Flip Flops Basket (The Beginning)

When I got engaged, I sent a few individual texts first, followed by a few group texts.

One of my individual texts was to my friend Kimie, who immediately called me wanting details.

I'm not done sending texts yet, I told her. I'll call you back in a little bit.

When I did call her, we already started planning the wedding. Kimie is pretty much Kathleen Heigl in 27 Dresses. I think she was asked to be in 14 weddings ... and I was lucky number 15. She has a plethora of knowledge to pull from, so she gave me a bunch of ideas, including a flip flops basket.

The flip flops basket would be situated somewhere in the reception hall. There would be a catchy sign on it that read something like: If your feet are tired, don't sit down; put on these flip flops and keep dancing around. That's the best I came up with so far; feel free to use it.

If you're having a wedding of 150 to 200, well, flip flops can add up. I mean, realistically, you probably need half the number of flip flops as guests since the men will most likely be fine with their shoes so you're more worried about the female guests who start off wearing high heels and end up with blisters.

Even buying 75 to 100 flip flops is pricey, and my goal is to really make this wedding as budget friendly as possible.

Thank goodness for Old Navy. Old Navy had an app called Snap Appy (It's gone now, unfortunately, but was great in 2013 when this post was written). You "snap" a photo of the Old Navy logo and you can get surprises. Sometimes you get outfit ideas and other times, you get a coupon for money off your total purchase. You can "snap" ten times a day. I snapped and got a coupon for $5 off any purchase.

Which means I can get anything that's $5 for free. Well, wouldn't you know, flip flops are $3.94 or two for $5.

So I went to Old Navy and picked up two pairs and they were both for free.

It wasn't until I got home that I thought I maybe should have paid a bit of attention to the colors. I figured I would just buy any colors and mix and match in the box, but in hindsight I think sticking to two or three colors would be a good idea.

Now, do I think I can get 75 to 100 free flip flops? I'm not sure, but that's the ultimate goal. I'll keep you posted on how that is going (and how my travel bags are going too).

BRIDAL BABBLE: Have you seen a flip flops basket at a wedding before?

Want to see our finished flip flop basket?
Check out our final flip flop basket post.

Giveaway: Cuff Links From Cuff Smart (Ends 4/5)

As a woman, I worry about items like earrings and a necklace when I'm getting dressed. I worry that Pete has a tie, and that's that.

I think that's most women's focus. But cuff links, oh, they just make a suit, especially if they have a special meaning to you (like the cuff links from our cuff link review).

If you agree, you're going to want to enter our giveaway to win a pair of cuff links from CuffSmart. If you missed my review, CuffSmart sells a bunch of cuff links, everything from silver links you can engrave to Iron Man cuff links to roulette wheels. The trouble for the winner will be choosing just one.

One winner will be able to select any pair of cuff links, up to a $29.99 value.

The giveaway starts now and is open to US residents, 18 and older. It goes until 11:59pm EST on April 5, 2013. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. The winner will be contacted via the email address left in the Rafflecopter and will have 24 hours to respond before another winner may be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Bride On A Budget received no compensation for this post and is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Review: Pink Ribbon Cuff Links From CuffSmart

A Bride On A Budget was provided these cuff links for this review. All thoughts and opinions are property of A Bride On A Budget.

What I've learned about weddings is that there are a lot of feelings involved. I don't mean just the love between the bride and the groom. That's there too, but there's a lot of other feelings that can get hurt.

If you don't invite your aunt Sally's next door neighbor from childhood, she gets upset. If you choose to not have a vegetarian option, your sister who swore of bacon last week gets upset.

And then there are feelings of being overwhelmed, of trying to do everything right, wanting to honor and respect everyone.

That's where I was at for a while. I was trying to think of a way to honor Pete's mother, who passed from breast cancer, without making a big to do about it. One of my friends suggested a bouquet of flowers on a seat in the church pew; Pinterest suggested leaving a photo of the deceased loved one on a chair.

But my issue with both of those ideas was: What do you do after? Do you carry those flowers or that photo to the reception? Do you move the photo to a chair? Or do you leave it behind -- and then feel guilty.

I was looking at something else, when an idea popped into my head. The idea that is inside this box from Cuff Smart.

I wanted Pete to have a way to honor his mother all day, but not some huge display that would take away from our celebration, one that wouldn't change people's happy feelings into those of mourning.

I got him pink ribbon cuff links from CuffSmart.

