cheap wedding inspiration

{Real Wedding} Emily & John’s Vintage-Tastic, Contemporary Southern, Rainy Day Wedding Celebration

You guys! We’ve got a SUPER huge treat today. Broke-Ass Bride’s very own Emily has decided to grace us with her very own wedding awesomeness and DAY-UM does she deliver.

 

Name: Emily & John

Occupation: Freelance writer/blogger/Etsy shop proprietor & Fisheries Biologist, respectively.

Wedding location: Decatur, GA

Wedding Date: February 18th, 2012

Budget: < $10K

How would you describe your wedding? We wanted our wedding to feel more like a big party, with all the things we love. We’re foodies, music snobs, vintage enthusiasts – and we love a good cocktail, so obviously these were our priorities.

What was your favorite part of your wedding? I had almost no expectations about things like, you know, the ceremony – in fact, I fully expected to trip coming down the aisle, or have something go terribly amiss – but looking back, this was actually one of my favorite parts of the day. It was perfect. I got a little choked up – much to everyone’s surprise – I am NOT a crier! Also, having about 95% of the people I love in this world in the same room was a big deal for me.

What did you splurge on? We splurged on the things that people generally splurge on when throwing a wedding – the food, and the venue. Initially I didn’t expect to spend so much on the venue itself, but it took us a long time to find our ideal venue – and because it was a community center, we felt good about where our money was going.

What did you save on? Photography, flowers, music, and my officiant. The photography was definitely the biggest save – I snagged my dream photographer Whitney Huynh, via Wish Upon A Wedding  - an online charity auction site that provides dream weddings for couples who are facing serious illnesses or life-altering circumstances.  I paid a RIDICULOUSLY low price for a $4K wedding package – so low in fact, that I’m too ashamed to quote it here. It included 2 photographers (but I actually got 3!), a photobooth, and even more goodies!

I also made a crazy-amazing trade with my fabulous florist, Juli Vaughn Events. I fully intended on doing the wedding flowers myself, to save money – but my mom wanted to go with a traditional florist. We brought this up in front of my caterer, who recommended me to Juli. I was about to make a cross-country move, and I had a lot of choice vintage and antique goodies to unload – so Juli and I made a swap. A bunch o’ typewriters, oscillating fans,  my epic collection of mason jars, and a smattering of vintage cameras, for wholesale pricing on flowers. #WIN.

My officiant, Brenda M Owen, aka The WeddingWoman,  actually found me through my blogging gig here, and gave me a nice little “wedding blogger’s discount” (Being a wedding blogger has its perks, y’all!).

We also opted out of hiring a DJ or a band – my parents were really pushing for that, but John and I both have very exacting musical tastes, so we made our own playlists for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dance sesh, brought our own pair of kickin’ vintage speakers and sound equipment, and even made CD playlist favors!

We also saved a TON on decor by using what we had (VINTAGE), and hitting up Target the day-after X-mas to save BIG on string lights and other doo-dads. I understand that not everyone has a giant arsenal of vintage and antique treats in their personal collection, but still…you likely have something sitting around your home that could make your event design scheme infinitely more interesting!

Was there anything you would have done differently, in retrospect? I would have invited more people. We invited 75, knowing only 50 would show. As the RSVPs trickled in, I realized barely a third of those in attendance would be under 30, and only a tiny number were single! (That made me feel seriously old.) As a result, there were fewer people on the dance floor than I had hoped – the libations didn’t turn enough non-dancers into dancers, unfortunately!

What was your biggest challenge in planning? Well, despite the fact that we’d been engaged for 2.5 years, we planned this entire shindig in 3 months. That was challenging – but what was really challenging was the cross-country move that got jammed in right at the halfway point. My hubs got a job offer he couldn’t refuse, so off we went to Reno, NV.

Also, I am pretty laid back – my mom and dad are both EXTREME worriers. It only took one parental freak-out for me to realize that I was going to have to be totally on my game with the wedding planning, so that we could all still be on good terms by the time they walked me down the aisle together.

What lessons did you learn from planning or from the wedding itself? Expect surprises – and be open to them! My wedding turned out to be much more fabulous than I ever could’ve anticipated.

What were your top 5 favorite things about your wedding?

The one thing that touched me the most was how much John LOVED everything. He had been very involved with planning, but we were both elated with how beautifully things turned out. He said “Best day ever” at least half a dozen times. And he was right!

