The Place

My fiance and I decided on a Holiday Inn in our area to have the ceremony and reception at. We aren't very religious and thought it would be weird to just find a random church. Plus, we thought it'd be easier for everyone if they didn't have to travel. We (and by we, it's more me and then I make sure he is okay with it) have been trying to personalize everything. The ceremony is going to be very different from a traditional one. My fiance was sold on the Sam Adam's bar for the cocktail hour anyway. Having everything at the hotel means I will have to do welcome bags for our guests because many will probably stay over. More fun DIY projects! I already have some in the works. (Future posts to come!)

Bridesmaid Dresses

I decided that black would be the most elegant for bridesmaid dresses. This style is very flattering on all shapes. It is also very simple and elegant. I think it reminds me of a tuxedo for a female.

http://www.weddingshoppeinc.com/pr/Jordan-Fashions-636TL/13164

Save the Date 2

I wanted to be able to send the save the dates in a card or something. I sent them out in spring, so I wasn't sure how I should send them. I decided on keeping it elegant. I bought plain card at AC Moore and then stamped them on the outside with the music notes stamp. On the inside, I stamped with the words dum dum da dum. Yes, it is the wedding song......NOT the funeral song. I knew some people would hum it wrong but I have a pretty good sense of humor and thought it was funny when it took some people a few tries to figure it out. I kept the card this simple and stuck the save the date magnet inside. This whole process was really cheap!

Save the Date

I went back and forth about whether or not to send save the dates. I decided to do it since we are getting married in December and there would be holiday parties going on and because I was excited and needed to do something for the wedding. :) I decided to do a black and white wedding and found a great print called damask. I am using it for runners (coming in a later post) and also wanted to incorporate the same type of design in the save the dates. I had my wonderful friend, who is a graphic designer, help with the design. (Thanks Emily!) Then, I got the design printer for free at www.vistaprint.com. I only paid a few dollars for shipping. I had them printed on business cards. I bought business card magnets at Staples and just. These are great because I just had to peel the back off and stick the business card to it. I decided to make the project a little more time consuming by adding one little crystal to the damask design. It was simple, elegant, and had a touch of sparkle. That's what I was going for anyway.

The Dress

I chose the Casablanco 1920. I went to two of the bridal chains and didn't find anything I liked myself in. I thought I had an idea of what I wanted but it turned out that I didn't really have a clue until I tried a few dresses on. The only thing I knew was that I didn't want strapless because no matter how well the dress fits, I still tug and pull. I didn't want to be doing that all night. There aren't very many halter dresses out there but I found that they were the most flattering on me. I went to a smaller bridal shop and finally found my dress. They brought out every strapless dress they had until finally she found one of the two halter dresses they kept in the store. The first one I tried was the one and I knew it right away. Needless to say, it was also one of the off the rack sale dresses so I got it super cheap!

http://www.casablancabridal.com/collections/view/1/12#

Starting off

The wedding is December 12, 2009 and it's finally close enough to get excited. I am trying to be a DIY bride and make most things myself. I initially wanted to do this to save money but now I'm glad I decided on it because I am having fun trying to personalize everything. I have spent the last 14 months searching online for DIY projects that other brides have done and thought I'd give back by doing one myself with things I have done. Hope it helps someone!