Essie's 2013 Bridal Collection

Traditionally, brides get French manicures. They're just classic and classy.

That's what I got for my engagement photos, although I didn't like how they came out at all. So I swore off French manicures for the rest of my life. Instead of getting one for my cousin's wedding last month, I did a solid color that matched my heels.

If you're thinking about solid colors, you might want to think about using one from Essie's 2013 Bridal Collection. My friend just sent me the swatches of the colors.

The four colors in the collection are meet me at the alter, my better half, using my maiden name, and no baggage please.

Using my maiden name is perfect to go with my wedding color scheme, so if I had to choose, I would slip those in the bags for my bridesmaids.

UPDATE: Check out Essie Bridal Collection 2015 here.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Of the four in the collection, which one is your fave?

Price List For Wedding Flowers (Keep This Handy!)

We were talking about wedding flowers the other day, and I was trying to determine what these flowers are.

Majority rules and they are Picasso calla lillies.

Heidi mentioned that if they are not in season, they can be expensive. But I really have no concept of what flowers should cost, so I have no idea what an expensive or non-expensive price is.

Kayla helped me out with that. She found this list, which delineates each flower and it's average cost, per stem.

Since life is easier for me in jpg form, I screen grabbed the price list and it is pasted below. For your ease, just right click the photo and save it, then you will be able to print it easily. Keep this with you when you're visiting florists or floral wholesalers to make sure you are not overpaying.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What is your favorite flower? Judging from the list above, is it affordable for your bouquet?

Pin Of The Week: Bridal Flowers

This is less of a pin of the week than it is a call to arms.

I found this gorgeous bouquet on Pinterest, so of course I pinned it.

I absolutely want them but, trouble is: I have no idea what kind of flowers they are and if they are naturally purple on the inside or if they are dyed that way.

I think they are calla lilies and I don't think they are naturally purple, but I'm not 100% certain.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Do you know what these flowers are and if they are naturally purple on the inside?

UPDATE: Turns out, they are Picasso calla lilies and I did in fact have them in my bouquet. You can see photos of my bouquet here.

Real Life: My Engagement Photos

All this talk about engagement photos, it would be a shame if I didn't show you at least a few from our session with Miranda from Miranda Lynn Photography.

These are the edited versions of them (except the one in the bottom right corner), in case you're curious.

The photo we used for our Save the Date was from this day, but I didn't post it here (I didn't want to ruin the surprise). You can see it on our Save the Date cards.

We also used a bunch from this session to make wedding confetti. We ended up scattering it on the tables at our rehearsal dinner, and it was just really adorable and a great way for people to see the other engagement photos we took. If you're going to take them, you definitely should use them.

BRIDAL BABBLE: In the next few days, I'll be posting a Top 5 Engagement Photos Do's and Don'ts list. In the comments, please leave your engagement photos do's and don'ts.

Flip Flop Basket (Update)

There are times when you get an idea in your head, and you get past the point of no return. And then you just have to keep going with it because, well, that's what the cliche says.

How exactly do you determine the point of no return?

Can someone determine that for me, exactly, in pairs of flip flops?

I'm at 10. 

I feel like this is going very smoothly for my flip flop basket. My original goal was something lofty, like 75 to 100, but that is just incredibly ridiculous. I don't realistically need that many. I don't need a pair for two-thirds of the people at our wedding. Okay, maybe I do, but I just don't think that many people will partake in the flip flop festivities.

Although, the venues we are looking at are on the beach, so that might be more realistic than lofty.

My minimum goal is 30. If I have any less than 30 pairs, this will be a completely flop. Thirty pairs for 150 guests also sounds like a flop, but that's not the point.

The point is I went shopping today, picked up two more free pairs of Old Navy flip flops, and I'm at 10 (that's including that rogue pair of blue for the men and the gray with the colored thongs for the women). Originally when I started this, I didn't care about the colors. I wanted to buy them in any color and it would be a rainbow in a basket. But then I looked at photos online and absolutely hated when the basket was filled with a hodgepodge of colors. It looked tacky. I decided that I would stick to silver and white for women and black and gray for men. The plan is to wrap them in organza ties with a purple tag, and that will coordinate them with my eggplant, lilac, and silver color scheme.