MY FLOWERS were absolutely amazeballs. I was seriously going to make little arrangements myself, and I’m sure I would’ve been satisfied with them, but having professional arrangements, bouquets, and boutonnieres really bumped my wedding up a notch. (I have to pimp Juli Vaughn Events here again – Atlanta brides, take note!) We also rented an antique bar cart, chairs for our photobooth, and a black chandelier from Four Inch Fold. These larger pieces rounded out our vintage look quite nicely!

MY CEREMONY! Because of our big move, Brenda and I never actually got to meet until my wedding day – something she was a little anxious about (because she’s such a PRO). But everything worked out splendidly – Brenda crafted a beautiful, moving ceremony that we’ll always cherish. Also, the time immediately following the ceremony was really special. After we got hugs and kisses from all our guests, we ran out in the rain with our photographers for a few couple portraits. These photos are my absolute faves from the whole day. We were so pumped up with love.

MY BRIDESMAIDS! My b-maids were/are the 3 ladies I love most – and I was so happy they traveled from all over the country to be there! FABULOUS LADY TIMES.

THE FOOD! We queried a LOT of caterers, and we really didn’t think we were going to be able to get the food we HAD to have for the price we wanted. We lived in Athens, GA for almost 3 years before our move to Nevada, and we LOVED locavore, contemporary Southern cuisine. The menus that looked the tastiest to us were often more than double what we wanted to spend on catering, and included ridiculous, excess charges that we simply couldn’t fathom paying ($500 for a coffee service?!). Zest Atlanta Catering TOTALLY got us. They understood what we wanted, they wowed us with a totally opulent tasting spread, and when they gave us a quote, the food was SO much more affordable than comparable menus we’d seen!

Top 5 least favorite?

I really have no complaints – it was a PERFECT day. I’ve been reading about “real weddings” for so long, I was prepared for anything (and prepared not to lose my cool) – but everything was so much better than I ever expected.

Ok fine, I have one or two complaints. John and I love fancy cheese – so we had our caterer do a beautiful cheese spread using Sweet Grass Dairy cheese – Sweet Grass is a Georgia dairy farm, so we were stoked to share our little foodie obsession with our wedding guests. It was by all accounts, an awesome spread, which I did I not get to taste any of, or even see! Things move really fast at weddings, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get to stuff your face with apps between your ceremony and reception.

Also, I only had one bite of my wedding cake – on top of our dessert table, our cake was totally excessive (but still beautiful). So keep that in mind if you’re doing a dessert table – you probably only need cake for half your guests.

What was the worst piece of wedding advice you received?

Peeps – when you start throwing ideas like “wedding taco bars” around, people start to freak. My friends were freaking in a good way – others (like my parents) were slightly appalled. Be prepared to defend your stance, pick your battles, and make an occasional concession – but make sure the wedding day you get matches your wedding vision, no matter what.

The best?

“Have a cocktail.” – this cures most wedding woes!

Wedding Vendors:

My Dress: Venus Bridals, purchased at The Bridal Outlet of Atlanta

Bridesmaid Dresses: Nordstrom

Hair & Make-up: BB Salon

Venue: The Solarium at Scottish Rite

Catering: Zest Atlanta Catering

Officiant: Brenda M. Owen, aka The WeddingWoman

Flowers: Juli Vaughn Designs

Photographers: Whitney Huynh,  Second Shooter: Theary Meak

Vintage Rentals: Four Inch Fold

Cake: Publix 

Story: Wedding Story Writer (This is a rather luxe new wedding service I got to test-run at my wedding at a STEEP discount, thanks to a writerly connection I made via Twitter! Again, the perks of being a wedding blogger…)

In addition to her bloggy duties at BAB, Emily also writes for BRIDEfinds, SHEfinds, and Zankyou’s Wedding Mag. She will totally be your BFF if you follow her on Twitter. 

