A budget tracker seems incredibly helpful in keeping tabs on the wedding budget. I browsed around for a while and the one I liked best was <http://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0As3tAuweYU9QcHlVM3hrY2tocEkySUFRYmt1dlBITlE&mode=public>. This sort of self-policing on the expenses removes a lot of the stress and worry.
Also, if you want to check out the usual wedding expenses going on in your area the site http://www.costofwedding.com/ seems quite helpful.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Weddings on a Budget: Attire
As my friends and family know, I am planning a wedding. It has been quite an interesting experience in the midst of the biggest economic crash since 1929, but hunting around for a beautiful wedding within our budget has actually been pretty fun particularly since we are going against the current trend of $22,000 weddings.
So, lately I have been spending lots of time shopping for my wedding dress. This purchase has taken on a near legendary stature. For me personally, I love clothing, designing, traditions, and a bohemian spin. At first I wanted to design and make my own wedding dress, but upon calmer reflection, realized that I would be peeling the paint off the walls with my fingernails if I tried that all by myself. So to the shops. First, shopping for the dress confirmed for me how little I like bridal boutiques. You have two or three people yammering to you that you should have ordered your dress two months ago while gushing that when you see the One you'll Know. Excuse me, are we talking about the groom here or the dress? There is only one of my groom in the world. He is irreplaceable and him I must have. A white dress is not quite so desperately limited. I love beautiful clothes, and because I have had the pleasure of working at costume shops around lovely garments, I have realized that there are dozens of dresses that would look equally spectacular on me. I shopped and found gorgeous diaphanous things that made me feel celestial: Demetrio's, Priscilla of Boston, Maggie Sottero, Pronovias, all beautiful. All for the mere cost of anywhere between $900 and $3,500. Now, wedding budgeteers say that the wedding attire (this includes the groom's attire as well) should be around 10% of the entire budget. So if I bought the very cheapest gown, add all other gament costs and Sean's attire that would make our budget somewhere around $15,800.
So, no Bridezilla boutiques for me, please. I likewise am not a huge fan of the synthetic fabrics at David's Bridal. I also pretty quickly nixed the idea of buying a used wedding dress as I want no bad dress karma, and I continued to search for another option. Dawn, my matron of honor told me about this place called ARIAdress. The company makes simple, unembellished patterns and you can choose to have the dress made of cotton eyelet, silk shantung, Duchess satin, silk satin or silk taffeta. The cost of a dress runs somewhere from $145 to $435 which is precisely the right cost for many bridal budgets right now. They ship out a sample dress for the cost of $15 (you cover shipping it back) for you to see if it is something you like and then go from there. I examined the dresses for quality and their simple designs are lined and well stitched. They seem to be a very good option. There are three stores in the nation, and this link to their contact info: http://www.ariadress.com/contact.htm. I have decided whether I will be going with them, but I am happy to know of their existence. If anyone has any experience with them please share it.
So, lately I have been spending lots of time shopping for my wedding dress. This purchase has taken on a near legendary stature. For me personally, I love clothing, designing, traditions, and a bohemian spin. At first I wanted to design and make my own wedding dress, but upon calmer reflection, realized that I would be peeling the paint off the walls with my fingernails if I tried that all by myself. So to the shops. First, shopping for the dress confirmed for me how little I like bridal boutiques. You have two or three people yammering to you that you should have ordered your dress two months ago while gushing that when you see the One you'll Know. Excuse me, are we talking about the groom here or the dress? There is only one of my groom in the world. He is irreplaceable and him I must have. A white dress is not quite so desperately limited. I love beautiful clothes, and because I have had the pleasure of working at costume shops around lovely garments, I have realized that there are dozens of dresses that would look equally spectacular on me. I shopped and found gorgeous diaphanous things that made me feel celestial: Demetrio's, Priscilla of Boston, Maggie Sottero, Pronovias, all beautiful. All for the mere cost of anywhere between $900 and $3,500. Now, wedding budgeteers say that the wedding attire (this includes the groom's attire as well) should be around 10% of the entire budget. So if I bought the very cheapest gown, add all other gament costs and Sean's attire that would make our budget somewhere around $15,800.
