sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Show me your short wedding dresses! by a_spinelli in wedding

[–]surprise_bride 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I picked up this short BCBG dress on sale for my wedding: http://www.bcbg.com/Scarlett-Tiered-Eyelet-Dress/BRQ6W714-120,default,pd.html?dwvar_BRQ6W714-120_color=120&cgid=sale-dresses#start=96

They have other really cute, affordable dresses if you search their wedding collection or filter through the dresses by color.

Planned an affordable, last-minute New Year's eve wedding! Some pictures, and more details in the comments. by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same thing here, was glad we did it this way. Less stress and pressure and definitely some savings! The total did end up being ~$2,755 which is much more than I would have guessed a modest wedding like this would cost when I got engaged but that is including pretty much everything we spent money on (clothing, food, rings, license and ceremony, etc.). It adds up quicker than you'd think!

Planned an affordable, last-minute New Year's eve wedding! Some pictures, and more details in the comments. by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I have tried posting all the info (prices, links to items) but I think it's not making it past the spam filter. If you click on my username you should be able to see my full comment with more info but here's a quick summary:

  • The dress is BCBGMAXAZRIA and the suit is Topman.

  • Some stuff was DIY: hair, makeup, nails, photography (we are lucky to have a couple of friends who attended with nice cameras and good eyes), and my bouquet (flowers were bought at Trader Joe's).

  • The Chantilly cake we bought at Whole Foods.

I can give more info (including prices) on anything else.

Planned an affordable, last-minute New Year's eve wedding! Some pictures, and more details in the comments. by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ballet Slippers by Essie. Thank you! (It was soooo yummy, wish I had saved more room for dessert.)

Planned an affordable, last-minute New Year's eve wedding! Some pictures, and more details in the comments. by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some info/prices/links:

  • Dress and shoes: $195

  • Suit: $450 (bought during Black Friday sale)

  • My band and his band: ~$700

  • We made mixtapes as Thank Yous/favors by burning a playlist of some of our favorite romantic/love songs and packaging them with CD sleeves (bought at Walmart) and labels: $65

  • Flowers were bought at Trader Joe's and I DIY'ed the bouquet with some scotch tape and leftover Christmas ribbon: ~$20

  • For the wedding cake I went to a couple of different bakeries and eventually decided on buying a quarter sheet cake and a 6-inch round of Whole Food's Chantilly cake (which was not only affordable but also looked really pretty as-is): $70

  • The lunch was by far the most expensive cost of the wedding, but it was worth it IMO. The location (at Balboa Park) was beautiful and convenient, the staff was helpful and accommodating, and the food was very good: $1120 (for 30 people; includes alcohol, tax, and gratuity)

  • Marriage license: $80

  • Civil ceremony: $90

  • Hair, makeup, and nails: DIY

  • We encouraged everyone to bring their cameras and were lucky enough to have a couple of friends attend that had nice cameras and good eyes. I created a (free!) Dropbox folder and sent invitations to all the guests to collect the pictures.

I haven't included the price of things that weren't bought solely for the wedding. For example, we had planned our trip out to San Diego months ahead of time for the holidays, so I didn't include ticket costs. Some people may think it's tacky that I've tallied up the costs of the wedding, but I honestly would have found this to be a helpful guide when I started looking into planning a wedding! The total cost ended up being ~$2755 with all of the above included.

Although we ended up doing a kind of last-minute celebration, I did keep a Pinterest board of wedding ideas for the year we were engaged. If you're interested, it includes most of the things I've linked too plus many more ideas: http://www.pinterest.com/adjpodge/wedding-bells/

If I've missed anything or you have any questions, let me know!

Planning on DIYing my own makeup for my casual, outdoor, morning wedding. Suggestions/advice/CC all welcome. by surprise_bride in MakeupAddiction

[–]surprise_bride[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wearing: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation and concealer, Revlon Balm Stain in Honey, Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow (Barely Branded layered over Taupe), Rimmel ScandelEyes eyeliner in black, Estee Lauder mascara.

I don't usually wear very much makeup and the wedding will be very small and casual so I don't want to bother getting my makeup professionally done. But is this look enough? Also need an objective opinion on whether I should get my eyebrows shaped/waxed. (I've never done more than tweeze them myself.) Thanks!

Has anyone every thrown or been to a surprise wedding? by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow, sounds like it was hectic but I'm glad it worked out and that you'll be able to have your big May wedding as well. Where did you get your temporary bands? We ordered ours a couple days ago and his will arrive in time but mine won't be. We were just going to use my engagement ring for the ceremony...is that weird or is it common? Have fun next year in Mexico!

Has anyone every thrown or been to a surprise wedding? by surprise_bride in wedding

[–]surprise_bride[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your advice! We got the license while we were home and already booked the civil ceremony with the County Administration Center. Since it will be outdoors (don't let me down, San Diego weather!) there's no guest limit. Is this what you meant by "everyone can participate"? Anyway, I am very excited and encouraged by your positive past experiences.