Bride Blogger Update: Tips and Tricks
Last week we got a peek into Bride Blogger Milagros’s beautiful shower – quite the fête! Today, she offers up some of her lessons learned along the planning path…
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Tips and Tricks
Fellow sisters in the wedding planning process, I am excited to get down to business in this post. The last one, before my last one, before the wedding.
For starters, there are just a lot of things people do not tell you when you get engaged. There are no adorable pinterest boards on how to talk to your family about money, no precious pictures on how to absorb the idea of chucking your old last name out of the window (if you decide to do that), and no check lists on how to talk yourself out of a Bridezilla moment (because it just happens, it really does).
And about money, I haven’t really talked too much about budget throughout the course of my bridal blog. But really, I could have written every entry about it.
We probably did everything like we were playing Opposite Day, as in we did everything the opposite of the way you are supposed to. We had a rough idea of our budget going into the planning process, but we failed to go through and determine where we wanted to splurge and where we wanted to save. So as a result we spent money on things that we probably didn’t need, which is a costly mistake to make when you are planning a fairly traditional wedding in DC.
When it comes to weddings, budgets can very quickly blow up, and before you know it, it can feel like you are planning a platinum wedding, when all you wanted was a backyard BBQ (eh hmmm… I might be speaking from personal experience), so have a clear sense of your dollars and consider hiring a reputable local planner. It will make the process a lot easier and more enjoyable.
I would say be creative when it comes to your wedding. Not everything has to be bridal or purchased from a bridal store. Also, for DC area brides, it might not hurt to look outside of DC for your vendors. This area has great photographers (i.e. our photographer, Maria Vicencio), but for video, and floral you might get a better bang for your buck looking elsewhere.
Our florist is based right outside of Charlottesville ( Sugar Magnolias ), and I wrote in a previous post about videographers in North Carolina who are worth looking into.
When it comes to your wedding dress, I really think sample sales are the way to go. They happen seasonally at most bridal salons, and you can find amazing dresses at a fraction of their original cost. A good seamstress should be able to alter and adjust it so that it is tailor made for you.
Get creative with your gifts, and time your shopping around sales. I mean, that is probably just a good rule of thumb for life.
I found most of my bridal party gifts during a Memorial Day sale at the Leesburg outlets. I felt like I was #Winning that entire day. Additionally, a site like Artifact Uprising has thoughtful momentos at reasonable prices.
And lastly, one of my bridesmaids gave me some great advice which I was so thankful to receive. She basically told me to let my friends and family show me their love in their own way.
When it comes to a wedding, you are merging families and friendships, customs and traditions. It can be exciting, and at times confusing, so I find that it is just best to realize that at the center of this moment in your life, there is love. And that helps keep the rest of it in perspective.
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