Here's another option for the budget-conscious bride. I pride myself on being able to work within an...
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04/22/2012
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Highlight Video! =)
Pro-Pictures Are Back!!
So... my husband and I got our wedding pictures back and we created this slide show... ENJOY!
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04/20/2012
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I'm Married Now!
4.14.2012
OMG! I can't explain in words all of the emotions that I have had since before our wedding date until now! The rehearsal dinner was simply crazy. Our wedding party wasn't acting crazy, our poor minister witnessed the site and I had a total headache. The night before I was doing hair (actually 3 of my 4 bridesmaids) and myself, music wasn't done and I was a nervous wreck. I finally went to be at 5:30 AM only to wake back up at 6:30 to get prepared for my big day. Everyone seemed to be running late and not sure what happened, what made things stand still but our wedding started on time and everything was perfect. My poor bridesmaids cried from the time we left in the limo until we got to the chapel. My husband was so handsome and when the minister said he could kiss the bride he gave out a loud, wooo hoooo! LOL. Surprises, surprises, surprises!! Yes... we had a limo that we had no idea where it came from (thanks, in-laws) and after the wedding, since we postponed our stay at the bed & breakfast, we were surprised with a two night stay at the Marriott! =)
My big day was filled with laughing, crying and more crying but most of all love. It was perfect besides the minor bumps but we enjoyed every minute. Professional pictures are coming soon!! |
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04/08/2012
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Wedding Budget
How I Maintained a $3,000 Budget!
Okay, I wanted to share some information on one of the most talked about subjects... the budget! If any of you are like my fiance' and I, we wanted to foot the bill of our wedding. So... this is how we came up with a desired budget and stuck with it.
Our venue cost $1, 495.00... and included everything. Our venue is an all inclusive package that consists of: Day-of wedding coordinator Minister for wedding ceremony Use of Sanctuary including candelabras, unity table, and LED candles Use of Reception Hall OR Garden including seating for up to 50 guests (chairs, tables, table linens) Two-tier wedding cake One 6? buffet table for beverage station One cake table One draped guest sign-in and gift table Clear plates and utensils; napkins Choice of 2 beverages; iced tea, fruit punch or coffee (water also included) Use of decorative beverage urns, cake display stand, and cake cutting utensils Use of sound system (client to provide music) Staff for set-up, tear-down and cake cutting The only downfall to the amazing price is that it wasn't in the evening and we could only have 50 guests. The limit of guest was perfect for us because we wanted something small and intimate. This package is generally offered any day during the week and a morning option for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. She actually broke a little rule and allowed us to change the time of the event to 11:00AM until 2:00PM. Our catering is $300.00, which is also provided by the facility. Since it is a brunch ceremony. They have provided us with platters of sandwiches, fruit and cheese platters. My dress was $100.00... yep! I caught the David's Bridal Semi-Annual Sale. The dress was regularly $900.00. Due to medical reasons, once I purchased my dress, I gained weight so I had to have alterations done. One done with alterations, the total price of my dress came to be $212.00 (sorry, which also included my birdcage veil. My shoes, were already purchased from another event that we attended and I have only worn once and went perfect with my dress. So shoes... $0.00! The groomsmen and bridesmaids all purchased their own tux and dresses. The only bill that we had to foot was for the groom's tux and the ring bearer's because he is our son. The groom's tux was discounted because of the size of our party so the groom's tux was only $50.00 and our son's tux was $100.00 due to his size for his age. The price for their tux included everything except their underwear! LOL. The total for the groom is $150.00. My day of preparations... My hair will be done by ME for FREE. The cost of my extentions will be about $30.00 due to the awesome discount I receive for being a cosmetology student. We will head to the spa the day before for nails, toes and eyebrows which will total about $50.00. My make-up will be done by one of the students at my school and she will charge me $25.00 for the service. This will be a total of $105.00! Bouquets! This will be FREE! Yep... I said it, FREE! My best friend's mother offered to handle all floral designs for free. With that she also purchased the toasting flutes as well. The ring bearer pillow and unity candle... FREE! These were a gift from the maid of honor. Flower Girl Baskets were $5.00 and I bought flowers from Dollar Tree for about $6.00 and used my hot glue gun to attach those and the petals were purchased from Hobby Lobby for 10.00 a box. Since I have two girls, this totaled $42.00. The Invitations were purchsed from Vista Print for $35.00 for the 50 invitations that we needed. Our venue did not include centerpieces so I purchased bird cages from Michaels. I bought about 6 of these for a total of $50.00. The birds, pearls, lace and other accessories to create these were bought from Hobby Lobby which probably totaled less than $100.00 for all 5 centerpieces and the favor cage which has lollipops that say thank you. For two boxes of these that consisted of 25 each were about $20.00 total. This is a total of $170.00. Since the venue has an amazing audio system, we do not have to pay for a DJ. We are able to create three disk for pre-ceremony, ceremony and reception... So! NO DJ service fees. Photography... FREE! My fiance's cousin's wife is a photographer and gave us a huge discount for a package that included our memory book, the disk of all photos, coverage for the entire event, and 12 sheets of pictures. The small fee that was charged was a wedding gift from the fiance's parents. We have two flower girls (me neices) who already had their dresses from a previous wedding that never happened. Our daughters will be carrying the sign - Here Comes The Bride - that I purchased from Party City for $5.00 on sale. Their dresses were purchased from Marshalls for $15.00 a piece. Total for flower girls is $35.00! Groom's prep fees will be $20.00. His barber will be handling all of his grooming. Since he is a frequent customer, he will only charge him $20.00 total. HONEYMOON - We decided that we wanted to wait until our year anniversary and take a cruise since we have children and FH is unable to take off from work at this time. However, at the bridal shower, our parents have something up their sleeves that they won't share but I'm sure it is something good. The total for everything came to be $2,579.00!! So yes... a BUDGET wedding is possible!! AND YES... 6 MORE DAYS!!! |
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04/07/2012
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Today is...