 

{Can’t Afford It/ Get Over It} Blushing Bride

This week, Smokey Mountain Mama, Kelly R. wrote in to tell us about her tulle troubles.  Here’s what Kelly has to say:

“I have a can’t afford it / get over it request!  I’m looking for a ball gown that’s simple (I’m quite petite) but statement-making with a BUNCH of tulle (or some other fluffy stuff) and in just the right shade of pink for my Smoky Mountain wedding. Something like this, but at about 1/3 of the price:”

Can’t Afford It

Alita Graham Wedding Gown

Style # 7708 $3,200.00

So, Kelly wants to be a blushing bride in more than one way!  No problem!  We are gonna make your pretty princess dress dreams come true for that fraction of the cost you mentioned.  We might just have to put on our Power Puff Girl underoos, think outside the box, and cowgirl up!  Here’s how it’s gonna work , Kelly!  I L-O-V-E your aesthetic and the powder puff pink gown you’ve chosen but the price leaves something to be desired.  So, I’m gonna give you a multitude of options that capture your vision.  I think you might find something that says pretty, sassy, and sexy, which I have a feeling is a bit more you!  I mean, after all,  you did write in to The Broke-Ass Bride!

Then I’m gonna blow your mind with some totally OUTSIDE the box thinking!  So, Kelly, are you ready to get over It?

Get Over It

vintagebridalapparel.com

Spaghetti Strap Princess Dress

$285.98

Bombshellbettys.com

1950′s Pink Tulle Prom Gown

$169.99

Bestbridalprice.com

Maggie Sottero style Maeve

$500.00

etsy.com seller bridalblissdesigns

High Low Bubble Hem Wedding Dress $749.00

etsy.com seller ouma

recreates the Taylor Swift dress

$980.00

etsy.com seller WeddingDressFantasy

Romantic Pink Wedding Dress

$659.00

etsy.com seller MillStreetVintage

1950′s Pink Tulle Party Dress

$225.00

PSBridal.com

Mori Lee style 3654 in white/pink

$366.00

Davidsbridal.com

Vera Wang Floral Print Taffeta Ball Gown

$848.00

Davidsbridal.com

Strapless Floral Printed Organza A-Line style # T3267

$449.00

PSBridal.com

Impression Bridal style # 2975

$592.50

PSbridal.com & misquincemag.com

Allure style Q200

$628.00 -$598.00

Davidsbridal.com

Vera Wang  style # VW351007 (Blush/Ivory)

$978.00

There you go, Kelly!  You have 14 options to choose from.  All available in pink, all full skirted, and all under a G!  But if you didn’t find anything above that tickled your fancy, then here’s where I blow your mind!  A lot of bridal designers are  coloring outside the lines these days!  Vera Wang, Maggie Sottero, Allure Bridal, Impressions Bridal, and Jim Hjelm produce pink wedding gowns just to name a few! The wedding gown market is slowly becoming more and more diverse. But the options don’t end there! You can get a multitude of colors now.  I digress…we’re sticking to the petal pink pallet for this installment of CAI/GOI.

Even if you dislike all of the options above (which I highly doubt), you still have options.  You could always purchase a white dress and have it dyed to your color specifications.  Often times, the dress manufacturers will do this for you.  But if they don’t there are other professional dying companies who specialize in wedding gowns.  Do your research.  Check out companies with the Better Business Bureau.  Ask questions about quality and customer service guarantees. Ask to see samples and if they have any limitations.  Remember certain fabrics, like Silk, take color better than fabrics like Rayon and Polyester which are honestly next to impossible to dye.  So, be realistic. Check into the fabric your garment is or will be made of before committing to fabric dying.

Another option is to go to a designer and have your gown custom made.  There are several talented mavens on etsy.com.  However, if that worries you, you can certainly look into your local pool of seamstresses.  I’ll bet you’d be surprised at how many local ladies are capable of pulling, gathering, and stitching your dream dress into fruition!  I decided to take my own advice and I found 3 BBB accredited and well known bridal tailors in my immediate area who could build me a bridal gown or bride’s maids’ dresses!  So, My Misty Mountain Mama, I suggest you get your research on!  Ask around and see if any of your friends have used a phenomenal tailor for a special project. Ask your local bridal shops and prom shops for recommendations.  You’ll have a litany of information to pear down and investigate.

No matter what you decide, I hope that this CAI/GOI got your imagination bubbling with all the pink possibilities!  You will be a perfectly petite pixie in blushing bridal loveliness come the day of your Rocky Mount wedding day!  Remember if you Can’t Afford It, your gal pals at  BAB are always here to help you Get Over It! Best wishes on a B-E-A-utiful blush bridal union!

Pin-spired… to Get Over It!

