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!
‘Memba those fabulous DIY Louboutin-inspired petal sandals we featured from Love, Maegan a few weeks ago? Well, today we’re feeding to your fix with a matching petal bag that’s as simple as it is sexy. Thanks again to Maegan for sharing! Make sure to check out her fabulous site and love her long time. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did! …..and away we go!
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When I set out to DIY our wedding, I had no idea what I was in for. I knew there would be a lot of trial and error, mixed with hair pulling frustration, but I also knew that I was capable of pulling it off. My heart was certainly in it, my attitude was positive, and therefore I was able approach the difficulty of it all with an open mind and a smile. The one project that I have been working on since April (4 months, people) is our DIY bouquets. I declared these bouquets finished at least 3 different times. The first time I declared them “finished” was at the end of April after my “Hey, Bridesmaids! Let’s Make Some Bouquets!” Party. Here are a few shots of the bouquet in PHASE 1:
DIY Bouquets: PHASE 1
More of PHASE 1
This first night of bouquet crafting left us all feeling successful. I was truly impressed with what we did. But just days after that night, I started to futz with the bouquets again. I saw little gaps that needed fixing and pieces that needed gluing. This was to be expected, though. We were DIYing bouquets blind, pretty much. You see, at first, we did the “glue-as-you-go” method where we basically took some pretty crap and glued it to the bouquet handle base, trying our hardest to keep it looking spherical. I’d say for our first attempts, we did a pretty damn good job.
But then I decided I wanted different colors than the materials I had on the bouquet. So instead of starting from scratch (which would have ended up costing us nearly as much as a set of real floral bouquets), I decided to paint over what I had. And this is what I came up with (you may recognize this picture from my previous DIY Bouquet post):
DIY Bouquets: PHASE 2
I truly loved this phase of the bouquets. In fact, after I completed said “phase,” I believed it to be the last and final. But no. I decided I wanted lighter colors. So I started painting again. And the I decided some of the bouquets didn’t have the right shape, so I began to reshape. And then I looked at a picture of a real bouquet, and I decided that the handles on my bouquets looked skinnier than everyone else’s. And I didn’t like that. So I found some soft cardboard used to pack fragile things with, rolled them into cylinders, then glued them to the current handle. Then I noticed that “real” bouquets have some sort of ribbon or lace wrap around the handle. So I went and bought some lace ribbon, wrapped it around the handles, and pinned it.
Annnnd 80 glue gun burns later, this is the final look of the bouquets:
DIY Bouquets: PHASE 3 - The (Actual) Final Phase
My bouquet: PHASE 3
PHASE 3: Complete.
I am very VERY happy with the end result. Don’t get me wrong, I would have been happy with the phase 1 result, but since I had time to tweak and perfect, I was able to let the bouquets evolve into my original vision.
Lessons learned:
There is no right or wrong way to make a DIY bouquet.
Do not feel pressured to make your DIY bouquet perfect on the first go-around. Give yourself time to let the bouquets evolve.
It’s ok to be a perfectionist — just make sure you give yourself enough time to be said perfectionist. I finished my bouquets 5 days before the wedding, people. This perfectionist likes to cut it close… So starting four months prior to W-Day was a must for me. Assess your perfectionist tendencies and plan your DIY bouquet plan of attack accordingly.
If you do not plan on painting your bouquet, make sure you pick colors you like and want to commit to. My bouquet colors changed completely from start to finish. Just look at Phase 1 compared to Phase 3. Same bouquet, totally different look.
Do a glue test to make sure everything holds. For example, hold your bouquet by the handle, upside down and shake it a tad. If it feels loose, it’s not glued down enough. Don’t wait until the last minute. You’ll find yourself in a hot glue gun mess.
Build from the center of the bouquet out. This way you can decide layer by layer how big you want your sphere to be, and you will have an easier time keeping the sphere even and symmetrical.
Make the handle of the bouquet LAST. I made 3 different handles before I landed on a style that worked. Trial and error: get used to it.
What are your DIY lessons learned? Anyone have similar experiences with crafting their bouquets? Have they evolved as much as mine have?
Ring a ding ding. When I came across Tina H. Dee, who handcrafts bad-ass alternative, affordable unique wedding rings and custom gifts that your wedding party will be thrilled to rock. I took one peek at her etsy site and started writing this post. Its, like, broke-ass to the max.
