Posts in the 'Design' Category
January 12th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
I get loads of questions from brides seeking guidance on budget, offbeat or green decor, and I can relate! I had many a stressful day pondering how to not only afford decor that would pack a punch, but not lose my limbs paying for it, and still manage to make a statement with it. But let me tell you, sisters, if you get yourself a roll of fishing line and turn on the creativity…. there are loads of unique, affordable and simple opportunities to spruce up a space with little money, little effort, but MAXIMUM flavor, yo! Let me count the ways….. Let’s take a walk off the beaten aisle for a moment, shall we?
Clear out the clearance rack at your local post-holiday sale, and string up a dazzling and reflective curtain that’s as festive as it is adorable….
Its raining baubles!
Clearance Ornaments + Fishing Line = broke-ass brilliance!
And use your leftovers to line your aisle, pile into glass vessels for centerpieces, and make a whimsical winter wonderland of it! Wouldn’t it be dreamsicle to hold your ceremony in front of such a shimmery sight?
Hit up your local craft shop and go craft pom wild! String these babies up for a light and easy beaded curtain backdrop and give your wedding a modern take on retro design flare….
Its the POM diggity!
For a tutorial, click here. And for more pom decor ideas, check out this post!
For the music loving couple (c’mon rawkstar brides, put your hands up!) How about an edgy and modern (but romantically twinklingly loverly in candlelight) recycled compact disc chandelier or curtain?
Compact Disc DIY
colorful compact cuteness
Tutorial here
Whew! That was easy, wasn’t it? And that’s just the beginning – all it takes is a step outside the box and a little fishing line, yo! The best part is, there’s no special DIY talent necessary. What kind of unusual or found objects will you incorporate into your bad-ass, broke-ass design?
January 4th, 2010 by The Broke-Ass Bride
I relished in every single minute of the “prettifying” part of my wedding day like it the sleepover party of my dreams. Surrounded by my favorite ladies (sisters Dawn and Kim, future SIL Cathy, bestie Mapo, future SIL Judith and my mom), getting the royal treatment, feeling full of joy, relaxed and openhearted, my body buzzing with anticipation. It was a fairy tale transformation that made me feel like a bad-ass princess, ready to take on the day, find my prince charming and waltz our way into our happily-ever-after.
Cinderella smile.
It started with my hairdresser Martina putting tight Shirley Temple curls all around my head….
Curlsplosion!
…which she then had to brush completely out to achieve the perfect look, before fastening my gorgeous, custom TS Tiara headband across me like a whimsical crystal halo. At this point, Martina had been my hairdresser for nearly 2 years by the point we reached this day. She’s adorable and bubbly and warm, and she made my hair look ultrafly. I loved having her there to share in the excitement.
tying the knot before tying the knot.
Meanwhile, my dress was waiting patiently….. showing off for the camera.
with my coat of many colors.
Even the dresses had their own special makeover party. A few days before the rehearsal, my wedding dress designer Deborah Lindquist saved the day by doing a last-minute alteration on my rehearsal dress. When we picked it up, she thrilled us with a generous offer to come over the morning of the wedding not only deliver but steam my dress and help me into it. You might remember that I worked with Deb for nearly a year, after bartering a work-trade for a discount on the gown, and we bonded through that experience. I was so touched when she offered to come help. That morning she surprised us by offering to also steam the bridesmaid’s dresses so everyone would look perfect. I felt so spoiled with love! Having her there was so special.
a colorful gaggle of tafetta.
I took care of some last minute hygiene (to make sure that first kiss would be as sweet as ever)
brusha brusha brusha!
And carefully nested the bottle of wine given to us by our friend Nick, who crafted us the most gorgeous box for the box ceremony….
here's hoping we don't meet again soon.
I swathed it in a vintage sari depicting the Baraat (an indian wedding processional) which was a recurring element in our paper goods.
yards of marital marching.
Paco wanted to wish me a happy wedding day, too.
today, we become a true family.
I checked in with my mom for some girlish giggly glee…
Mamaw, you look marvelous!
While my vows, our rings and a letter from our best homey in absentia to include in the box ceremony canoodled quietly. Our rings are nestled into a seashell from the beach in San Felipe on which Hunter proposed to me. My dad fastened a bit of ribbon onto the lip of the seashell with epoxy, we strung a ring on each side, and tied a bow. That way it could be passed around during the Ring Warming Ceremony (more to come on that) in a ‘cradle of love’, as-it-were.
Our rings sat in a seashell from the beach where he proposed.
