Picking A Venue (and setting a realistic budget)

They say when you meet "the one," you just know. And that sounds idiotic when you're single or when you're in a relationship that isn't with the right person. You think that you will fall in love with someone, get engaged, and make it work.

And then one day, you meet the one: the person who you will spend forever with, the person who you love despite the fact that she can't cook and he can't care less about reality TV, the person who makes you want to learn to cook and learn to enjoy American Idol.

You just know.

The same thing happens with a wedding venue. When you find the right one, you just know.

And with my friend Erika, she had that feeling yesterday.

She had searched for a wedding venue online countless times, never finding exactly what she was looking for. Over the weekend, she did another search. And by some stroke of luck, a venue she had never seen popped up. A venue that was perfect.

I told her she had to call immediately to make an appointment. She did ... and they didn't answer, so she emailed. And very quickly she got a response -- and an appointment.

She went today and fell in love.

The place is everything she wants. There is an area for her ceremony and reception, her photos, for the couple's "first look." Everything she could possibly want was at the venue. The price was reasonable for what she wants and when she wants (she's having a summer 2014 wedding, and, as you will learn if you haven't, summer prices are higher than winter). Of course, like every bride, she has to consider her budget.
Is this venue something she can afford? It is worth eating pasta a few nights a week to make the payments?
And, if you're like Erika, you look at the photos and think: This is the place. This is worth the sacrifices. This is worth tweaking a budget and making it work. I'm not saying put yourself on a liquid diet to afford your venue. And I'm not saying empty your entire savings account either. But be realistic.

If I asked you, on the spot, how much a gallon of gas is currently, you would know. Average price of a gallon of milk, you'd know that too. But average price of a 100 person ceremony and reception, including wait staff and clean up ... chances are you wouldn't have an idea until you started going to venues. So of course, you have a budget in mind, but you can't really create a budget until you start looking around and figuring out the cost of things.
And that's with every aspect of a wedding.
I called to make an appointment to try on dresses and the woman asked me what my budget was. "Honestly," I said, "I have no idea. It's not that I don't have a budget, per say, it's that I have no concept of what a wedding dress costs so I really can't create a budget."
And that's the same mentality you need to have when setting a wedding budget. When you get engaged, you have no idea what a wedding will cost. You can make an imaginary budget, but until you actually meet with florists and photographers, you don't know how much it will cost you to have them at your wedding.
So maybe your venue will be a little out of your predetermined budget. Maybe it's a little more than you had hoped. But it doesn't mean you can't do it. Just means you need to sit down and figure out how to do it.
Because the truth is: you only get one wedding (at least, that's what most people strive for; Elizabeth Taylor had a different experience). You should do it right, do it the way you want, and have it at the venue that is "the one." Don't force yourself to have it somewhere else, just to save yourself a little bit of money. You will absolutely regret it in the end.
BRIDAL BABBLE: How did you know you found the right venue?

Questions To Ask When You Go Venue Hunting (It's a long list!)

I feel like Pete and I have become venue hunting professionals. We have seen at least 15 in person, more than anyone I know has seen. It's just hard coming from New York to North Carolina. We want a New York wedding in North Carolina, and that's asking a lot. So we have to look around quite a bit and ask a lot of questions.

We didn't really know exactly what to ask the first time we went venue hunting, but by the last venue, I knew exactly what I needed to know. It was definitely a learning curve.

My friend Erika is looking at her first venue today, and I wanted to make sure her experience was as close to perfect as possible. So I put together a list of questions that she needs to ask. I broke it down alphabetically, just to make it easier. And I added four questions per category.

A lot of the points will be touched upon during your tour of the venue, but be sure to check through the list to make sure everything is addressed.

Questions To Ask When You Go Wedding Venue Hunting 

 ALCOHOL
1. What are the alcohol options? If you choose beer and wine, can you add a signature cocktail?
2. Can you close the bar during dinner?
3. How many bartenders are required for your headcount? Is there an additional fee?
4. Can you bring your own alcohol? If so, are you responsible for obtaining a license for the alcohol and bartenders from the town?