Perfect for your unfussy fiance(e), or your own unfussy finger, these rings and things start at around $30, don’t go much higher than $150, and many are customizable. Personalizing rings and gift jewelry with people’s names, special dates or quotes is a bonus that even broke-asses can get behind!
This ring set below is $68. Yup, that’s right. And its gawgeous.
People. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Etsy is where its AT!
Erin Tavin is a bad-ass vintage shop owner with an eye for incredible fashion and funky-fresh creative spirit. I’ve adored her indie psedo-euro boho-gypsy cool-as-hell boutique since it opened in my very own ‘hood last July…. but now she’s online at etsy too, and debuting a special collection of Vintage wedding dresses that are so freaking hawt I could die. And they’re all under $1,000. I mean, come ON! Talk about a unique wedding dress!
With styles from Victorian to 1930’s through the 1970’s…. These literally make my knees weak. Please, someone, buy them, wear them, love them, and then send me the pictures! (or, um, can’t I just get married again?) Drink in this deliciousness, yo! (but careful not to drool on your keyboard).
How sick are those babies? Aoooooga!
While you’re browsing around, check out the rest of the cute vintage fashions, accessories, gifts and ephemera she’s curated at Tavin. I especially love the random little poems she includes in the etsy store for the item descriptions. So quirky and cute!
I’ve got a major girl crush on Erin for her exquisite taste, her entrepreneurial vision and her broke-ass friendly duds… and completely thrilled her collection of vintage wedding dresses is spreading its wings outside of her Echo Park store and is now available to the online masses! Which is your favorite of her gowns?
When Devon from Eco-Proper (such a fabulous site!) contacted us about her heirloom handkerchief rose project, we jumped at the chance to feature it here. It’s absolutely perfect for weddings, affordable as all get-out, eco-friendly enough to earn you serious karma points, sentimentally sweet, and has so many possible applications!
Can you imagine a bridal bouquet made of family handkerchiefs? What a beautiful handmade wedding accessory. Le sigh! Dress embellishments? I swoon! Boutonnieres? Yes, please! Headbands for your bridesmaids? Oh my! Corsages? I die! Or even, (gasp) for non-floral centerpieces? They’d be gorgeous scattered on a table, or attached to manzanita branches. Oh man, I wish I knew about his when I was still engaged!
It would be so simple to find handkerchiefs for this project on the cheap…. at flea markets, thrift shops, or that trunk in the corner of your grandma’s attic. And remember, recycling old handkerchiefs like this makes for a green wedding! Or get really creative and invite your guests to send one from their family which you can incorporate into your wedding for some seriously meaningful decor. The possibilities are endless, and the process easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. So what are you waiting for? Say hi to Devon, then get crafting!
PS – have you completed our survey yet, and entered to win some sweet-ass prizes?! Time’s running out!
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Lucky me! I was given an entire stack of antique handkerchiefs that belonged to my grandmother, her mother, her grandmother, etc… (at least, I know they came from family). For my wedding, I wanted to incorporate family heirlooms and what better way to use these than to make a bouquet from them.
What you’ll need:
- Handkerchiefs
- A needle
- Some thread
- Beads of any sort (costume jewelry pearls were used here)
Here are the steps:
1. Fold the handkerchief in half to form a triangle…Fold back over itself until you’ve folded completely, accordion-style (shown above) *this is great way to give the look of more petals, and you can leave a little of the tip hanging out to grab for extra “stem” support
2. Starting at one end, begin with two folds and then start rolling
3. After rolling a rose center, continue to roll while twisting the remainder of the piece away from you. This creates the petals. …Once you get to the end, you can grab this piece to secure the entire flower or use it to create a leaf later
4. At this point, you will need to put a couple stitches through the “stem” of your rose just to make sure nothing will move around. I used a pearl at the end of the thread just to hold it tightly and add a little something.
5. Because the center of the rose was a little awkward looking, I decided to pull some beads through the very center to bring it down into the rose. Also, I was able to use some pearls from my family’s costume jewelry to add an extra touch.
This really became a rose with the last addition and a little fluffing! Even if you don’t add beads to the center, a stitch bringing the center down really makes a difference.
(to see the steps in action, watch this nifty slideshow!)
Also, if you have a handkerchief with a beautiful design in one corner, let that corner be the last bit left when you are rolling and you can use it to create a little leaf. Beautiful! I am well on my way to a bouquet!
*On a side note, I didn’t actually do any cutting of the handkerchiefs. So if I wanted to reclaim them for other use or just sentimental value, all I need to do is just cut the stitching!
