Happy Friday friends! Hope you’ve all had a lovely week! I’m getting excited to attend the National Stationery Show starting this weekend- I’ll be checking out some budget savvy invitation and paper options for your big day! I’m excited to see lots of friends from the wedding and paper industries who will be in town, as well! In other news, the hubby and I are starting our hunt for our new apartment – so there are lots of things going on in my neck of the woods! How about you? Got anything fun planned this weekend- wedding related or otherwise? 

PS- I’ve notified our new guest bloggers about my decision, and the new gals will start posting next week! Yay! Excited for you to meet these girls, as they have lots of good ideas for saving money on the wedding! I am sure you’ll love them, too! And I also think you’ll love these links I found to share this week- check them out below!

• Love this DIY post with ways to paint mason jars.
• Pretty much in love with this beachy wedding over on DIY bride.
• Great advice on Burnett’s Boards about finding inspiration for your wedding!
• Bridal Musings shared some great advice on choosing your wedding caterer.
• This great post from Brides.com about ways to slash your wedding budget. 

• Shutterfly 25% off Site Wide Up to 1.5% Cash Back
• Simply to Impress (creative innovative personalized invitations and announcements) 20% off Site Wide +4% Cash Back
• Variety of Personal Wine Coupons & Promo Codes
• Ettika Jewlery Save 15% on Entire Purchase +4% Cash Back
•  Enjoy 15% off wedding orders of $149 or more, 20% off orders of $249 or more or 25% off orders of $299 or more from Wedding Paper Divas using the code WEDMAY25 at checkout. Offer expires 5/21/2013 at 11:59 pm (PT).

The giveaway will run through June 3rd when they will choose and announce the winner. Click here to enter the contest!

 

 

Don’t forget about the $100 Gift Card giveaway from Love vs. Design! Find the details in this post from earlier this week!

 

That’s all she wrote. Have a fabulous weekend!!

_________________ Thanks for reading Favorite Links + Things: May 17, 2013 from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

I’ve got another cute printable today for you designed by Jessica Bishop Paperie to match the table numbers from last week! These are blank printable place cards in a striped pattern in three different color options – the PDFs have the cards placed 6-up on a sheet. You can import the file into Microsoft Word or another editing program and add your guests’ names via your computer, or print them out and hand write them! The files also include cut lines so you can trim them out, and a light line for where to fold them. Hope you like- and please let me know if you use them in your wedding! I’d love to see pictures!

Click here to download the grey striped place cards!

Click here to download the black striped place cards!

Click here to download the navy striped place cards!

_________________ Thanks for reading Free Printable Place Cards from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

One of the major trends we see here on BSB is wedding with a rustic and/or vintage theme. For some reason, it seems that lots of budget brides love this style – maybe because it can be so easy to create a gorgeous look by thrifting and such – either way – we LOVE rustic/vintage brides! If you’ve been looking for the perfect rustic wedding invitations to complement your wedding theme, look no further! Our friends at Invitations by Dawn have the rustic vintage thing down- just see for yourself!

Here are some of our favorite rustic and vintage wedding invitations from Invitations by Dawn!

LOVE the floral wreath on this invite!

Mason jars = rustic vintage chic!

This photographic invite is so lovely!

Absolutely LOVE the wood texture and lace detail on this design. So simple but chic!

This design has the most incredible texture, paired with the painted flower and bird design- just lovely!

I’m a sucker for turquoise and this vintage wooden frame is so pretty!

Love this linen texture- it looks like real fabric, doesn’t it?

Kraft and lace = so chic! I love the rustic kraft mixed with vintage lace!

Gorgeous foldable invite- how cool is this?

This painted mason jar die cut invite is TOO gorgeous! I could see this for a shower, too!

About Invitations by Dawn’s Rustic & Vintage Wedding Invitations
Vintage is a wedding trend that caught on in the past few years and has held on strong. Nudging in on its territory as top trend though is Rustic, something we’ve seen more and more of in the past year. We say, why choose? Create a wedding that takes these two styles and fuses them together. Think lace, burlap and the oh-so-versatile Mason jar!  

Some of the things that Budget Savvy Bride readers will LOVE about Invitations by Dawn:

• They are the experts in the art of wedding inviting – they’ve been in the biz for over 30 YEARS!! These gals know their wedding paper y’all.
• They care about their brides and want them to be IN LOVE with their invites as much as they are with their fiancé
• They’ve got etiquette tips and assembly guides to make the whole process a breeze!
• HUGE variety of styles plus FREE SAMPLES so you can preview the designs before you commit!
• Price ranges to fit every bride’s budget! From high end laser-cuts to affordable seal and sends- you are sure to find the invitation of your dreams at a price you can afford!

If you’re still in the market for invitations for your wedding, whether you’re a rustic/vintage bride or not, I definitely recommend checking out our friends at Invitations by Dawn for all your wedding paper needs!

