It's my favorite time!!

It's extra 30% off time at j.crew in the final sale section!  This means, if you are having a summer wedding like I did, it's time to pick your color out of sale ones and get your girls to order their dresses!!! I even saw on there today that my wedding dress (the short white one) is on sale for $30 PLUS another 30% off!!! How could you beat that?!

it's time to start planning...

next year's summer weddings! 

To kick off my new dedication to the bargain bride world, here's a new tip!  

SHARE STUFF!! No... I am not saying share your wedding gown with your sister or anything, although I guess you could, but lets be real... why can't you share some stuff?

For my wedding we made a ton of stuff ourselves, including the bridesmaid bouquets, annnnd then we forgot them! (Yes, I know, leave it to me or my big to forget the flowers! But it's okay... grocery store flowers are perfect!)  But what am I supposed to do with those original bouquets?! Find another bargain bride whose getting married on the beach, that's what! 

Maybe you have extra candles you only burned for a little while or some other stuff that can be used at a shower or reception.   And remember, if you were a good bargain bride, you didn't spend too much money on it to begin with, so help another bargain girl out and "donate" it to the wedding or just let her borrow it, if it's something you really want back!

It's okay to pass down stuff to another bride you know, or offer to share your craft supplies so you can recreate something you have already perfected!

Who knows? Maybe you and your friends and family will start some new traditions this way!

Remember those cake pops?!

Hey everyone!  Remember those incredibly cute cake pops I mentioned a couple weeks ago?!  Well my favorite foodie is running a contest to win some of your own!  Try 'em before you buy 'em for your wedding!!  Check it out!!

Brides! Have you heard of Rue LaLa yet?!  My best friend, Kate, has gotten me hooked!  Today when I checked it, the boutique for the next two days is an "I Do" shop!! Ladies, get in there and check it out!  Great bargains for the bargain bride!!!!  I forgot to mention, it's by invitation only, so if you're not in yet, ask around.... some of your girlfriends have got to be in there!

What are you waiting for?!?  Go to Rue LaLa!!!

Give pops a chance!

Mornin' everyone!  Sorry that I am a little earlier than my normal posting time, but I could not resist. And let's face it, I am not so good with the posting schedule anyway!

I was going through my google reader this morning and ny good friend, CookinFanatic, had the cutest thing I had ever seen her blog!!  As most of you know, since I have mentioned this healthy cooking girl a few times, Stephanie tries to live as healthily as possible, and is definitely a foodie.  She posted about these cuties from Candy Valley Cake Company in her blog last night!

I could not resist telling ya'll about them!  Now, I haven't tried them yet, but if the fanatic recommends them, then they are definitely are on my list of things to get!  They would be perfect at a wedding!!  Think cupcakes, but even cuter!  They could easily be displayed in a cute way instead of a big cake... and we all know how much I love replacements for big huge cakes!!  You could even add them in to a self-serve candy bar.

I looked through the company's Web site and some of these cake pops are so wonderfully decorated, they are just to die for!  I kind of wish I had heard about these earlier... they definitely would have made an appearance at my wedding!

The other thing to consider is that they don't have to just be for weddings; you can use them at showers and parties too!

a schedule could be nice

It seems as though I have been blogging on Mondays and Thursdays lately.  It's a schedule that has formed naturally, so I am not going to make any promises, but I am going to try and keep this going!

Today's tip is, like most of mine, a little out there. but not really. A friend of mine has been creating some of the most incredible screen printed designs.  From napkins to handbags, she is printing everything! To add a little bit fun, why not do some awesome, patterned napkins at your event?  Or use place mats with your centerpieces.  I am really digging simple designs as opposed to over the top floral arrangements full of roses. Not to mention, we all know how I love a good outdoor wedding!  I have been seeing a lot of pictures of weddings being done in old barns and I am in LOVE with them!! (I promise to share them with ya'll soon!) But the more I think of those incredible barn/outdoor weddings, I can't help but think of fun, linen and cotton accessories! Twiddle+Tweet prints in tons of colors and has her own designs.  You can check out her stuff on etsy (another one of my all time faves for wedding planning!!).  Here is a link to her store:  Twiddle+Tweet

You can use the napkins as table decorations too!  Just put a simple potted plant on it, and you are good go.  Or a really simple vase with a single flower in it, maybe.

We used a lot of galvanized buckets at our beach wedding, and those would look super cute with these custom-made table linens!!

an idea for drinks

Lately, I have been on a real kick for glass stuff.  But really... it's just that I love how glass looks.  Let's be real... not everyone's weddings are at places where glass is a suitable thing - especially with so many brides getting married outside at places like the beach, the park, and even their own backyard!  I came across these awesome drink dispensers at a party recently.  They are from Pottery Barn, and are a little pricey, I wouldn't call them the best bargain ever, but I think they are so worth it.  And sometimes... you just have to the bite the bullet and splurge.  I did some investigating and all of the reviews I read for cheaper acrylic dispensers seemed poor; they leaked, they looked cheaper, they just didn't measure up!  The reviews for these, however, seemed flawless.  They look like real glass, are a little fancier with the silver accents, and no reported any leaking from the spigot.   And they are reusable!! You can buy them for the wedding and then keep using them at your parties as you entertain as "married people."  I would suggest buying a couple of them so you can put different types of drinks in them.  I am purchasing my own set and plan to use them at an upcoming party and serving an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of everyone's summer favorite - lemonade!