#108: Bouquet On A Budget: From Supermarket to Super Gorgeous

Flowers are not important to me. Or at least not important enough to spend hundreds of dollars on them for my wedding.

That's precisely why I skipped the florist and purchased $45 worth of flowers from my local supermarket a few days before the wedding. Cheap. Easy. Done.

The funny thing is that on my wedding day the supermarket flowers that I carried down the aisle and those that adorned the tables at the reception brought me so much joy! I was completely charmed by their stunning simplicity. Silly me had forgotten that aesthetics really do affect your mood, especially when we're talking about the beauty of nature.

Part of why I was delighted by my supermarket flowers was the fact that people I loved had been working on my bouquet and centerpieces the morning of the wedding, so when their pretty little creations were unveiled, they were not only lovely but literally made from love.

I asked my mom to use some left over burlap from the table runners as well as some left over lace trim from my veil to make a bouquet that looked like it was just a bunch of wild flowers freshly picked from a grassy field - understated, natural, and just adorable!

I asked my friends to throw a couple flower buds into shot glasses, and distribute them in a single row over some burlap. Cute and simple!

And just like that, my humble little flowers went from supermarket to super gorgeous. It just goes to show that you can achieve pretty for just pennies!

How did YOU save money on flowers?

#104: Cake vs. Wedding Cake

I received this hilarious YouTube video about outrageously priced wedding cakes in my inbox the other day, compliments of the cool, gorgeous, talented, and almost married Nightingale. (Yes, that's her real name!) Check it out:



Lesson learned: in order to save money, think outside of the box. Buy a cake for your wedding, not a wedding cake. Buy a dress for your wedding, not a wedding dress. Find a venue for your wedding, not a wedding venue.  (And if you do any of the above, tell me all about it so that I can share your bright ideas with everybody else!)

Happy Friday, all! See ya back here on Monday.

#102: Cheap live music for the Broke Folk

In high school I spent a lot of time embarrassing myself in all of the following ways:

• being on the track team and consistently crossing the finish line in last place*
• accidentally walking into walls as I stared at that cute, bad-ass, half Latino/ half German kid whenever he passed me in the hallway**
• playing the part of a horny mute girl in the school musical***

But I had a 4th way of embarrassing myself, too. (Because I'm thorough like that.) I used to wear a long-sleeve red & white pinstripe, button-down shirt, and sing a cappella barbershop tunes after school with a bunch of other girls wearing matching pinstripe disasters. Yup, I was a real life glee club geek.

But alas, this experience was not in vain. It's given me a fabulous budget wedding idea for all of those with an appreciation for live tunes, cover songs, Glee (you DVR that show - admit it!), moving ceremony music, and unique wedding entertainment:

How about hiring a school choir or a cappella group to perform at your wedding?!

Below are 3 versions of the Jackson 5's classic hit "I'll be there,"****each performed by a different school vocal ensemble.

Exhibit A: Soulful and beautiful, courtesy of some quirky college dudes (or your local university vocal group):


Exhibit B: Grand and impressive, courtesy of a talented group of high school kids (or your teenage cousin and her friends):


Exhibit C: Freakin' adorable, courtesy of these little dumplings (or your niece's kindergarten class):


Which of the above would you consider hiring?

PS. If you have reservations about hiring a college a cappella group, check out this groom's experience with the process. It'll change you mind.



*It's true. I was on junior varsity track ALL 4 YEARS of high school.
**Carlo, I bet you're still FINE. Do you still have amazing hair?
***I, the biggest goody two-shoes in school, rocked those onstage sex scenes. Hard.
****I picked this song because it's very dear to my heart - it was performed by my brothers (one on guitar, the other doing vocals), as I walked down the aisle at the start of our wedding ceremony.

#99: Would you hire a college student to...

Earlier this week I unveiled my Big Idea - that my secret dream (yes, after all the money I spent on grad school for counseling), is to own a quaint little cottage style wedding venue on beautifully landscaped grounds that would allow NYC/ Long Island couples with a modest budget to have a unique, creative, simple, and beautiful wedding.

