mommybride's Purple Wedding Blog - Wedding By Color

Wedding Dress - DREAM DRESS CONTEST

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:10:00 PST

As a kid I designed all sorts of dresses, so I think I might have to try my hand at this! Here's all the info: Click Here! Did you ever want to design your own wedding gown, bridesmaid dress or prom dress? At dresscodeformal.com, you can! Design your own Dream Dress and if your design is chosen, we will send you your dream dress in your size and a gift certificate to use on future Dress Code Formal purchases. Multiple winners can be chosen. Winning styles will be posted to dresscodeformal.com! Attach a sketch or photo of your design to our entry form with your name and e-mail contact information. You can submit as many entries as you would like! Please be sure to read all of our contest rules below before submitting your entry. Contest Rules and eligibility: Any dresscodeformal.com visitor is eligible to participate in the "Dream Dress" contest. Any participant can submit multiple "Dream Dress" entries. Employees, or family-members of employees, of Dress Code Formal are not eligible to participate the "Dream Dress" contest. Prizes include a dress created from participant's design in the participant's size and a gift certificate for use on future dresscodeformal.com orders. As well, the winners' designs will be posted on the Dress Code Formal website. Designs will be interpreted by the Dress Code Formal design team and factories. Entries will be reviewed by the Dress Code Formal design team on a monthly basis. There is no limit to how many entries can win. Only one win per participant. There are three categories for entries: Bridal (wedding gowns, destination bridal gowns, informal bridal gowns, etc), Bridesmaids (Bridesmaids dresses, Maid of Honor dresses, etc), Evening (Prom dresses, graduation dresses, special occasion dresses, etc.). If your design is chosen, you will be notified by e-mail and asked to confirm your size and shipping address. Please make sure that the e-mail address you submit to our website is accurate, as it is our only means to contact you. Please only submit your original ideas. No photos of existing designer or manufacturer styles will be accepted.

Bathroom Baskets are Done!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:34:00 PST

I had to put some filler at the bottom of the bigger basket (for the women's bathroom) and I may still put a few more things in there, but the men's basket is done (the smaller one). I love how they turned out. Simple but perfect! :) Here's what I put in each: Lint roller First Aid kit Wet Ones wipes Cough drops Q-Tips Germ-X Womens: Hairspray Nail file Tampons Pantiliners Cotton Rounds Clear Nail Polish Mens Black and brown shoe polish Nail clippers

Wedding Veil - Not sure if I like it....

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:24:00 PST

What do you ladies think? It's a net hat, so it's NOT a birdcage veil that only goes over the front of the face. This sits on top of my head and covers the front and back. It has a little bow on top and teardrop shapes on the side. I'm not sure about the bow and teardrops, but I'm sure I could remove them without damaging the veil itself. This is a true vintage find. It was still in the box! But I'm not sure I'm totally in love with it.

Wedding Officiant - My mother is ordained!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:06:00 PST

I wouldn't want anyone else in the world to marry me! We went online to the First Nation Church (a native american church) and registered her and ordered all the paperwork (which cost less than $30). Now all we have to do is file it with the county clerk and have it notarized! I'm so excited! My mother is best friend. She has been by my side through all kinds of hell and fought for my sister and me through a 5 year divorce. And even when she didn't get custody of us, she still didn't give up hope! We were gone for 6 years but now we both live at home with her. :) I know we're both going to be a blubbering mess on my wedding day, but having her officiate the ceremony will only make this day even more special!

Wedding Planner - Yikes!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:41:00 PST

Less than 100 days to go!!! I think it has finally set in that I have sooooo much left to do! God, I hope I can get it all done!!

Wedding Cake - Found a Cake Topper!

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:40:00 PST

I FINALLY found a vintage cake topper I actually like (and it somewhat resembles us!). My FH has long 70's style hair and sideburns (not quite as long as the groom on this topper though) and most of the vintage cake toppers have brides with short hair, whereas I have more medium-long length hair... so this was PERFECT! Plus, at less than $15 (including shipping) it was a steal! I love it!

Wedding Decoration - Centerpieces!

