I always pay attention to what people post for free. I was able to get two dozen vases that we used as our centerpieces. They also have great sales from brides who just got married and want to get rid of their wedding stuff. I found and bought two cute flower girl dresses that my best friend will use in her wedding for $40 a piece, and the dresses are designer brands and worth twice as much. If you have patience, you will find stuff.

My parents booked a cruise through Huffman Travel the same year that I was getting married, and they got a great deal. We went with them, and worked with Lisa because she was the Hawaii specialist. She had all these great tips and suggestions for us, and she was able to put together the most amazing package. I think this is better than just booking something through an online site because Lisa had been there, and knew what the places were really like. We rationalized going through a travel agent by saying that they were our vacation voice of reason, and our honeymoon was amazing!

This doesn’t stick out in my memory as being a complicated process. I made sure that I called a few months in advance, almost as soon as I knew where the reception would be held. I heard about Westwind by another person at work, and I think the service was fine. The limousine was nice, perfect for 10 people, and it was clean. The driver was funny, and he even took pictures for us with our cameras. I think they are reliable and would recommend them.

It was very hard to fit this dinner into our schedule, but we wanted our family members who were visiting from out of town to visit our favorite restaurant. My husband and I go here about once a month, and we love the menu. The restaurant also has great energy, people who work there are lively and sincere. I had never tried Peruvian food before I went here, and they have dishes that are introductory all the way to real authentic meals. It’s great! All our friends and family loved it, and there are always simply things on the menu for people who are picky eaters.

My husband surprised me with a small engagement ring, very simple and classic looking. We normally get lots of jewelry when we get married in our culture, but my husband and I both grew up in North America and we’re both romantics. I can say that I like my ring, and the jewelry from Tiffany’s, because it is high quality, the materials they use are better and it is evident when I hold up my ring to friends who have gotten their rings elsewhere. The ring is also simple, which is better because it doesn’t draw attention to your hand. I don’t need a big flashy ring on my hand!

I had been there once before for a spa treatment, and decided to go in for a consultation for my wedding hair. I am not picky about my hair, I just don’t know how to style it. The stylist showed me a very simple up-do, and we took pictures to make sure we would remember. My hair stylist, I can’t remember her name, wasn’t too chatty so she really doesn’t stick out in my mind. On my wedding day everything was perfect. There was two other bridal parties getting their hair and nails done, but there was enough stylists so no one had to wait. My hair looked great, the bridesmaids had buns with clips, and overall I would say that it was a fast and nice process.

We chose this hotel because it was close to the downtown area and it would give our out of town guests a chance to see Dayton. It was cheaper than other hotels in the area, but some people said that the rooms weren’t that clean. I think my friends were good about not making a big deal out of the bad hotel, but I felt bad. I wish I would have checked it out in person rather than just book online.

This took a lot of trail and error, but I was able to make my own flower arrangement with vases that I got on craigslist and then with flowers and ribbons that I bought from the garden center. I ended up spending more than I needed, but I got the effect that I wanted. If you have the time, and you want something more unique than a regular bouquet, I suggest getting a copy of Home and Garden magazine and choose a floral craft from there, and copy it. It’s not that hard.

This is a great place to go to get craft supplies. I usually choose Michael’s over smaller stores because they have a lot of the supplies I need in stock, I can usually always request that they order more of something (and they will if it’s popular). Also, when things go on sale they are SUPER cheap. I bought the canisters that I used for wedding mints months before we even set a date because they were basically giving them away. I could spend hours in this store. The staff is also really good about giving new ideas and trends in craft making, so they are a good source of information, too.

They were very good about making the reservation for my bridal shower, and I was also able to preorder a strawberry cheesecake for my table, but it was expensive! I had also offered to pay the bill, and it was huge! There were twelve of us, and with drinks and shared appetizers the bill was over $460, not including tip. I think what makes me doubt our lunch there, which was nice, was that we did have to wait for the waitress to fill our water glasses, we weren’t all served at the same time, and one friend did not get what she ordered. For the price, I think I would have gone to a more upscale restaurant.