Savvy Cinderella

Wedding RoundUp – January 27, 2012

by Meghan on Jan 27, 2012 (View Comments) Comments

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Still looking for that perfect bridesmaid dress? You might want to look at the Knot’s bridesmaid dress search engine. They’ve got thousands of dresses, and you can search for the very specific style elements you want, like halter dresses or A-line skirts.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, then take a peek at this beautiful DIY destination wedding in South Africa. Amy and Nicolaas, the bride and groom, wanted a vintage look with designs they both loved.

Need some help keeping to your budget? Check out this handy wedding budget worksheet. It’ll keep you right on task as you’re picking out your flowers and more.

Now that you’ve got your budget in order, you’ll need someplace safe to keep it. Use these great tips for staying organized to keep track of all your wedding details.

In need of some ideas to add to that wedding binder? You might want to include these sweet bride-and-groom cakepops from blogger Bakerella.

Looking for something to give your husband on your special day? Things Remembered has some wonderful grooms’ gifts that are sure to make your husband-to-be just that much happier.

Brides.com has a fantastic featured section on winter weddings. Check out the beautiful winter wedding dresses, read up on the winter wedding cheat sheet for inspiration, and drool over the delicious winter cocktail recipes you could have at your reception.

So you’ve got the ceremony of your dreams planned out… but have you planned your perfect exit? The Wedding Channel is here to help with fourteen creative exits from your wedding ceremony.

And in case you’ve missed it, you’ll probably want to visit OneStylishBride.com. Their blog features photos from real weddings as well as tips and tricks for planning the wedding you’ve always wanted. Plus, they have a handy wedding directory right on hand for your perusing pleasure!

Let’s not forget our all-important bridesmaids! If you’re still looking for something unique and wonderful for your maids, the Knot’s 50 inspiring ideas for bridesmaid gifts will be the answer to your prayers.

Non-Traditional Wedding Dress Ideas

by Meghan on Jan 25, 2012 (View Comments) Comments

As a bride, you already know how important having the right dress is. You want to look beautiful, feel beautiful, and express your personal style with a unique dress that will flatter and wow.

What kind of dress you’re looking for depends on your personality. There are, of course, the traditional white dresses we see all over wedding magazines and runway shows – and there are quite enough varieties of those dresses to please any bride.

If you really want to make an impression, though, these dresses are just what you’re looking for.

Colored dresses have become increasingly common in recent years, particularly for brides on their second marriage. These dresses are perfect for brides who prefer a splash of color, and want something just a little different.

Some dresses, such as this gorgeous red and white dress from Alfred Angelo, only feature a little bit of color. If you’re looking for something both unique and traditional, this might be the kind of dress you’d like to look for.

If you’d rather go whole hog, there are plenty of wedding dresses that come in all colors. Here’s a solid red dress with a white underskirt. Or, if red isn’t your color, you might try this beautiful blue dress with a dusty rose underskirt; this stunning green gown from Vera Wang; or go truly wild with this hot pink dress with crystal embellishments.

Depending on what kind of bride you are, you might even try one of these black dresses:

images via

Depending on the theme of your wedding, you might also consider a specific style of dress to suit your theme. This beautiful white off-the-shoulder dress might be wonderful for a medieval or fairy tale-themed wedding, as would this gorgeous red dress with gold trim:

Image via

Dress by Lindsay Flemming

If you’re aiming for something more retro, like the twenties, then you might want to check out the stunning drop-waist twenties dresses featured in this blog entry. For a more fifties look, try a short dress like this one:

Or, if you’re wanting something a little more Victorian, you might try this couple’s look – a Victorian-inspired theme wedding with some truly gorgeous details.

Whatever style of dress you choose, always pick something that you know you’ll love – something that expresses your personality and makes you feel stunning.

Wedding RoundUp – January 20, 2012

by Meghan on Jan 20, 2012 (View Comments) Comments

Here’s an article for our autumn brides – suggestions for fabulous fall décor from Swoon! Be sure to check out number 9 especially. It’s truly gorgeous, and a great idea for your home as well!

Looking for some unique favors to go with those fabulous decorations at your reception? Check out these miniature glass message bottles. Consider printing little quotes about love and marriage for guests. Or, better still, write little personalized messages to each of your bridesmaids, and leave these by their places at the head table.

