This video makes me itch with wonder. In the years I was ready for Hunter to propose, my advances were rarely subtle. But oh, would that I was as creative in my expression of that desire, or as curiously compelling in my statement, as this lovely, charming and fresh “hey, over here… let’s do this already” video.
A friend alerted me to this and I knew it was made for sharing. I adore it – the girl, the style, the music, the honesty.
Shelby, (the miss in question) who happens to write a pretty rad blog, has this to say about her video: I don’t think it’s completely fair that men get to do the whole proposal thing…so I decided I would make a fairly grand and cheesy gesture to show Joe that I am ready.
Filmed by my friend Audre, who is a great photographer
flickr.com/photos/audreraephotography/
Music is ‘Wonder-Dummied’ by Brooke Waggoner”
And I have this to say:
“BAD-ASSSSSSSSSS, SHELBS!” Affordably adorable. Memorably emotional. Perfectly Perfect.
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….
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?
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?
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 mytop 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?
I’m decidedly against breaking your budget on wedding cake. There are plenty of ways to save on cake and still have it look and taste great! From the sheet cake/dummy cake swap to finding a pastry student to help, or simply keeping the design simple – wedding cakes can easily be made budget-friendly. Or, maybe you’re like us, and aren’t so attached to the cake tradition and so opt for an alternative dessert.
Usually, I’m also against the notion of people DIYing their own wedding cake. Spells trouble, almost every time. Hey, guess what you don’t really need right around your wedding day? The stress of baking and icing your freaking wedding cake! Unless you’re one of those type A-ers that gets off on the thrill of that kind of thing…. in which case, have at it.
Then I saw this. And my universe expanded. It’s the perfect, affordable, DIY friendly alt-cake, people!
I mean, imagine the possibilities…… (watch out for falling drool!) • Add 1 cup M&Ms per 6 cups rice krispies for fun pops of color and random chocolate bites • Use Cocoa Krispies if you’re cuckoo for chocolate, or if brown is one of your wedding colors. • Don’t even get me started on how delicious peanut butter is mixed in with your treats; but melt together a dollop of peanut butter into 1.5 cups of chocolate chips and spread it on top…. you’ll die! • For a very colorful and whimsical cake, Fruity Pebbles would be adorable. Customize your color level by combining Fruity Pebbles with plain Rice Krispies.
Don’t forget, you can substitute your favorite cereal for rice krispies for scrumptiously unexpected results. I use Corn Flakes during the holidays, with green food coloring and red sugar sprinkles, and make treats in the shape of a wreath. Yumaliciously festive!
PLEASE someone make this. (Better yet, have a friend make it for you). Also, invite me to your wedding.
Hot Diggity DIY! Break out your bangs and glasses, indiechicks, its time to get crafty.
The first ever Renegade Craft Fair in LOS ANGELES will take place this weekend, (JULY 11 + 12) from 11am – 7pm, at the California Market Center. From their site: “We’ll be taking over the entire 13th floor penthouse of the Center, where gorgeous 360-degree views of downtown LA will provide the backdrop for our FREE urban art, craft and DIY extravaganza!
Over 200 artists are traveling from all over the country and abroad to participate and sell their handmade goods at Renegade Craft Fair – Los Angeles. From clothing and accessories, to stationary and concert posters, with everything from bath products and ceramics in between – there’s surely something for everyone! Be sure to check out our artist page to start working on your wish list.
The most exciting contemporary crafts organizations from across the LA area will be on site hosting interactive workshops and demonstrations. Silver Lake-based ReForm School is offering hands-on lessons in linoleum block-printing both days of the Fair, and The Urban Craft Center of Santa Monica will be leading workshops in zine-making and needle-felting on Saturday, July 11. Clean out your closets before heading to the Fair on Saturday, July 11, as Swap-O-Rama-Rama will be in full swing that day – transforming your discarded clothes into one-of-a-kind, recycled creations!
DJs from Silver Lake’s KXLU will be on site both days of the Fair providing the best indie, commercial free radio found on either side of the Mississippi – breaking only for a penthouse-shaking, hour long performance by LA based jazz-punk mobile ensemble KILLSONIC on Sunday, July 12 at 3pm!
Other event features include free raffles from Jenny Hart’s Sublime Stitching, Stencil 1, Craftside Publishers and Faythe Levine’s book Handmade Nation at the Renegade Craft Welcome Station, food and beverages for purchase from Tiara Cafe, and, as always, lots of surprises! Be sure to check out The Postcard Machine for a little fun with robots and don’t forget to get your photo snapped at a free-photobooth provided by Oh, Hello Friend!”
Don’t think anything sounds quite as fun as this, no sir I don’t. Aaaaaaaand, its FREE! ‘Nuff said.
When the folks at Microsoft asked me to host a giveaway of Office 2008 for Mac, I just about died… but when I learned they are releasing assets to help DIY budget brides design their own custom save-the-dates, invitations, place cards and more, I knew this was a contest that would make you all do the happy dance too. I’ve been a Mac gal for several years, but won’t deny that the functionality of MS Office software is really convenient and universally badass. This software retails for around $150 normally, but this week I’ll be giving away FIVE copies to lucky Broke-Ass Bride readers!
So, here are the details: To enter, leave a comment below stating what you would make with your MS Office 2008 for Mac software, by midnight Wednesday 5/20 PST! Bonus: If you cross-post this on your own blog with a linkback, and comment about it, you’ll get 3 extra entries! That’s thrice the chance to win! Post about it on facebook or twitter*, that’s another extra entry each! Oh snap, the possibilities!
So what are you waiting for, get in on this business, and get crafty, yo! Remember, you have until 5/20, so spread the word! *Twitterers, be sure to @brokeassbride me, so I know you did it!
