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A couple weeks ago, Hunter and I had the great honor and pleasure of hosting a livestreamed episode of Bridal Wave at the Kenmore Live Studio in Chicago. Bridal Wave is a new webseries that introduces a new bride each week, polls her whole network on typical issues concerning relationships and marriage, and then shares their answers, along with some great wedding planning advice in a tidal wave of bridal advice and support. Their usual host, the fabulous Azure Nelson from OneWed.com was out of town and we were very excited to fill in for her in my lovely hometown.
We’ve never done a live performance of this magnitude, and I was pretty nervous about it, but it turned out to be all kinds of fun! The show’s focus was on DIY weddings, and we had special guest experts Debi Lilly from A Perfect Event and Khris Cochran from DIY Bride join us with some great tips. The people at Kenmore Live Studio couldn’t be nicer, our bride Melanie was adorable beyond belief, and my family and bestie were in the audience. It was a pretty fantabulous time.
And yes, while it was originally streamed live, through the magic of the internets you can all enjoy it at your leisure! Check it out!
Super excited to have been asked to appear on the NBC-LA News last week, to dish on budget wedding tips with anchor-extraordinaire Colleen Williams! But even MORE excited that I get to share the clip with all of you via the magic of the internets!
Please enjoy my brand-new haircut. And please overlook the valley-girl amount of times I say the word “like” during the interview.
These segments are always interesting because it feels like a 500-yard sprint. Time somehow speeds up when the cameras are rolling, and I have to think and talk on the fly which gets my brain into overdrive. I’m so grateful for these video clips, because when I try to remember back to how it went, its all just such a blur, it moves so fast.
How hysterical that they couldn’t say “Broke-Ass” on the NBC news? With all the crazy things they report on (including the piece on the porn star the next night that was tres risque), who’da thunk “Broke-Ass” was where they’d draw the line? So silly! But I thought Colleen’s way of describing it was pretty funny. “broke a-dash-dash, squiggly letters” … love it.
What do you think? Did I represent alright?
Oh, and thanks to Shabby Apple for the sunniest yellow dress to ever be made. It makes me so happy every time I wear it!
Oh hello there! Are you admiring my proud peacock feathers? I thought you might be! Why so proud, you ask? Well, aside from the lovlieness of my plumes (pfffft), its because my handsome hubby is a contributing editor to Destination Weddings & Honeymoon’s Magazine in their super-sweet Groom’s Room column every issue!
We’ve always been huge fans of DWH Mag, and I had the honor of being quoted in it a few years ago… but I’m so excited for Hunter that he’s now a regular columnist. What a gigantic honor for us both!
Check out his first article, advice for destination bachelor parties. I just lurve it (and the illustration too)!
I know, its tiny… so here’s the full text for your reading pleasure!
Destination Wedding Bachelor Party
One of our favorite grooms, the Fresh Hubby from BrokeAssBride.com, tells your guy how to throw a great bachelor party.
by Hunter Stiebel
Congratulations, dude — you are soon to marry the love of your life. And just as your future wife is beautiful and amazing, the spot where you’re getting hitched is too — that’s why you chose a destination wedding. I’m sure you and your partner in crime are excited for every detail of what will surely be the happiest day of your life so far, but don’t overlook what could be your second favorite day: Yup, I’m talking about the bachelor party! Instead of doing something at home like those traditional grooms, set aside some time in paradise to make some memories with your best buds. (If the celebration becomes a boozy haze, hey, at least you’ll have some great photos.) Whether your wedding is in the mountains or the heart of the city, here are five creative ideas for a destination bachelor bash.
Beach
Why drink on land when you can drink on sea with a band of bawdy buccaneers? If you’re headed to a tropical locale, pirate cruises make a great bachelor-party option, and they’re a staple in places like the Caribbean and Mexico. In the latter, Cabo San Lucas’ Buccaneer Queen offers an open bar, pirate shows and games, as well as a close-up view of El Arco, the famous rock arch.
Mountain
Nothing says male bonding like climbing rocks. Technical climbing is a good analogy to life: As you search for your next foothold, you rely on your buddy to have your back and yell, “Upward and onward!” Conquer the rock, and don’t worry about skill: Instructors at Pikes Peak Alpine School, in Colorado Springs, can customize group outings complete with helmets, harnesses and shoes. Afterward, you and your team will have earned the right to tap the Rockies at a local bar.
Wine Country
Wine has unfairly been given a less manly image than beer, but here is a quick way to up the testosterone in the vineyards: wine tours by Jeep. Forget stomping grapes with your bare feet; you’ve got massive tires for that. In Cali, Sonoma-based Wine Country Jeep Tours can do the driving while you do the drinking — ahem, I mean tasting.