I inserted my “cutlets” and maid of honor Dawn felt me up to make sure they were secure. I needed them to fill out the bustier of my dress a little better. What can I say, I”m a proud member of the itty bitty titty committee. These cutlets would prove to be the only thing that save me from certain death by mortification later that night.
Tune in tokyo.
Our incredible makeup gal, Jessica Rinsky, put the finishing touches on my momma’s lips. We found Jessica at the Laura Mercier counter at Nordstrom – The Grove, in a moment of desperation after a failed makeup trial elsewhere and hired her on the spot. Her personality and talent were bright shining stars! I am very particular about makeup… but she made me and my mother glow as if it were completely natural. If you don’t like feeling like you’re wearing lots of makeup, and want a really natural radiance, I totes recommend Laura Mercier’s line.
a perfect pout.
Then it was my turn to hop in the (effing fabulous) chair once more to get my final touchups done.
My sweatpants said "Love this Life" across the rear. And how I do.
Painting on the perfect pucker.
Waterproof mascara please (I'm a crier).
Pucker up, buttercup!
My ladies each signed the sole of my shoe, so their support would keep me sure-footed through the day.
What a gorgeous momma I've got!
Mapo drew a margarita. She knows me too well.
Sister Kim left her mark while Paco made a fort underfoot.
Let's play dress up!
….Then it was time to get in the gown! Come back for part 2: Dress up time!
(Catch up on past recaps here. See more details in our wedding highlight video here.)
December 10th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
This is a repost of a guest blog I did for my boo Sasha at Sparkliatti last month… but in case any of you missed it, here it is again! Enjoy!
I’m completely in love with creative and original ideas that won’t drain your budget! When Sasha asked me to bring some of my budget decor savviness to her blog, I thought, let’s get to the heart of the matter… or at least of the room: The Table.
Table decor can either be unique and memorable or fade into the background of a wedding – but whether you’re dropping $1 or $100 on it, why waste a chance to surprise and delight your guests with fun and distinctive design? I struggled for days to find inexpensive yet dynamic ways to spruce up our tables without busting our budget, and today I’m sharing my top 5 ways to save on money but stay rich on impact.
1. Having a rustic affair but want to give your tables flair? A large roll of kraft paper can serve as a no-muss sub for linens for much less. Don’t forget to toss some crayons near the kids’ seats…. or everyone’s seats for that matter! Instant interactive fun for your guests!
2. Prefer the feel of fabric? Buy a bolt of unbleached muslin or burlap fabric and use pinking shears to cut tablecloths or runners with character (and leave your sewing kit out of it)! Use baker’s twine to tie a rock into the corners of your tablecloths to help weigh them down.
3. Craft poms are my new obsession. Fill some clear glass bowls, vases or glasses from the flea market with the colorful bunch, or hot glue them to some branches in a vase, and check centerpieces off your list for pennies! Fill paper cones with the leftovers for a fun toss alternative to rose petals that will look whimsical and darling in photos.
4. Save the cost of vases altogether, and cut down on the number of flowers you buy. Pop the heads off some larger stems such as spider mums or orchids and scatter them along the center of the table with some smooth river rocks or seashells woven between them.
5. Bring the outdoors in for tables that add texture and visual interest. Use mosscloth for dynamic table runners or centerpiece elements. Its a natural and inexpensive way to wow your guests, and comes in various shades of green to suit your palette.
I took my own advice, and our guests loved the moss centerpieces!
I hope these ideas help inspire some of you to take your table decor to the next level while keeping your budget in check. Saving money on your wedding decor is often as easy as thinking outside the box! Now go, unleash your inner budget bad-ass and make your tables sing!
What’s your favorite outside-the-box saving tip for table decor?
November 5th, 2009 by The Fresh Hubby
If you’ve been reading here for a while then you know that we are constantly trying to get in shape, create a healthy diet, and generally do things that make us feel like the bad-asses we strive to be. If only it was as easy to give our bodies a makeover as it was to give our blog one!
Our blog header recently went from a big headed Broke-Ass graphic to what our youngest twitter follower calls “Princess!” (She’s two, but we’ll take it), and it is all thanks to our new sponsor, Astrid of Champagne Promises LLC.
The moment we saw Astrid’s amazing work, BAB and I looked at each other and said, “I want to go to there.”
So we went…
From this…
To this…
To TaDazzle!
Until recently, Astrid was based out of Switzerland, running the incredibly successful (and awesomely named) Potato Mamma Design. Her work has been featured in countless magazines and campaigns from Marie Claire to Diesel. Lucky for all of us, Astrid has fallen in love with the U.S. and with wedding design. Now the mind that designed for The Knot (click here to play with a dress up widget she designed for The Knot) can create your own custom invitations!