My Bridal Shower!
GOOD MORNING, LOVELY BRIDES! WELL... I'M 7 DAYS CLOSER AND TODAY IS MY BRIDAL SHOWER. I'M SO OVERWHELMED RIGHT NOW AND BLESSED WITH THE AMAZING PEOPLE THAT GOD HAS PLACED OUR LIVES. AND ALSO... FRIDAY WE GOT OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE!! IT'S ALMOST OFFICIAL AND I'M LOVING MY FUTURE HUSBAND MORE AND MORE EACH DAY! OAN: I'M PRAYING FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU LADIES! I UNDERSTAND THAT THE PLANNING PROCESS CAN BE STRESSFUL BUT AT THE END, MARRIAGE IS A COMMITMENT AND GOD'S WORK OF ART. I KNOW LATELY YOU HAVE HEARD ME RANT ABOUT MY BRIDAL NERVES AND CRY BABY MOMENTS BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN I SEE MY SPECIAL GUY, I KNOW IT'S ALL WORTH IT AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT! CONGRATS TO ALL OF THE LOVELY BRIDES GETTING MARRIED TODAY, I PRAY THAT YOUR UNION IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY! GOD BLESS YOU. ![]() |
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04/04/2012
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*Tears*
I Have TEN Days Left!
YES, I'M IN TEARS! I LOOKED AT MY PHONE AND REALIZED THAT I'M IN SINGLE DIGITS AWAY FROM MARRYING MY LIFE. OKAY, I'M NOT REALLY CRYING DUE TO MY COUNTDOWN BUT I HAVE TO SHARE HOW SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEGAN TO SHOW US SO MUCH LOVE. FOR WEDDING GIFTS, WE HAVE HAD OUR CATERING, FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHY PAID FOR BY OUR FAMILY MEMBERS. MY SISTER IS HELPING ME PAY FOR MY LAST MINUTE ALTERATIONS AND EVERYTHING FROM CENTERPIECES TO OUR FLOWER GIRLS BASKETS WITH THEIR PETALS ARE DONE. I CAN'T STOP DREAMING ABOUT OUR DAY. I'M SURE IT WILL BE PERFECT BUT MY BRIDAL NERVES ARE A WRECK. OAN: TODAY I WOKE UP WITH MY FIANCE' ON MY MIND (SINCE HE WAS OFF TO WORK). HIS SCENT WAS STILL ON HIS PILLOW AND I SMILED. I FEEL SO BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING, INSPIRING AND LOVING MAN BY MY SIDE WHO WILL SOON BE MY HUSBAND. I LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH! =) I ALSO CHANGED THE SONG THAT I AM WALKING DOWN THE AISLE TO. I WANTED TO SHARE THIS BECAUSE WHEN I HEARD THIS SONG VIA YOUTUBE.COM, I BEGAN TO CRY BECAUSE IT WAS EXACTLY HOW I LOOKED AT OUR RELATIONSHIP, ENJOY... ![]() |
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03/27/2012
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Making My List...