_________________ Thanks for reading {Sponsor Love} Rustic Meets Vintage Wedding Invitations from Invitations by Dawn! from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Love that this couple was able to have their wedding for just $4,000 – and it was a destination wedding! They kept things intimate which REALLY helped saved them money! Check out the bride’s advice and experiences below! xoxo-Jessica

Anthony + Jessica

August 10, 2012

Neptune Park – St. Simons Island, GA

What was your budget? Please give us a breakdown of how you spent your budget– rough estimates are fine!

Expenses: Park Rental: $80

               Flowers: $350

               Cake: $300

               Cake Topper: $65

               Stationery: $100

               St. Simons Elopements (Ceremony, 50 chairs, guitarist): $1,400

               Dress with veil: $500 (Mori Lee)

               Dinner Reception: $1,800 (our families covered this expense)

               Decor and other expenses: $200

               Photography: $850

Total Expense for wedding: Less than $4,000

How many guests did you have?     

Around 30

What was the biggest thing you did to save money?

The biggest thing I did to save money was having a dinner reception at a local restaurant. The restaurant owner was so nice to work with and we didn’t even have to pay to rent it. We had such a large party tht the restaurant was closed to the public at 8pm for our dinner. The wedding consisted of only close family members and our best friends, so they each opted to pay for their own meal so we could have an excellent dinner while mingling with out of state family.

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

 Be sure to allow more than enough time for photos. Once the day is passed, you can never take another photo on your wedding day. Take your time and take plenty of photos! Also, if it is a destination wedding, be sure to give a few family members certain duties to do on your special day. Do not try to put out decorations yourself because you will not have time and you won’t want to have to worry about it on the day of. Some of my decor didn’t get placed out because I didn’t want to ask others to help me- in hindsight, I wish I would’ve asked for help!

What was your biggest splurge?

My biggest splurge was all of the small expenses that goes along with a destination wedding. Hotel rooms, food, traveling expenses or other items like that add up really fast!

What was your favorite detail?

 My favorite detail of my wedding was my cake. It was not a traditional wedding cake. It was chocolate cake with all pink and orange butter cream icing. (Our favorite kind of cake!) The cake topper was what really made it special and even more unique. Anthony and I met in flight school and both have our pilot’s license so when we found an aviation related cake topper we knew we had to get it. It was an airplane with the groom in the front flying, the bride in the back and “Just Married” is written on the back of plane. 

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

 The most memorable moment of the day was saying our vows. My husband was so beautiful and I could see the excitement in his eyes. It was if no one else existed. I loved every second of it!

 Photographer:  Lone Pine Photography  //  Dress Store: Bride Beautiful  //  Hair Stylist:Hair Unlimited  //  Floral Designer:Lily of Angeles  //  Reception Venue: Ocean Lodge  //  Musicians: Terry Thrift  //  Event Planner: St. Simons Elopements//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

_________________ Thanks for reading Destination Budget Wedding by Lone Pine Photography from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Chalkboard wedding invitation designs – I love the script on the design on the right!

_________________ Thanks for reading {Giveaway} Win $100 Gift Card from Love vs. Design from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Howdy BSB-ers! Hope you all have had a wonderful week! Another exciting week here at BSB – we celebrated our 5th Blogiversary, started sharing a new printable series, and I appeared on HuffPost Live yesterday (you can catch the segment here). Also I am SUPER happy because my hubby just got an offer for a job that he really wanted (the interview/hiring process has taken forever.) It makes me so happy and excited to see him so happy. I’m super proud of him!

Oh and BTW, I am still trying to make my mind up about the new guest bloggers (seriously I dunno why this is always so hard for me!!!) so please be patient if you’re waiting for a response. Without further ado here are some of my favorite links from the wedding world this week!

• This is an older DIY from Fab You Bliss but I’m obsessed – a rock vase made from a Pringles can. Genius!
• I really love this blue and yellow diy wedding over on Glamour & Grace!
• Prettiness overload over on Every Last Detail – love this purple and orange rustic wedding!
• Great post of Wedding Ceremony Vow options over on Kiss My Tulle!
• This wedding over on Bridal Musings which features a Marryoke video. Yes, you read that right!

BONUS: just for funsies, you must check out these HIGH-larious links that just really made my week:

• John Krasinski and Jimmy Fallon doing a lip sync competition on Late Night this week. (two of my favorite dudes ever.) 
• This post on Buzzfeed where someone exquisitely used Vine to create the funniest clips ever of Ryan Gosling. Seriously. I laughed till I cried. 

Okay… moving on… 

One lucky winner who creates a wedding inspiration board on Pinterest inspired by one of the designs from Invitations by Ajalon will receive 100 5×7, one-color letterpress cards and 110 blank envelopes for their upcoming big day, over a $500 value. The full details of the contest can be seen on their  blog.

Transform old photos and videos to digital with iMemories 20% +5% Cash Back

Joann: Save 40% off any regular priced item. Use coupon code at checkout +3% Cash Back

Target Free Shipping on Top Wedding Registry Items +3% Cash Back

Shopbob Up to 70% Off Designer Clothing and Shoes Sale Items

Okay peeps, I’m out. Gotta celebrate my hubs getting an awesome new job offer!! So proud of him! Have a GREAT weekend!