If you’re in need of a cake to go with your fall theme, here’s a whole article full of stunning autumn cakes.

Are you a more springy type of girl? Consider having an Irish wedding if you’re getting married around St. Patrick’s Day. Performing the traditional handfasting will add a unique touch to your ceremony – and you’ll stand out in a blue dress, rather than a white!

If you want to get really crazy, consider having your wedding reception, bachelorette party, or bridal shower in a funeral home. Apparently, funeral homes are renting out their spaces now for all your special occasion needs. Tacky, or daring? That’s up to you!

Keeping your eye on all the latest celeb news? You can find inspiration for your wedding from the fashions at the Golden Globes. Emma Stone’s hair is especially fabulous, and Sarah Hyland’s dress is to die for.

Speaking of watching the trends, check out this article on the latest wedding trends. I’m most excited about the second trend on the list – long sleeves and lace.

DIY Thank You Cards

by Meghan on Jan 17, 2012 (View Comments) Comments

When planning a wedding, most of your energy is focused on the day itself – from the location, to the food and drinks, to the flowers and the wedding dress itself. But there are still some small details to be taken care of once the wedding’s over – and one the most important details is the thank-you cards to be sent to your guests once all the partying is done.
There are a myriad of different ways to create thank-you cards. You can, of course, purchase pre-made and pre-designed cards to send, but if you and your new hubby would prefer a more personal touch, you might consider creating photo postcards online with photos from your wedding. Seeing the photographs will remind guests of all the fun they had on your special day!

There are many websites that allow you to upload photos and order specially designed prints and postcards. Here are a few of the best such sites.

Picnik is a great photo editing site with features akin to Photoshop. Your wedding photos will, of course, already be perfect – but if you’d rather use a photo from your honeymoon, Picnik’s easy-to-use tools will help you make your pictures look just as professional as your wedding shots. Once you’re finished editing, use Picnik’s Fancy Collage feature to create your postcards. In fact, Picnik has specific wedding themes for you to choose from. Your options are a little more limited with Picnik, however – you can’t necessarily upload your own designs.

On Bizcard, though, you can upload your own designs. If you are a graphic designer, or know one, or have some skill in Photoshop yourself, you can create something beautiful and unique and upload your design to Bizcard. They’ll print it professionally and send you a shipment. 100 postcards cost $19.95 before shipping.

Vistaprint also offers the option to upload personal designs. This company also gives you more options for the card itself. You can purchase a folded or flat card, and also add text to the inside of your folded card, among other personalized options.

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for your wedding stationary, MagnetStreet is the site for you. They’ll create your wedding invitations, save-the-date magnets, name cards for your reception, and your thank you cards, all in one place. You have the option to create photo thank-you cards, or use one of the designs they have available for you.

And if you’re interested in having a photo book as well as photo thank-you cards, Shutterfly may be the site you’ll want to use. They offer many different sizes of cards, and beautiful professional printing. Plus, you’ll have the ability to design your own wedding photo book – a keepsake you’ll treasure long after the wedding is over.

Wedding Roundup – January 14, 2012

by Meghan on Jan 14, 2012 (View Comments) Comments

Wedding Gawker a photograph-oriented website that features pictures from thousands of weddings, to inspire ideas for your own wedding. Clicking on the images featured here takes you to blogs describing the weddings in-depth.

There are plenty of options if you want to build your own wedding website. Here’s a review of the top four wedding website builders, and describes their pros and cons. A must-read for anyone setting up their own wedding website. And while we’re here…

The Alternative Bride is a fantastic website with articles ranging from ways to save on the wedding dress to coping with bridesmaids behaving badly. It’s filled with plenty of saving tips and useful hints that will make planning your big day that much simpler.

From the creator of the hilarious website Regretsy.com, April Winchell’s Brides Columns chronicle April’s struggles in planning her own upcoming wedding. Heavy on the comedy, these articles will provide a nice distraction from the stress of wedding planning and make you laugh as you read.

The Knot’s 30 Ways to Save on Your Wedding – From the major wedding website TheKnot.com, this article’s suggestions range from the obvious, to the surprising – and all are pretty simple. The article’s suggestions are organized in categories – reception, flowers, food and drink, etc., for quick and helpful read.