Reader Request
I’m addicted to caffeine, nicotine and Pinterest. All of which are extremely unhealthy. While browsing the other I fell in LOVE this dress and I can not find it anywhere! I don’t know the designer, the price (I’m pretty sure its out of my budget) or anything! Can you please help me find something similar?

 

What a gorgeous dress! This one was tough but I managed to find a couple of similar beauties:

Adrianna Papell $278

David’s Bridal $229

David’s Bridal $229

Alfred Angelo, call for price

-Dana F.

{Real Wedding} Heather + Jacob’s Peacock Feathered, History Museum Super-Saver Wedding

Oh! Was I drooling? When this beauty of a wedding landed in my inbox, I just stared … and stared … and stared. Heather and Jacob had a stunning peacock-infused and SUPER budget-friendly event in Seattle. They are one handsome couple and the camera sure does love them. Get your bib ready and throw some plastic over your keyboard, because you’ll be sure to soak it with your own dribble.

Name: Heather and Jacob

Occupation: Café/Wine Bar Manager

Wedding location: Tacoma, Washington

Wedding Date: April 2, 2011

Budget: $10,000, but I think we spent around $12K

How would you describe your wedding:
Our wedding was a total expression of our personalities. It was fashionable, funky and creative but with lots of traditional and personal touches. I knew I wanted to go with peacock feathers, and choosing them opened the door to a beautiful, jewel-tone color scheme. We chose over-the-top venues, fun outfits for our wedding party, but maintained tradition by marrying in a chapel and having our pastor marry us. We both wrote our own vows … we were both crying so much we could hardly make it through the ceremony!

What was your favorite part of your wedding? I think listening to my husband’s wedding vows. I had not heard them before that point, and he was crying so hard … it was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. I was so full of love at that moment!

 My favorite “material” part of the wedding was our flowers. My bouquet was amazeballs!

What did you splurge on?
Photography and invitations.
Photography is really the only thing that really lasts forever, so we knew we wanted great photos. To me, invitations are really important because I believe they set the tone for the whole event.

What did you save on?
My dress was a sample gown that had been in the shop for six months and had never even been tried on. I think the owner was dying to get rid of it (guess no one else liked it!) so she gave me a huge discount.

I won an essay contest and got $300 off of our invitations (they still were pricey), we had a friend cater the wedding, and we DIYed as much as we could. I spent 13 hours the day before the wedding making our centerpieces and ceremony décor. I also made all the cake stands for the candy bar and had friends and family members make dessert. We even borrowed a cotton candy machine from a friend and spun our own cotton candy!

I also made all the table numbers and table squares, escort cards, the wishing tree and the bridesmaid’s hair fascinators. I had a whole year to plan, and I was literally working on crafts for an entire year!! Day of, I had friends do my hair and makeup, and stayed at a hotel that my parents’ friends own (free!).

Was there anything you would have done differently, in retrospect?
Honestly, everything went so smoothly that there isn’t anything I would change. We had help from a lot of friends and the day went off without a hitch. I still don’t get tired of looking at my wedding photos … I am still in love with the whole event!

What was your biggest challenge in planning?
Definitely having such a small budget for a wedding with 230 guests. We both had help from our families, but we still paid for most of the wedding ourselves. It took a ton of time, energy, and research to find the most cost effective version of everything. I probably spent thousands of hours on the Internet !! There were times when I thought it LITERALLY would not be possible, but it is! I managed to juggle full-time school, a full-time job, and planning a wedding and still did not come out completely broke!

What lessons did you learn from planning or from the wedding itself?
Organization. I am definitely more of a “free spirited” person than an organized person, but if you are planning a wedding on a budget, organization is key. You need to keep track of coupons and sales, as well as network with people. I used the homie hookup on whatever I could, and I think that’s part of the reason we were able to have such a beautiful wedding on a budget. We used connections through friends at church, our parent’s friends, and Facebook friends! I made lots of excel spreadsheets to keep track of how much we had spent and how much we had left to spend. I had to keep track of every tiny expense, even if it was 5 dollars!

What were your top 5 favorite things about your wedding?
1-the way my bridesmaids looked together. I think their dresses were amazing, and paired with the peacock fascinators, funky hosiery, sky-high heels, and lime green flowers… I don’t think I have ever seen a cooler bunch of bridesmaids!

2- our reception venue. We had it at a history museum and rented out all three floors. When  we walked into our reception it was like being on the loveboat—looking up at three floors of balcony filled with our loved ones cheering and applauding us. It was a surreal feeling. I might be biased but I think it was the coolest reception venue ever (especially since it had a mummy display)!

