Oy. The decisions one must make during wedding planning… because you can try and put them off for as long as possible but eventually – they needs to be made, y’all. One of those major decisions has hit The Boy and I right smack dab in our collective faces, too. And that decision is – where will we be honeymooning?

From the moment we began planning a wedding, we also knew that we wanted to do a honeymoon. See, one of the major reasons that we’re getting married is because we want kids (not romantic but very true) and, due to our ages, we really do need to start trying pretty soon after we get married. So, a honeymoon would be more to us than a fun trip together post-wedding. It’ll be our last big vacation without kids for a long, long time. Because of that, we really want to do it up right.

So, we’ve been tossing around ideas for places to go and have been trying really hard to come up with a compromise. I want the beach. He wants history (actually, he wanted to go to a hunting lodge but there is NO WAY IN @*%*% I’m spending my vacation butchering something thankyouverymuch). Anyhoo, we’ve narrowed it down to three options:
p style=text-align: center;strongLondon, England (and surrounding areas)/strong (Image Courtesy of: a href=http://www.studylanguages.org target=_blankStudy Languages/a):/p
p style=text-align: center;a href=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/London.jpgimg class=aligncenter size-full wp-image-13608 src=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/London.jpg alt= width=600 height=478 //a/p
The Boy was stationed in England and Wales in the early 1980’s and LOVED it. Unfortunately, due to the political climate of the time, he was never allowed to visit Ireland and that’s always bugged him. Also, one of his good friends (whom I adore) is currently stationed there and it would be fun to see him again.
p style=text-align: center;strongCrete, Greece/strong (Image Courtesy of: a href=http://www.lannavacations.com target=_blankLanna Vacations/a):/p
p style=text-align: center;a href=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Crete.jpgimg class=aligncenter size-full wp-image-13607 src=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Crete.jpg alt= width=500 height=333 //a/p
The beach! Yummy food! History! This is the one that I’m pulling for, especially after we discovered the a title=Armed Forces Vacation Club href=http://www.afvclub.com/ target=_blankArmed Forces Vacation Club/a – they offer killer deals on lodging all over the world to members of the armed forces and veterans. We found out that you can rent a fully furnished apartment only 100 meters from the beach for just $53.00 a day. A DAY! Score!
p style=text-align: center;strongNew Orleans, Louisiana/strong (Image Courtesy of: a href=http://madeinneworleans.org/ target=_blankMade in New Orleans/a):/p
p style=text-align: center;a href=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/New_Orleans.jpgimg class=aligncenter size-full wp-image-13606 src=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/New_Orleans.jpg alt= width=560 height=366 //a/p
This is our omigodwehavenomoney option. Neither of us has been there before and, after the devastating one-two combo of Hurricane Katrina and Gulf Coast spill, we loved the idea of helping support the economy with our tourist dollars. Plus, we lurve eating fresh seafood and mocking drunk people (preferably at the same time).

So, have any of you made your honeymoon plans yet? How’d you make the decision? Which place do you think we should pick? Are any of you going to (or have any of you been to) London, Greece, or New Orleans? What should we know before we go? In the meantime, you can also a href=http://pinterest.com/kissmytulle/honeymoony/ target=_blankfollow my honeymoon board on Pinterest/a and see what I’m thinking of packing!

a href=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cris.jpgimg class=aligncenter size-full wp-image-12466 title=cris src=http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/cris.jpg alt= width=199 height=94 //a

So, the invitations have been one of the biggest DIY’s I’ve tackled, and I’ll be happy once every single one is sent out. Each step was more time consuming than I ever thought, and since I’m somewhat of a perfectionist, having people help kind of made me nervous. Of course it’s very much appreciated and I couldn’t have done it without the help of my family! Thanks Mom! Total invite’s made: 110. Now I’m off to the Post office to mail them out across the world.

We ordered all the black cardstock from a craft supplier, and cut each piece to size. Each invite then had to be scored down the centre and assembled.

We bought ivory pearlized paper and hand embossed each piece.

We had personalized faux wax seals made for the envelopes.All images were taken by me.

It’s been a while since we shared a budget savvy wedding with our readers!! We know you will love this one! The bride and groom got creative and joined their reception with a free concert– that is the ultimate in budget savvyness! I love the bride’s style and the custom bridesmaid dresses from Kerried Away Couture! Hope you enjoy this installment of the BSWOW!

Allison & RJ

August 6, 2011
Nashville, TN

Ceremony: The Sunken Garden at Centennial Park
Reception: The Big Band Dance at Centennial Park

What was your budget? 

Less Than $10,000

How many guests did you have?

# of Guests  25 at ceremony (plus many passersby that stopped to watch!) and 50 at reception following

What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

We had a 1930’s southern theme.  We kept our ceremony low key with only immediate family and the wedding party present.  We then used our grandparents’ milk glass serving dishes at the reception and had old black and white photos of them sitting around on the tables for décor.  It was very important to us to have them be a part of our special day even though they could only be there in spirit. We expressed our easy going side by having a public park venue where we knew many passersby would stop and watch from afar if they felt so inclined (and believe me they did!) and then utilizing the FREE Big Band Dance they have in Centennial Park on Saturday nights as our reception venue/entertainment.  Everyone had a great time dancing, sitting in their lawn chairs, or relaxing watching others dance!

