on the cheap

Hi it's me, Anna. Once again, I am on the quest to save lots of money.

I met with a recently married couple who had their wedding at the Boathouse, just like we will. If you can chat with another couple who used your venue, do it. It's so worth it. You get the full *honest* report of what is actually realistic for that location. I feel so much better now.

A few things:

We are having a dessert, hors d'oeuvre, and wine reception so there is minimal cooking involved. I haven't picked out a caterer yet, but a bakery will most likely suffice (even for the finger food). However, for those that are wanting a full meal but can't afford the catering company, I really recommend this site.

I am also trying to DIY as many of our decorations as possible. However, I am not super crafty (nor do I have much time), so I am also trying to get things that will be easy to assemble. Enter in Efavormart, the best kept secret on the web. Really. So cheap and so easy.

I am starting to think about bridesmaids dresses (Mandie--we seem to be intersecting here). We are 8.5 months away from the wedding (OH MY GOD!!! OHMYGODOHMYGOD). In September, at the 6 month mark, I am going to formally invite my gals to be in the bridal party... (they all pretty much know that they are going to be involved). Because these wonderful women are just as busy as I am, I want to make their time participating in this project enjoyable. So, I am starting to shop around now. Here are two dresses from Nordstrom's that I really like:

Last but not least, we are boiling down to two decisions:

-We are most likely going to have a dear friend officiate our wedding.

-We are honeymooning either immediately in Mexico (Guadalajara) or a few months after the wedding in Portugal. Honeymoons are so exciting that they make me want to elope!

~Anna

Post #99

Mandie! We're almost to 100... isn't that amazing?

Just a post-script on my last wedding update. It was really nice to see somebody else praising the simplicity and elegance of the JCrew dress that I will be wearing at my wedding.

This weekend, I am stopping by the place where dreams are strangled by corporate megalomaniacs, er, David's Bridal, to pick up a dark plum sash for my midsection. I do, however, really enjoy the broach they used to style it for this magazine photo:

~Anna

Dress: Check!

I bought my wedding dress!!!

So, I fell in love with this dress for many reasons including:

1. It is elegant and understated
2. It flatters my body type
3. When I wear it, I get really excited about the wedding
4. I can sit in it and dance in it

Things are moving along. Fiance's task in the next few weeks is to book the venue. I am dutifully reading books such as "The New Jewish Wedding" for help and inspiration. Our prospective wedding parties and guest list have been identified, with a little wiggle room for the latter.

I know wedding planning is supposed to be stressful, but having a slightly longer engagement has made the process this side project we can go back to when we have free time every now and then. I am sure it won't always be that way, but for now it gives us a little breathing room.

We know where we're moving next year, and I got a position that incorporates my passions. Fiance is still working on the job hunt, but the picture is slowly focusing in a little bit more sharply.

~Anna