Some times I look at my skin and just sigh. What am I doing wrong? I drink a lot of water. Sure I’m still weaning myself off the junk (and by “the junk” I mean diet coke); but I wash twice a day and moisturize as much. I take vitamins. I take EFAs. Hell, I even exfoliate! What’s a gal gotta do for a darling, dewy ‘dermis?
A couple of weeks ago, I had a makeup trial from a woman with skin you wouldn’t believe. She is dewy, radiant, positively luminous, and she specializes in skin care. I mean, she’s so healthy looking, you kinda want to lick her to see if she tastes like kale; and she’s so adorable, you want to put her in a baby-bjorn and carry her around (but that’s another story). Her background is in cosmetic dermatology, but she’s moving toward a holistic approach. She also happens to be dating Mr. Murad’s son, so you know sister’s got an ‘in’ with the best of the best.
She saw right away that my skin is stressed. My pH balance was off, she claimed. When I told her I was using Neutrogena acne wash, she went white as a ghost. Apparently, the little bumpies on my forehead weren’t zits from too much oil, they were a reaction to a too-harsh cleanser!
I’ve always loved to pamper myself with good skin care products, but for the past year or so, we’ve been buying the bargain-basement, bottom of the barrel drugstore brands to save money for the wedding. Now that we’re almost there, I found myself cursing that move, because my skin was looking less like a glowing bride and more like a greying cadaver.
My skincare friend sent me off with some samples from a line called Epicuren, which is touted for its natural, green approach and an enzyme protein complex, which apparently encourages skin to self-rejuvenate. While this line is a little more expensive ($35-$80), I have to say I was floored by the results. The bumps were gone, my skin shined like a babies bum. One could rationalize its purchase, if one was looking for a reason to do so – word on the street is each bottle lasts around 6 months…
But if your beauty budget is straight up maxed out, how about DIY skincare/beauty? You can repurpose household items to skip the middleman and keep it natural – saving dollars and mother earth. Happy skin and a happy earth? The hippie in me is doing a happy dance.
Try these easy tips next time you’re craving a little broke-ass pampering:
Buy a tub of organic coconut oil from the natural foods store, and use it as a smoothing, hydrating hair mask – liquefy enough to saturate hair, wrap in cling wrap, and let it soak in for 30-45 minutes. Wash out, but be careful – It makes for a slippery bathtub floor. I found a 10 oz. tub for $2.99 at Whole Foods, yo! Its also great for cooking, healing and moisturizing skin, and as a vitamin supplement.
Mix 1 tsp natural yogurt with 1 tbsp soft honey (2 tsp if you’re dry), massage into skin and leave for 15 minutes. Wash with warm water. For oily skin, add a few drops of lemon/lime juice. The best part? Licking your fingers afterward.
Feeling flakey? Mix roughly 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water to create a paste, and massage it into your face, body, or both. This is great way to gently exfoliate, that works even on the most sensitive of skins. Add a few drops of lemon juice to bump up the alpha-hydroxic qualities of the scrub, or a few drops of essential oil to soothe and aromatherapize. (what, its a word!)
Soak it out. Put 1-3 cups whole oats in a muslin bag or old pantyhose, and let “steep” in bathwater with you. Add a few drops of lavender oil or some fresh herbs from your garden for an extra zen buzz. This is great for soothing a sunburn or itchy, dry skin.
I have found all of these things to be as luxurious and effective as store-brands (if not moreso). The only trouble I find with those recipes is that they might make you hungry, they’re that natural. There’s tons more homemade beauty solutions and recipes lurking around the internets, so go get you some! Your skin, your pocketbook and the environment will be showing you the love in return.
Have you ever made your own beauty product? Care to share the recipe?
When we started planning, our number 1 goal (aside from the actual getting married part) was to ensure our guests came away saying “what a great time!” If we are going to spend this much money on a party, it had better be fan-freaking-tabulously fun, right? So, we’re trying to integrate lots of little activities or treats to keep our guests entertained and excited. I want to keep a few of these things under wraps to maintain an element of surprise, but I’m so excited about this one, I just had to share the news!
We *heart* photobooths. If we had all the money, we’d have one as a permanent fixture in the house, just for fun. And we’d probably jump in there once or twice a day to take some really silly cute, and sweet photos peppered by the occasionally obsene. Cuz that’s how we roll, yo. So, immediately we knew that a photobooth was a top priority for our reception. Lots of our friends are actors and/or hams, so mayhem is sure to ensue
It took some real time and scouring online to find a company who fit our criteria (old school style booth, CD Rom of all the pictures included, fast printing, and plasma TV slideshow of photos as they’re taken) along with being a pleasure to work with. Then along came the great team at Classic Photobooth and we were sold! (retro happiness in a box!)
They offer both the classic style and digital photobooth options, as well as arcade game rental, casino tables, temporary tattoo and henna artists (go figure). Their customer service is awesome – very fast responses, informative and appreciative. Classic Photobooth services the following states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and South California (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Franscisco). I really feel confident in our selection, and would definitely recommend contacting them if you’re in the market for fun!
I can’t wait to see all the fun pictures that our guests take, and I hope they enjoy themselves. We can use the CD Rom to upload the pics to flickr for everyone to see and share, and also create a photo album keepsake for ourselves.
I’m crafting up a cardstock photo-matte with our logo or some cute graphic on it and magnet tape on the back for people to attach their strips to after they print. That way, they can take it home and put it on their fridge of office cubicle. I know I love seeing my friends’ photo strips… they’re always good for a laugh or three!
Have you been to a wedding with a photobooth, or are you planning to have one at your shindig? What other fun treats do you have in store for your guests?
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