We were really picky when searching for someone to redesign our blog, but Champagne Promises was right up our ally. All of Astrid’s designs are fresh to death but also incorporate that timeless element of class from the fifties and sixties. You know that, “How can they be so smooth and sexy? I need to buy myself a martini set” kind of classic cool. MadMen much?
Frank, Dean, Sammy- Meet the Mrs.
But invitation design is just the beginning. Why not make this custom design the custom branding of your wedding. The same uniquely you image from your invites can be used for save the date magnets, bachelorette coasters, heck even the big day’s cake topper.
From won’t you come to Yummy yum yum (yeah I said it)
Our makeover wasn’t easy just because Astrid is so talented, she is also a delight to work with. She is incredibly thoughtful, even when it comes to her price points. If a fully custom design isn’t in your budget,
Champagne Promises has multiple options to choose, including “ready to order” designs that can be tailored as much or as little as you like. It can truly be a Champagne design on a beer budget! The possibilities are as large as your imagination, or larger because Astrid will take your idea and run with it. But when your 3
rd cousin asks, “Who thought of these AMAZING invites?” you can just say, “We did.”
October 15th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
If you don’t already know Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge, hie thee to her amazing feast-for-the-eyes of a blog, right now. I’m serious, I’ll wait.
….And we’re back! Ok, now that you’re acquainted with Grace, her eagle eye for design and her absolutely divine taste, I will invite you to sit before moving any further. Because what I’m about to share may cause dizziness. They are my absolute favorite invitations, ever (after my own, of course)!
Grace worked with the utterly fabulous Bird and Banner on her wedding stationery suite, and (I’m serious) I just about started crying when I saw their invitations. They are so perfectly perfect. Romantic, eclectic, vintagey and sweet enough to eat. Plus, they’re eco-friendly, because they’re screenprinted on vintage handkerchiefs, people! They even took care to match the right hankie each guest, for a completely personalized experience. That’s broke-ass style, yo!
(source) I also
adore the woodgrain belly band. I’m a huge sucker for faux bois.
This is a really wonderful idea from which to pull inspiration. You could do something similar for any party, using a gocco and flea market finds. Or make one for yourself and your bridesmaids to use one your wedding day, print a special quote on it. Or, heck, break out the markers and handwrite your message with some adorable doodles! I can think of a million ways to translate this idea into all sorts of fun designs…. wedding or not! (cut to me, furiously combing flea markets for vintage hankies like a bat outta hell).
Read more about the design evolution here, and be sure to go drool your face off over Grace’s wedding photos here – or in this month’s issue of Martha Stewart Weddings.
PS: Grace is coming out with a Design*Sponge book, soon! (cue rejoicing in the streets)
August 20th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
If you followed my wedding plans, you know there’s nothing I love more than custom illustrations. They add a level of personal flair and uniqueness that truly befits a wedding. We had custom drawings done for our save the dates, our invitations, and even for our maps and thank you cards (more to come on those later) – but if I could go back and do it again (or run into a future project that could use our cartoon likenesses), I’d have Sara from Stinkerpants Celebrations do something for us, too!
I love her sunny style and rich, colorful backgrounds! All her characters have tons of personality infused with the classic Stinkerpants touch. She makes a point of including little things that help define a couple’s style, and I love how quirky and sweet all of the designs are! Ultrafly!
Check out this cutesypie Venice themed Save the Date
Or this feast for the eyes tri-fold invitation – aren’t the settings the sweetest?
Her thank you cards give props in a personal and memorable way!
She also does greeting cards. I mean, who could resist this hysterical invitation? (ps: I have a photo of my MOH and BM holding up my dress while I pee, pre-ceremony. It happens to everyone!)
Thirsty?
Now, I might be a tad bit biased, since Sara is also the inimitable Mrs. Creampuff, but her creativity and talent here speaks for its adorable self! She also stands up for what she believes in, which I really admire, and has a sense of humor about her business that I really appreciate. See?
I hope y’all love her work as much as I do – it just makes me smile every time I see it!
July 8th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
This weekend, I’m going to experience some very happy wedding deja vu. My Bride$hare buddy is getting married, and Hunter and I are thrilled to go back to the Bungalow Club for the first time since our wedding 6 weeks ago, and enjoy some of our decor, drink delicious mojitos, and dance our faces off, for the 2nd time around.
These are the fateful paper lanterns that spawned the whole idea for Bride$hare! (photo by Dan Chen)
Way back when, Rebecca saw a blog post of mine lamenting the desire for paper lanterns to spruce up the space at my venue, and she contacted me to suggest we go in on them together and share them. That was just the beginning. Together, we were able to co-purchase and recycle many items from our weddings, which went perfectly with Hunter and my mission to both save green and be green in our wedding plans! In fact, the reception venue owner likes them so much, she might even buy them off of us after the fact and keep them up, which means future brides can benefit from them, too! My bridal karma meter must be off tha charts, son!
These manzanita trees will make a repeat appearance this weekend, too!
Having a Bride$hare buddy was not only a great way to be more fiscally and eco-responsible, but it was also the beginning of a fun and resourceful friendship. Whenever we researched or booked vendors/hotels/rehearsal dinner venues, we’d check in and make suggestions or give feedback to one another about it. We talked invitation design and oohed and aahed over eachother’s creations. We generally supported eachother in a way that most brides only find via message boards, and that was a priceless bonus of the whole experience.
Together, we shared roughly $4,000 worth of goods/services. It was so inspiring, that I set up a website for other brides to connect and get their own share on! Saving all that money was certainly thrilling, but after blogging about it what excites me most is the amount of interest in and embracing of the BrideShare concept from gals all across the web. I encourage you all to try and share and save – after all, green is the new white! So whatcha waiting for? Go get you some!
I am so happy for Rebecca and Rupen this weekend, and can’t wait to celebrate with them, and raise a glass to our collective good fortune.
May 11th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
I gotta keep it real, our invitations are so PIMP, they’re one of my favorite projects from the wedding thus far. Don’t get me wrong, our Save-the-Dates were extra-fly and unique, but something about our invitations just rocks my world in ways beyond expression. I think its because they really capture the energy of the wedding, and drive home to guests exactly what to expect out of our funky, eclectic Magic Carpet Ride themed wedding!
MAD PROPS to the gals at Elizabeth Anne Designs who worked as design consultants on these and patiently made every suggestion and note that we had come to life. Also BIG UPS to my girl Mercedes for her insane art skillz.
So, let’s get started. I’m dumb and didn’t take a photo of the envelopes before we ran out, but we used Stardream Jupiter A9 envelopes, just like our STDs. We decided to go with printed envelopes because we could use our Ganesha graphic and the cute font is better than our handwriting any day of the week!
This is what comes out of the envelope! We made these fabric pockets out of 2 saris I ordered from ebay for $20 each. You can’t really tell but the pattern is all glittery and gorgeous – really this fabric is quite stunning in real life.
I’ll post a tutorial on creating these pockets soon, but it was easypeasy and cheap as hell! I’m really proud of the way they turned out, because we almost scrapped this because we thought it would be really difficult! I love that they’re sheer enough to see the text through. PS: I stored the pockets in a box with chai tea so they’d get a deliciously exotic aroma infused in them!
Here’s the main event – the 11×17 wedding poster! The border is a vector image of a Baraat: a traditional Indian wedding processional. The background is the same lotus vector from our STDs, and you’ll recognize our logo as well. We really wanted to communicate the whimsical vibe of the wedding and get people pumped, so the wording was all carefully selected to do just that. I think we did a pretty wicked job, if I do say so myself!
(you can click to enlarge)
This is the reverse side of the poster. Hunter loved TinTin comics growing up, so we used that style as a launching point for the design. We wanted to echo the STD image without just recycling it, and Mercedes did an amazing job of incorporating the style and making it uniquely us. Bonus: our little Paco bears quite a resemblance to TinTin’s doggie, Snowy.
The RSVP cards were printed on Stardream Opal cardstock, which is a gorgeous, shimmery and luxe paper. I wish the photos did it more justice. This is the front of the postcard:
And the back was MadLib style! Receiving our responses has been so much more fun because of everyone’s creative answers. We plan to display all the response cards at the reception cocktail hour for our guests enjoyment!
(you can almost see the shimmery goodness here)
We also included invitations to the rehearsal dinner for all out of town guests and wedding party members. Since it’s a fiesta, we thought a sombrero would be a fun touch! Rather than including another card requiring response, we opted to set up a gmail account especially for the rehearsal dinner to keep it simple.
We just love everything about them, and all the feedback from our guests has been incredible. Everyone agrees that they really capture our style and essence as a couple. We’re so proud of these babies, and especially thankful for all the hard work that EAD and Mercedes put into it.
So there you have them! Invites, check! What do you think?
May 8th, 2009 by The Broke-Ass Bride
Le Sigh. This would go so beautifully at our wedding if we had all the monies.
Isn’t it gorg?!?
(via StyleMePretty)