CEREMONY (if you are having it at the same place as the reception)
1. What is the additional cost to have the ceremony at the venue?
2. Are you responsible for obtaining a license from the town to hold the ceremony there? What is the fee?
3. Is there a separate entrance for the bride to enter and not be seen beforehand?
4. What exactly are you options for set up for the ceremony?

COORDINATOR
1. Does the venue have a coordinator?
2. Does the coordinator stay the entire time?
3. How can you reach the coordinator?
4. Can you use your own coordinator?

DECOR
1. What is included with the venue?
2. Will the venue decorate for you or are you responsible?
3. When can you come and decorate (if you are responsible) or drop off decorations (if the venue will handle it)?
4. Are you responsible for clean up/removing centerpieces at the end of the night? Do you need to take the decor with you at the end of the night or can you pick it up at a later date?

HOTEL (optional)
1. If there is a hotel on premises, are you required to book a certain number of rooms?
2. Can you block a certain number of rooms?
3. If you do and they do not book, when will they be released? Are you responsible for paying for them if they are not booked?
4. Does the hotel offer a wedding discount?

MENU
1. Are you married to a specific menu or is it flexible?
2. Are you able to bring in your own caterer for the cocktail hour? The dinner? The cake? Are there fees for this?
3. What are the menu options (buffet, plated dinners, passed hors d'oeuvres)?
4. How many servers are required for your headcount? Is there an additional fee?

NOISE
1. Are you able to have a band?
2. Are you able to have a DJ?
3. Is there a noise ordinance in the town (aka do you have to stop playing music at a certain time)?
4. Are you allowed to have music outside? Are you allowed to have people outside?

PAYMENT
1. How much is the deposit? When would you need to pay it? Is it refundable?
2. When do you need to make payments for your balance?
3. Do you pay servers/bartenders directly or is that included in the fee?
4. Are tips customary?

PHOTOGRAPHY
1. When are you able to take your photos?
2. Where can you take your photos? (You want to make sure there are great "background" ideas.)
3. Is anything off limits for your photographer?
4. Is there time between your ceremony and reception to take photos?

OPTIONAL EXPENSES
1. If you don't want a part of a package, can you remove it to lower the fee?
2. If you want an additional service, can you add it?
3. If you want to add time at the end of the night, can you? How much will it cost?
4. Do you need to purchase insurance (liability, inclement weather)?

VENUE
1. What exactly is included with the venue?
2. How many hours do you get? Does that include setup and breakdown?
3. Is there a minimum fee you must hit? (Certain venues say you must have a food and beverage minimum of a certain number of dollars, regardless of how many people are in your party)
4. What is the maximum number of guests the venue can hold? Minimum?

ETC.
1. If the venue is outdoors, what is the backup plan?
2. If you want items not offered by the venue (tents, resin chairs, etc.), are they allowed? Can you choose any company you want?
3. Do you get a bridal suite prior to the reception? Do you get a honeymoon suite after the reception?
4. If guests arrive early, is there an area where they can go (i.e, bar, common area) or are they not allowed in until the reception begins?



Okay, I know that sounds like a lot, but I promise a lot of it will be covered. And if it's not, just call the venue and ask them your questions.

Your best bet is to bring a notebook with you and write down everything. If you are like us and see a lot of venues, they will start to mesh together. So write down things you see on your tour -- or be like me and take photos at every venue. I have about 20 photos from each venue we've seen. It's so much easier than trying to remember.

Make sure you get the name of every person you speak with, plus their contact info. Most will give you their card, but if they don't, write it down. That way, you have a point of contact if you have questions.

Don't be timid. This is your day. If you want to ride in on a donkey, ask. If they can't do it, that is not the venue for you. And don't feel bad if you have a ridiculous request like that. Chances are there are people who have asked about more ridiculous stuff -- and people after you who will ask even crazier things.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What questions did I miss that you would add to the list?

Wedding To Do List ...

It's a Monday. It should feel like a Monday. I should be sluggish and lazy and drinking extra cups of coffee to make it through.

