4 things to cut from the to-do list

Here's my list of "think twice" ideas that seem amazing, awesome and the best idea until there's little time and the to-do list gets a second glance at what could be cut. These are probably the ones I would have dreamed about doing, but never would have had the time.

Chalk hearts on the driveway... my luck it would rain 5-minutes afterwards.



Thank you cards at the wedding... If you still want to do a rhyme to tell your guest 'thank you' send it after the wedding and include a hand written note of appreciation on the back too.



Prepackaged cupcakes to take home... most of my cupcakes were ate AT the wedding. No need to spend extra on take-home cupcakes and packaging.



Let's face it. Vendors just want the tip. They will not be any less happy because you didn't put it in a cutesy thank you card. They will still be just as excited, promise...



There are many things I would have done if time was endless and the budget was limitless. Don't over extend yourself and choose to do the things that are really important to you.

Flowers and why DIY isn't always the best...

Remember me? Ha! Me neither. Wedding planning season came and went in the blink of an eye. As you can imagine the closer it got to my wedding day the less time I had for updates on my Golden Isles Bride blog. So, here I start again. Blogging about all things wedding planning!

You've marked your calendar.
You've booked a venue.
Now what?

I took to Pinterest as a starting place for ideas on decor and a "theme". Don't get overwhelmed with the idea of all DIY because the reality is... you {yes, you!} cannot physically do everything on your wedding day. YOU are the bride-to-be remember?

As much as the DIY girl in me wanted to I had to admit that I couldn't do it all, so I preplanned the items I would buy and the items I would make. Be flexible. Really flexible. There will be moments you *think* it will be cheaper to make and do-it-yourself, but don't forget to place a price on your time {and sanity!}.



I had booked my venue in the cute town  of St. Simon's Island. The idea of starfish and shells were never my "thing" so I knew that I didn't want a beach-y inspired themed wedding. Really think about what you want. But, don't overthink it and KISS {keep it simple sugar}.



This post will focus on the those of you that think "I will make my own bouquets", "I will buy the flowers at one of those big box stores", "it'll be fun, she said." Flowers are one of the items I chose to let a professional design.

I new I wanted the colors "blush and bashful". Have your heart set on peonies? Want roses galore? Think long and hard about your budget before you back yourself into a corner with the cost of a specific type of flower in the off-season.


I was generic and my designer was grateful.  I sent her these inspiration photos:

So keep it simple. Pick your battles. Let the designer design!



Here are a few more ideas from my Pinterest board on flowers...




She brought my vision to life all within a budget. She was able to design bouquets and boutonnieres that were prettier than I could have ever dreamed about! Flowers that I can't even pronounce the name too and a soft color combo that spoke to me and said "this is blush and bashful"! Here are some snippets of the final product from MY wedding!

Money saving TIP! I used the bouquets as centerpieces on the tables after the wedding ceremony. Double duty, which meant double the savings!

Planning Frenzy!

With the wedding 6 months away my wedding to-do list is growing by leaps and bounds! 

The one thing that has been on the top of my list is bridesmaid dresses. I really like the dresses on the Anntaylor.com website and best of all I know the Ann Taylor brand and quality is top notch.

Short, strapless and not too shiny lead me to this strapless silk dupioni bridesmaid dress...

I'm the deal seeker and have been checking in day-after-day and waiting on what I thought was the best deal. Yesterday was the day with 30% off, so I sent out an email to see if the girls liked the dress and were up to making the purchase. Today I logged back in to see the deal was gone(AH!), but an even better one was available! 40% off with the purchase of 3 or more dresses! I rounded up sizes from my ladies and made the purchase so they could all take part in the deal. 

A $235 dress for less than $150!

Always be on the lookout for a great deal and be patient, but act fast because it could be gone before you know it!

Mason Jars Galore...

I'm so glad Pinterest is around to help me plan my wedding! Oh the ideas! My recent love is mason jars - all shapes, all sizes - I'm not biased. I don't think I would put names on the tags, but maybe write a cute saying like this...

Then I would add an additional matching tag they can write their name on or something similar. 

I just purchased a bountiful supply of mason jars from kmart.com regular price $9.99 on sale for $8.99, then I used a promo code: KMART10PSAVINGS that I found on Retailmenot.com and saved 10% PLUS FREE SHIPPING! A killer deal which scored me over 100 mason jars for $72 (which included tax!) Once it was all said and done I paid roughly $0.67 a mason jar! You can't find those savings at the dollar store! :P

I may be on mason jar overload, but I am loving every minute! 

If you have any cute ideas let me know!