3- My flowers. They were more than I could have imagined—simply perfect! I even was in love with the flower girl’s dark purple pomander ball! (I used vintage brooches on the front of my bouquet, given to me by my mom)

4-Our wedding video. A very talented friend of ours did a wedding video for us as a gift—it turned out beautifully!

5-Having a candy buffet. Because we had at least 30 kids at our wedding, we really needed to do something they would love. Having a candy buffet complete with freshly spun cotton candy was a huge hit! I loved going around and greeting all of my guests and seeing them all with blue tongues.

Top 5 least favorite?
1. The fact that it ended! We only had our reception venue from 6:30 until 11:00, and I was really sad when everyone had to leave. The party was absolutely insane at our reception, and I think most of our guests moved on to an after party. I am so glad that people had so much fun! (boring receptions are the worst)

2. That we couldn’t have live music at our reception. We just couldn’t afford it, and opted for a DJ instead.
That’s really all I can think of… everything else was wonderful.

 

What was the worst piece of wedding advice you received?
Well, we had a lot of unique ideas and almost every single person in my life bashed all of my ideas. People could not believe we were doing a candy bar instead of a traditional wedding cake, or that we were doing a wishing tree instead of a guest book. Someone flat out told me that those ideas were disrespectful to our guests! People also knocked the lime green flowers idea, and the fact that I wanted to wear polka dot tight sunder my dress. However, I think once they saw everything together, they realized they were wrong!

The best?
I didn’t get any great advice. However, I am a really independent person and just went on with my planning by myself and didn’t really listen to what anyone else was saying. Planning a wedding is hard enough, you can’t let other people’s negative opinions and comments get to you! I am glad I stuck to my gut because I am SO PROUD of how my wedding turned out.

If you’ve been married for more than a year, what have been some challenges? It’s been the best 10 months of my life! In fact, we are expecting a little baby girl in May.
{Eds. note: CONGRATULATIONS!!!}

Any other bits of wisdom?
Always go with your gut. Only YOU know yourself best. Don’t let other people tell you “that dress is just not YOU” or, “really? You want your reception in a museum? That’s so not you!” Only you truly know your taste, and if you let other people make decisions for you, you might regret it in the long run.

Check out Heather & Jacob’s totally gorgeous wedding vid (WARNING: it might make you a little teary)

Heather and Jacob | Every sunrise and sunset from james dean on Vimeo.

Budget breakdown?
Food and rentals: $4,000
Photography: $2,600
Ceremony Venue: $300 (score! My husband’s aunt was an employee at the venue)
Reception Venue: $1200
Dress: $800
Flowers: $1,000
Décor: (DIY) $600
Invitations: $500
Candy bar: $200 (lots of DIY, bought candy from bulk website)
DJ: $900
Videographer, wedding veil, and desserts were all gifted!

Vendors:
Dress: Jasmine Collection
Veil: Vera Wang
Shoes: Paris Hilton
Hair Flower: Nordstrom
Bracelets: Forever 21
Groom’s Suit: Tommy Hilfiger
Groom’s Tie: Urban Outfitters
Groom’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Betsey Johnson, XOXO, David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid’s tights: Nordstrom
Bridesmaid’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Hair fascinators: Made by bride
Cocktail rings: Forever 21
Groomsmen outfits: All H&M
Groomsmen ties: Urban Outfitters
Flowergirl dress: David’s Bridal
Ring Bearer’s outfits: JC Penney
Flowers: Debra’s Botanical Design
Ceremony Venue: Kilworth Memorial chapel
Reception Venue: Washington State History Museum
DJ/Lighting: Adam’s DJ Service
Photographer: Clane Gessel Photography
Videographer: James Dean
Invitations: Peacock Invitations on Etsy

-Christen

{Broke-Ass TV} Do-it-Yourself Decorative Pom Poms!

It’s a new year, which means it’s time for new videos! Last year we made a bunch of fun craft and advice videos, and now a whole new batch are done and ready to share. Hunter and I get pretty silly this time around

First up: How to Make DIY Fabric Poms for your wedding or event!

Special thanks to our friends Shabby Apple for my pretty dress, and ban.do for the Heart Headband! Love.
(PS: Shabby Apple is having a store-wide sale right now! 20% off, enter code NEWYEAR at checkout)

And for extra-easy reference, here’s how it all goes down…

Materials Needed:
♥ Yarn
♥ Hands
♥ Scissors

Why poms?