I dreamed them up, and they appeared (with a little help from Google). See, I was looking at another site, and cuff links came up. I saw these ones that were a pink knot (which is so very hot right now) and it made me think of a pink ribbon. I googled, and Cuff Smart came up.

Cuff Smart has more cuff links than I can even get through. I've been spending quite a bit of time on the site recently, bookmarking all my favorites. Right now, my list is topped with the Father of the Bride and Father of the Groom cuff links. Both pairs are affordable, which is great because realistically, I would give these to my dad and Pete's dad at the rehearsal dinner and they would wear them on our wedding day only (I'm the only girl in my family and Pete is the only guy in his, so these wouldn't get reused by our dads). They are so sweet and so perfect, though, that they are on my to buy list.

If you would rather something a little more laid back, CuffSmart has a ton of novelty cuff links. There's electric guitar cuff links for the musician in your life, Batman for your comic book lover, and of course, there are the ribbons.

I got the pink ribbons because, as I said, Pete's mom passed from breast cancer. So I'll gift these to him sometime before the wedding so that he can wear them and have his mom with him all day on our special day.

Pink isn't the only ribbon color CuffSmart sells. There's yellow for the troops, red for AIDS, and purple for cancer. You can see them all here. There are also other "awareness" cuff links, such as a puzzle piece for autism and a mustache one for Movember. Plus, 25% of the proceeds from each of these goes to support the group the ribbon is supporting (for example, 25% of the proceeds from the sale of the mustache cuff links goes to support prostate cancer research). It's such a beautiful thing.

The cuff links themselves are also really beautiful. They have a bullet back closure (which you can see in that photo above). I much prefer cuff links like this as opposed to a fixed backing, which doesn't move and I always feel has a chance of removing itself from the hole, resulting in a lost cuff link.

I've been pretty much manhandling these cuff links since I got them and the pink enamel shows no finger prints. The cuff links are rhodium plated, so they're really shiny but you will see fingerprints on the silver part if you look closely. On your wedding day, your groom is definitely going to be feeling nervous so I can imagine these cuff links will be touched by someone with steady hands. No one has to worry about cleaning them after they're on because the pink ribbon will still look perfect.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What do you think of cuff links as a way to honor someone at a wedding?

Travel Bags (The Beginning)

As I mentioned yesterday (when I was talking about my logistical nightmare), all our guests are going to be from out of town.

It's customary to have a wedding welcome bag for each family that travels in from out of town. With us having 150 to 200 guests, realistically, that's somewhere between 70 and 100 bags. That can get pricey.

So I'm planning already. At least, I'm trying.

So far, I have a small army of hair products. Not really enough to make a dent in what I need, but it's a start.

I have five TRESemme shampoos and conditioners (both 2oz) from when TRESemme was free at CVS in January. I have four John Frieda hair sprays because John Frieda hair products were free at Walmart. That's it. I have four full sets and one that would be full if I could assure that the bag was going to a single man. But I can't guarantee that.

In a way, it could be daunting to look at know that I only have four complete sets, but in a way, I'm happy to know I already have four complete sets. I'm being a glass half full kind of gal.

I already know that I'm going to put in books from the area and a map of downtown. I met a woman at a bridal expo who told me where I can get those -- and that they're completely free, even if I need 100 of each.

I was on A Bride On A Budget's Facebook page and I asked what people thought was ideal to put in travel bags for guests. You can read the full post here, but I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite ideas below.

Joy said: A wedding I just went to had a list of the best places to eat, best bars to hit up, local attractions & things to do & they were personalized for younger people, older people, families with kids ect.

Mallory said: A post card from the town your having it in. Punch a hole in the corner and attach it to the bags. We wrote a quick thank you on it. 

Linda added: My SIL had a mini Burt's Bees sampler, assortment of LUSH soaps and a special ornament ready for me when I visited her over the holidays. It was such a nice surprise and I can think of her every time I see the ornament. 

One of the biggest tips came from Amanda. She said: I work in a hotel and a lot of people drop off a box of bags with small packs of candies, map quest directions, bottled water, and a list of things to do in town along with the best places to eat. Don't forget to leave extra, we run out almost every time because someone usually just shows up that wasn't planned. Plus, the desk clerks like being remembered since handing those out aren't usually in our job description and it takes a lot of extra time and coordinating on our part. We don't mind it, but it is nice to know we are appreciated ... It never hurts to ask the staff if they will, all the ones I've worked at do it free of charge as a thank you for having your guests stay with us.

