Wedding Recap: The First Look Part 2

         When we left off, James and I had finished getting ready and were ready to begin our pictures with Mark and Noelle. We decided on taking all our pictures beforehand because as a planner, I realize how important it is to not keep your guests waiting. Some of my more traditional family had a problem with this in the beginning, but looking back at our wedding day, I am very thankful that we did take all of our portraits beforehand. I must also add, brides: Make sure you have a shot list for your photographers before your wedding. This is one thing that I regret everyday because the pictures of my mom and I and my dad and I are limited. I blame myself for not being more proactive and doing this, but rather trusting myself that I would remember all of these on the wedding day.

Wedding Vendors:

Photography: McCoy Made

Flowers: Patricia Capes

Videography: 2Duce2 Videography

Rentals:Classic Party Rentals

Lighting: Nashville Audio Visual

Real Wedding Planning Tips: The Kids in Your Wedding

Now a day's brides and grooms are struggling with the concept of including (and even inviting) children to their wedding. When we were figuring out our wedding party we had no question whether or not we would include children in our wedding party. This is why:

Meet Kenny who is our ring bearer



and Jessie, our flower girl.

(How could you not want these cute kids in your wedding?)

Attire for the children is just as important as the groomsmen and bridesmaids. For Jessie, we are considering a very flowwy pretty party dress that she can have fun in. Kind of something like this:



I am going to DIY this flower girl basket that I found online. I don't like the birds though so those will definitely stay off! I think adorned with some beautiful blossoms it will make for a very rustic but elegant flower girl basket, which is definitely what we are going for.



Now for Kenny, I really do not want him to match the groomsmen, but want him to be his typical cute self.(This little boy yells Amen in church at the most appropriate times and the whole church dies laughing)


This Eton Suit is adorable and at a price of only $35.00 who can beat that. Kenny will not carry your traditional ring bearers pillow. I was looking for a way to incorporate more green into the wedding and found this beauty online. Another DIY project but unfortunately this can not be completed until the day before. Isn't it cute? I will adorn it with a pretty pink ribbon and voila!

Now, how are you outfitting the kids for your wedding? I would love to hear your ideas!

Keep on Planning,

Hillary

Penny Pinching Bride- Finding the Perfect Budget Engagement Ring

While the holiday season is rapidly approaching us, the engagement season is as well. “Silver Bells” and “Merry Christmas” are familiar phrases of the holiday season, but “Will You Marry Me” is a very popular phrase for couples.

This holiday season will be a penny pinching one for many, requiring many people to get creative in their search for affordable engagement rings. But, there are ways to get a quality ring without breaking the bank. Take into consideration these 5 easy pointers to save money on your soon to be fiance’s engagement ring!

1. Be educated! - You hear everyone talking about the 4 C’s (Clarity, Cut, Color and Carat) engagement ring shopping. If you don’t know what those are, stop reading right here and visit Shane and Co.’s website (shaneco.com) for jewelry education. This website will teach you everything you need to get the best bang for your buck when engagement ring shopping. Going in uneducated on the ins and outs of ring shopping could land you with a bad buy for your money. Know what kind of ring your fiancé wants and what color most of her jewelry is. If she has a right hand ring that is yellow gold, buying a white gold engagement ring could end up costing you more money than you anticipated. Talk to your fiancé’s family and friends about what type of engagement ring she would like as well.

2. Choose a smaller stone to propose with- There is no shame in buying your future fiancé a starter ring and updating the ring on an anniversary to come, such as 1 year or even 5 year. Shane Co. offers this service and also a free lifetime warranty.

3. Don’t be afraid of higher end department stores. Some higher end department stores such as JcPenney, Macy’s, Belk, and Dillard’s offer quality rings at a fraction of the price. When we got engaged last December, James told me that it was a temporary ring and that he wanted to get me a different ring eventually. We were out shopping one Sunday at JcPenney and found a great 1/3 of a carat nearly colorless, small inclusion ring for $300! That was too For example this Blue Nile (www.bluenile.com) ring sells for $1600.

www.bluenile.com

Did you know that you can find similar rings for around $500 or $600. This ring below can be found at Wal-Mart (Don’t cringe, read below) for $398!

Walmart.com

4. Don’t Settle for a Ring that is not “the Ring”- Too many men regret that they did not take longer in searching for the perfect ring for their fiancé. If you don’t find the ring by when you wanted to propose, don’t worry about it. She will still love you if you propose at a least expecting time. Be 100% sure before you buy.

(Bravo Bride.com)

5. Scout eBay, Craigslist or pre-owned bridal sites, like Bravo Bride - Many recent divorcees sell their engagement rings and wedding bands on these websites for sometimes as much as 75% off. Just be on the look out and make sure everything is legitimate before purchasing.

6. Remember- No matter what amount you spend on an engagement ring, it is the love and thought that you put behind it and how happy you will be when you are husband and wife.

Happy Planning!

Ways to Destress with your groom!

The last few weeks have been very stressful for both James and I. I have been meeting with clients and having vendor meetings. James has been working about 45 hours a week for the last few weeks. So destressing has been on my mind most definitely.

Here are a few ways you can destress with your fiance:


1. Only talk about wedding planning one or two nights a week. Guys get overwhelmed by all the color and vendor talk easily and let's face it, but their brain's can't handle as much information overload as a female's does. By only wedding planning with him two nights a week, you are limiting the wedding information overload.

2. Plan a date night every week. Find something you both enjoy doing or a new adventure and go and do it ever week. I was looking at the fab- Gray Photography blog this week and they had a great tip! (http://www.grayphotograph.com/blog/) They had a craft night for one of their date nights! GREAT IDEA!

3. Plan a weekend getaway. Escaping to the beautiful Florida panhandle, or going to enjoy the picturesque mountains of a fall Gatlinburg Day, is a fun and adventurous way to escape the stress from work and wedding planning. Hotels run specials during the week and there is likely to be less people during those times.

And just because every blog is better with some kind of inspiration post.. Here is my favorite inspiration board of the week.