And Checking it TWICE! I'm almost his WIFE! =)
SO, FINAL PLANS ARE ROLLING IN. I JUST NEED TO MEET WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND WE FOUND A SOUND OPERATOR. MY BEST FRIEND IS STILL WORKING ON HER SOLO AND I'M STILL WORKING OUT MY FINAL TWEEKS AND TWIST FOR MY BIG DAY. TO THE LEFT ARE A FEW FINAL PLANS THAT I HAVE CAME UP WITH AND NOW... MUSIC. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE READ MY POST ABOUT MY "FINAL MUSICAL SELECTIONS"... YEAH, THEY HAVE CHANGED. I WILL BE POSTING THAT REALLY SOON AS WELL. UGHHH... 17 MORE DAYS. OH MY GOD, MY HEART IS RACING. HAPPY PLANNING, BRIDE BABIES! =) ![]() |
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03/25/2012
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It's A Countdown!
We have 19 DAYS left!!
AS OF TODAY, WE OFFICIALLY HAVE 19 DAYS UNTIL OUR WEDDING. TIME HAS FLOWN BY SO FAST AND I'M NOW FEELING THE BRIDAL NERVES. TODAY MY BEST FRIEND/ COUSIN/ BRIDESMAID, INFORMED THAT SHE WOULD SING AT OUR WEDDING AND AS WE LAUGHED, WE ALMOST CRIED TO THINK OF THIS BIG CHANGE IN MY LIFE. I HAVE TO ADMIT, AS MANY TIMES AS WE HAVE BEGAN TO PLAN AND HAD TO STOP PLANNING, IT IS FINALLY SETTING IT THAT IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING AND VERY SOON. LIKE I SAID I WOULD, I FOUND A SONG FOR ME TO COME IN ON, OUR FIRST DANCE AND OUR DANCE WITH OUR PARENTS WHICH WE ARE COMBINING INTO ONE. OUR PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BEEN BOOKED BY THE IN-LAWS AND BOUQETS HAVE BEEN DONE BY MY BEST FRIEND'S MOM, I'M SO EXCITED AND I'M GETTING MORE NERVOUS, DAY BY DAY! AHHH... 19 DAYS TO GO! ![]() |
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02/03/2012
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Wedding Planner
70 Days Left!
SORRY THAT I HAVE ONCE AGAIN BEEN M.I.A. BUT... MY FH AND I JUST MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE! YAYYYY... ON TOP OF THE MOVING, WE FINALLY BOOKED THE VENUE FOR APRIL 14, 2012. SHE EVEN ALLOWED US TO HAVE OUR WEDDING FROM 11:00AM UNTIL 2:00PM INSTEAD OF 9:00AM UNTIL 12:00. I HAVE SO MUCH TO SHARE BUT VERY LITTLE TIME. I WILL BE UPDATING STUFF SOON, CHECK BACK WITH ME! ![]() |
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01/22/2012
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Extra, Extra... Read All About IT!
Dates, Website, Hair and Dress... Yes, Progress.
1. WEDDING DATE SO... SINCE APPARENTLY THE IDEA OF A MORNING WEDDING IS PRETTY POPULAR AT OUR VENUE. EVERY SATURDAY MORNING IS BOOKED FROM APRIL UNTIL AUGUST, EXCEPT APRIL 14. SO YES, WE HAVE DECIDED TO MOVE OUR DATE UP. OUR VENUE WILL BE BOOKED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. 2.MY DRESS WHEN I WENT SHOPPING FOR MY SECOND DRESS, I WENT ALONE SO I COULD DECIDE WHAT I REALLY WANTED COMPARED TO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE LIKED. I FINALLY PICKED UP MY DRESS ON FRIDAY AND DROPPED IT OFF AT MY MOH HOUSE AND SHE FINALLY SEEN THE DRESS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND SHE LOVED IT! SHE EVEN HAD THE TEAR. AWWW... 3. HAIR SO, MY FH'S FAVORITE HAIRSTYLE THAT HE LOVES TO SEE ME WEAR IS A BOB. SO I HAVE DONE MY TRIAL HAIRSTYLE AND DRESSED IT UP WITH THE BIRDCAGE VEIL AND MY DRESS! PERFECT FIT. ALTHOUGH THE MORNING OF OUR WEDDING, THERE WILL BE MORE CURLS. THIS IS THE STYLE: 4.WEBSITE I HAVE STARTED WORKING ON OUR WEBSITE. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! HTTP://WWW.WEDDINGWIRE.COM/EALEY ![]() |
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01/17/2012
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Wedding Budget
Booked and ALL Inclusive!
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED FROM MY LAST POST. WE DECIDED TO GO WITH A SATURDAY MORNING CEREMONY. EVERYTHING WILL BE INCLUDED EXCEPT OUR FLOWERS, PHOTOGRAPHY AND DJ SERVICES. IT WILL COST US 1500.00! BUDGET IS LOOKING PRETTY AWESOME! ![]() |
mrsealey2012 said...