I've got a lot of stocking up to do, but I do have a lot of time. We're looking at next summer, so I've got a solid 15 months to coordinate these bags (and hope that some nice company happens to find this blog and wants to donate some items for the bags. Hey, wishful thinking never hurt anyone right?).

BRIDAL BABBLE: What would you fill bags for out of town guests with?

Want to see our finished wedding welcome bags?
Check out our final wedding welcome bags post.

My Logistical Nightmare

Pete and I are both from New York. Our parents are from New York (and, as far as I know, none of them ever lived outside of New York). We were both born, raised, and went to high school and college in New York. We both spent a couple years outside of New York, but we met when we were both back in New York.

Our friends, family, everyone's in New York.

With the exception of one, all my bridesmaids live in New York. With the exception of one, all Pete's groomsmen live in New York.

Until last winter, we were living in New York.

But now, we live in North Carolina. We work in North Carolina. We're planning our wedding in North Carolina.

And it wasn't until I was talking to my friend that I realized with the exception of us, this is a destination wedding ... and a logistical nightmare.

When I've gone to bridal expos, I'll tell vendors that all our guests will be traveling but it never occurred to me how much I would have to incorporate that into our planning. Yes, I considered that people would be flying here so we need to put together wedding welcome bags for our guests, we will have to coordinate hotel discounts, we will have to give our guests maps of the area and restaurant recommendations.

What I didn't think of was how people are going to get around. How will our guests get from the airport to the hotel? How will they get from the hotel to the rehearsal dinner? The reception? The restaurants we recommend?

I have a car; Pete has a car. They can hold five people each, so that means we can transport ten people between destinations ... although I'm pretty sure we will be occupied and we won't be playing chauffeur to anyone. Are we supposed to rent a party bus? Coordinate with the hotel? Give my maid of honor the keys to my car and my GPS and say, "Good luck"?

When I traveled to a wedding in Washington last summer, I coordinated my flight as best I could with the bride's sister so I could take the two hour ride from the airport to the bride's house with my friend and her husband. After that, I bummed rides with the bride's sister, with the bride's dad, with the bride's aunt and uncle, anyone who had an empty seat fit me in it. I didn't rent a car and it worked out for me.

I was just talking to this friend, and she said they didn't rent a bus. They knew people would be renting cars and left it at that.

Can I rely on people to rent cars? Can I rely on people who do rent cars to fill their extra seats with the people who don't rent cars?

This is the type of stuff that keeps popping up when I try to plan the wedding, the small simple things that are so easily overlooked until someone brings it up. Then, the questions spiral out of control, I have a mini panic attack, and I remind myself: This is how brides become Bridezilla.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What would you do? I seriously need suggestions.

Little Things Favors: I Won The February Contest

I don't often enter giveaways. We have so much stuff already in this apartment, I don't need anything more.

But giveaways for wedding stuff? I'll enter every single one because we definitely need wedding items.

So when I heard Little Things Favors was having a contest last month, where you could enter daily for a chance to win a $150 credit, you better believe I entered daily (well, two-thirds daily; I missed a few days). I was determined that I was going to win that I already knew what I was going to spend it on. I narrowed it down to 70 of these flip flop bottle openers or 100 of these personalized shot glasses, if you were curious. We're planning on 150 to 200 for the wedding and so we need favors for the wedding itself and for the bags for out of towners, which is everyone we're inviting, so that's a lot of favors needed.

I was so excited when I received an email that I was a runner up. I didn't win the $150 credit, but I did win this cute just married camisole and boyshort set.

It just came in the mail today and I love it.

I took it out of the package to photograph it, and now it's in the closet until I pack my honeymoon suitcase.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you wear this?

Review: Stamp Set From Wishing Tree Designs

I know a lot of women who don't get the men involved with the card writing. Invitations, thank you cards, the women write them all.

Not me.

For the engagement party, I had Pete address the invitations to his guests and I did mine. After, I wrote the name and first line in half the cards and he did the same. We switched and wrote the second line. Then we each signed our own names.

No one did return addresses. We had 120 people to invite and thank. Our hands were cramped.

A stamp set, oh what a joy that would have been.

We now have this gorgeous Nantucket Desk Set from Wishing Tree Designs for when we have our save the dates, wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invites, and thank yous for it all to send. What a dream come true.

The set comes in a beautiful brown box with a blue paper around it. It's coordinated nicely with the contents inside (which include a code for a personalized stamp).