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Peep more of Devon’s eco-excellence at Eco-Proper.com or follow her on twitter: @ecopropoer
Blingers with a hard “g,” that is. I am fo’ sho’ treating myself to a hard-earned mani/pedi once the wedding gets here. I usually wear black nail polish, but I don’t think that color is going to fly with my gown. So I had to look into alternative colors. Colors or designs that looked elegant, but had a lil bit of funk and a whole lotta pop. What I found was a bevvy of blingerific fingernail looks. Here’s the most blingy of the bling:
Thass some blaaang
This bride wants to take a ride on your discostick.
I like my cake like I like my finger-bling: Just a slice.
Or try your hand at the funkiest of the funk:
Two-toned hottness.
Or use nail polish as a color pop opp. I am all about 80s neon these days. I found these hot shades and thought they’d look pimp next to a neutral or a brightly colored bouquet:
Funky finga'z
Wouldn’t these colored nails look amazing with this bouquet:
Neutral nails look beautiful, but neon would have been balls rad too. Bridal Bouquet: Wild Bloom Flowers, Apex Photo By: Azul Photography, Raleigh
Or try on some metal-inspired colors:
Dark in color, yet still elegant.
Sparkly copper. Doesn't it look fab against those diamonds and crystals? I think this color may be my winner!
How are y’all doing your nails for the wedding? Are you brave enough to rock some “Blingers” on your wedding day?
Today is awesome! Know why? ‘Cuz today, we get to introduce you to our newest member of team broke-ass…. its Maddie, our intern extraordinaire! Please join me in giving a warm welcome, and enjoy her sick, crafty skills! Maddie is a recent college grad and LA transplant by way of Iowa. She’s a fellow ginger (which makes her even more awesome) and she’s settling into her new life, living with her long-term boyfriend and making our lives brighter and better every day!
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I love basically any sort of DIY project. If I buy a perfectly good dresser, I strip it, paint it, re-do the knobs and make it my own. If I buy a perfectly good dress, I rip some seams and add some new buttons and create a new look. JoAnns, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and Home Depot are my Mecca.
Recently I’ve been DIY-ing my little apartment and decided it was time to create something more fun and less functional. I discovered that if you ever want to concern your boyfriend, a good strategy is to leave bridal magazines lying around your apartment and then drag him with you to fabric and craft stores so you can makes birdcage veils and fascinators and run around the wedding section like a crazy person. Yea, he’ll think you’re just totally normal after that experience. It’s okay though because craft stores like Michael’s have fun kids sections too and if your boyfriend is anything like mine, he’ll be intrigued and delighted that you can buy things like toy helicopters to paint and dinosaurs to put together. So buy your man some ridiculous crap at the craft store and he’ll shut up about you wandering the wedding section for an hour.
Anyways, this weekend I decided that I needed a little sparkle and pizazz in my life, and making a new hair accessory was just the thing I needed. With a little time and craftacular shinanigans I ended up with this bit of bling to rock my ginger locks.
Oh yeeeeah!
But rocking the goods is only half the fun, won’t you join me on my crafting adventure…
I started out by choosing some silk flowers…. which generally run from four dollars and up, but it’s incredible how realistic they look. It’s always nice to use real flowers in your hair too, but then they die and the fun is over. I picked out a big blue rose and some pink orchids to play around with. I know that some of the flowers can look huge and ridiculous, but don’t be afraid to take risks and go bigger. Go find a mirror in the store somewhere and and stick the flowers in your hair to get a good idea of how they will look with your style and hair color. Play around with it and find something that you love.
I got all my craft supplies gathered all together! Silk flower, rhinestones, hair comb, and a fun feather piece!
I also bought some feathers and rhinestones (I love me some sparkle!) and for the orchids I bought some netting. You can use tulle or Russian netting for birdcage veils, and it’s fairly cheap so you don’t have to worry about buying too much if you are going to end up with extras. I also bought a cheap package of hair combs so that the fascinator stays in your hair and you don’t need to worry about messing with bobby pins. Every time I use bobby pins I end up using way more than I need just in case they fall out, and inevitably I leave a trail of pins behind me wherever I go. A hair comb will stay securely in place and will be way less of a pain in your bootylicious bum.