Since the $5 off purchase coupon from Old Navy seems to be given out in the Snap Appy mobile app once a week, and since that nets you two free pairs, I should be at 30 in ten more weeks. Assuming I don't lose steam and scrap the entire project before then.

My trouble is, I'm arbitrarily picking sizes. I'm pretty even right now. I have two pairs in a women's 6, two in a women's 7, two in a women's 8 (plus the rogue pair, but that doesn't count), one in a women's 9, one in a men's 8/9 (but that is the blue pair, so it shouldn't count), and one in a men's 10/11. So, I need a cross-section to see where I should buy the majority. That's where you can help. Answer today's bridal babble, please.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What size Old Navy flip flop do you wear?

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

Engagement Photo Posing Lesson

My friend Michelle is the photo queen. She looks adorably amazing in every photo she takes so of course, when she heard we were taking engagement photos, she wanted to coach me.

Trouble is, she's in New York and I'm in North Carolina.

Thank goodness for technology. This morning, about 90 minutes before we were leaving to take our photos, Michelle FaceTime'd me.

It was good to get a chance to chat with her while I was doing my makeup, but it wasn't ideal. She could see me applying my primer, but she couldn't see how I was positioning my hands. So the phone propped up on my makeup case wasn't working. We had to try something else.

I had the perfect solution.

I rested the phone on top of my full length mirror. Not only was she able to see my entire body, I was able to see my reflection. When she told me to put my hand on my hips, and I did it, I could see exactly how it made the angle of my arm so I was able to understand if my shoulder needed to go forward or back.

Not that any of this really mattered in the end.

Today was the windiest day I've ever lived through, so the only pose I did was the one where I was grabbing on my dress to stop it from flying over my head and pulling a Marilyn Monroe (which it did once, if I'm being completely honest). Should make for some interesting photos.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Do you use FaceTime to connect with your friends from far away?

Review: Pretty Please Nail Polish

A Bride On A Budget received these polishes for this review.

There comes a time in every women's life where she thinks, "Nail polish naming; I can do that." Sally Hansen has a metallic called Wedding Glitters. And so you think, "I could have come up with that." But no matter how genius your idea, besides doctoring up a fake label in PicMonkey and pasting on your favorite polish bottle, you can't actually name a polish.

Until now.

I was reading a magazine the other day and stumbled over Pretty Please, a nail polish company started in 2011. The concept is fantastic, and pretty much the dream of almost every woman I know.

You head over to the site and select one of the 18 colors. Then, you create your name (generally within 24 characters including one for a line break, but the brand will work with you if you absolutely need just a few more letters), add your polish to your cart, and stalk your mailbox for eight or so days.

It sounds simple, but it's not. When I got the chance to check out these polishes, I thought it would be a cinch. Picking the color, that seemed easy for me. My mom likes pinks so I figured I'd personalize one for the mother of the bride. Oh, it's not that easy to get your creative juices flowing.

Mother of (the bride) pearl. Except there's no whites.

Mom's heart of gold was suggested on A Bride On A Budgets' Facebook page, but it didn't scream wedding like I hoped.

I had a bunch of friends racking their brains with me (and by that, I mean consulting Google). So I jumped on the Google bandwagon and found a play on words, and then made it apply to my mom: Fuchsia Mother-in-Law. Of course, I had to then go with a fuchsia, which is a little bold for my mom -- but I will (try to) convince her to wear it on her toes for the wedding.

These polishes are such a way to honor the special women in your life, the ones who have been through your side during the entire wedding process -- or maybe just the ones who you anticipate will be there. Like your bridesmaids. Consider asking them to be your bridesmaid with a bottle of polish. "Be my bridesmaid?" and "Be my maid of honor?" both fit in the 24 character limit.

You don't have to be witty in your polish names. You can be completely direct and simple and call one, "Grandma of the Bride" like I did in a pale pink. Maybe make one for the sister of the groom, groom's mom, flower girl ... the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

And, if you do get stuck, just think of the occasion. You're getting married, you're saying I do ... "Saying 'I Do' Blue." Easy. Sometimes they just come to you.

