Wedding Wise Wednesday – August 19

Every week I post the coolest wedding stories and best deals I find in Los Angeles and around the web. And we call it Wedding Wise Wednesday.

I’ve gotten some flack from a few people about the Recession Bride’s Workshop, especially about my line about asking Aunt Susan to make dinner for everyone or sew your own dress from scratch. It’s great if you can do that, but…most people don’t have those kind of resources or skills or time. They just don’t. It comes down to having the wedding you want, using what you have available, even if that’s just a certain amount of money in your budget. Couples shouldn’t be made to feel bad if they want to DIY, but they shouldn’t be made to feel bad if they don’t – or cant – either. DIY is a great way to save money. Combining DIY with bargain hunting is also a great way to save money. And it tuns out that combining eco-friendly bargain hunting and DIY? Is a great way to save money. Observe:

Squee of the Week:
So, get this – Green Karat not only uses recycled gold to make their wedding rings, BUT you can send them recycled gold, either anything you have, or even better, gold donated by family and friends (sounds like a great bridal shower project to me),and have them make your rings out of that. When I found out about this at $2,000 wedding , I texted two of my more eco and DIY-minded brides to give them a heads-up.
And since I can’t get through a post without linking to etsy these days, there’s also a long list of reasonably priced rings made of recycled metal there as well.

If it’s Good Enough for Mrs. Griffin, It Should Be Good Enough For You:

Really, I never thought much about boxed wine, but I’m a big fan of Kathy Griffin, and if you’ve watched the show, you know her mom is a big fan of boxed wine, which provides one of the bigger consistent laughs of the whole show. Look, I buy $5 wines at Trader Joes, good wine, darn it, so I could never judge. Plus, while I was over at 2k wedding learning about recycled rings, I found out that boxed wine has a lower carbon footprint than bottled wine because it’s lighter to ship, plus it has a longer shelf-life once you open it. You can find reviews of the best of them here, here, and here. You only need about 10 boxes for 100 guests, and they retail between $13 – 20 per box. So, that’s $130 – 200 for wine for all your guests. If you don’t want to deal with other people’s opinions, keep it on the DL and put the wine in decanters, either behind the bar or better yet, at each table. No one needs to know…

DIY Your Flowers and Centerpieces
Probably the second easiest DIY wedding project, other than using invitation kits, is putting together your own bouquets and centerpieces. Keep it simple and it’s easily done, especially with the abundance of video tutorials on the internet. DIY Bride also has a great list of online bulk flower stores,some of which are local, but you can always go to Trader Joes or a farmer’s market for more inexpensive choices as well.

And Then Something Comes Along…

It often happens that you think that something is going to be impossible for you to do, and then you come across something that convinces you that maybe it isn’t. While yesterday, I would never have been convinced that I, or anyone else I know, could make their own cake, I saw this:

And I thought, hey, I could do that, and more importantly, I’d like to do it. Three different sizes of flourless chocolate cake, with whipped cream combined with cream cheese stacked between the layers. And you wouldn’t even have to make it, you could probably buy the layers and put it together. Either way, go to the kitchn and find out how.

The Events:

The Recession Bride’s Workshop
Sunday, August 23rd

Are you afraid that you can’t have your dream wedding on your budget? Would you like to find out how to save money without sacrificing style or your vision of the perfect day? On Sunday, I will teach you innovative, reasonable strategies and solutions that will save you thousands of dollars on your wedding. Start right away by taking advantage of our special promotion with KIIS FM and get $10 discount on registration when you use the code”KIIS” at checkout.

OC Bridal Show
Sunday, August 23, 11 – 4pm
Embassy Suites Brea
900 E. Birch Street
Brea, California
$7 at the door, $5 if you register online.

Brides and Basketball
Tuesday, August 25th, 6-9pm
Staples Center
1111 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles CA 90015
What’s the best way to get your guy to go to bridal show with you? Put a basketball game in the middle of it. Oh, I am SO there!

Encore Bridal
Bridal Accessory Trunk Show
August 28 – 30
Veils, Jewelry, and wait for it…SHOES. 20% off any order that’s made during the show. While you’re there, check out their stock of pre-owned (re-cycled and thus re-used) designer wedding dresses.

See you Sunday,

Liz C.