In Love with Letterpress

OWD — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:19:51 -0400

Real OurWeddingDay.com brides, sharing their personal planning experiences.

Letterpress. It’s so beautiful. Words pressed into lush paper. It’s a gorgeous concept. I adore letterpress. What I don’t love is letterpress prices. $1,000 - $3,000 or more for invitations. I don’t think so! But still, I wanted it. And just when I had given up hope of having beautiful letterpress invitations, I saw a great deal. You have to look for deals. Find a company you love or read some blogs and you can find great deals. Sometimes the company will offer a promotion. It’s good to wait and do your homework. I stumbled upon my great deal.

A blog I read regularly posted a discount of 50% on letterpress invitations. I knew it was too early for invites, but I had my venues booked and the date set. So, I jumped on the deal and got 50 stunning 2 color invitations from Peculiar Pair Press for $450. Now, I didn’t get RSVP (but the green-chic girl in me was doing them by our wedding website, text, phone, or email anyway). I didn’t get anything but beautiful invitations and beautiful envelopes. But it was worth the money. And I have many months to address my invitations by hand and work on my calligraphy.

Now let's talk food and flowers: I knew I wanted a sit down dinner. I also knew that I couldn’t afford to pay for steak and all kinds of fancy tidbits that no one really wants to eat or gets full on. So, I pondered. My Italian roots kicked in and I remembered the great REAL homemade Italian place in my town that makes a killer pizza. So, I called them. I could get enough pizza and breadsticks to feed my guests for about $150. Score. So, then, I decided to get the salad, pasta, and drinks from my caterer. It so fit in my budget and she will take care of coordination, linens, rentals, china, and glassware. Done.

Flowers were the next thing. I wanted my bouquet to be soft and full of my favorite flowers (roses, ranunculus, peonies, and white lavender). I knew it would not be cheap. So, I am getting a florist to make my bouquet. BUT I am getting all my other flowers (which I am using only marginally in conjunction with books, Christmas balls, candles, and greenery) wholesale and making simple arrangements in vases. It will safe me tons of money.

I hope these tips can help you brainstorm ways to cut costs and still get what you want.

-Amy

My Dream Wedding, Despite My Budget

OWD — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:39:32 -0400

You learn a lot about the wedding industry while you plan your wedding. Some brides learn more than others because they have more time, are pickier, and want things a certain way (without paying a certain price) that is more than some countries GDP.

My budget (and advice) is on the table today. Like most girls I have been dreaming of this day since I was about 15. I mean, wedding magazines have littered my room since that day, and at almost 27, I have had a while to dream big. But I also have a sense of financial responsibility that I can’t shake because of some fantasy. Thus, enter sensible dreaming bride budget.

The very first thing I did was decide what the most important thing to me was. It was easy. Wedding photography is the one part of your day that you will see again and again. You will have pictures around your house, albums that you will scour again and again. Your children and grandchild will pour over them. I still look at my mom’s wedding pictures. Thus, I knew I wanted to get this right. So, I went to town looking for a photographer that I loved. When I found the photographer I signed and love, her prices were a bit high. However, we talked and came to a conclusion on things I could live without (like online ordering) and things I had to have (a CD of the digital negatives with reprinting rights). I spent about 38% of my budget on her.

The next things I knew I wanted were easy. I wanted fresh flowers (but I would have my mom arrange the centerpieces and buy wholesale to save on the cost), nice invitations, and a sit-down dinner. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy in my family. I grew up in a region of the south where fake flowers, a buffet, and cheap invitations were the order. But I knew what I would like. And on our $8,500 budget, I knew I would have to work hard to get what I wanted.

Next week, I’ll tell you how I got letterpress invitations, a sit down dinner, and a bouquet with roses and ranunculus without breaking the bank.

-Amy

The OurWeddingDay Blog

In Love with Letterpress

My Dream Wedding, Despite My Budget