The kit, which retails for $44.95, comes with a stamper, two color ink cartridges (brown and blue), 20 fold over cards and envelopes, and a certificate for a personalized stamp, according to the site. The stamper contained an example stamp that says, "Do not open til Christmas" and a black cartridge. I'm not sure how I got this extra bonus, but it will sure come in handy. I'll be able to make my own tags at Christmas and not have to pay for them so I'm happy.

I didn't want the Christmas stamp to stamp an envelope for a card I was sending out, so I had to figure out how to get it out.

To change the stamp, push the lever down and lock it by pushing the buttons on either side.

Push in the levers on either side of the stamp and pull. Now you can put in your personalized stamp.



To get your personalized stamp, you need to find the certificate inside the box (it looks like the photo above). Follow the directions inside the card and you can pick out your design, add your own text, and it will be created and shipped to you in about two weeks.

You can choose a monogram, one that says Save the Date (and you can add the date, obviously), ones for address labels, some for recipes ... there really are a lot of possibilities. I wanted to use ours on something we would use most often, so I created a stamp that says, "With Love" up top and has "Lisa & Pete" followed by our address. That's how we've been writing our return address anyway. No last name because we both have pretty long ones and we don't share one. Plus, you're limited on the number of characters for the stamp and we couldn't fit both our last names.

Now, at this point, I only thought the kit had brown and blue ink, so I needed to put one of those in for my letter. I noticed there was an ink cartridge in the stamper, but I figured it was just an empty placeholder.

I took it out and it didn't look empty. So I figured I would touch it and if it felt wet, well, it was probably not empty.

Wasn't empty ... and wasn't wet. So now, even as I'm typing this, I have a big black mark on my finger (and I washed it pretty immediately too).

I went to change to the brown stamp ...

... and got that all over the other hand. Somehow, this is a messy process. So, I would advise you take off your ring when you're doing this, don't do it on the carpet, and maybe don't wear your best clothes. I don't know how but my fingers are covered in ink.

So I said, oh forget it, I don't need to change anything.

I stamped the Christmas stamp. It was gorgeous and perfect. So gorgeous and so perfect that I was ready to get my fingers dirty (literally) and try our personalized stamp.

I. Love. It.

Below the dots, that's where our address is (which I cropped out, for obvious reasons). The stamp is gorgeous. All the lines and dots are really solid, and it will give all our cards the extra pop they need.

Our wedding colors are going to be eggplant, lilac, and silver, so I checked out Wishing Tree Designs to see if I could buy ink in one of these colors. I was surprised to see that there wasn't a purple ink choice. In fact, now that I'm revisiting this post, I actually can't find any ink for sale.

Because of that, I would actually suggest that you purchase a stamp set at Expressionery instead. That online stationery store sells a ton of products, including ink refills in every color. That's definitely a necessity.

Next person I know who gets engaged, this is exactly what I'm buying them. It's a perfect engagement gift.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Do you love stamp sets?

Giveaway: $500 Gift Certificate to Emma Parker Diamonds (Ends 3/15)

I remember getting engaged like it was yesterday ... mostly because it didn't happen all that long ago. I was so happy, started crying a little, said yes, kissed Pete, and then, before he was even off his knee, said, "Can I see the ring?"


Regardless of what the ring looked like, I was going to say yes. But it's something I wear all day every day (except when I'm in the shower, washing dishes, or putting on lotion).

The ring is important. The guy, of course he's the most important, but the ring follows closely behind.

Rings can get expensive though, so here at A Bride On A Budget, we're going to help one lucky person save a bit on that. One person will win a $500 gift certificate to Emma Parker Diamonds, good towards the purchase of any Engagement Ring Setting and center stone combination, or $250 towards any empty setting, meaning without a center stone.

I would love to win this. I've been checking out the site and the rings are gorgeous. My wedding band is already picked out because it fits like a puzzle piece with my engagement ring (it's a bypass cut, so a flat band won't sit against it).

This giveaway starts now and is open to US residents who are 18 or older. It ends at 11:59pm EST on March 15, 2013. The winner will be contacted via the email in the Rafflecopter and will have 24 hours to respond before another winner may be selected.

To enter, leave a comment on this post letting me know: What is your ideal month to get married? Then, fill out the rest of the entries in the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

A Bride On A Budget received no compensation for this giveaway and is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Review: "LOVE" Pourer/Bottle Stopper From Beau Coup

A Bride On A Budget received this item for review. All thoughts an opinions belong to A Bride On A Budget.