Poms are kind of a no-brainer for budget, handmade-chic weddings, bridal shower, or any event! It’s a quick, fun craft that allows you to add interesting accents to your decor without spending much money at all.

You can scatter them around your wedding, string them up in the venue like a bunting, or put them on clips in your hair or belt. Heck, you can even use them for a toss alternative to flower petals! They’re super charming and sweet and you can customize them to any color you desire. It’s a great, simple craft for doing with friends, or during a Veronica Mars marathon. Best of all, they practically cost mere pennies to make.

Step 1: Roll the Yarn Bundle

Take bundles of yarn in the colors you want, which you can easily find at a fabric or crafts store. Using your palm as a measuring device (or your fingers if you happen to have very large palms), wind the yarn around your hand. Keep winding and winding and winding!

When you have a significant bundle of yarn wrapped around your hand (trial and error will help you decide how much you need for poms as bushy as you desire), simply snip the other end of the yarn. It doesn’t need to be precise.

Step 2: Tie & Trim

Carefully remove the yarn bundle from your hand, careful to keep it intact. Then take an extra length of yarn and tie it around the middle of the yarn bundle, like you’re cinching its waistline.

Finally use your scissors to cut through each of the tops of the loops like you see in the video. Then trim all around the pom until you get the length you want, edward scissorhands-style… like you’re trimming a hedge! Voila! You now have simple and easy pom poms to use as your heart desires!

Got a request for a future video? Leave it in the comments or Email Me! And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for updates on any new videos we post!

Whaddya think? Will you be making poms for your wedding?

How To Feed 40 People For $3 Each. You’re Welcome.

When I met the lovely, effervescent Daffodil Campbell at Camp Mighty, I was a bit starstruck, as I’ve long been a fan of her writing. When she turned out to be just as, if not more lovely in person… I quickly identified my mission: make her love me. Ok, so maybe it was a bit less stalkery than that, but I sensed in her a kindred spirit and couldn’t wait to get to know her better. And I did! It worked out marvelously. Mwahahaha.

Over dinner our final night, she mentioned having blogged about a broke-ass food challenge of sorts, in which she fed a group of 40 for $5 each, and I asked if I could re-blog it here for my masses. I love this recipe. It’s comforting, healthy, impressively ethnic, and can be prepared vegetarian or vegan or not, depending on your inclinations and the crowd you’re feeding. I figured it could be just the thing for some of you industrious brides to take advantage of for an engagement party, rehearsal dinner, hell… why not your wedding? While I don’t necessarily recommend slaving over a stove on your big day… with the right group of volunteers and stealthy prep-work, it can be done! Or, you could just throw a bad-ass party for no good reason at all, and impress your friends with your culinary prowess while your pocketbook stays fat and happy tucked away in your purse.

So, without further ado… take it away, Daffodil!

(PS: more on Camp Mighty, coming soon!)
________________________________

Last weekend we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary with a group of friends. I had considered having the food catered – picking up trays of food from our local grocery store, and saving myself a lot of time and stress. But the prices were high, and I wanted the food to be hot and fresh. Besides – I love to cook.

The response from friends hearing that I was cooking for about 40 people on my anniversary ranged from “You ARE?” to “Are you sure?” to “Of course you are!” to “I am so glad you are – yummy!”

Inspired and wanting to rise to the challenge, I sat down with my cookbooks. I wanted to find recipes that were simple – the more ingredients a recipe has, the more it will cost. A tip – if you need a spice or other ingredient that you don’t use often, find a store that sells spice by weight – lots of health food stores do, and you can buy just what you need for the recipe, not a whole jar that will then sit in your pantry. Also, I have a limited diet these days SO I was hyper-aware of this, but it’s a good thing to remember: You want to make something everyone will be able to eat. I decided on a big salad, daal, rice (all vegetarian and very filling, with plant-based protein) and chicken. I started cooking that afternoon and it took me about 2 hours. I had hoped to let the chicken marinate more but it just didn’t work out that way, so I put them on the grill to start them off and add some smoky flavor, then stabbed them repeatedly with a fork (which also helped my stress about cooking for 40 people, since I was feeling kind of stabby by about 4pm) basted, and cooked it on a low heat in my convection oven to allow the flavors to develop slowly.