So, no Bridezilla boutiques for me, please. I likewise am not a huge fan of the synthetic fabrics at David's Bridal. I also pretty quickly nixed the idea of buying a used wedding dress as I want no bad dress karma, and I continued to search for another option. Dawn, my matron of honor told me about this place called ARIAdress. The company makes simple, unembellished patterns and you can choose to have the dress made of cotton eyelet, silk shantung, Duchess satin, silk satin or silk taffeta. The cost of a dress runs somewhere from $145 to $435 which is precisely the right cost for many bridal budgets right now. They ship out a sample dress for the cost of $15 (you cover shipping it back) for you to see if it is something you like and then go from there. I examined the dresses for quality and their simple designs are lined and well stitched. They seem to be a very good option. There are three stores in the nation, and this link to their contact info: http://www.ariadress.com/contact.htm. I have decided whether I will be going with them, but I am happy to know of their existence. If anyone has any experience with them please share it.
Friday, April 03, 2009
A Welcome Back Letter
I told myself that tonight I am going to work on a watercolor of one of my bridal dress designs. It's not for myself on our big day, it's for a contest through Brides magazine. Design a dress! Win $10,000! Sean and I are still hoping for a winning lottery ticket or first prize in one of these crazy contests, so fingers crossed, right! The contest is due, let me check...11:59 PM April 6th. I only just bought the paints and paper today, so according to my M.O. of my schooling years I'm way ahead of schedule. Further updates later.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Allergic to Learning
Update. I really was allergic to Intermediate Latin. Or the book at least. I exchanged my Aeneid book, and I'm fine now.
Also, the most amazing thing happened today. I am just going to say forgiveness is an amazing, a beautiful miracle.
Also, the most amazing thing happened today. I am just going to say forgiveness is an amazing, a beautiful miracle.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Starting Over
With this new school year -- the first in which I have been officially acknowledged as a college senior -- I thought I would start anew with a fresh motif for my blog. I rather like it.
As I write this, I glanced at the clock and realized that at 12:10 a.m. it is past my bedtime. That is right. Anyone familiar with me through my years of highschool and the beginnings of college would know that I was comfortable with a schedule more suitable to a vampire. For a while I managed to sleep all through the light hours and work/play through the night. Maturity breeds contempt. No. Familiarity is the mother of all invention.
I am positively tripping from an intense allergic reaction which has been like a self-invited and unwelcome relative. I felt like my left eye was trying to escape all day. I am accustomed to being a warmly sympathetic observer to Sean's allergy symptoms. While I truly empathized with him I did not want to actually join him in the drowning fuzziness of a failing battle with allergens. Sean comforted me by drawing a diagram of what my immune system was doing to me after going through a an hilariously elaborate ordeal to buy some antihistamines. It may be less complicated to buy a firearm in Texas than Clariten-D. Sean oddly enough was unscathed by nature today, while I slowly disintegrated into puddle of misery as I built a fortress of kleenex around myself. We finally figured that my allergies were worst while I was working on my Latin translation of The Aenied. Apparently, I am allergic to Intermediate Latin.
As I write this, I glanced at the clock and realized that at 12:10 a.m. it is past my bedtime. That is right. Anyone familiar with me through my years of highschool and the beginnings of college would know that I was comfortable with a schedule more suitable to a vampire. For a while I managed to sleep all through the light hours and work/play through the night. Maturity breeds contempt. No. Familiarity is the mother of all invention.
I am positively tripping from an intense allergic reaction which has been like a self-invited and unwelcome relative. I felt like my left eye was trying to escape all day. I am accustomed to being a warmly sympathetic observer to Sean's allergy symptoms. While I truly empathized with him I did not want to actually join him in the drowning fuzziness of a failing battle with allergens. Sean comforted me by drawing a diagram of what my immune system was doing to me after going through a an hilariously elaborate ordeal to buy some antihistamines. It may be less complicated to buy a firearm in Texas than Clariten-D. Sean oddly enough was unscathed by nature today, while I slowly disintegrated into puddle of misery as I built a fortress of kleenex around myself. We finally figured that my allergies were worst while I was working on my Latin translation of The Aenied. Apparently, I am allergic to Intermediate Latin.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Incomprehensibly Genius
A short list of bands who have entirely incomprehensible lyrics -- the sort that when you sing along you sound like thus: "A thousand, thousand phreeeeehh, we phaluuuuudeh." -- yet are still fantastic...whatever they may be saying.
- AC/DC
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Bob Dylan
- And sometimes Lynard Skynard (I think)
Any other additions from others?
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Leave a Message After the Beep
Meghan is out of the office at the moment on a finals vacation. She will return once her brain has uncurled from its fetal position. If your message is urgent, leave a message after the beep and she will return your call as soon possible.
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