I got home from the store, laid all of my craft purchases out on my kitchen table and created a little workspace. I started with the blue flower first. For this project, I needed some hot glue and a a tweezer to pick up the rhinestones and iron them on. When you open up the rhinestones, be sure to do so forcefully so that they go flying all over the place. Nope, just kidding. That’s just what I did. I live in a small enough apartment though that they couldn’t have gone flying very far. I bought hot-fix (or iron-on rhinestones) as I deem them the easiest little nuggets to work with. Just grab your tweezers, and iron that sucker on there! I’ve even been known to attach the rhinestones with a flat iron for hair in a pinch when I can’t find a regular iron. Innovation, people! Also, I only rhinestone and bling-ify the outer three or four layers of the petals as they are the only ones that will show. Don’t waste your time or energy putting rhinestones in the center unless you know that your flower will lay flat.
Start out by taking the flower apart and gluing it back with hot glue piece by piece and put the glue in a little spot in the center
Pop the stem off of the back of the flower either with some scissors or simply by pulling it off. I like to take the flower apart in layers if I’m going to be adding rhinestones. I also like to glue it all back together piece by piece for extra staying power. Just dab a little bit of hot glue in the middle and be careful when you handle the silk flower as the heat from the glue will seep through. I burnt my fingies nice and good! Once you’ve glued all of the floral layers back together you can chillax. That sucker ain’t going nowhere! Glue the feathers in before finishing with your top layer of flower. This way the base of the feathers are hidden. Once you put the flower all back together with the hot glue, glue back on the piece of the stem to hold it all in place.
hide the feathers in between a layer of the petals on the flower
The plastic part of the stem will be easier to glue onto the hair comb than the silk flower as a whole. Now just attach the comb to your flower and stick that sucker on into a ponytail or a bun….wait for the glue to dry though!
Once you put the flower back together, just attach the comb.
Here's how it looks on
Now wear it some place fab...like in your bedroom with a purple t-shirt you bought at target.
Broke-Ass Bonus!:
I also made another hair piece using the orchids and some netting. In order to secure the netting, you’ll need a needle and thread. You’ll have to play with the netting a bit to really get it to look how you want, but you can scrunch it up as much as you want and never ruin it.
scrunch the netting together and hold it so you can sew it in place.
It’s very resilient, so don’t worry about being too delicate with it. Once you get it in the shape you want, pinch the end of it together where the flower is going to be and sew it tightly so that it retains the shape you desire. Then just glue on the florals and the comb and voila!
See how easy that was?
You have two fantastic hair pieces with one tiny budget. Make one for yourself or have all of your bridesmaids over for a DIY partay! Drink champagne, have some brunch, and make hair pieces…. it’s a perfect day with the girls! Don’t operate a hot glue gun while consuming champagne though. I can’t be held accountable for such things. Have fun!
And just for fun? Here's the craft that my boyfriend made while I was busy making hair things. He sure is
Earth Day is 40 years old today, and we’re so excited. Mother Earth means so much to us, that we even made a vow to protect her during our wedding! So, naturally, on this day in her honor, we’z about to bust out some of our favorite green goodies to help you discover how being green can help you save green, have fun, and give Big Mama Earth a big, heartfelt, broke-ass hippie {HUG}
Anyone out there have disposables guilt? You know, that regretful feeling when you buy a pack of disposables for your home, a party or a wedding event? Hang onto your socks, and meet this bevy of bio-goodness. There are tons of disposables out there made from biodegradable materials, such as corn starch, bamboo and sugarcane bagasse, and they’re super affordable, yo! We used some for our day-after party and they were perfect! Biosmartused to offer a $20 party pack that fed 50 people… I wish they’d bring that back! But still you can get 125 plates for $9.99 or 250 bar cups for $24.61 – can I get a what what? That’s my jam!
Ohh Emm Geee.
Yes, please.
Sustainable Party is an adorable site filled with different styles of sustainable disposable – from your basic whites to some really stylish bamboo. They sell most items in bulk batches (ranges from 25 to 3,000) and bulk batches mean bulk discounts, and you know we love that! And I can’t resist those party monsters they put in the product porn GreenFeet has a great selection at great prices too – but my favorite has got to be the bamboo spork!
Present your disposables in a cute fabric lined basket, tie some rustic twine around the utensils, cut up recycled fabric with pinking shears to create adorable cloth napkins and some grub…. you’ve got yourself a guilt-less, easy clean up and affordable feast.