Except I have been running non-stop all day.

My Monday To Do List:
1. Wait for the favors to arrive (since they require a signature).
2. Call the dress shop and make an appointment.
3. Go to the post office to mail our save the dates.
4. Go to the church to pay the deposit.
5. Meet with the wedding photographer.

Thank goodness I'm my own boss and I understood that I had stuff to do. So I gave myself time off.

The weather, however, wasn't as understanding.

It was (unexpectedly) pouring. Also, there was a pause every step of the way. So my list really looked like this:
My Monday To Do List (revised):
1. Wait for the favors to arrive.
2. Call the dress shop and leave a message because no one answered.
3. Continue waiting for the favors to arrive.
4. Check the front door and see the boxes with the favors are there and didn't need a signature after all.
5. Take a shower (and miss the call back from the dress shop).
6. Grab the save the dates -- and an umbrella because it looks like it's about to rain.
7. Go to the post office.
8. Pull into a parking spot and prepare for the monsoon that is hitting
9. Attempt to mail the save the date cards (and silently say a prayer after asking the clerk if they are light enough for one stamp).
10. Breathe (when the clerk says one stamp is sufficient).
11. Start driving to the church. Watch the rain stop.
12. Pull into the church's parking lot just as the rain starts again.
13. Attempt to pay the deposit.
14. Find out that parishioners pay a lower sanctuary fee.
15. Register for the church (since I go there every week).
16. Pay the deposit (and save $100).
17. Find out that the church has three meetings with us before the wedding, not just one (and silently say a prayer to figure out how to explain that to Pete).
18. Call the dress shop back and make an appointment.
*19. Meet with the wedding photographer.

That No. 19, it hasn't happened yet. We still have about an hour until we're meant to leave. Hopefully it goes a lot smoother than the rest of today's list has gone.
BRIDAL BABBLE: Does this happen with your to do lists too or is it just me?

My Favors Are In The Mail

Do you use UPS My Choice? It's simultaneously the best and worst idea ever created.

In theory, it's the best thing in the world. You sign up with your mailing info and once UPS gets word that a packing slip with your mailing info on it has been created, it triggers an alert that a package will be delivered to you. Twenty-four hours before the day your package will arrive, you get an email.

So basically, at 12:05am on Tuesday, I'll get an email saying a package is coming on Wednesday. It tells you when the package was shipped and where from, plus all the locations it traveled to and stopped at en route to your doorstep. And it's not like the package is coming at midnight. It'll arrive around noon, which gives me a full 36 hours to wait and anticipate.

Because I work at home full-time, I get packages in the mail quite a bit. And most of the time I know what they are, and it's not that exciting.

But when I know what they are, and I know it's an exciting package, the wait time drives me mad. It's because I hate surprises. I don't hate them outright, but when I know there is a surprise coming, I get so worked up over the anticipation of it that I start to hate the surprise itself. So me knowing something is coming? Worst thing ever.

Right now, I'm in the worst thing ever mentality. See, I received an email that I have a package coming tomorrow. But it's not just any package. It's the components for our wedding favors. I checked the alert and the box has been sitting, since yesterday, in the town next to mine. Deliveries don't happen on Sunday, so I will get it tomorrow. But I was in that town yesterday. I would have run over to pick up my package if I knew it was there.

But alas, no. Like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, I wait.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you impatient too or do you like surprises?

Real Life Wedding: Becka's Homemade Save The Date Cards

On Wedding Wednesday, I decided to host a Twitter chat. It was super successful and we'll be doing it every Wednesday at 4pm EST. Just use the hashtag #BridalBabble to join.

During this week's inaugural chat, Becka shared her homemade save the date cards with us.

This was really DIY and budget friendly -- but you can't really tell it wasn't professional. She did such a great job. (She didn't have those huge gaps where her last name and wedding website should be. She had those but I edited them out for her privacy.)

She went to her local craft store to purchase iron on letters and t-shirts, then made the shirts herself. She got a friend to go with her (to a gorgeous location) to take the photo. To finish, she added the text (you can use a site like PicMonkey to do this for free if you don't have Photoshop).