Speaking of them coming, the packing makes the product feel as special as you can imagine.

My three polish bottles were wrapped together in a beautiful pink piece of tissue paper, then each comes in its own box. The front of the box has a cut out where only the name shows through (so if that is the first thing you see, you actually have no idea what is inside the package). On the reverse is a punched hole so the polish color can peek through.

The back of the box also says: "The nail polish inside this box was created especially for you, from the handpicked color to the personalized name."

It's true. You select and design the polish with someone very specific in mind. While I still give kudos to whoever at Sally Hansen thought of Wedding Glitters, it's incredibly generic in the sense that I can Google it and buy it anywhere. 

But Fuchsia Mother-in-Law? My mom cannot get that anywhere else but inside the package I give her in her wedding welcome bag.

Wedding planning is chaos. From finding a venue to a photographer to remembering to take the flowers from the church to your wedding venue, every moment is a chance for someone to think of the bride and help her. How special would it be to give these polishes to the people who have helped you during the process, reminding them that you stopped and thought of them, just as they have stopped and thought of you and come to your aid during your wedding process.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Pretend you are designing a polish. What would you name it and who would it be for?

Review: Wedding Items From CafePress

A Bride On A Budget was provided with credit to purchase items for this review. The amount over the credit was paid for by ABOAB.

If you've met me and Pete, you know we're not exactly the most traditional of people. I mean, I am as traditional and by the book as I can be, and Pete is just, well, he's just not. It's not that he thinks outside of the box, it's that he has no idea where the box is and has no intention of tracking it down.

So while I want a more traditional type of wedding, he wants to come down the aisle riding a donkey.

We need to find brands that are as unique as us, that tread the line between traditional and not without being tacky. That's exactly where CafePress fits.

CafePress is a site where you can order customized products. You can choose a design that someone else has designed or you can design your own and have it printed on a variety of objects. You can order anything from custom shirts and pajamas to coffee mugs and water bottles.

I was looking for the perfect gift for our wedding welcome bags for our parents. They have to be a little more than what we're giving everyone else -- but I didn't want to stick in any crazy sort of items. We're having a beach wedding, but they don't need a bucket and shovel.

We're planning on sticking water bottles with personalized labels in every bag, but I wanted to get something a little more special for our parents.

These stainless steal water bottles come in an indefinite amount of designs. You can just type anything into the search bar on CafePress and you will be presented with a variety of options. Keep in mind that not every design comes in every product. That's the trouble I had.

I fell in love with the father of the groom design with the shirt as the "o" in of. I actually had originally picked that for the father of the bride design as well. These come in a kids size water bottle, which was $9. I just had to find a mother of the bride design and I could check out.

It wasn't that easy.

The mother of the bride designs for the small bottle were just awful. I didn't like them and I would feel so upset giving our fathers such nice designs and giving my mom one that I wasn't impressed by. I kept searching and found a great one with a pair of hearts on it. Trouble was, it only came on the larger water bottle.

I checked at the father designs I liked also came in the larger size. But then I realized that if I get my dad and Pete's dad the same ones (save for the last word), they might mix them up. So I was back to searching. I found a similar but different design for my dad, and it also came in the larger size. Done.

When I received them (less than a week after ordering), I was so impressed. They really have a ton of weight to them but not too much that they are going to weigh anyone down. I'm a huge fan of stainless steal since you can reuse them, unlike plastic (the jury seems to be out on that). The screw cap is really nice too. It has a finger hole so it is easy to carry around and the actual spirals in the cap don't seem like they will wear very much after use.

The only thing I was disappointed in was the button I bought for Pete.

I stumbled over the design when I was looking at water bottles, and I thought it was hilarious. It says, "Buy me a beer ... my wedding is near!" There's also one that says, "Buy me a shot ... I'm tying the knot." Pete likes beer, so I thought this would be cute to give him to wear during his bachelor party. It was only $3 for the mini button, so I figured what the heck.