Browsing for a wedding dress can be eco-friendly in so many ways these days, its hard to justify not checking this shiz out! Naturally I’ve gotta plug the eco-fashionistas out there, having worn a gown made of sustainable fabrics… so let’s give it up for Deborah Lindquist, Amy Jo Tatum, and Puridee who handmake gorgeous confections of dresses out of organic and recycled fabrics and are just to die for!
Amy Jo's green-chic line has retro flair
I LOVE this color by Puridee!
But there before buying new, make sure to check out the zillions of bridal resale options… from vintage shops in your hometown to awesome online resalers like Recycled Bride, wedding website classifieds, or charity resale events like Brides Against Breast Cancer. You can even rent gowns like the one in yesterday’s gorgeous real wedding feature for just one night! Already married? Unload that lonely gown and send it down the aisle again on another lucky brides back, and list it for resale or donate it today!
Guiltless snacking is my favorite.
Add some sun to your day.
I’m sure you’ve seen that Sunchips has a very sexy new biodegradable bag, but did you know that all those old bags can still be put to good use? Check out this cutie pie chip bowl from Ecoist for your wedding registry or a gift, or snag a purse made from a Lay’s bag for your summer wedding!
California Pink Tourmaline, and vegan!
Something old, made new.
Eco-wedding rings do exist, and what a great way to make a vow, right? Recycling rings from estate sales and vintage boutiques is a great place to start, but you can get even more progressive by seeking alternative styles like the gorgeous wood-laid reclaimed silver bands right there, or those made of reclaimed metals and non-diamond jewels like this gorgeous $298 pink solitaire by McFarland Designs on etsy. Even better, scour your old jewelry box and ask friends or family to donate old metals, send ‘em to a jeweler, and have your own design cast from some meaningful metal.
Oh, there are so many goodies we love that support and protect the lady that feeds us, houses us, nourishes us and on which we’ll marry… I could go on for days. Do your part today and every day. As the Native American Proverb says: Treat the earth well… we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
When we left off…. I was just arriving at the ceremony site, along with the ladies of my bridal party. We took off our shoes before ascending the stairs, as was tradition at the Shumei Center, in whose Hollywood garden we had our ceremony.
I knew the time had come, and all I wanted was to peer out the upstairs window at the guests gathering, but I was quarantined upstairs so as to avoid being spotted by Hunter. We hid out in a spare room, and waited, all a-buzz with bridal delight.
Ta-Dizzle!
Our dear friends own a company specializing in tea, accessories, and gourmet goods called Algabar (in whose former shop I worked for years) which also offers marvelous tea-inspired catering as Fete du The. As a wedding gift to us, they offered to serve a ceremony refreshment, and we loved the idea!
They served our favorite tea cocktail that they had invented, The Mrs. Palmer: a lavender-infused lemonade blended with earl grey and lavender tea, (with an option to spike with vodka), and sweetened with lavender syrup. As soon as we got upstairs, I was all… “someone get this bride a drink!” Just one… to take the edge off. Hey, I may be an actress – but standing in front of everyone without a character to hide behind, is still intimidating. And, I was about to get freaking married!
wetting my wedding whistle
Our friends served the drinks in mason jars that I BrideShared with a bride I met on the indiebride kvetch forum, at a table off to the side of the ceremony seating. The guests later gushed about how much they loved and appreciated the tasty drinks.
Then of course, thanks to my drink and the nerves, I had to pee. Now, I am posting this out of love for you readers, and because I keeps it real. But you gotta know, it probably will happen to you. And you’ll need help. That’s what your maid of honor is for. That’s what sisters are for. So, ladies and gentleman (that’s you, dad)… I give you, The Broke-Ass Bride at her very finest!
It happens to the best of us...
I just had to post this picture because MaPo took it and I love it. (and in the hopes it will help you forget the previous photo)
Next thing I knew, Sharlene our intrepid DOC, was upstairs telling the ladies it was time to line up for the processional. I quickly rallied the troops for some last-minute wall pushups to get strong and make ourselves feel ultra bad-ass.
for last minute toning...
And it was time to go! I took a moment to be alone upstairs after the girls left, to breathe, to give myself a moment. I gave myself a “be present” pep talk and felt a HUGE smile creep across my face. I was nervous, but mostly just excited and calm and steady and ready.
I could hear the processional music beginning, and I knew that everyone was lined up downstairs, ready to walk that aisle before me. That my father was waiting to walk with me on that path. That the garden would be full of my favorite faces and most beloved friends and family. I knew at the end of that aisle stood my husband.