Becka printed the photo at her local Walmart. There are also sites where you can get free photos (like Shutterfly and York Photo when you register as a new user). You do have to pay shipping on your free photos, but it might average to be less than actually paying for the photos, depending on where you print.

She picked up a box of envelopes and was ready to send them.

The average cost of a save the date is about $3 (not factoring the cost of a photo shoot with a professional), so this is a way to bring that cost down a lot. Plus, save the dates are really customary now. People expect you to send them now since everyone does, so it is another thing to add to the list of expenses. If you can at least make them on a budget and keep that cost to a minimum, you're in good shape.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did you send save the dates?

A Five Letter Word For Your Fiance's Inheritance

I was at a bar on Tuesday, waiting for Pete to play open mic. He was off talking to someone, so I decided to pick up the crossword puzzle.

I actually did a lot better than the photo below makes it seem. I actually wrote one answer before I noticed 121 across and had to take a photo.

Groom's acquisition.

Hmm, I thought. What does Pete get when he marries me? I was thinking they meant olden times where they were given livestock. But goat is four letters and the answer was looking for five.

I didn't have any letters around it, and couldn't figure it out (so of course, I had to check the answer key). I won't tell you the answer just yet. I figured it would be more fun to guess.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Grooms acquisition. Five letters. What do you think the answer is?

Update: I just posted the answer here.

Pin Of The Week: Invisible Ink For Your RSVPs

Wedding planning makes you neurotic. It also makes you feel really awful about all the things you accidentally and unintentionally did wrong.

Like the time I forgot to RSVP on time, so my card was in the mail when my friend called to see if I was coming or not. It's not that I meant to send it late; it's just what happened. But when someone missed the RSVP date for our engagement party, sending me into Stressville, I understood.

Or the time I forgot to mail my recipe card back to the maid of honor before another wedding, so I had to pack it with me when I flew cross-country (then slip it into the book).

Honest mistake.

Or the time you forgot to write your name on the RSVP card, but checked the box to say you were coming.

Yes, that happens. But this week's Pin of the Week is a way to fix that.

I found this pin where someone used invisible ink to write "my money" on their money. Great ... but kinda useless. Until you think about it.

Let's say you used this invisible ink to write on the back of your RSVP cards. You can either write a number, which would correspond to the guest's name, or just write the name on the back. Doesn't matter because the guest won't see it. Then, when you receive an RSVP back that doesn't have a name written on it, you can just use a black light to check the back of the card.

Don't have an invisible ink pen and a black light? Don't worry. You can actually purchase a four-pack of invisible ink pens with black lights attached on Amazon.

Really, this idea is a good one. A great one, even. Even if you're not up to the stage in your wedding planning where you're sending out invitations, you should definitely pick up some invisible ink pens. It will save you a potential headache in the future, and, honestly, that's how I've been planning my wedding. Anticipating fires and putting them out before they even start. It's actually been incredibly helpful (and shocking because I've never been one who was known as a "planner").

BRIDAL BABBLE: How did you keep track of your RSVP cards?

Get Bridal Guide For Free For Two Years

Update: Unfortunately, this offer has expired, but you can subscribe to Bridal Guide.

One of the best gifts you can give an engaged woman is a wedding magazine. Seriously. There are tons of photos of dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids, there are articles about everything from losing the last five pounds to destination weddings to saving money. And each issue has a one-year timeline, so the bride can check off what she's done -- and see what she needs to do.

If you are engaged and you aren't reading a magazine, now is the time to get one.

Yes. Now. Literally.

Right now, you can get two years of Bridal Guide magazine for free. Just click that link, enter your info, and your first issue should arrive in about six weeks.

Bridal Guide is actually one of the magazines that I receive (and took two copies of with me on vacation). I've gotten a bunch of great ideas from the magazine. It really is a huge help for anyone planning a wedding (or helping to plan a wedding).

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are you subscribing for yourself or for a friend?

Beaches And Bling

I'm sitting on the beach right now.