City
For a big-city bachelor party, why not kick it like an all-star? Book a party bus from the hotel to your favorite stadium to watch the game in style. If your budget allows a little more creativity, rent a private suite or take advantage of the “all you can eat” seats popping up in many stadiums. Chicago’s Wrigley Field Rooftop Club has three sections of special seating, each a different price and offering perks like high-def TVs, extra-wide seats and the all-important private bar.
Resort
If you’re hosting a resort wedding, why not go old-school, or rather, back to school, with an on-campus scavenger hunt? Start off in the spa and get a clue from your masseuse leading you to a hike, a golf course, a cigar bar or whatever fun activities the resort has to offer. Get a new clue from the staff at each stop. The multiple resort bars (and drinks) along the way can be helpful clue-cracking pit stops.
Whatever you do, your party is going to be a kick-butt, boogie-down bonanza. It’s hard to believe it’s only a pre-game, but when you say “I Do”, that’s when the real party begins.
(originally printed in Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine, March/April issue)
We’re thrilled to announce that, thanks to your votes and support… The Broke-Ass Bride was named One of the Top 8 Wedding Blogs in OneWed’s 2011 Best of the Best Wedding Blog Competition – & we took 1st place for Best Offbeat Blog! We’re extremely honored and if we could reach through this computer screen and throw a heartfelt hump of gratitude into and every one of you who voted for us, we would! Thank you all so much!
Check out the sexy infographic OneWed had made to share the results! Its so interesting to see how all the votes broke down. Congrats to our fellow winners, and we’re giving up mad props to all the other blogs in our category. We are huge fans of them all and are proud to have been nominated among such a worthy and inspiring crew.
Thanks again to OneWed and to each and every one of you who voted. We love you long time!
A few weeks ago I lead a DIY workshop at The Wedding Pantry, making “favors with flava” – homemade Bath Soaks and Sugar Scrubs. It was my first time leading a workshop, and it was hella fun! Making your own bath soak and sugar scrub is insanely easy and inexpensive its silly, so make some for yourself while you’re at it. I’ve been using our scrub and its ahhhhhmazing!
They put out a cute sign for the event, I felt so legit! (See that wedding dress in the window there? Its made of PAPER, yo!)
Here’s the ingredients for the sugar scrub. Everything in it is not only natural, but edible too! And the smell? Just don’t blame me if you find yourself licking your fingers in the shower, yo. You can use any oil you want as the base, but I prefer coconut or almond. Coconut oil is mega moisturizing, and its solid at room temperature, so its an excellent vehicle for the sugar in your scrub. I brought fine granulated white sugar, brown sugar, and sugar in the raw. I like to mix all three, about 1/3 of each… but you can customize it to be as coarse or as fine as you like by changing that up or omitting one completely. Honey adds even more moisture so I like to add a squirt of that as well. The best part is there are no rules. Just mix it all together until you reach a consistency you like!
You might even have all the ingredients for our homemade bath soak already in your pantry. Really all you need is coarse kosher or epsom salts and essential oil to scent them… but you can add oats and/or baking soda for a more skin soothing and moisturizing soak. You can get little bottles of essential oil at a natural foods store. I bought Lavender because its relaxing, and grapefruit because its so invigorating. Just remember that a little goes a long way!
In between each step, we all went around playing “Two Truths and a Lie” which adding a fun bit of spice and girly slumber party fun to the workshop. None of the girls were very good liars, though… it was adorable.
Ta Da! Behold, the finished products. We got those jars at Ikea – they come in packs of 4 for $4… and one for a dolla makes me holla! A little ribbon and a gift tag puts the perfect touch on your gifties… even if you’re just giving them to yourself
Food for the event was provided by the totally boner-worthy Soho Taco. I ate wayyyyy too many of their gourmet veggie tacos and their topping bar was mad addictive. I’m a huge fan of taco carts at events – heck, we had one at our engagement party – and these are by far the best I’ve had. I highly recommend them!
Yum.
Just look at this motley crew of workshoppers! We had a total blast, and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity. Thanks to Eva and Wendy at The Wedding Pantry for having me, Holly Steen of Cakes and Kisses Photography for taking these gorgeous photos, and to Rico at Soho Taco for dinner!
Who wants to meet me? Like, in person, and stuff? Well, if you’re in SoCal… I’ve got 2 great ways to get closer to my broke-ass lovin’ coming right up!
Come see me speak about getting the most bang for your buck while planning your wedding, at the Wedding Salon Bootcamp on March 1st, at Hansen’s Cakes in Los Angeles! There’s a ton of great resources and goodies available, thanks to all those folks listed on the invite above, and more! But the best part is…. with discount code BABC, your 2 tickets are FREE!