A caveat about cooking for a large group: YOU NEED BIG PANS. Big ones. And big serving dishes. And a lot of silverware and dishes. We discovered that we needed forks about an hour before the guests started to arrive.

Awesome. Added to the stabby vibe.

The following is a detailed description of the menu, with some overly-simple directions. Sorry about that.

Dinner for 40, for less than $3 per person.

SALAD

The salad was set up salad bar-style. This meant that leftover greens could be bagged and refrigerated, along with with the individual garnishes. People could choose what they wanted to put in their salad, and how much. No dressing? NO PROBLEM. Hate carrots? HEY ME TOO.

The salad bar had dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, sliced cucumbers, sprouts, some goat cheese, shredded fresh and crusty french bread (better than croutons!) and balsamic strawberry vinaigrette.

Balsamic Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ripe Strawberries
Balsamic Vinegar
Salad oil blend or olive oil

I am embarrassed to even call this a recipe, actually. I chopped up a bunch of overly ripe slightly wrinkly strawberries into small pieces, put them in a bowl with their juices, poured in enough balsamic vinaigrette to cover them, stirred enthusiastically while gently giving the strawberries a little smooshing, and then let them set. Just before serving, I added salad oil (about the same amount of oil as balsamic) and gave it a good shaking. That’s it! Also great with blueberries. The trick is to use a very sweet, juicy, extra ripe fruit.

RICE

For dinner I made a huge pot of rice. There is a trick to making rice of you don’t have a rice cooker. If you live in Hawaii, you know what a rice cooker is. If you live in rural America, you might have no idea what I am talking about. I learned about rice cookers when I moved to Maui. They are like crockpots – but for rice. They cook rice quickly and efficiently and have an automatic shutoff when the rice is done. I don’t know how they work exacty, but we’ll just call it a miracle and move on. I don’t have a rice cooker. I make my rice in a big pot.

Public Service Announcement: Instant rice is not rice.

Confession: this technique for cooking rice was taught to me by Kevin Flaherty during the middle of a very memorable weekend at his parents beach house off-season. He also taught me some fun things to do with climbing ropes and carabiners. Thanks for the memories, man.

Melt a small pat of butter or heat a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of a pan. Makes sure the bottom of the pan is fully coated. Wash your rice. Just do it. Pour however much rice you need in the bottom of the pan. DO NOT STIR. Pour cold water over the rice – 2 cups of water for one cup of rice. Turn the heat to high – and when the water comes to a boil turn it down and simmer until the water is gone. You cannot put the lid on tightly – if you want to use a lid it has to be slightly off-center so steam can escape, and you have to keep an eye on the pan – once the water is gone you must turn off the heat or your rice will burn! It’s easy to tell when the water is completely gone – look for bubbles on top of and between the grains of rice. Bubbles = water still cooking off. I used one cup of uncooked rice for every 5 people – so 8 cups of rice and 16 cups of water.

DAAL/DHAL/DAL/LENTILS

I used a huge, heavy ceramic-coated cast iron pot with a lid which prevents sticking, minimizes the chance of burning, and is good for slow cooking.

3 tbs butter or ghee
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs fresh ginger (I buy the prepared ginger root puree in a jar)
3 tbs garlic puree (also purchased in a jar)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried chilis (Confession: I once used a package of crushed chili peppers I got from Pizza Hut that I found in my junk drawer to season my daal - Now I have a bottle of them.)

Sautee all in pan until onion is clear, then add:

1 cup lentils (I used french green lentils) stir around well to coat, then add:
3 cups water
1 cup veggie broth
1 can chopped tomatoes with chilis

Bring the whole thing to a boil, turn down the heat and put a lid on it. Stir *very* occasionally, cook for 1 hour and see how the lentils are doing. They probably need another hour to get really soft. Once lentils are pretty soft, smooosh them with a potato masher to break them up a bit. Then add a little lemon juice, some pepper, and a lot of salt. You have to do it to taste – but lentils in my experience need a lot of salt. However, salt will keep them from getting as soft as they should – so don’t add it until the lentils are soft.

This made enough for 10 people – so I quadrupled it. Like I said: you need big pans to cook for a crowd.

SPICY MASALA CHICKEN

First, to clarify: This is NOT CHICKEN MARSALA. No, no it isn’t.

