Project Wedding Blog

It’s warm, it’s summer and it’s definitely time for mini ice cream sandwich pops.  If I went to a shower or party and these were there … it would be instant happiness and gratitude! Thank you pen n’ paper flowers for creating these lovely treats and telling us how to make them ourselves!

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Flowers can transform a ceremony from drab to fab, alright to alluring … ok, you get my point. I love this new ceremony umbrella idea from Chelsea Fuss!

Chelsea’s tips:

Simply rent a market umbrella (usually around $40) from a local rental company and cover the pole in greenery or flowers. For this look, 50 stems of hydrangeas were used with the greens left on them (for fuller coverage).

You’ll also need: string or wire, clippers, scissors and flower food.

Buy your flowers a day or two ahead of time. Re-cut the stems and then place the flowers in a large, clean bucket full of water with flower food. Keep in a cool, dark place. One hour before the ceremony, add the flowers to the umbrella pole, (or ask a friend or your coordinator to do so!). Group 3-4 stems together and tie or wire them onto the pole.

More helpful hints: Try talking with your local farmer’s market vendors about buying flowers in bulk at a discount rate! If using hydrangeas, pick ones with very firm flowers and petals. Another cheaper option is salal, an inexpensive greenery.

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Our friends over at Mélangerie NYC have created the coolest twist on wedding seating charts!  Instead of just a simple seating chart, why not tell your guests the story of how everyone at the party knows you?  As designer Elana Dweck puts it, ‘Great for a cocktail hour or a reception, these custom charts fill guests in on who’s a friend from childhood, a neighbor, a family member, and more.’  They have both elegant, formal options and fun, contemporary designs… Either way, I bet these make for the ultimate conversation piece!

They have more fun custom products in their etsy shop!

Tags: seating chart, wedding genealogies.

I am learning a very valuable lesson as I plan my wedding. I have shared photos with my friends and family of potential dresses, arrangements, invitations, decor, etc.  and if I had to do it over again … I wouldn’t share ANYTHING!  Mom doesn’t like the short dresses, soon-to-be mother-in-law doesn’t want the groom to wear a light suit, sister doesn’t get the rustic decor, brother is over the cupcake dessert table … the next time anyone asks me anything, I am just going to tell them it’s a big surprise and they’ll just have to wait for the day. My advice to anyone getting ready to wed is to share the least amount of information possible. Plan your event the way you want and tell them NOTHING :)!!!

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Amanda, the creative mind behind Fresh Events in Pasadena, sent over these drool-worthy images of a wedding she recently planned. As a lower of both romantic and modern weddings, I love how she used a pink and gold color palette and combined them with modern flower balls an candlelight.

photos by Beautiful Day Photography and flowers by Le Petit Gardenia

Amanda was kind enough to share some details about the beautiful couple…

Rich and Jennifer Streit met in September of 2005 on a very hot August afternoon at Del Mar field in San Marino California.  Jennifer was bringing her son Bryan a large bottle of Gatorade so he wouldn’t pass out from dehydration because Rich, the mean old football coach didn’t give the kids enough water during football practice.  Jennifer and Rich struck up a conversation and a couple of minutes into this conversation Jennifer sank to her knees and Rich the typical male football coach thought to himself, “wow, what a stud I must be, this very attractive woman sank to her knees in front of me, she must of course have been overwhelmed with my sheer presence.”  Of course the reason she got “light headed” was because it was extremely hot out and she had not ate or drank that day.  Well, he eventually asked her out and by March 28, 2009 they were standing at the alter exchanging vows at the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena California.

Jennifer was born and raised in Miami Florida, the 2nd eldest of a family of  4 girls. She attended the Univeristy of Florida and married Steve Streit, had two sons David age 22 and Bryan age 18.  She worked as an Adminstrative Assistant, then a Substitute Teacher and finally settled on being a stay at home mom. Jennifer started calling San Marino California home in 1998.  Jennifer has also volunteered countless hours for many different organizations including 4 time PTA President in the nationally ranked San Marino Unified School District.

Rich is a a Teacher, Football and Track coach at San Marino High School.  Rich grew up in the West San Gabriel Valley and earned his bachelors degree from the University of La Verne and did his Graduate work at Point Loma Nazarine University. Rich has served in the past as both the Head Football and Track Coach at San Marino High School.  Rich comes from a family of 4 boys and one girl.

Rich and Jennifer enjoy relaxing at home, attending high profile sporting events such as The 2007 BCS National Championship Football Game featuring Jennifer’s beloved Florida Gators, (it was her birthday that day), and the Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup clinching game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, and the 2009 United States Open Golf Championship just to name a few.

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I am AMAZED at the creativity that our Budget Savvy Brides showed this year! There are TONS of creative ways to save money on a wedding, and you proved it! There were over 100 entries this year and each story was so incredibly helpful for any bride to be, and we had the toughest time narrowing it down to the top 10. Good thing we had our friends and wedding experts to help us out and choose the ten finalists.