I got it and again said, "What the heck?" but with a completely different inflection. The mini button is really mini. It's the size of a quarter. There is absolutely nothing that Pete is going to do with that. I am still in awe of the size of this thing. There is a 2.5-inch button for $1 more and I wish I would have gotten that one instead.

If for any reason, you order something and you're disappointed, CafePress does have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. You can return any items for any reason (color, size, etc.) within 30 days. That's great to know.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Of the four items I ordered, which design do you like the best?

Pin Of The Week: Father Of The Bride Canvas

I love my dad with my entire heart and soul. He is not just the most amazing man, but the most incredible person I have ever met in my life and I am so blessed to be lucky enough to call him dad.

I probably don't tell him that nearly enough, honestly if ever, but it's the truth. They say little girls want to grow up and find a man like their dad, but for me, I want to grow up and if I become half the person my dad is, my life will be a success. He is just the nicest, most genuine, hardworking, fantastic person you will ever meet. And he has such a knack of remembering things. He will remember your name, your children, what they do, where they went to college, where you work, who you were married to -- even if he only met you briefly at the ballgame. He genuinely cares about people and what they have to say and retains this.

He is an amazing human being.

So when I saw this week's Pin of the Week on Pinterest, I knew I had to add it to my list of things to make after my wedding.

I actually started tearing up when I originally saw it.

My dad absolutely will always be the first man I ever loved, and this is such an amazing way to tell him so because I definitely don't do that enough -- but this canvas print will do it forever.

When I hire a photographer for our wedding, I am going to show him or her this pin and say that it is most important that we get a similar shot during the father/daughter dance.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Be honest. Is this the most beautiful gift ever, or am I just waxing poetic because my parents are ten hours away and I miss them?

Real Wedding: Bathroom Baskets

I am in wedding mode all the time now. I was in church, daydreaming about if my grandma would be able to walk all the way down the aisle. I was out watching a band the other night and wanted to pull out a piece of paper and starting writing down our guest list, just to double check the count.

That's why I love having a wedding blog so much. I can just sit here and babble about weddings as much as I want and post it, like my post the other day about bathroom baskets.

What was awesome is that not too long after I posted it, my friend Jordan texted me this photo:

These are the baskets that she made for her friend's wedding in September.

She bought the jars from Home Goods and it appears she used ribbon and favor tags (you could also use organza too, which has become my new obsession since getting engaged. I sorta really love tulle too but I'm not sure if you pronounce it tool or two-lay or c, none of the above so I always just say organza).

If you can't read them, clockwise from the top left are: lip balm, mints, just in case, and repair kit.

If you wanted to do something like this, you could pick up personalized lip balms and get some wedding-themed buttermints (I love those tux ones, by the way).

Using glass apothecary jars instead of baskets are a way to let your guests see everything that is inside -- although I'm not exactly sure what is in the just in case jar. I guess it's a mystery until you open it.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What do you think one of the items in the just in case jar is?

Wedding Welcome Bags -- My Lot So Far (Retail: $150.97; My Cost: $0)

If you don't know, I write the frugal lifestyle blog Drugstore Divas. The site has really helped me to understand how dramatically couponing can change your budget. It's also brought me together with some of the greatest couponing friends I could have -- ones who are rooting me on during my budget wedding and have so graciously sent me coupons for John Frieda and BIC razors so that I could amass the beauty that is the photo below.

Behold, my lot for our travel bags for our out of town guests.

Retail value: $150.77.
My cost: $0.

My goal is to spend $2 per bag per family, and I'm trying to account for 100 bags. By my estimate, that's $200. That in itself is quite a bit and people generally spend quite a bit on these bags (like $5 to $10 each). Personally, I can't justify or afford that, but couponing is going to help me put together wonderful bags for our guests, at a fraction of the cost.

I'm going to break it down for you, item by item, and let you know what I've already picked up -- and how.

I have nine bags of BIC Silky Touch razors for women. There are six bags of 10 and three bags that have a bonus four free, for a total of 14 razors in those packs. The grand total is 102 razors. Each bag is $2.96 at Walmart. I had a $3 off BIC disposable razors coupon, which made each bag free.

Retail value: $26.64
My coupons: $27.00 (yes, my coupons were worth more than the total value so the extra was applied towards tax)
Total: $0 out of pocket (and I had $.36 overage)

The TRESemme travel bottles and Nivea creams are going in my bridesmaids gifts, mostly because I can't imagine that I will amass 100 of these since they weren't bought with coupons from the newspaper. They were all bought at CVS. The TRESemme was bought with CVS store coupons for $2 off any two TRESemme items. These travel size bottles were $.99 each, so they were free after the coupon. I was able to pick up seven sets (and Pete even stopped by CVS on his way home from work to help me get these).

Retail price: $13.86
My coupons: $14.00
Total: $0 (and I had $.14 overage)

The Nivea was part of a CVS deal where if you bought two, you would get $6 back in ExtraCare Bucks (CVS money). I bought 10 tins, which are $.99 each. I got back $30 in CVS money for buying these items. Now, don't worry. I didn't clear the shelf. I bought these during three different CVS sales.

Retail value: $9.90
My total: I got back $30 in CVS money, which means I actually made $20.10 in CVS money for buying these.

These John Frieda hair sprays may be the end of me. I was given so many coupons by my couponing friends that I was able to pick up 44 of these bottles. I'm really far short of my goal here, but I have faith that another coupon will come around.

The coupon was for $3 off any two John Frieda items, excluding 1.5oz. bottles. These hair sprays are 2oz., so it counts. They are only $1.47 in Walmart, so I picked up the majority there.. I made multiple trips to many Walmarts during that time and never cleared out the shelf. I made sure there was more for other customers before purchasing.

Retail value: $64.68
My coupons: $66.00
Total: $0 (and I had $1.32 overage, which went towards tax)

Pete told me he had men's disposable razors that we could use. But, I wanted to buy the majority of them since they would all be a uniform yellow and his were a blue. I will borrow a couple from him since I'm a couple short here, so I wasn't worried about being shy. I bought eight bags, and they each contain 12 razors, for a total of 96 razors.

These razors are $2.68 in Walmart, and I used the same $3 coupon for the BIC razors here as I did for the women's razors. I have two amazing couponing friends who sent me a huge lot of these coupons to cover what I didn't have. These ladies were so incredible that they actually offered to send me any matching razors that they had bought if I couldn't find enough in my stores. Now those are some great friends.

Retail price: $21.44
My coupons: $24.00
Total: $0 (and I had $2.56 overage, which went towards tax)

And finally, I printed photos that I will attach to the outside of the bags instead of buying postcards. As I mentioned the other day in this post, buying 100 postcards at $.35 each is $35. Instead, I printed photos, which I personalized, when Walgreens was offering 25 free 4x6s to anyone with a Walgreens Photo account. I ordered 25, Pete ordered 25, and one of my friends ordered 25, for a total of 75.

Retail value: $14.25.

My total: $0 (and since I selected in store pickup, I didn't even have to pay for shipping).

So, as a grand total:

9 BIC razors, for women: $26.64

14 TRESemme: $13.86

10 Nivea creams: $9.90

44 John Frieda's: $64.68

8 BIC razors, for men: $21.44

75 pictures: $14.45

Total: $150.97

My total: $0.

And this is exactly why my wedding will stay on budget -- and exactly why your wedding budget can get blown on such small stuff if you're not paying attention.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you using coupons to help you stay on track with your budget?

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

Stocking The Restrooms With A Bathroom Basket

Imagine heading into a wedding ... and your nail breaks. It's not a small crack, but a huge break on a terrible angle and you need a nail file.

Or you meet a cute guy and realize you had the citrus-garlic shrimp at the cocktail hour and there's no gum in your purse.

Or, even worse, Aunt Flo comes completely unplanned.

These are not concerns for the bride to deal with on her wedding day, but these are things for her to think about ahead of time. And, if there's a private restroom at the venue, you (as the bride) might want to think of stocking the bathroom with a few necessary amenities for your guests.

I'm actually cheating a little bit for this post. I probably could have gone into my stockpile and put together a bathroom basket, then snapped a photo in my own bathroom, but I was out at dinner at Aubriana's in Wilmington, NC and snapped a few photos inside the women's restroom, which had exactly what you would like for a wedding.

Aubriana's had a huge dresser with four drawers, two of which were filled with amenities. One had feminine products, the other was filled with hair spray.

If your venue doesn't have a dresser, don't worry. Just pick up a cheap basket at the dollar store and you can fill that. Consider one for men and another for women. Although men won't need hair spray and maxi pads, both bathrooms will benefit from items like gum, sewing kits, Band Aids, floss, and tissues.

Also, consider mouthwash. People will be eating -- and kissing -- during your wedding. A fresh mouth is a happy mouth. Don't just stick out a bottle of Listerine, though. People won't use it if it is communal. Consider small single use cups and a mouthwash bottle that is near impossible to pick up and use. If it doesn't look like you can pour it into your mouth, people won't, and that definitely keeps it sanitary.

Toothpicks in the bathroom are a plus, especially if you are serving a veggie like broccoli or spinach. A bit in your teeth can ruin your wedding photos.

Definitely make sure there is lotion available for your guests. All bathrooms should provide soap and paper towels, so you don't need to add those into your bathroom baskets, but a mild or unscented lotion is great for hands or legs. Yes, there are women who will completely forget to put on lotion before running out the door and their legs will seem dry under their dresses. Lotion in the bathroom is a savior for them.

Position your bathroom basket as close to the sink as possible. You don't want guests to have to hunt for this because, well, they won't know to. Not all weddings provide something like this in the bathroom, so not all guests will be looking for it. I definitely do think this is a fantastic idea and could definitely be a big help to your guests.

You need to put this together before the wedding, and ask your venue if you can bring this with you when you bring over your other items: table cards, centerpieces, decorations, etc. Most venues will allow you to drop these items off a few days before the wedding, so be sure to bring your bathroom basket with you too. You can assemble the baskets (one for the bridal suite and one for each men's and women's bathroom) and ask the coordinator at the venue to position them in the bathrooms before the guests arrive.

Bathroom Basket item suggestions: Antacid tablets, aspirin, Band Aids, contact solution, deodorant, gum or mints, hair spray, lint roller, lotion, mouthwash, nail files, perfume, sewing kit, stain remover, toothpicks.

Women's only: bobby pins, clear nail polish, feminine products, hair ties.

For an outdoor wedding and reception, add bug spray and sunscreen.     

If you plan correctly, you can definitely pick up a bunch of these items for free after coupons or find free samples of these items and add them to your baskets. If you wait until the last minute, you will be paying a premium for these.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did I leave anything out? What item would you add to the bathroom basket? Which one is your must have?

Wedding Welcome Bags (The Razor Edition)

When you plan a wedding, you plan on having out of town guests. For a typical wedding, you have a handful. For ours, all our guests will be from out of town.

So I can't worry about just 20 or so bags. I need to put together 70 to 100. I started to collect items for my wedding welcome bags ... and I went shopping at Walmart to add a little more.

I "bought" these Bic razors for women.

The 14-count pack is only $2.96 at Walmart. There was a $3 off any Bic disposable razors coupon in the newspaper. Walmart will take this coupon, even though it is a few cents more than the actual item.

There are 10 packs available, but to get more for your money, look for the packs with four bonus razors for free.

If you are putting together wedding welcome bags too, you might want to head out for these, especially since they're free. Just keep your eyes peeled for this coupon.

The truth is, wedding welcome bags are a nice touch for a wedding but they can get expensive. And when you're planning a wedding, the last thing you want to do is add more expenses to your list of things to pay for. That's why I'm collecting the freebies that I can now. If I can find a couple more bags of these razors before the wedding, that's great. And if I can't, I'm not going to stress over it.

If you don't have the coupon, these are still a great price. At $2.97, it's only 21 cents a razor. Our plan is to tie a men's and women's razor with a little bit of ribbon (since the majority of people are coming as couples) and place them in the bags.

If I was going to a wedding and got these, I would love it. I can't tell you how many times I've gone on vacation and forgotten my razor at home.

BRIDAL BABBLE: If you're coming to my wedding, what color razor would you like?

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