One of the fun parts about planning a wedding is planning the wedding favors.

When my parents got married, everyone had those candy-covered Jordan almonds on a spoon with some mesh and a ribbon tying it down. Lately, it seems like the majority of my friends have a donation, which means they give money to a charity and, instead of giving the guests something tangible to take home, they get a good feeling.

I think we're going to be doing a combination of both. Figuring out the favor is hard though, so I'm excited that Beau Coup (a site that sells a ton of wedding favors) sent over the "LOVE" Pourer/Bottle Stopper for me to check out.

The favor is cute. It comes in a box with a bow on top and so it just looks like a gift right off the bat. There's no debating about it being a favor or table decor. You know right away that you're allowed to take it home.

I actually really liked that it's a combo piece. Most wine stoppers are just that: stoppers. We have quite a few of them around the house. They're great when you have a bottle of wine on the table. You just take it out and pour straight from the bottle. It's not that classy, but it works since it's generally just me and Pete here.

But this wine stopper is half stopper, half pourer. So, when you are ready to serve, just pop off the "LOVE" portion and keep the other part in the bottle.

I typed that and I actually had to get up to check the stopper to make sure. The LOVE portion has a solid bottom and the pourer portion has a hole in the bottom (obviously, since you can't pour any other way, but I needed to make sure.

The love portion is replicated after the famous LOVE sculptures in cities like Philly and New York, the difference being that this one has a heart in place of the "o". Maybe it's because I'm planning a wedding so I'm seeing hearts everywhere (in fallen leaves, in my bacon the other day) but I just absolutely love that touch.

These are made by Kate Aspen, which, if you've been traveling the wedding favor circuit like I've been, is a pretty commonly known brand. If you haven't been looking at favors like me, well, you probably never heard of Kate Aspen, but such is life.

The favor is made of chrome and rubber and the bow is satin, in case you've got somewhat of a materials obsession. It has a good bit of weight to it, which makes me feel like it fits solid in my wine bottle and won't let it aerate.

If you like wine, be sure to check out our twine-wrapped wine bottles DIY post and our wine wedding favors post too.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you pick these up for your wedding favors?

Registry Rewards From Target

When you get engaged, a lot of brands and businesses want to court you.

It's not because you're off the market (although that seems to be the case with men, right? Once you're in a relationship, it's like they know and they come swarming).

Brands, well, they want your business. With weddings, a lot of money is circulated. From you paying vendors to your guests buying gifts, there are a lot of places that can really stand to benefit from you getting married.

You can definitely use this to your advantage and score a few perks. If you have two florists courting you, you can negotiate deals. Ask if you can get your bridal bouquet for free if you buy them for your large wedding party. Explain that you have a second vendor who is willing to work with you and you better believe the first vendor will negotiate. The florist would rather lose a couple hundred bucks off your total than lose your entire total.

Stores are the same way. They want you to register there so all your guests will spend their money there. So they offer you a few perks. Target is the latest store I found to throw themselves into the mix.

Target Registry Rewards

Target often sends future brides a card for a free $20 Target gift card when you start a wedding registry with 10 or more items. You can also get 10% off any items that weren't purchased on your registry after your reception.

Plus, Target is really budget friendly, so if you don't feel like putting a $499 knife set on your registry to sit there and take up space (because $500 knives? Ain't nobody buying that), Target is a good option. 

If you need a few ideas, we actually wrote serveral posts about Target's wedding registry:

• Create A Unique Wedding Registry At Target
• Slow Cooker Potato Cheddar Soup Recipe (And our delicious date night ideas)
• Red Velvet Soda Recipe (and a chat about Target wedding registries).

But, if you're looking for big ticket items as a thank you for creating a registry, this $20 might not entice you. Don't worry. We have registries covered here at A Bride On A Budget. All you need to do is check out our lists of them below.

Popular Store Wedding Registries

• Amazon
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Best Buy
• Bloomingdales
• Crate & Barrel
• Kohl's
• Macy's
• Pottery Barn
• Target
• Williams-Sonoma

Niche Wedding Registries

• Top 5 Bedroom Items You Should Add To Your Wedding Registry
• Top 5 Wedding Registry Items For Movie Lovers
• Top 5 Wedding Registry Items For People Who Love Coffee
• Top 5 Wedding Registry Items A Man Needs
• Top 5 Wedding Registry Items For Your Kitchen

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would a $20 gift card get you to create a registry here or would you register somewhere else?