Left to right: Cathy from Weddingbee, Emily from Once Wed, Kathryn from Snippet and Ink, Jen from Green Wedding Shoes, and Amanda from Ruffled.

Cathy from Weddingbee chose Caitlin and Rob Get the Wedding WE Want and writes… Caitlin and Rob slashed their budget dramatically by taking advantage of the beautiful area they live in. By incorporating what is fresh and locally available (Maine lobsters in their catering, local wildflowers in their centerpieces) and tapping the talents and resources of their nearest and dearest friends, Caitlin and Rob were willing to pool the resources already available to them, teaching us that if you simply speak with those around you, you’ll be surprised how willing your family and friends are to lend a hand in making your day as special and budget-friendly as possible.

Cathy also loved Go Handmade for a Classy Look on a Small Budget and writes… Betsy went the handmade route to saving on her wedding. By giving her wedding items dual uses (favors doubling as place cards, wish tree doubling as decor) and considering items she already had around the house (lots of people have a cabinet full of old vases from flowers gifts past!), Betsy was able to decorate her $8K affair by avoiding the dreaded “wedding item” markups, instead opting to take everyday items and craft and style them to suit her wedding’s personality.

Emily from Once Wed chose Big Wedding, Small Budget and writes… I was really impressed with the savviness of this lovely bride. Choosing a bridesmaid own as her wedding dress and adding a bit of fabric trim for a little sparkle is brilliant!

Emily also hand-picked Making Things Personal and writes… I’m amazed how a simple and free service like craigslist helped this couple save money and still find great vendors.

Kathryn from Snippet & Ink selected Offbeat Edition and writes … I loved this bride’s tips about haggling and keeping an open mind. A lot of brides think about finding discounts and hitting up sample sales, but I think people forgett hat bargaining with someone can be incredibly effective. As for keeping an open mind, I think brides would be surprised about the deals that are out there when they’re willing to be flexible on the details. Plus, this girl was funny, and though she didn’t write about this explicitly, I think having a good sense of humor is always a plus when planning a wedding.

Kathryn also hand-picked Love to Save … I love that this bride reached out to friends and family for help with things beyond assembling favors and invitations - to have a member of her church make a tiered wedding cake and to have a friend be their photographer. Also, to get the dress of your dreams for $50, that’s pretty impressive right there!

Jen from Green Wedding Shoes hand-picked Laura Sweet’s Story and writes… know what is important on your day and what’s not. Their venue was a local church camp (think outside the box for your venue). Focus on the details that pack the most punch - they skipped favors and had a S-mores station instead! And borrow when possible.

Jen also hearts Stress-Free Savings and writes… A few fun things to note about this wedding: The bride made her own veil, got a great deal on her dress at a sample sale, she used the concept that bright colors have a big impact, used the internet to find free templates to download for wedding decor, and served traditional Filipino food which all saved them lots of money!

Amanda from Ruffled selected 10 Tips to Stay on Budget for its use of DIY projects, exclaiming “Etsy Alchemy is a genius idea for brides planning their weddings!”

Amanda also loved Look to Friends. We love the offbeat and creative ways to save money. Plus, the bride has a very handy list summary at the end, and goes into the perfect amount of detail while retaining a voice and is very fun to read.

Phew! So there you have it.. all ten finalists! Now it’s YOUR turn to choose who wins. Vote for your favorite in the poll below. Voting ends on Saturday July 31st at 11:59pm Pacific time. Remember, first place gets $500, second gets $300, and third place gets $200. Congratulations to all the finalists who made it this far and best of luck!

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There is something incredibly quaint and special about handwritten notes — or in this case — place cards, table numbers and an adorable menu! Thank you to Chelsea Fuss for creating this lovely and economical table setting - I will be using this for my wedding. I just need to find that adorable fork stamp!

Images: Chelsea Fuss

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Our friends over at Recycled Bride are hosting a contest for a free set of his and hers wedding bands from Whiteflash!  All you have to do is get a little creative by designing your custom bands, submit your entry, and cross your fingers!

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I love the pop or orange color red against the neutral gray in this wedding by Janell Grady of Lucky Penny Designs.

Janell was kind enough to share her approach to planning the big day…

Through the entire wedding planning experience I found a sense of who I was and what my style was. It was so important to me to make everything original creative but stick within my style. I would explain my style as being contemporary with a touch of asian inspiration. I did this through programs that were asian fans, small lanterns that were used as escort cards, and plenty of James Story Orchids, water and coral. My colors were a orange red and gray which most people were shocked by, but it looked awesome. I would love to share my wedding with other soon to be brides.

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Today is the last day to enter the Budget Savvy Bride Contest! We’re giving away a total of $1,000, with $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third. Get your entries in by midnight tonight and you can win big!

Here are some recent entries that are all kinds of awesome…

Not Rich But Getting Hitched - A $10K Wedding for 100 people

Spend Under $1K on a Wedding

Saving Here and There

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