For our more do-it-yourself, hands-on brides, the TheKnot.com’s DIY Weddings for invaluable (and very sweet) ideas for things you can make for your wedding.

Speaking of handmade items, make sure to check out Etsy’s Wedding Section, where sellers peddle their beautiful and handmade wares for brides to purchase.

If you want even more inspiration for a DIY wedding, check out Real Etsy Weddings. It features pictures from real weddings created by Etsy sellers and buyers – couples who chose to focus on handmade, creative ways to create a unique wedding day.

How To Accessorize A Simple Bridesmaid’s Dress

by Kylie Cheevers on Oct 27, 2011 (View Comments) Comments

You have the perfect dress picked out for your bridesmaids. It’s a gorgeous color, flatters everyone’s figures, and is classic enough to wear again in the future…but something is missing. You want the girls to look fabulous (not as fabulous as you, of course), but right now the dress isn’t hitting the mark. Here are some tips for accessorizing the bridesmaid’s dresses to give your friends the flair they deserve!

How To Accessorize A Simple Bridesmaid’s Dress by krcheevers@yahoo.com featuring floral handbags

First, a color scheme needs to be established. Here we have chosen pinks and shades of beige. Beige is a great choice to compliment any dominant color. If the silhouette of the dress allows it, try using a skinny belt to add some glamour (we’ve used a beige belt with a bow). This is one of the most important accessories, as the rest of the outfit needs to match it.

Next, you need to find the perfect pair of heels. A common choice is something strappy and silver or a color to match the dress. Instead, try nude pumps! They will never go out of style so you’re bridesmaids will be able to wear them again (or may already have them!). We’ve chosen patent peep toes that will elongate the leg while making a serious fashion-statement.

Jewelry comes next. For our bridesmaids, we’ve chosen a cluster of pink, nude, and white pearls accented with gold chains. For the earrings: pink flowers with a little bling. It’s important not to go overboard with accessories because you want your pictures to look timeless.

Another great way to accessorize is to choose a clutch that will not just match the dress, but will also add some personality to the outfit. A floral clutch is a great choice for spring and summer weddings (and again, your bridesmaids can use it over and over).

Lastly, make-up can add a lot to the overall look of your bridesmaids. While it may not be polite to demand the same eye shadow ( a very “bridezilla” move), you can always suggest they try a red lip or heavy eyeliner.

Keep in mind: your bridesmaids don’t have to look EXACTLY the same. Some may want to ditch the bow on the belt or go with a completely different clutch, and that’s okay…just as long as YOU look the most fabulous!

Save-the-Dates That Save You $$

by Natalie Lyman on Oct 25, 2011 (View Comments) Comments

Finding the right save-the-dates for your budget can be tough. As the first real budgeted item before your wedding, you definitely want to stick to your dollar amounts and pick a project that you can either do yourself or purchase at relatively low-cost. A few ways to impress your guests with your uniqueness and personality are below!

Green Wedding Shoes

This balloon idea is like none other! An inexpensive idea that will have your guests fawning you with delighted feedback, this save-the-date idea is colorful, fun, and one that will stand out from the rest. Visit your local party store for pricing on customizable balloons or search for bulk party balloons online, you are guaranteed to find something within your price range for this idea.

Martha Stewart

These postcard ideas are adorable! A few items needed are plain postcards, mini envelopes, cardstock to cut for mini notes, stamps, and adhesive. DIY ladies reunite for this one! Grab some of your girls and have them help make these little messages for your guests to mark their calendars. Colorful stamps can go a long way with these minimal postcards!

Martha Stewart

Notepads are almost a necessity these days for all of those planners and list-takers! What better than to help your guests remember your date then to customize a pad of paper for them. They will highly appreciate it and it will be in use all the time.

Cake Toppers Galore

by Natalie Lyman on Oct 20, 2011 (View Comments) Comments

One of the first things that your guests see as they enter the reception area is your beautifully delicious wedding cake. Whether it is a small, one tier cake for you and the groom or a four tier tower of tastes for your guests to indulge in, you can jazz it up to your liking. A few options are purchasing inexpensive cake toppers from Etsy.com or personalizing your cake yourself with creativity. Whatever you choose, a little pizzazz for the staple dessert can provide an attraction for all to see!