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

We did everything ourselves but make the dresses and the cupcakes!  I bought my dresses online (from other individuals, not vendors) and got them for half the price of retail!  We made all of the food.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

We should have assigned duties to our wedding party for setting up the reception.  Our friends and family worked so hard, but we could have had more time to visit with them if it would have been more organized.

What was your biggest splurge?

Photography, but it was worth every penny!  Alex is an awesome photographer and VERY reasonable compared to others that we received quotes from.  She will be our photographer for years to come!

What was your favorite detail?

Oh my, we loved it all!!  I guess if I had to pick one thing it would be Halfbrass playing “In the Mood” marching us, the wedding party, and all ceremony guests out of the ceremony site and through the street to the reception site.  The guests seemed to thoroughly enjoy the peanut butter cup cupcakes from Gigi’s, the Mexican glass bottled cokes (out of my grandfather’s original Coca-Cola ice chest), and most of all the handmade lips, mustaches, and other dress up items w/ instant photos for the guestbook.

VENDORS

Planner: Bride and Groom (We did it all ourselves!!)
Photographer: Alex Embry from “Photos by Alex”
Gown: White One by Pronovias (bought online)
Bridal Sash and Hair Pin: Custom made by Kerried Away Couture
Accessories: Steve Madden shoes (I’ve had them forever! They are my favorite!) and Earrings from Charming Charlies;
Reception dress: Sue Wong Ivory Ostrich Feather Flapper dress (bought on E-bay)
Groom’s attire / groomsmen attire: Groom’s Seersucker suit from Jos. A Bank and Groomsmen suits from Overstock.com
Bridesmaid’s attire and Brooches : Custom made by Kerried Away Couture
Hair & Makeup: Natalie Armstrong, Bride’s sister
Stationery (Invitations, programs, menu cards etc): Designed by bride/groom at Mixbook.com (We had a Groupon!!)
Ceremony musicians: Halfbrass
Reception Musicians (band/dj): Big Band Dance at Centennial Park (FREE Event)
Transportation (Limo, shuttle etc): Black 1939 Packard   NashvilleWeddingCars.com
Caterer: Allison Armstrong (bride), Nina Armstrong (bride’s mother), and Betty Malone (bride’s aunt)
Cake Artist: Gigi’s Cupcakes
Floral Designer: Melanie at A Village of Flowers 
Guest Accommodations: Holiday Inn Vanderbilt

Nowadays everyone is trying to save money on their weddings and one big expense is always THE DRESS! I know I had a hard time wrestling with the idea of spending so much money on a gown I would wear one time!! I only wish that I had known about Still White back when I was planning my big day! Still White was founded in Australia by a husband and wife team- bringing pre-loved designer gowns to brides on the hunt for the dress of their dreams that doesn’t break their budget. They recently have expanded to the US to bring the upcycled designer dress love to brides in the states!

Some great things to know about Still White:

• They have designer dresses at a fraction of the cost of retail
• There are hundreds of dresses already available and more added daily
• There’s something for every budget, size and shape.
• Includes dresses from all the major designers like Maggie Sottero, Henri Josef and Mariana Hardwick

BONUS:

• You’ll be recycling a previously worn dress- this is good for the environment and creates less waste
• You can list your pre-loved dress on the site and recoup some of your cost!

To celebrate the launch of Still White in the US, Still White is giving all our readers free listings for a limited time! So if you’re a recently wed bride and want to spread the love, list your dress on Still White for free, recoup some of your wedding costs, and feel all warm and fuzzy for doing a good deed. To list your wedding dress for free, simply visit http://www.stillwhite.com today.

Still White is available in the following countries:

Australia – http://www.stillwhite.com.au
New Zealand – http://www.stillwhite.co.nz
United Kingdom – http://www.stillwhite.co.uk
United States – http://www.stillwhite.com
South Africa – http://www.stillwhite.co.za

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to tea stain a whole bunch of lace to use as table clothes. I love the look of tea stain opposed to plain white. It makes things (especially lace) look more antique and expensive. Also, I wasn’t keen on white tablecloths because my dress is white and I don’t want to match the table clothes! The things you have to think about as a bride, right?

So this diy project is super simple and can be done with any fabric of any size. First I ran my bath tub full of HOT water. While that was filling up, I boiled about 10 cups of water on the stove and put in it half a box (20 bags) of family sized, generic tea bags. I let that boil until the water was nice and dark and the bath tub was full enough to cover the 15 table clothes I had to stain. I put the table clothes in the tub first and then poured the brewed tea water in with them. I mixed the water around with my hand and let the concoction sit until I felt like the color was where I wanted it (about 7 minutes in my case). I drained the water and then transferred the lace to my washer where I ran a quick wash with NO detergent. Then I dried it all in my dryer and that was it. Easy as that!

Aside from trying to drink the tea out of the tub, Harper is such a good helper!

Note: Originally I was worried about the tea staining our porcelain bath tub, but I tested a small cub of it first and had no issues, so no fear!

I put the tea stained lace next to white lace so you can see the difference.

Have you tea stained anything for your wedding?