_________________ Thanks for reading Favorite Links + Things of Interest: May 10, 2013 from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

You might know, if you’ve been a longtime reader of BSB, that my professional background is in graphic design. When I was planning my own wedding, I LOVED creating all the paper details for our day so much, that I ended up offering my design services to other brides! You can purchase wedding invitations from me over at Jessica Bishop Paperie, but I wanted to start creating some items for free to share over here on BSB to save you guys some money! I’ll be offering generic things like table numbers, place cards, etc that you can print yourself to save some cash! Up first is a striped design for table numbers! You can download this design in one of three colors, navy, grey, and black – and each is a PDF that goes up to table number 30. Hope you enjoy these little freebies!

CLICK HERE to download the black stripe table numbers

CLICK HERE to download the grey stripe table numbers

CLICK HERE to download the navy stripe table numbers

USE POLICY:
© 2013 Jessica Bishop Paperie + The Budget Savvy Bride. These PDF table numbers are provided free of charge to The Budget Savvy Bride readers for personal use only. Do not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, transmit, translate, create derivative works, sell or attempt to sell, redestribute, or misrepresent ownership or copyright of these files. Please do not post the files on your own site or shop, only link to this page where they can be downloaded, giving full credit to The Budget Savvy Bride. Thanks and enjoy!

_________________ Thanks for reading Free Wedding Table Numbers Printable from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

Five years, y’all! For half a decade I’ve been running this blog and sharing budget savvy wedding goodness with the masses! Although technically the anniversary was yesterday, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a second to celebrate this occasion and say THANKS to all the wonderful peeps who make BSB possible!

A very special thanks and big virtual hugs go out to our wonderful team of bride bloggers and contributors, as well as our generous and AWESOME sponsors who help make this site possible. 

And of course, to our dear readers… thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to each and every person (bride, groom, wedding stalker, whoever!) who has ever stopped by this site – you’ve all helped to make my dreams come true. Thanks for every comment, email, tweet, pin, stumble, shoutout, share, and submission I’ve received over these last five years. I am forever grateful and only hope the inspiration, tips, and ideas shared here are enough to show my gratitude!

_________________ Thanks for reading Happy Blogiversary to The Budget Savvy Bride! from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

_________________ Thanks for reading Stunning Budget Wedding by Sunglow Photography from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::

I can haz perfect honeymoon?

If you and your fiancé are already living together or are just fairly established as adult individuals, chances are you don’t NEED all the items on a typical wedding registry. In fact, about 75% of couples are like this. Sure, you could register for a NEW toaster, or a NEW blender, but some of us would rather register for something more fun – like a HONEYMOON! Well, if you’re in this situation, I’m happy to share with you that it is totally possible – and EASY – to register for a honeymoon thanks to our friends and sponsors at Honeymoon Pixie! Let your guests give you two a gift that you will actually enjoy and allows you to create memories that you will treasure for the rest of your life with a honeymoon registry!

Honeymoon Pixie makes it so simple to register for a honeymoon! They even just implemented a new video feature – where you can record a “Welcome” message with your webcam for your guests who view your registry – so personal and fun!

Honeymoon Pixie provides couples with a free honeymoon registry so they can receive cash gifts and enjoy the honeymoon of their dreams!  Couples receive 100% of their gift money and have free access to honeymoon planning advice, announcement cards, thank you lists, welcome video, and much more.

• They’ve earned the Bride’s Choice Awards 2012 & 2013 for their excellence in quality and service putting them in the top 5% of wedding professionals. 
• They consistently receive 5-Star ratings from newlyweds and the wedding industry. 
• 6000+ fans love to interact on their Facebook page.

Breakfast in bed? Yes, please. 

Honeymoon Pixie makes gift giving super easy for your guests, and super easy for you to redeem. You can add anything from plane tickets, hotel stays, meals, spa packages, excursions like scuba diving- you name it! With Honeymoon Pixie you can really register for anything your heart desires when it comes to your honeymoon! Just see how easy it is:

Honeymoon Pixie is a safe, secure, and top-rated service! Read testimonials from real couples sharing how much they loved using Honeymoon Pixie! Doesn’t it sound so stress-free and wonderful? You can read all the details about how it works here. The thing I love most about the idea of a honeymoon registry is that your guests get to gift you experiences which in the end, I think, is so much better than stuff. If you’re in the “who needs more bath towels” camp, I highly suggest registering for the Honeymoon of your dreams with Honeymoon Pixie!

*Honeymoon Pixie is a sponsor of The Budget Savvy Bride. We only partner with vendors who we believe are relevant and truly valuable to our readers!

_________________ Thanks for reading {Sponsor Love} Honeymoon Pixie from: The Budget Savvy Bride

Looking for more budget savvy weddings? Visit our Real Weddings gallery! Need to find some DIY projects to save you money and create beautiful details? Check out our DIY project gallery! Connect with The Budget Savvy Bride on the web: Pinterest :: Twitter :: Facebook ::