Part of my plan is to have a list of vendor resources for people on a 5k, 10k, or 15k budget. And so I'm wondering how frugal couples might respond if I suggested that they hire local college students to provide certain services.

I should clarify that by college student I'm not talking about those of the class-skipping, boob-flashing, marijuana-for-breakfast kind. I'm talking about highly motivated students who are responsible, mature, and eager to practice their creative craft.

So. Would you consider hiring a college student to do any of the following:

• Man your iPod DJ booth (a music major)
• Photograph your wedding (a photography major)
• Videotape your wedding (a film major)
• Provide live music (students in the school orchestra, a cappella group, or jazz band)
• Be your day-of coordinator (education or business major)

Your thoughts?


Photo credit 

#41: Ghetto Gorgeous table decor

I, the sworn enemy of tablecloths, have since mended my relationship with table decor. How? People, I have found the perfect blend of beauty and budget. No guilt about renting tablecloths for $150, and no shame in getting all of my supplies from Party City, a dollar store, and my local grocery.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the dry run of my reception tables:

This simple, casual, yet freakin' adorable set up is perfect for a backyard, barn, park, or any other kind of rustic reception venue. I plan to put burlap table runners under the rows of flowers so that I can add some texture and depth to this look. The brown and gritty burlap will also make the color of the flowers really pop.

Here is what you'll need (and what you'll spend) to create this look:

plastic shot glasses from Party City - $3.49 for a pack of 20 
paper tablecloths from Party City - $3.99 each

small river rocks from a dollar store - $1, of course

grocery store bouquet of daisies/ pompoms - $3.99 (It will probably have about 15 usable flower heads)

water - free!

burlap table runners- I got 50 large burlap potato sacks from a farmer on Craigslist for $25 (Woot-woot!)

And there you have it, kids. Ghetto gorgeous! And it all happened because I was walking past my fiance's shot glasses and thought that they'd make great vases. They also only fit one flower, which is perfect because on my $200 decoration budget I can only really afford one flower per centerpiece.  I also think this idea is the perfect example of less is more; a single flower standing on it's own is really quite a lovely thing.

Now, it's not quite as amazing as the tablescapes I had been drooling over during these months of wedding planning, BUT I think it comes pretty darn close given the amount of money I'm saving. Plus, this idea was my own little creation. It's my baby. Therefore, it automatically kicks ass. ;)

#22: Videography on the cheap

                                         
Remember back when I wrote about the BEST wedding video I have ever seen? You know, the one by the company Aqua Vivus, which that can film your big day so that it's got the feel of a music video, indie film, and documentary all in one? The one that can be recorded and edited in a flash so that highlights of your wedding ceremony can played back at the end of the reception for your guests?

Well. A representative from this company found out that I featured them on my blog and gave me some kick-ass tips on how to create my own video on the cheap. That's right - someone from the wedding industry actually tried to help a $10k bride like me find an affordable alternative to his service! And that, friends, is what I call a small business with heart and integrity.

So here's the note that he sent to me, along with a few of his suggestions:

Hi Kim!
I was just checking my web stats and I came across your blog. Thanks for the amazingly kind words and little feature you did on our work! If you don't have any money for a videographer I can give you a couple suggestions that might help. If a few of your guests have camcorders you can try to strategically seat them so that you can have a few different angles of your ceremony and toasts. Don't forget audio! It is sometimes more important than video footage. You can buy a cheap voice recorder like this one - http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-BX700-Digital-Recorder-Microphone/dp/B001RB1XVG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1275025006&sr=1-4

and then buy a mic for it like this-http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-145045-ME-15-Microphone/dp/B000815CF4/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_c

Start recording, slip the recorder in your fiancee's jacket pocket, and clip the mic to his jacket low on his chest.
 
I know you're pinching pennies, so maybe you could put it in your registry?

At the end of the day at least you'll have some stuff recorded by your guests and you can have it edited somewhere down the road...ask a film student with editing software if they want to take a crack at it.

It's not going to be the work of a professional, but 50 years down the road it will still be a great memento to have.

Best of luck!
Good luck with everything!