For a year before the wedding, my family and friends helped me collect over 100 mason jars from Goodwills & garage sales. We used these to make hanging lights with tea candles for the backyard ceremony. We also collected small vases and glass flower holders and covered the tables with them. We ordered fresh cut flowers, but we assembled them ourselves.

My husband and I had the idea of having a popcorn machine outside the church. We had been to weddings before, and people always hang out by the church entrance waiting to talk to the bride and groom. We thought it would be a nice snack for them. The popcorn machine was easy to use. They supply enough popcorn seeds and paper containers for the number of guests we had. It was popular, and no one threw popcorn at me, which is what my mom was worried about.

My fiance gave me his grandmother’s engagement ring, which I found to be really romantic and special. We didn’t need to have the ring re-sized for my hand, but he did have it cleaned. We got our wedding bands, which were really simple, at Kay’s. It was more for my husband to have a wedding band, since I really only like wearing the engagement ring. We were able to have the date of our marriage engraved on the inside. I would say that since we were only getting the bands, it was an easy and simple shopping trip. I liked being able to look online at the bands, but everything looks different in person.

I put my husband and his mother in charge of wedding invitations, mainly because she is good at crafts and he is good at details. They found this company, I thought they were kind of plain, but they were really efficient. Right away I was happy with the samples I saw. I was also happy that we saw samples before they did the main printing, because we were able to correct a few visual details.

I can’t remember the names of all the hostels we stayed at in Ireland, but I do remember that we used the Paddy Wagon tour guides to get around. These are mini-vans that go for tours around Ireland, from the north to the south. My husband and I had read about the Paddy Wagon Tours in the lonely planet, and we went on a 7-day trip and then another 4 day trip with them. It’s great, because it’s cheaper than renting a car, and you get a tour guide.

I went to the salon for a consultation and again for my hair appointment on the day of my wedding. I liked the idea of going for a consultation, because it gave me ideas of what would look good in my hair. My stylist, Jennifer, was great. She looked at the pins and hair pieces I brought in, asked me what my dress looked like, and in ten minutes showed me what would be my best look. I was so happy that we did the consultation, because it really did take an hour before we figured out what looked best. On my wedding day I was in and then out of the salon in less than thirty minutes.

I didn’t hate my bouquet, I just felt I was misquoted on the amount. I had an appointment, and I was shown pictures and I talked with the florist about what I wanted. The person I worked with was Karen, but I don’t know if she still works there. We put down a deposit for half the amount. A week before the wedding we got another bill, and it was maybe $100 more the amount we agreed on. The reason, I was told, was because of a change in the flower market, and the flowers I wanted were more expensive. What else could I do but pay? On my wedding day I didn’t think twice, because the flowers were beautiful, and now in hindsight I think that it was okay if they needed to change me more. I just think they lack some professionalism.

The dollar tree store has the same stuff that you will find at Michael’s, only it’s cheaper. I liked the idea of giving the guests little sashes of candy during the evening. We found these cute little wedding gift bags, $1 for 12, and then we bought bags of candy. It took us a whole evening to make 100 of them, but it was worth it. The candy favor table looked really cute, people liked the candy, and it was cheap. Also, it was something fun for me and my bridesmaids to do together.

I was going through my Vera Wang phase, and I really wanted my bridesmaids to wear Vera Wang dresses. I couldn’t find a place that sold the kind I liked in any stores, so I ordered them online through a wedding dress site on ebay. I think I got a good deal, considering how much you pay for the original dress in a store. I think no one really cared that my bridesmaids were wearing Vera Wang, and actually when I look at the pictures the dresses could have come from K-Mart and I don’t think anyone would have cared. When you get upclose to the dresses, though, you can see that the quality is really nice.

I didn’t go to the Dayton Bridal Expo for my wedding, but I did go with my best friend in 2008. She was overwhelmed, and so was I. There is so much going on. I would compare walking through the expo like walking through a fish market in Japan.