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:47:00 PST

Tulips and 1/2 gallon mason jars. Love the fresh and casual feel of the tulips and the mason jars help me sneak in a bit of vintage. I'm going to stick with red tulips on all the tables and possibly put in some painted branches (if I ever get around to trying that out... hey.. that's a good project to tackle today!). I'm going to tie purple ribbon around the necks of the jars and put number decals (for table numbers) on the outside of the jars. :)

Wedding Reception - Bathroom Baskets

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:15:00 PST

I found two matching baskets on sale at WalMart for $2, one is about 1/4th the size of the other, but I figured I'll put more things in the women's basket than in the men's anyways. I found a great little poem to put on the front and I put purple ribbon around the top of it and tied on the poem! I can't wait to get it filled up! Here is what the poem says: So happy you are here to share in our special day But should something happen to go astray, Please help yourself to the contents within, Hair spray, hand lotion and even aspirin. Use only what you need and leave the rest, It may also be useful to another guest. So repair the damage that may have been done, Then hurry on back and join in the fun! Mr. <3 Mrs. McDaniel

Ask a Question - NWR: Ash Wednesday & Lent

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:22:00 PST

I work at a seafood restaurant where the main thing on the menu is fried fish. As you can imagine, Ash Wednesday is one of the busiest days of the year for us. Lent overall is when most of the company's profit rolls in. With work being a big part of my life, Ash Wednesday has also become a landmark day on my calendar. Even though I'm not Catholic I was planning on giving something up for Lent. I think I'm going to try to nix soda.. which is going to be hard when I work around it all day, but I know it's not good for me and it will probably help me lose a few pounds. Are any of you giving something up for Lent?

Wedding Planner - Checklist

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:47:00 PST

With less than 4 months to go till our wedding, I'm starting to freak out a little bit about what I haven't accomplished yet. I'm really not into the normal checklists you can find online, because most of them include WAY more than we are actually doing. Our wedding is very different and so it's in need of different checklist. Here is what I have done so far: Bought wedding dress Bought wedding shoes Bought bridesmaids' and groomsmens' gifts (shoes and sunglasses) Finalized "wedding party" Booked and put a deposit down on reception site, includes caterer Booked cake Booked photographer Purchased ALL favors Purchased DIY items for favor tags and escort cards Purchased board games for the reception tables Booked venue for bridal shower (my mother did this, it's at her work) Created save-the-dates Sent out first round of save-the-dates Purchased DIY invites Purchased purple parasols Scheduled wedding hair trial Scheduled wedding hair appointment for me and bridesmaids Scheduled food tasting with caterer Bought the kids' clothes Things I still have to do: Mail deposit for cake Mail deposit for photographer Make favor tags Finish sending save-the-dates Paint monogram and date on the parasols Finalize rental items (with leftover funds, one of the last things) Engagement shoot Make table numbers Finalize a centerpiece design Pick playlist Find a DJ and/or band Buy FH's wedding attire Obtain marriage license (earliest I can do this is in May) Plan reception seating Find officiant (thinking of having my mom become an officiant for this) Find transportation Book hotel at The Ritz for wedding night Purchase Saint Louis coffee-table book for guestbook Purchase memorial vases for deceased loved-ones God, am I forgetting anything major?

Ask a Question - Bridal Party Dance

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:23:00 PST

Is this song too "risque" for a dance? The dance I have in mind would definitely would be less "sexy". I can just see the funny moves would could incorporate into the dance by playing off the lyrics.

Wedding Reception - I Found More!!!!

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:57:00 PST

I posted awhile back about a wonderful clearance find: these great diamond vase fillers in shades of purple! On sale for $3! Well, I went to another wal-mart that is close to my work in search of a fabric I needed for an order and when I turned around from picking up the spool of fabric there were 7 more of them on the shelf in front of me! I would have NEVER seen them if they weren't right there! I was so happy while grabbing them off the shelf (as if someone else was going for them at the same time! lol) that I actually dropped one on the floor and it opened up!!! :P Now I have enough for each table! YEAH!

Wedding Reception - Bulletin Board for Escort Cards

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:05:00 PST

I posted a picture of my escort cards idea a few days ago. They are cards that will be pinned onto a bulletin board (last picture uploaded). I've been searching craigslist for a bulletin board and happened upon an ad for one that someone had made to match a potterybarn bulletin board, and he only wanted $35 for it! He put the measurements in the ad, but I didn't really pay attention to them. Then we met up to get the board and I saw it.. holy cow! The thing is HUGE! It's PERFECT! :) I might even have room to put a picture on the board with our cards as well. I LOVE it! The first picture is of the one we bought and the second pic is of my son standing in front of it (to get an idea of exactly how big it is! My son is about 4 feet tall).