If you choose to purchase your cake topper, you can find a one of a kind piece at Etsy’s collection. From wire birds, rustic initialed letter hearts, or pom poms, they have it all for a reasonable price for your pocket!

Spring Love Birds

Rustic Woodland Cake Topper

Silver Wire Love Topper

If you decide to set up the crafts on the table and make your own imaginative topper, here are some inspirational ideas below! Flowers can make for a great colorful addition to cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and even doughnuts. Using these inexpensive crafting materials, the opportunities are endless when it comes to how you decide to use them, glue them, or cut them.

Tissue Paper Flowers

“My Love” Cake Banner

Flower Domes Garland

Enjoy your time to create! Get a few of your friends involved and make a night out of DIY décor for your wedding. They will love being a part of the production and share in the pride of your cake’s beauty upon their arrival!

DIY Wedding-Cookie Dough Cupcakes

by Natalie Lyman on Oct 18, 2011 (View Comments) Comments

If you are looking for something to fill up your sweets table that is chocolaty, sweet, and uniquely filling, set your eyes on these scrumptious treats! Whether for your wedding reception, bridal shower, or first home-cooked meal with your husband, these oversized doughy gems are irresistibly delicious. This recipe was adapted from the Cake Doctor by Anne Byrn and reformed by my very own mother who has a passion for all things baking. Turn up some Michael Buble on Pandora, whisk up some batter, and prepare your taste buds for these cookie dough filled cakes!

24 paper liners for cupcake pans
package (18.25 oz) y
ellow cake mix
package 3.4 oz vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
package (1 pound) frozen cookie dough
Preheat oven to 350℉ and line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop a heaping ¼ cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes) Cut the frozen dough pieces in half to make 24 pieces. Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake. Place the pans in the oven.
Bake the cupcakes until they are golden, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. They may sink a bit in the center.

Meanwhile, prepare frosting. And Frost.
Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months.

*If you use the 18-ounce logs of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (instead of the 1-pound packages of frozen dough), cut them into 24 equal pieces and freeze them before using them in this recipe. It’s important to use frozen dough, because you don’t want it to bake completely and become a cookie.

Source: http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1656798-Cookie-Dough-Cupcakes

A Flirty Bachelorette Party

by Natalie Lyman on Oct 13, 2011 (View Comments) Comments

What is flirty, fun, and will make you want to dance? Flirty Girl Fitness! The company, which started in 2005 in Toronto, has expanded throughout the United States. Presently studio locations are situated in Chicago and Toronto but classes are held right near you!

The Flirty Girl Fitness philosophy focuses on women empowerment, confidence, and physical activity. These women-only classes include fun and easy moves that are used to choreograph dances towards the end of each class. In addition, Flirty Girl offers classes to specifically target areas of your body or reach your desired workout level. Classes range from “Abs and Booty” to “Chair Fit” and “Flirty Fight Club” and each are unique in their own way.

The variety of each class provides a fun and enjoyable way to spend time with your girlfriends and/or your bridesmaids. Flirty Girl studios even offer Bachelorette Parties! Bachelorette events can be purchased by package price and range from $40 per person for the Flirty Party Package to $80 per person for the Queen of the Night Party Package. The Flirty Party Package includes a one hour private class of your choice for you and your girls, sassy pink boas for everyone, and a gift bag for the bride-to-be. If you so choose to spend a little extra cash, The Queen of the Night Party Package includes a one hour private class of your choice, pink boas for everyone, a gift bag for the bride-to-be, manicure & pedicure for everyone, a table for catering, and a complimentary bottle of champagne or wine.

Depending on how you would like to spend your time at Flirty Girl Fitness, there are unique options for everyone! Make the class into your own, learn a new dance step, or take a pole dancing class to impress your fiancé or husband. By engaging in fun, flirty classes, you can boost your self-esteem and get those guts that you need to bust a move at your bridal reception! Also, if taking a class with other people is not thing, you can buy the Flirty Girl DVD for in-home use. Invite some friends over, let loose, and share some laughs. Whatever your choice, make sure to have fun while doing it and it will be something you never forget. For more information on Flirty Girl Fitness, feel free to check out their website to find a class near you!

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