did my wedding website through theknot.com and they offered a budgeting tool with my account.

As with any aspect of planning your wedding, I cannot stress enough that you not let it overwhelm you. Regardless of the way it looks in the beginning, it really will come together in the end. :) Good luck!!