My Son's Outift - Pants Vs. Shorts

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:01:00 PST

As you can tell from the photos he was NOT very happy to have to model for me (he was grumpy as it was, then I made him get dressed.. lol). I found this cute purple pinstripe suit at Once Upon a Child (a kid's thrift store) for $4.50! It came with a clip on purple tie too, but I didn't really care for it. The white shirt was a gift from my parent's last vacation to Mexico, which is also where we will be going on our late honeymoon in October! I'm going to hem the pants and make them into shorts to match the short suit I found on eBay last week. I really like the way it looks and I won't have to worry about him overheating outside. :)

Ask a Question - Cake Table

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:38:00 PST

Have any of you ladies thought about how you are going to decorate and set up your cake table? I found some neat ideas online (pics on the left). I think our table is going to be pretty simple.. just the cake and server.

Inspiration Board - Purple & Butterflies

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:23:00 PST

I found this neat inspiration board at Accent The Party's blog! Very pretty and detailed!

DIY Wedding - Favor Tags

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:03:00 PST

So last night I was browsing VistaPrint for a business card design that would work as our favor tags but I really didn't find anything I adored. Well, while I was at Hobby Lobby today I found two of the cutest stamps and decided I could use the same paper puncher I used to make my escort cards to make my favor tags! They are two sided-one side is the bird stamp and the other side says "A little something for you". I'm going to hole punch one side and use colored ribbon to tie them to our etched glasses! I'm not sure if I should just sick with the black ink or used colored ink though.

DIY Wedding - Escort Cards!

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:45:00 PST

The first photo is a quick escort card I made up today. We went to Hobby Lobby and I bought an awesome Antique Typewriter style alphabet stamp set, cardstock, and a huge paper puncher that makes the rectangle shape with the smooth edges.. so, of course, I had to play with it as soon as I got home! lol I got the idea from somewhere online, I included the original photo. First I took the puncher and punched out some ivory colored cardstock and stamped the name onto that. Then I glued that onto a premade cutout I bought on Etsy (made from vintage dictionaries!) that are a gift-tag shape. Then I glued the gift-tag shape onto the red cardstock and cut around it just leaving enough to give it some color. I snipped off the corners so it's flush with the gift-tag shape. The button is actually a short pushpin, which will be used to hold the card onto a large bulletin board. (I just glued a button onto the top of the pushpin) I'm going to stamp the table numbers onto the back of the card so everyone knows where they are going to sit! I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! :) I can't wait to make the rest! I bought red and dark purple cardstock and I have red and purple button pins so I will have a mix-match of my colors!

Ask a Question - Dressing Up the Kids

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:21:00 PST

Our ceremony is going to be outdoors during June so I have a concern about putting our 4 year old in a full 4-piece mini-tux if it's going to be really warm outside. What do you gals think of this neat Short Suit? It's $35, but I'm not sure it looks right.(2nd pic). The 3rd photo is of my second choice, a really nice pinstripe suit that is just $10 more than the short suit. What do you think?

Wedding Reception - Mr. T the Board Game!

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:54:00 PST

At each table at the reception I am putting a vintage board game so that guests can play them during the cocktail hour. I've already bought berzerk and today I couldn't pass up this Mr. T/ A Team board game I found on Etsy. I just giggled to myself visioning us playing it! lol

Purple Bolero!

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:50:00 PST

Yeah! I just bought this purple bolero on ebay for $15! :) I LOVE it!

Wedding Planner - MONEY!

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:07:00 PST

Hallelujah! Our tax refund was credited to our card today and we are now $6,900 richer! This couldn't have come at a better time and I feel sooo much better knowing it's finally here. I'm going to send in the deposit for our photographer and baker ASAP!

DIY Wedding - $5 Birdcage Veil with Step-by-Step Photos

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:40:00 PST

I made this veil yesterday as a mock up so I can make one of my own! :) I only needed to buy the fabric since I had everything else already. This takes a few hours, included dry time for the glue. Forgive my messy hair. :P You will need: -Tulle or Russian Netting (I used tulle in this tutorial) $3/yd -Scissors -Needle and thread -Hair combs -Embellishment of your choice -Craft Glue $2 Cut your tulle/netting to your desired length and width. I just held the fabric to my own head and guestimated from there. The width shouldn't be too much wider than the combs or the veil will poof above your head. Weave thread through the shorter ends of the fabric. Then pull the string and bunch the fabric together. Don't cut the thread! Line up the comb with the end of the fabric and weave the threaded needle through the fingers of the comb and through the fabric at the same time (this will attach the fabric to the comb). I placed the fabric on top of the comb, but you can put it under the comb.. whichever you prefer. When you reach the other end of the comb, tie and cut the thread. If you want you can glue the fabric to the comb for extra security. Try the veil on without the embellishments to make sure you like the length and width, trim if necessary. Then add your embellishments to the combs with craft glue! I put the larger flower on the comb that would be closest to my face so it was easier seen from the front. And voila! You're done! :)

NWR : My Turn to VENT!