Can’t make it on the 1st, or live too far in the OC to make the trip? Fear not… ‘cuz just one short week later, I’ll be tearing up The Wedding Pantry with some bad-ass DIY brilliance… in Bringing the Broke-Ass: Favors with Flava!
What’s better than saving some money and getting your craft on with me? Well, considering that I’m about as crafty as a one-handed monkey… it should be pretty darn entertaining. But, I have picked a few “idiot-proof” projects (by necessity, natch) and I just know you (and your guests) are going to love them… whether you use them for wedding or shower favors, bridesmaid gifts, or just broke-ass birthday prezzies for your friends. Hey, why not? Who says you have to be getting married to get your tasty craft on? Pas moi, yo! Register here.
Seriously, if you’re in the area for either event… please come say hi! I’ll surely be to be hellza nervous. I also can’t guarantee I won’t have a drink beforehand, so I’ll definitely be extra-friendly. I mean, let’s be real. Come meeeeeeet meeeeeeeeee!
Oh, and one more shameless plug while I have you here. Last week, I was named one of the Top Ten Social Media Influencers in the Wedding Industry by WedBiz Journal. Seated alongside major monoliths of wedding idolotry… here I am picking the spinach from between my teeth in complete, grateful, awe.
I mean, what?!? Me? Who started this blog in a sheer fit of frustration and desperation, gumption and moxie, as a real bride… just like you? I am simply amazed.
Thanks to all of you who follow my journey and keep me company each day on twitter and facebook – your support is what keeps me motivated to keep growing and improving and evolving, and I am so grateful to all my friends (old and new, and not yet met) in this crazy business! And if you’re not already following my twitter or liking us on facebook, isn’t today a good day to start?
We had an incredible year in 2010…. we’re so proud of all we accomplished! Pardon us for tooting our own horn, but its important for everyone to celebrate their accomplishments! Here are some highlights of our past year here at Broke-Ass HQ….
♥ We launched our exclusive Broke-Ass Cake Collection in partnership with celebrity cake designers Fantasy Frostings, and had a huge Cake Bash to kick it off. (In LA? Need a cake? Hit us up!) Look out for coverage of the Cake Bash in the Spring issue of The Bride & Bloom Magazine’s new SoCal edition!
♥ Our site and writing were featured in eight bridal magazines, including our feature as Brides Magazine’s first-ever Blog Star in their December issue.
♥ We launched the Broke-Ass Bargain Bash, bringing our favorite products to brides everywhere, at 40-90% off regular prices.
♥ We brought on seven amazing contributing writers to provide a diversity of voices and interests, from industry insiders to real brides and everything in between.
♥ We launched our weekly Broke-Ass Brigade Newsletter, landing great inspiration, deals, freebies and giveaways directly in our readers inboxes.
♥ We incorporated our business, developed a mission, and became full-time legitimate bloggers. We attended several inspiring and educational workshops and conferences, partied at some amazing industry events, and got up close and personal with many of our industry heroes.
♥ Our traffic keeps growing and growing, we reached over 10,500 twitter followers and over 3,000 facebook fans. Our readers are some of the most loyal and bad-ass brides (and beyond) out there. We are so, so grateful to each and every one of you who come by and share in our community day after day. Without you, we’d be nothing!
I was on the radio in Portland the other day, discussing DIY weddings on Destination DIY!
You can listen to the full “Rituals” show here (or just skip ahead to minutes 23:38 – 30:30, which is my bit) and give it a listen. Thanks to Julie at Destination DIY for having me on!
I am dead as I type this. I died of excitement and joyful disbelief on November 8th, the day I got the December issue of Brides Magazine, at my local market. Croaked right there and then, in the parking lot. I remember rising above my body, a vaporous mist of a spirit, and looking down upon the horrified shoppers gathering around my cadaverous corpse…. wishing I could somehow let them know to turn to page 158 of the magazine clutched in my cold, dead hand, so they could see what did me in. I wished and wished and wished and wished to wake up! And then, by the sheer force of my zombie-like will to live, I rose up from the slab and heaved my body, still stiff with rigor mortis, to a standing position… and walked my undead self and my magazine, all the way home while everyone looked on, in awe.
Ok, so that’s not true. But that, my friends, is JUST HOW FREAKING BLOWN MY MIND IS that Brides Magazine asked us to write their first ever Blog Star column, and share some of our sneakiest budget tips in the December issue. What the? Who the? How the? ….Oh hell to the yes!
We are humbled and honored, and would like to extend our deepest thanks to editor Millie Martini Bratton and her incredible staff. Having our blog and my writing featured in Brides is a real dream come true moment for me, and I’m still pinching myself over it!If you pick up the issue, turn to page 158 and check’a me out in living color! Do y’all like those tips?