I'd say it's a nice break from the usual grind, but I'm actually sitting on the beach working. And we live at the beach, so we're here at least once a week anyway.

This week is different, though, because we're spending it at a beach house a few hours north of where we live. It's also different because I've been remembering to take my ring off before I come down to the beach.

See, usually when we go to the beach, it's a part of our day. We'll go to the beach, then stay to go to dinner or watch a band. And I always want to have my ring on me on all the time. I feel naked without it. But you can't go in the ocean with it. God forbid it falls off. It will absolutely wash away forever. So I just don't go in the ocean.

But this week, it's too hot to stay out of the water. So I've been taking my ring off and leaving it in the beach house before coming out to sit on the sand. When I go in the water, I don't have to worry about it falling off. But, if I'm just coming outside to sit, like right now (I knew I'd be working, not swimming), I leave it on.

Still, though, I feel like being around the sand is making my ring dirty. Especially since I saw an advertisement in the local coupon booklet that said they would clean the sand out of your ring. So your ring must get sandy.

I didn't bring jewelry cleaner with me, so I'll clean it when I get home. I generally clean my ring often anyway (because I'm always wearing it. Actually, the only time I take it off is when I take a shower, wash dishes, wash my hands, or when I'm cooking dinner. Yes, I'm one of the people who actually sleeps with their ring on. I just can't part with it).

But that ad, it makes me feel like maybe I should be cleaning my ring after every time I'm out in the elements. Or maybe I should not even wear my ring when I'm just sitting on the beach. Maybe the sand ruins it? I don't know. Do you?

BRIDAL BABBLE: How often do you clean your ring? Do you wear it to the beach? Do you sleep with it on (I can't be the only one who does)?

Giveaway: eFavorMart $30 Gift Card (Two Winners), Ends 7/22

Update: This giveaway has ended.

As you know, I'm planning our wedding. And it's expensive. You have to pay for everything. From place cards to aisle runners, everything is a place to spend money.

Thank goodness for sites like eFavorMart. All the items are really budget friendly, and they're great quality too. You can pick up everything from tablecloths to favors. Plus, the site always has discount codes to increase your savings.

Two lucky winners will get $30 gift cards to eFavorMart to spend on anything they'd like. The code will count towards shipping and can be combined with other codes.

The giveaway starts now and ends at 11:59pm EST on July 22, 2013. To enter, just use the Rafflecopter below. The winners must be 18 or older and US residents. The winners will be contacted via the email address left in the Rafflecopter and will have 24 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Bride On A Budget also received a gift card to eFavorMart. A Bride On A Budget is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Real Life Wedding: Tears Of Joy Envelopes

There is so much planning to do when it comes to weddings. It seems like there is always something else to do. So I posted on A Bride On A Budget's Facebook page, asking what people were up to this week. Emma said she was putting together "Tears of Joy" envelopes. Now that was something I had never seen at a wedding. To be honest, I had never even heard of them. So Emma showed me a photo.

So cute.

I did a bit of research (and asked Emma) and it seems like everyone folds a tissue inside a glassine envelope. You can order these on business cards at an office store or print them at home (you can buy business cards card stock, then just separate them when they're done printing) with a poem to the front and you're pretty golden. If you don't want to order cards for your Tears Of Joy envelopes, you could just print on card stock and use a paper trimmer to cut them.

Emma's card reads:

Tears of Joy
If you shed a tear or two
Here's a tissue just for you
So wipe away that happy tear
We're so glad that you are here

I. Love. This.

Tissues go on sale a lot, so you can definitely stock up on those for cheap. The glassine envelopes run between $3 and $4 for 100, plus shipping on Amazon. These Tears Of Joy envelopes are super inexpensive and will make such a big impression. You can either attach them to the wedding programs or keep them in a basket next to the wedding programs.

It's these small touches that make the biggest difference at your wedding.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Have you ever seen these "Tears of Joy" envelopes?

Want to make these?
Get our free Tears Of Joy envelope printable below.

Secret Venue Hunting (It saves you a lot of unwanted conversation)

Venue hunting is the wedding equivalent of buying a used car. You show up at the lot and someone is there to greet you and follow you as you walk around checking things out.