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:02:00 PST

I am overwhelmed. A few days ago we got into a pretty bad car accident with a young girl who pulled out in front of our car while we were going 55 mph. Both of our kids were in the car and thankfully no one had any bad injuries. We only had our van for 3 weeks (we were involved in another accident-not our fault- that totaled our previous vehicle) and now it's sitting at a junk yard. While the insurance companies hash it out we are borrowing a family car. This is how we are commuting my fiance, my sister and myself to and from work and that alone is extremely stressful. I'm calling the other driver's insurance tomorrow to ask for a rental while we are waiting for a settlement. On top of that I am training for management at work, which means extra hours and crazy schedule. Some days I work 7:30-2:30 and other days I work 5:30-11:30 and my fiance HATES it. He works midnights at a gas station so we barely see each other as it is and this makes it even harder. Plus, my Etsy store has been overrun with orders lately, which is AMAZING! But each order takes a few hours to make.. which (as you can tell) I don't really have. Add in all the wedding planning, phone calls, meetings with vendors, etc and, heck, I barely have time to sleep. Oh wait, my 4 month old takes care of those hours by staying up to godforsaken hours of the night! I need a breather! :(

Wedding Decoration - Clearance Find!

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:05:00 PST

I found 4 packages of these neat purple vase fillers at Wal-Mart in the clearance aisle! They were only $3 a piece! :) I hope I can find more somewhere (if you find them at your walmart I would be more than wiling to buy them from you!) I hope to use these around our centerpieces. There are holes in the tops of them too, so I could string them on clear fishing line and hang from the branches in our centerpieces too! :)

Wedding Planner - Guest List Over Run!

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:44:00 PST

I just finished going over my guest list and addressing my first wave of save-the-dates and we officially have over 200 people on our guest list!!!!! This includes: Immediate Family (grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts.. no one too distant) Co-workers Friends from my mother's neighborhood My friends Groom's friends & a handful of my mom's coworkers And I'm sure that I've forgotten someone I'll need to add on later! I'm just amazed that I even know this many people! lol

Wedding Invitation - Title Etiquette

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:04:00 PST

I was about to address the envelopes for my save-the-dates and I realized I didn't know how to! Was it the same as the invitations? Do they have to be that formal, or can I address them with their casual names? What about their titles!? UGH! So, I did a quick search and I found out that most suggest you address save-the-dates just as you would your wedding invitation. It's the first time some of your family and friends will find out about your wedding...you don't want them to get the wrong impression! As far as titles..I found this handy-dandy guide! The first suggestion is for the outer envelope and the second one is for the inner envelope.

Wedding Invitation - My Envelopes From ETSY! :)

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:25:00 PST

I received the envelopes that I bought from Etsy seller annarubyking. They came all the way from Greece and I am absolutely in love with them. There are several different designs included and they are made from recycled maps, plus they are the PERFECT size for my DIY save-the-dates! :)

Ceremony - Altar Inspiration

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:14:00 PST

I LOVE the idea of having a dresser as the altar so I've been searching Craigslist for an old dresser I can fix up. I found one someone near us is selling for $40! I'm going to sand it and paint it bright red to use as our altar. Can't wait to get started on it! Then after the ceremony we can put it in our new apartment. :)

Bride in striped tights - From Offbeat Bride

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:09:00 PST

From Offbeat Bride "I'm already harassing Lisa and her red dress, striped tights, and sparkling shoes to tell us more (MUCH MORE) about her August wedding. But for now, we will have to tide ourselves over with a few teaser photos. AND THE BRIDESMAIDS! Holy hell. Tough + gorgeous = hawt. What's amusing to me is that as SOON as I saw these photos, I immediately knew this was a UK Offbeat Bride wedding. I don't know what it is, but you ladies have a distinct look that I adore. A little historical, a little dark, and very very RED!"