Sauce/Marinade (enough for 10 chicken thighs)

6 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ginger puree (same stuff I used for the daal)
1 tsp garlic puree (same stuff I used for the daal)
1 tsp crushed dried chilies
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp honey

Confession: This recipe calls for marinating the chicken, but I don’t have the time or the space to marinate chicken for 40 people, so I basted with the marinade and it was really yummy. If you have time and space, go ahead and marinate the chicken for a few hours or even overnight. Another problem with marinating – I used frozen chicken thighs. Bone-in, with skin, that you can cook from frozen without having to defrost. They are cheap and flavorful. The fat cooks out of them, and the skin comes off during cooking…….so go for it. I counted on 1/2 pound of chicken per person, and so I bought 20 pounds of chicken. Turn your oven on to 300 degrees and let it preheat while you grill the chicken a bit for flavor. If you have a convection oven, use it. We put the thighs – still frozen – on the grill skin side up. Put the heat on Medium, closed the lid, and grilled for 10 minutes watching for flare-ups due to the fat cooking off. Don’t want to burn down your house while preparing for your dinner party. That’s called irony.

After 10 minutes, transfer the chicken into a large pan (I needed three large pans – 9×12 with high sides) and peel off the skin and excess fat. Spread the chicken out single layer with slight overlap, which prevents the edges from getting overcooked and dried out during slow cooking.

STAB THAT CHICKEN WITH A FORK.
Go on, STAB IT ALL OVER.

Now drizzle the sauce/marinade all over the chicken using a spoon to conserve so that you have enough for all of the pieces. Put it in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 45 minutes.

So that’s it. The bulk of the food cost was baby greens ($8), the chicken ($25), the lentils ($5 or so), and the rice was less than that, and everything was delicious!
________________________________

Thanks a million to Daffodil for sharing her wondrousness with us! Make sure you check out her super duper blog, Adventures in Paradise. Before you know it, you’ll want to make her love you, too

What do you think? Would you use a recipe like this to cater your own event?

{Can’t Afford It/Get Over It} One Word, Three Syllables: Pnina

Pnina Tornai gowns are a certain kind of special.  They are expertly crafted, sexy yet sophisticated and detailed to the bone.  There’s a reason why their price tags are so high.  But that doesn’t mean us broke-ass brides can’t get the same look for a fraction of the Pnina price.   Let’s see what bride Taralin had to say:

Love this dress but can’t seem to find anything similar – and definitely can’t afford the Pnina.  Any ideas? Thanks!

Can’t Afford It:

Get Over It:

1. Kitty Chen.  About $1000.

2. Impression Bridal. About $1000.

3. Blu By Madeline Gardner. About $1000.

4. Moonlight Collection. About $1000.

5. Alfred Angelo. About $1000.

6. Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner. About $1000.

7. Modeca. About $1000.

8. Moonlight Collection. About $1000.

Miss any CAI/GOI magic?  Catch up here:

{Can’t Afford It/Get Over It} The ‘Belle’ of the Ball

I am in love with this week’s request because it deals with two of my favorite things: Halloween and “Beauty & the Beast”.  Today’s featured bride is having a “Beauty & the Beast” themed wedding on Halloween.  How fun is that?  Let’s see what Natalie had to say:

I am ABSOLUTELY in love with this dress. “Beauty & the Beast” is my favorite story and my fiance and I are kind of running with that theme for our Halloween wedding.  I am looking for something way cheaper though because a designer gown just doesn’t really fit in our budget.

Thanks so much,
Natalie

I did a little digging and discovered the “Belle” dress costs around $1000.  So I found Natalie some lookalikes for under $600.

Can’t Afford It

Get Over It:

1. Unique Vintage. $530.

2. Faviana. $378.

3. Unique Vintage.  $268.

4. Unique Vintage. $139.

5. Eden Bridals. Under $600.

6. Voyage by Madeline Gardner. Under $600.

7. 1 Wedding by Mary’s Bridal. Under $600.

8. Eden Bridals. Under $600.

9. Wtoo Brides. Under $600.

10. Mary’s Bridal. Under $500.

11. David’s Bridal. $399.99.

12. Bonny Bridal. Under $500.

13. 1 Wedding by Mary’s Bridal. Under $500.

14. Oleg Cassini. $499.99.

15. Davids Bridal. $599.99.

Miss any CAI/GOI magic?  Catch up here: