top 5 things you can cut from your wedding decor!

ah...the case of the rich bride/poor bride. As a wedding decorator, I see this happen to a lot of brides.

She gets engaged and heads straight to The Knot, full of ideas, champagne dreams and caviar expectations.

But then the little things that she's been buying on etsy and ebay that only cost $XX start adding up and next thing you know - BLAM. Budget blown because of blinged out "Future MRS." accessories - panties, hoodie, velour suit , matching towel set, iphone jewel case, gym bag, slippers, robe and on and on and on.

Seemed like a good idea.... at the time.

So what's a bride to do? She still wants her wedding to look "fabulous", but now only has an "it looks okay..." budget. That's where your wedding decorator or even your wedding planner comes in handy. She should be the first person to advise you on what you could cut without putting a serious dent in your overall look and feel.

In the next few weeks, I'll list 5 things you can cut from your decor budget without feeling like you made a huge sacrifice and still look good!

1. Chair sashes
Don't get me wrong- I like chair sashes! Sashes are like, the best thing since...chair covers. Some of my best rented items are chair covers!

They add so much to a room and makes you say "Oh so pretty!" when you walk into a room....

Then, your guests sit down...then they go get a drink at the bar...then people keep getting up to go to the bathroom...then they get up again to go talk to people at other tables...then they go to get ANOTHER drink at your consumption bar (you're watching them out of the corner of your eye...LOL)...then the kids start pulling them off the chair...then its around the best man's head like a head band and he's doing the flash dance/sprinkler/strip tease.

My point is that it's nice to see how pretty it is at the beginning of the night, but by the end of the night, a good number of sashes are AWOL from where they were tied and look a bit sloppy.

Here's a great alternative - go for the chair covers with attached ties. They normally cost a teensy bit more than a plain chair cover, but cost less than getting both the plain chair cover and coloured organza sash. They are already attached to the chair and stay tied up in the fancy bow! Technology, huh?!

Word to the wise - stay away from putting organza bows on satin chair covers. Not.A.Good.Idea. trust me!

If you MUST have chair sashes, then I would recommend using taffeta sashes. A bit more pricier, but its a more sturdier material than organza, so the likelihood of your beautiful bows staying put is greater. And it's pretty!

stay tuned for #2 - it has to do with a table, chocolate and your money box! Till then, stay fabulous and blessed!

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I Gotta Be Me!

I was thinking today about what I should post about next and realized that one of the sad things about me starting this blog so late into my planning (let’s be honest, I started posting about a month before my wedding day!) is that you haven’t been able to read about my planning, my decisions and my purchases for the wedding, so I thought I would take the time to tell you about my wedding shoes.

*sigh*

Oh how I love my shoes…

Like most brides, once I found “the dress”, I began to hunt for all the little bits that go along with it. This being the veil, the headpiece/tiara, jewellery and of course, the most important accessory of them all – the shoes.

Now people, these aren’t just shoes. They are THE shoes. The shoes that you will wear as you take the first step into your new life as a wife. The shoes that you will be dancing in (hopefully, if you haven’t changed into flip flops!) with your husband for the first time. The shoes that all your friends and family will ooooh and aaaaah over as the ‘gem’ that made your outfit “perfect”.



So yeah, this is pretty huge.

I think I hit every shoe store in every mall in Mississauga. I looked on websites, scouring over bridal shoes and white shoes. Open-toed or closed toed. High heel, kitten heel, or ballet flats. Simple and sleek, or covered in bling. The options are endless!

I’m 5’10 and my fiancé is 6’1, and his only request for the wedding day is that he be taller than me. So that meant high heels were out.

Eventually I threw my hands in the air, out of frustration (Ha! No bride ever does that!) and voiced my concerns to my bridal party. Throw the word “Wedding” or “Bridal” in front of any product or service and you can pretty much guarantee that the price will increase by 25 – 50%. I just could not rationalize paying $100 (or more!) for a pair of white shoes that I will never wear again. I was told to look at satin dyeable shoes, but being completely honest with myself, I knew I would never wear satin shoes in the future.

I had continually toyed with the idea of wearing coloured shoes because a) I'm just not a white shoe person, b) they’ll be under my dress and honestly, how many people will be looking at my feet? And c) I’m being practical (which is who I am as a Virgo!) because I can wear them again! Besides, blue is my favourite colour! After much debate about tradition and my personal comfort, I finally decided “I gotta be me!” and went on the hunt for blue shoes.

Then, one day, as I was walking through Square One with my girlfriends, I came across the most perfect pairs of shoes I have ever laid my eyes on. I was drawn into the store by a magnetic force and saw them. Closed-toe, kitten heeled, blue leather. Not only would these be the perfect wedding shoes for me, but they would look so hot with a pair of jeans at a later date. After asking for a pair in my size, I slipped them on my feet and I was instantly in heaven. These were the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn, and they were absolutely stunning. I knew I had to have them, and within minutes I walked out of the store with my coveted Steve Maddens in hand.



I got home and began to panic ever so slightly because I remembered how traditional my fiancé is about our wedding. My girlfriends have told him over the last year that my wedding gown is blue (again, my favourite colour) and he jokingly pumps his fist at me, with a smile on his face, saying “It better be white.” So you could say I was a little worried about what he would say about my beautiful bright blue shoes. When he came home, I pulled them out to show him and the look on his face was priceless.

Him: “Wow. Those are really bright. You’re kidding about wearing them for the wedding, right?”

Me: “No.”

*pause*

Him: “Well, they’re definitely you.”

And that's how it was finalized that I would wear my beautiful bright blue, kitten heel Steve Maddens as I walk down the aisle.

Oh, and as an aside, my one girlfriends (after finding out that I would definitely be wearing my blue shoes at the wedding) said that while everybody else took pictures of my face as I walked down the aisle, she will be taking pictures of the little peeps of blue that will poke out under the hem of my dress. I can't wait!

Only 11 more days to go!

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