If you bring a buddy and try to talk to him or her, the "someone" will pop up right behind you, like the sneaky sneaky guy from Mr. Deeds. And so, to save yourself a headache, you're forced to make conversation the entire time. And you want to be polite, you want to ask questions, but you mostly just want to do things like check out the bathroom to see if it is large enough for Grandma's wheelchair.

But you can't, exactly, lead a trio to a bathroom stall.

This is why I started going to venues unannounced, yet invited.

Love a venue but not enough to make an official visit? Figure out a way to get inside without letting a wedding coordinator know.

We have a venue in town that is the upstairs room of a local brewery. We really love the brewery, love the food, love that the beer served is local. It would be something completely different for our out of town guests to enjoy.

The brewery was at the first bridal expo we attended, and I got paperwork from them. The prices weren't bad, except when you conside that our bridal party, plus immediate family, plus attendants, comes to about fifty people. But I still wanted to check out the venue. Just not formally.

We found out the brewery was having a breat cancer benefit. Of course, we had plans to attend (we do attend each cancer benefit we hear about, in memory of my fiance's mother). Luckily for us, the benefit was going to be held upstairs in the private room -- the one we would book if we were to host our rehearsal dinner there.

We got upstairs and it was gorgeous inside. A huge beautiful chandelier hung over the staircase, there was a large private bar which would be for our guests only, and the room was spacious (enough to set up a large game of beer pong, as you can see from the signs on the walls in the photo above, but then convert to a dining area). We saw long rectangular and smaller square tables. We found out where the DJ would set up, if we decided to have a DJ. We saw where we could set up the buffet, if we decided on that. We found out where the bathrooms were. We checked out the decor, the decorations, and the drapes -- all without having to be followed around by someone trying to be helpful.

We were actual customers that day, so we figured out the flight pattern of guests. We knew how crowded it would potentially be and the ease (or lack thereof) of walking around.

I already had prices from the expo, so we didn't really need to set up an official time to meet.

And I really liked this a lot better. It was such a realxing way to see a venue.

Unfortunately, we did eliminate this off our list (mostly because I want to invite all our out of town guests to the rehearsal dinner -- and that is our entire guest list -- and this would just get too pricey for us).

 
If you're local to me and planning your wedding, you'll want to know that this is the Beam Room at Front Street Brewery (9 N. Front Street; Wilmington, NC). We love FSB as a place to hang out (we have taken every single one of our out of town guests to FSB; it has become a tradition, which is why we wanted to take all our wedding guests here) but it just isn't going to work for us. I'm glad we figured this out by just heading to the venue instead of wasting someone's time by having an official tour, then coming to the same conclusion.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Are there any venues that you have "unofficially" visited?

Save Yourself Cramping And Buy Cheap Address Labels (I got 750 for under $2)

Have you heard of Wrapp? It was a mobile app where you could send your friends gift cards -- completely for free. There were a bunch of brands on there, like H&M, Sephora, and Office Depot. I wish the app was still around, but it's not.

When it was, my friend Kim sent me a $5 one for Office Depot, so I went to the store, knowing I was buying address labels.

See, we need address labels for the wedding. You need address labels for the wedding.

You don't want to hand write every person's address on the save the dates, the invites, the thank yous. Plus, you also have to write your mailing address on the RSVP cards and stamp them. That's a lot of potential cramps in your hand.

Instead, you want to create address labels using a Word program. Save the file and print everyone's addresses onto address labels and affix them.

So. Much. Easier.

I went to Office Depot today and the cheapest labels were $10.99 for 750. A little expensive, I thought.  And first I thought a little excessive too. But not really. Let's do the math. Say you are sending out 100 invitations (one per couple, one per single person, and this averages you to about 175 guests, give or take families).

So 100 save the dates, 100 invitations, 100 RSVP cards within those invitations, 100 thank you cards, and that's 400 labels already. If you're planning on putting return address labels on them, and trying to save by using the same package of labels, you will need 100 for the save the dates, 100 for the invitations, and 100 for the thank you cards. That's 700 right there. You only have 50 to spare. Luckily for me, we already have a return address stamp, so we are good.

The labels for $10.99 were ones that looked like a pain in the neck to get off the sheet. Each label was directly next to the other with no breathing room. I can just envision Pete and I ripping them, picking up two at a time and accidentally folding one, getting mad, and eventually sticking them on crooked.

The easy peel were $11.99. A dollar to save my future self  a headache? Yes please.

But still, $11.99 sounded so overpriced. Even after my $5 from my friend, it's still $6.99.  So I googled Walmart -- and Walmart sells the labels for $6.97. So Walmart is cheaper. A lot cheaper. But that involved driving to Walmart, and I was already standing in Office Depot. So, I wondered: Does Office Depot price match?

I googled and sure enough, they do. But what I read was a website talking about price match, not Office Depot's site. And that site said the store won't price match from online ads, just from print ones. 

I figured I'd ask anyway. 

I showed the cashier at Office Depot the Walmart price from my phone and sure enough, she said yes, she would match it. She modified them to $6.97, took my $5 Wrapp gift card, and I paid $1.97 before tax for my $11.99 labels. That's a savings of over $10.

Things like that, $10 here and there, that's what adds up over the course of your wedding planning. Your favorite photographer is gonna cost what they cost, and I wouldn't start negotiating. Just pay what they ask. Your ceremony site (church, beach, park, etc.) is going to charge what they charge, and you can't haggle with them. So don't try. But this kind of stuff, like address labels, you can knock down the price if you try and that is where your best savings are going to be.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did you hand write your guests' addresses on every piece of wedding mail? 

Review: Boat Wheel Magnet Favor From Beau-coup

A Bride On A Budget received these products for review. All thoughts and opinions belong to ABOAB.

We went to a bridal expo this winter and one of the booths was giving out coasters from Weddingstar. I loved them, so when I got the chance to check out boat wheel magnet favors from Beau-coup (made by Weddingstar), I was really excited.

Before mine arrived, I saw this photo of what was coming:

When they arrived, though, they looked like this:

It looks like someone forgot to stain my set of six.

I'm going to be perfectly honest: For the sake of the review, I didn't really care that they were lighter than expected (Side note: Beau Coup has updated the photo of these to reflect a lighter stain. Originally, it was a dark stain shown in the top photo). I'm just going to hang these on our fridge anyway. But, if I was a bride and I ordered this nautical boat wheel magnet favor, expecting it to arrive a dark maple and it arrived a light color, I would be upset.

I just know how I am, with a year to go. I'm so stressed out, so high strung, flipping out over every minor thing. So the wrong stain would crumble me.

I read online that there was "some assembly required" with these, and I couldn't understand what that would be. Turns out, it is very, very minor. The boat wheel magnet is attached to a piece of cardboard, affixed with a small piece of fishing wire. On the back of the cardboard is an anchor. The "assembly" is to fold the anchor in a pre-determined location to pop it out so the magnet can stand.

Easy.

Plus, it's a nice way to stand these at each place setting instead of just lying it flat on a plate.

Since you can see both sides at the same time above, it's a good time to note that there is quite a bit of detail on the cardboard. The front has an outline of a boat and the back is adorned with a drawing of a rope. It's really cute.

These would definitely be great if you're planning a reception on a boat (something that they actually do where I live) or just for a destination wedding.


These would not be great if you're a perfectionist or if you flip out over things. The two photos of the boat wheel magnet favor above are from two of the six favors in the set. If you notice, the top post isn't perfectly aligned. It's a bit, well, off.

Again for me, I didn't care. No one is going to come to my fridge and examine the posts. But, for a bride to be who stresses over every detail, you might want to pick a wedding favor with less construction, like coasters, bottle openers, wine stoppers, etc.

Beau-coup does sell a ton of favors, so you'll be able to find the perfect favor for you.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would the minor differences if you bought these?

Need these for a nautical wedding?
Check out our Nifty Nautical Wedding Favors post.