April 14th was like any other Monday- I spent most of the day mourning the fact that the weekend was over. Little did I know that my man would be giving me a reason to love Mondays! I had gone out of town for the weekend prior so I was super eager to spend time with him after work. He had sent me a text during the day asking if he could take me out for a nice little da

te because he had missed me. Of course, I didn’t think anything of it, because he’s super sweet pretty much all of the time!

Let me preface the rest of the story with this backstory: my sweetie and I always have these playful arguments about who loves the other one more. You know, the whole “I love you,” “Well, I love you more.” “No, I love YOU more.” Cheesy right? At least somewhat endearing, I hope? Well, I was becoming more positive that we were going to get married one day, so when he would say he loved me more, I told him to prove it!!

So then, of course, he asked the big question and I said YES!! I asked him to put the ring on me and he was so nervous that it wouldn’t fit! But he did an amazing job- it was just what I dreamed of and exactly the right size! And he picked it out all on his own! I am so thrilled with my ring- of course I haven’t been able to stop looking at it and watching it sparkle- he even called me out on staring at it during church!! Guilty, as charged! It’s all so new and exciting and the proposal was everything I have hoped for. He even called and talked to my daddy and asked him for his permission and everything. (Which I give him major props for because that HAD to be scary!) We went out to a nice dinner to celebrate, just the two of us! Then we spent the rest of the night calling our family and close friends to tell them the big news!

BEFORE                                         AFTER

So I decided that I didn't really want my bridesmaids to be clones. And I didn't really like the idea of our groomsmen renting expensive tuxedos they don't get to keep. So we went with a laid-back approach to outfitting our bridal party.

I took the girls to the shop where I was having my gown designed. I picked out 6 swatches of teal/turquoise fabric and told them each to pick one. Then I told them to pick out a style of dress that they liked and that looked good on them- the only requirement was that it was tea-length. I think my girls appreciated this approach to bridesmaid dresses- they all got a dress they like and could wear again (for real.) haha

As far as the guys, we told them to wear khaki suits and we got ties made out of the same fabric the dresses were made from. I didn't pick out one particular suit for everyone to get- we didn't care about the girls looking the same, so we didn't care about the boys looking the same either. I LOVED the effect- it felt so much more casual and they all got something they could keep and wear again! I definitely recommend this route to anyone!! :)

You can read about my wedding planning adventures on my blog!

The Budget Savvy Bride

you can also follow me on Twitter!

@savvybride