The antidote to a cheap wedding, The Broke-Ass Bride delivers bad-ass wedding inspiration to turn your budget wedding into a kick-ass and totally unique wedding… because its not about how much you spend, its how you spend it!
The wedding community has been all a-buzz thanks to the repeal of Proposition 8 in California last week, which overturned the state’s gay marriage ban. To celebrate, a bunch of my vendor friends are offering up special discounts, freebies and contests to our same-sex brothers and sisters… and as queen of all things broke-ass, I’m rounding them all up for you! And away we go…..
♥ Paper and Thread Studio have teamed up with a gaggle of sweet-ass vendors to give away one incredible wedding package. The contest is open to same-sex couples getting married in the San Diego or Orange County area.
♥ Cakes and Kisses Photography (who you might remember from our Kick Ass Cake Bash photos) is offering “Inequality in Marriage” discount to all same-sex couples getting married, celebrating a commitment ceremony or a civil union. Mention this blog posting or So You’re EnGAYged to receive a 45% discount, representing the 45 states where same-sex marriages are not yet recognized.
♥ Pink Cloud Events is looking for gay couples in California to tell Pink Cloud why they embody the modern day romance. The winning couple will win $10,000 worth of wedding planning services provided by Pink Cloud and very special friends in the wedding industry.
♥ Christina at Simply Modern Weddings is offering 25% off her wedding planning/design services to same-sex couples in celebration.
♥ Andrinique Special Events will give away 1 free ‘Day of ” service for an LA area wedding of 50 guests or less and 20% off their Full or mid service packages for guest count of 75 – 125 people. Offer expires 11/30/2010
♥ Noa of the exquisite Feather Love Photography will be giving away free wedding photography to one lucky same-sex couple once it’s legalized! Keep an eye on her site for details!
♥ Rachel at Let’s Klink is offering 20% off for LGBT couples in celebration. When gay marriage is legal here, she will offer a freebie!
♥ In honor of 8+4, the day that Prop 8 was struck down, our own Liz from Silver Charm Events is offering a 12% discount off of any of her wedding planning services to the first 8 same-sex couples who contact her.
♥ And here at Broke-Ass HQ we’re so high on equality that we’re running an advertising special! Just in time to reach those fall and winter brides and show them what’s what, we’re offering 20% off sponsorship purchases to first-time advertisers through the month of August with the code “NoH8″! Email us for more details!
♥ The inimitable Alisa Benay is offering 45% off all Alisa Benay Couture or BeLoved by Alisa Benay wedding gowns and accessories
Valid dates: through August 31, 2010
How to buy: email alisa@alisabenay.com or call 719.650.9088 for gown pricing and purchasing instructions. No limit on how far out our wedding is, you can place your deposit in August for the discounted price.
Who is eligible: Anyone celebrating equality in marriage!
I love my job. It’s a great gig. Think about it – I get to help people create one of the coolest days of their lives - an atmosphere of fun and joy and love, with shopping, and food, and cocktails along the way. I’ve made some great friends, had some great experiences, and I am never, ever bored. And when it’s over, I just can’t wait to do it again.
These are a few of my favorite things…
Stuff You Guys Come Up With:
When I saw the cake below at one of my first weddings, I knew I had picked the right profession. I love how each couple puts their personal touch on their day. Parasols and popcorn “bars”. Guests singing the bride down the aisle. The Groom formally introducing the pie they served instead of cake. Navy honor guards. Salted caramels from the couple’s home state (life-changing!). Beach side Indian weddings. Beach side Mariachi bands. Comicon, for crying out loud. And you don’t even want to know how many songs on my ipod come from weddings I’ve done. Thanks, y’all.
Does this veil clash with my leotard?
Stuff Wedding World Comes Up With
Yeah, Baby.
This is an incredibly creative and innovative industry and wedding inspiration is constantly popping up. Wedding World is always showing up with new ideas and new ways to package “old’ ideas (see the awesomeness to the left). Happiness isn’t just a rice-krispie cake, it’s wedding e-vites, and being able to put a house down payment on your registry. Plant-able invitations. The glory of having your choice of pre-owned Vera Wangs. Online wedding expos. An iphone app to find the perfect engagement ring. Videocasting your ceremony to the other side of the world. And when was the last time you saw a wedding pic that took your breath away? Like, an hour ago?? It just keeps getting better and better.
Stuff I Just Love
In no particular order: The look on her face when she finally finds the dress. A full and rockin’ dance floor at the reception. Getting a picture at the end of the night with the bride and groom. Signature drinks. Candy favors. When the invitations are officially in the mail and no one has to cut, copy, paste or align anything ever again. Watching a couple laughing their heads off with their best friends. Answering the question, “Can we?” with, “Well, yeah.” And my number one favorite thing, ever? The first time the groom sees the bride as she walks down the aisle. Because it all comes down to the two of them, and how special they each are, and how special they are to each other. That’s what it’s all about.
So, what do you absolutely, straight-out love about weddings? Because I’m pretty sure I forgot something.
Wedding Deals of the Week:
Save the date August 14th, for the Orange County Bridal Bazaar, where brides can buy gently used goods or hand made items from some of our fave SoCal’s event designers on the cheap, like a swap meet! Great idea, right?
The Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale is coming to a town near you this summer. Gorgeous dresses at the pre-requisite 25 – 75% off, all for a great cause. AND OneWed.com is giving you the chance to win free tickets, so check out their site, too.
You already know this stuff, you just might not know that you know that you know it. You know?
He Does, Too.
How to Put Dinner For Hundreds in Perspective. Odds are, your wedding is the first big sit-down dinner that you’ve ever thrown. So, when I meet with brides and they tell me that they want to feed 250 guests on a reception budget of $5,000 or less, I get that it’s just a failure to extrapolate from real life. How much does it cost for you and your guy to go out to dinner? Even if it’s some place like Olive Garden – salad, entrées, drinks and dessert are going to be $30-35 per person, not including tax and tip (Yes, I checked online). And that’s Olive Garden. When you think about it that way, it doesn’t seem quite as harsh. Expensive, maybe, but not so harsh.
Being in your wedding party is an honor, but don’t make it a burden. They are not going to wear that dress again. How do I know that? Did you ever wear the last bridesmaid dress you wore again? Neither did I. So, be kind when it comes to how much the dress is going to cost, especially considering their other expenses, like hotel, airfare, a wedding gift, your bachelorette party, etc.. Once everyone is at your wedding, make everything as easy as possible. Let them know where they they need to be and when and how and what. Tell them how happy you are that they are there with you, and then tell them again. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were a bridesmaid, so don’t treat them like servants. Your wedding party is happy to be there for you – don’t make them unhappy to be there for you.
The Fine Art of Guest Maintenance. Assume nothing. Spell out everything. Where to go, how to get there, who to talk to, what to say. Wedding websites are useful. Everyone has stuff to do, don’t get angry, just set aside the week after your RSVP deadline to follow up with the no-replies. Some folks will not be able to find theirs, no matter what, so back-up up place cards with a list of your guests by last name and by table. Signage is useful. Think about what really sucked at the last wedding you went to, and make sure that’s covered. Think about what you really loved at the last wedding you went to and make sure that’s covered. Find out where the bathrooms are so you can tell whoever asks. If it’s hot, cool and hydrate your guests, if it’s cold, warm them. If there’s a long wait twixt event a and event b, entertain them. Make it a goal to say hello to every single one of your guests. Don’t let the food run out. Don’t let the drinks run out. Keep the dance floor hopping. That all being said, some people will never be happy, so just smile and thank them for coming. You might be related to some of those people, but do it anyway.
Your fiance is getting married, too. I put this last, so it’s the first thing you remember. Here’s the thing – an alarm goes off in my head when a bride contacts me about her wedding and DOESN’T mention her fiance off the bat. “I’m getting married on blah blah” as opposed to “we’re getting married on blah blah”, or if it takes a couple of emails or phone calls to even mention his name, and this happens a lot. It’s his wedding, too. Honor his wishes. Ask him what he wants as far as the wedding is concerned, involve him as much as he wants (not necessarily as much you want him to be) , don’t be surprised if he says no to anything, and work it out if he does. When you talk about your wedding, remember to say “We.” and “Us.” This is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, not just the plastic groom on top of your wedding cake. I’m just saying.
See? I told you already knew this stuff. So, what else has given you a big head-smacking “Duh!” on your way down the aisle? And have you had an issues with numbers 1-4 yet?
This Week’s Deals:
"Limited, in terms of price, that is"
The Limited Wedding Dresses Are Here! The Limited Wedding Dresses are Here! And the price is just as pretty as the dresses are. The Limited is starting out with two styles, each less than $300. The worst part is that they’re only available online for now, but alas, you cannot have everything.
Did you know that June is National Candy Month? Luckily, if it’s also your wedding favor of choice, The Wedding Outlet has your back – use the code “SweetTreat” at checkout for 10% off your entire order.
And remember, L.A. brides, next Sunday, June 27th is The Recession Bride’s Workshop, taught by yours truly. Time to find out how to make your wedding budget stretch and still achieve the pretty you want to have. Start saving money right away by using the code”WedCharmFive” at registration. Only a few spots left, so go NOW.
Come on now, let’s all save some money! No, not the deprived, wish-I-could-but-I-can’t, poor little poor girl type of saving…. that’s no fun for anyone! Why should we have to sacrifice taste or style in the name of savings? Eff that noise! A budget wedding don’t have to look like no cheap wedding! There’s far too many ways to have your taste and keep it too, and I’m bouts to lay down my secret shopping savings weapons, so you can get your splurge on… without the guilt.
First up…. Group Buying Power!
Sites like SocialBuy, Groupon, Living Social and more are cropping up faster than starbucks joints, and many of the deals they proffer work just as well for weddings as they do for weekends. From manicures and massages to cheap date night dinners and fun summer playtime outings, you can keep these deals to yourself, or give them as gifts to friends, family and bridal party members. They work by maximizing the power of the masses, so sharing these deals with your friends is to your advantage. Most deals score you discounts of 50-70% off. Those numbers make my fingers itch to hit BUY!
Which tees it up for….. Members Only Sales!
On a similar but different note, members-only sites like Gilt Groupe, Rue La La and more sell high-end designer duds, accessories, gifts and more at deep-ass discounts (up to 70%) in limited quantities and for limited runs. This is major jackpot for those have-to-have-’em heels or a rehearsal dress (or suit for the dude) to knock their socks off. You need an invite to join, and the link above is mine to you. (You’re welcome!) But they sell out fast, so check early and often if they’re featuring a designer you adore. Swirl (Daily Candy’s new sample sale site), is now in Beta testing, but looks just as bad-ass as any of ‘em. And now, with the birth of travel-specific sites with the same savings bent like Bonvoyou, (or Gilt’s jetsetter department) you can plan your honeymoon or get your wedding night digs for a deep discount as well.
Next up…. Promo Code Mayhem!
Listen closely. Before you hit “buy” on ANY online purchase, you best make sure you’ve checked out Retail Me Not which aggregates the best codes for savings like percentages off and free shipping. Just type in the name of the site you’re buying on, and pull up the most recent promo and coupon codes available. Then just plug into your purchase page, and reap the rewards. They even made a special wedding coupon book, to help brides find more ways to save! This one is a no-brainer. If you don’t do this religiously, I can’t help you.
While we’re online…. SEARCH for SAVINGS!
How cool is this? Swagbucks.com is a search engine that rewards you for roaming the web! Every time you search, you earn yourself “swag bucks”, redeemable for gift certificates and all kinds of stuff. If you shop through their shop-and-earn site, you can rack up even more swagbucks. Trade in your cell phone or fill out surveys if you just can’t get enough. Rewards for websurfing? A brides dream! Broke-Ass Bonus: Sign up with the code ‘SwagBride’ to get 20 bonus swagbucks, which you can add to the 30 free bucks you get for joining. That’s 50 free swagbones to play with, just for getting started. Awwww yeah, you’re welcome.
So, saving some green while shopping online is pretty sweet. I think we can all agree on that, yes? But check this out: Most of these sites have bomb-ass referral programs so by spreading the savings to your peeps, you earn more for yourself. Its a win-win, you share the love, you get the love. And you’ll want to share the love. Heck, I’m doing it right now
Happy shopping, and happier saving! Got a secret weapon for savings? Share the love in the comments!
Listen up, broke-ass brides! Get out your planners, calendars, and iphones and mark down the date to get all of your wedding savings at the Bridal Bar in LA on June 5th. Want some unique wedding things that fit your budget wedding price tag? Bridal Bar is the place where it’s at, yo! Be prepared to battle to the death…(ok, not to battle to the death), but be prepared to score a ton of savings on all of your bridal accessories and gifts. Lemme ask you somethin’. If youz was opening up a hotel and the Ritz was having a yard sale, you’d go right? So if you live in L.A. and are getting married, you’re gonna wanna be at The Bridal Bar June 5th to fill in find those last (or first) items. I mean can I get a what what?!
Our friend Harmony is the brains behind this incredible boutique (now with sister stores in San Diego and Atlanta) and they were a huge help to me in my quest for the perfect venue. Free help for busy brides in a setting that makes you feel like a fancypants? Holler!
The Bridal Bar offers a complimentary peek at an unique and handpicked sampling of the best that the wedding industry has to offer. There is no appointment needed to get these deals, steals and last minute must haves for you brides, your wedding party, and your wedding day. Helloooooo, savings! So go sip champagne, taste cakes, and score a killer deal on everything under the bridal sun. Click here for all the deets.
A few months ago, I got a sneak peek at a charming and offbeat film that some of my friends are involved with. Its a sort of sci-fi romantic comedy hybrid about finding your soul mate, called TiMER. I loved it, not only because it diddles my Buffy fan button, but because its a quirky commentary on how technology is having a bigger impact on matchmaking these days… and how finding the one can happen at any moment.
So when they forwarded me info about the film release in Santa Monica this weekend, I had to share it with my peeps! I know you’ll love it too.
Not in LA? Fear not – you can watch it On Demand now, or see it in NY in mid-may! It won a bunch of film fest awards, so you can feel all arty for watching and supporting indie films.
Picking out wedding invitations just got cheaper. No, easier. No, greener. Wait, all of the above. Have y’all seen this bizniss? Cocodot.com is a pretty new but super rad resource you can use to search for and buy lovely and affordable wedding invites, engagement announcements, and thank you cards. They offer customizable, fresh, and stylish electronic invitation suites (they’ll offer printed options this summer) and their website seems superdy duperdy easy to use. Not only are you getting chic invites, they are cheap wedding invites as well and don’t everybody lurve that? They are the perfect invites for your budget wedding!
Palm Springs perfect.
They feature a wedding package for just $149 smackeroos – all inclusive with coordinated themed suites including your engagement announcements, engagement party invitations, save the dates, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower and wedding invitations, and thank you cards, with the option of creating your own, and customizable greetings for specific guests or specific events, fonts and colors. And they boast communication and guest management tools as well as a wedding home page and gift registry linky features. I’m like whoa, that’s a lot of goodies in one bag. Had this been around when I was planning, I’d be all up in there.
Um, yum.
So here’s the loot: to celebrate the official launch of Cocodot, they’re rocking a sweet promo code for the Premium Membership (18 months of unlimited cards and invitations, yo) at just $59 bones (saves ya $90, holler). Enter the phrase “cocobride” when you checkout. For just a taste of the site before using it on all of your invites use “cocoEarth2010″ for one free party invitation and try before you buy.
Methinks its a pretty sweet deal. Anyone out there trying it? Let us know if you do!
Speaking of invitations… If you’re in the LA/OC area and want to attend the Wedding Salon at the London Hotel this Monday May 3rd – I got a comp code for y’all! I’ve been to this event before and its super schwank with great goodies and plenty of eye candy and tasty treats. Enter code BABLAC at checkout for tickets on the frizzle. AND, wedding pros – listen up! The Simple Plan Workshop is coming, and it’s a must-do if you need help creating a business plan. Over 2 days (May 12-13) Michelle and Kelly of Sage Wedding Pros (an invaluable resource online – please check it out, you’re welcome in advance) will walk you through each step of the business plan process, so at the end of day 2 you walk away with a completed plan… all done! I love these ladies, and I’m super psyched to be helping coordinate and attending it myself… lawd knows I need the help! For a $50 discount, enter “besage” at checkout. For more info: http://thesimpleplan.biz (PS – check out their insider to insider feature of lil ole me from January!)
(Miss the intro? Learn about Liz, then come back and enjoy her very first post! Let’s give her a warm welcome, everyone!)
First of all, I want to thank Dana for allowing me to type to all you fine people out there. I really appreciate the opportunity to give you wedding planning tips and deals that will you make your wedding dreams come true. Thanks, Dana!
So, Truth? I generally steer clear of invitations when it comes to the weddings I plan. I send my couples to stationery stores, to Elsa (my fave invitation lady), websites, anything that works for them with a minimum of hands-on fuss. For a couple of bucks more per invite, you can even get them addressed. I’m still trying to convince someone to do most or all of it via email, with like, pingg or paperless post but so far no takers. Come on, which one of you is going to be that girl?
So, why do I avoid it? It probably goes back to my experience with my invitations, when I insisted on assembling them myself, and insisted on printing addresses myself, and it took hours and hours and hours and days because I’m me, and something would print out slightly off and I would freak out and have to do it all over again. I’m the same way with my website, I’m the same way with my blog. I die a thousand deaths with each off-set picture and typo. Good enough is just not good enough, which, at 3am in the morning, when you just want the damn font to center at the size you want, in the color you want, can be quite disturbing to one’s mental health. A normal person would look at the clock, after they pulled out most their hair already and think, “Hmm, perhaps I should get some sleep and get back to this when I wake up.” What? And lose my momentum? Never! Sadly, most of the wedding planners I know are not normal people. Well, sad for us, but good for you, trust me.
Anyway, my hands-off stance ended last month with Ellen and Patrick*, medical residents who work literally 100 hours a week in the hospital, and are also working within a budget. I recommended that they go to Target and check out their DIY Invites. “And I’ll put them together for you”, I added. With a smile. All part of the service. Sigh.
Target has a beautiful variety of cards ranging in price from $24.99 – $74.99 for 50 invites, and that includes your RSVP cards and envelopes. Pick out what you love online and you can find out what store near you carries it, which will save you on shipping, too. And it gives you a reason to go to Target! Then all you have to do is get the stamps, the extra ink for your printer, one (or two) extra kits and the time to assemble them. And it will take you a lot of time, trust me, so set aside a weekend. And here’s another tip – they come with “test pages”, which, once you’ve got your text set up, you run the test page to make sure everything’s centered. (It won’t be.) As an alternative to having to print out and ultimately trash multiple copies, you can re-use a test page by changing the font color from version to version to tell them apart. One less lock of hair to rip out. You’re welcome!
But it all turned out great. I was pretty happy with the end result, and Ellen was thrilled when she saw one, so Liz FTW, you know? And the cost savings were really good. Even with the extra materials (don’t even think about it, just get them) Ellen and Patrick only spent about $150 total, as opposed to $750 – $1000 with other options. That will pay for your cake right there. Plus a topper for it, even.
This week’s wedding deal:
I spend a lot of time online researching various things for my brides. Whenever I see something cool and relevant, I use it. Whenever I see something cool and relevant and free, I try and use it twice. Wedding Chicks, home of the cool wedding downloads, has just added customizable monograms to their repertoire. Target sells blank invite kits, too, and you can easily put your monogram on them.
What are you doing for your invitations?
*Ellen and Patrick are, of course, not their real names. I just watch a lot of Grey’s Anatomy.
Um, yeah… that would be the same designer who let me barter away 50% off the cost of my wedding dress. Now you, too, can enjoy the same stunninglybeautifuljawdroppinggorgeousness that are Deborah Lindquist gowns, along with the infinite bad-assery that comes with donning an eco-bespoke gown, sans the sore thumbs from cutting fabric and typing invoices!
This was my gown! Le Sigh.
Traditional, exotic, long and luxe, or short and sassy, Deb’s got a style to fit every bride. Good luck choosing a favorite!
Sure, even at 50% off, they can be a bit of a splurge – but take it from a Lindquist Bride: for a made-to-measure, eco-friendly, couture gown that’s gorgeous enough to wear over and over? File that under WORTH IT in my book! So, go on – blow your wad!
Enter code EWD at checkout for 50% off and FREE SHIPPING.
(Ps – If it hadn’t been so fun to work with Deb, I’d be hella jealous of this deal )
This has been a broadcast of the Broke-Ass Alert system. We now return to regularly scheduled blogging.
♥ Noa of the exquisite Feather Love Photography will be giving away free wedding photography to one lucky same-sex couple once it’s legalized! Keep an eye on her site for details!
AND, wedding pros – listen up! 
