Frugal Wedding Frenzy - Part 4! :)

It's been a while since I have updated about the wedding planning, and I've made some pretty fun progress this past week...and today officially marks 200 days until the wedding, so I think now is a good time! :)

I showed you my bridesmaids dresses in Frugal Wedding Frenzy - Part 3, and I couldn't be more satisfied with my choice. My groom actually got to see those...I showed him a picture that I took of myself when I tried on one of the girls' dresses, and his comment was, "You should get one of those for yourself..." haha...so even he liked them :) So I definitely decided to go with turquoise for one of my colors. Then I struggled with deciding between orange and red for the other color...but I found the perfect solution :)

Red-Orange and Turquoise!

That was actually what I wanted all along, I just had a really hard time finding the right shade of orange, so I thought I was going to have to go with red. Which would have been okay...I love red...but I am much happier with this...I think it is going to look perfect on the beach! I also showed you my inspiration for my flower girl ensemble in Part 3, but in case you forgot...for your viewing pleasure:

weddingtutu.com

I fell in love with these as soon as I found them online. But I wasn't crazy about the price...$50 per tutu, not including the leotard. Yikes. Especially since I was planning on having both my adorable niece/flower girl and my 10-year-old sister, who I plan on having her hand out programs, wear one. So I found this template for a filled tutu online, and my mom is going to make them for the girls. She is also going to make one for my new baby niece that is currently on the way...she will only be 2 months old at the wedding...it is going to be precious :) And even better, I can have it custom made with the exact colors I want. I found that overlapping red and orange tulle accomplishes the perfect red-orange color I am going for :)

I got the materials to make all 3 tutus for around $40 from Jo-Ann Fabrics...and I probably bought more than enough just to be on the safe side. I can't wait for mom to make these and see how cute they turn out! Now I just need to find the leotards...I will be sure to post pictures when they are complete! :)

I also told you in Frugal Wedding Frenzy - Part 2 about getting my wedding dress that I got on sale at David's Bridal. I ended up getting a size too big, because the zipper was sticking on the one dress they had that was actually in my size, and I've always been told that it is easier to take something in than to let it out...so I figured getting the next size up would probably be the safest bet :) So naturally, I had to have the dress altered. I got a quote from the seamstress at David's Bridal while I was there, and to take it in around the top and through the waist, tailor it to the right length (I'm a shorty...), and it has a little bit of a train, so I asked her to do a simple bustle for when the wedding is over and I'm dancing the night away :) ...she quoted me approximately $110?!? AHH! No thank you. I was honestly a little bit shocked that they would charge so much considering I bought the dress there, but I guess I should've known better.

I was determined to find something better....and I did! I happened to just post something on Facebook to see if anyone had any suggestions for alterations, and one of my sorority sisters from college contacted me and told me her mom could do it! She used to work at a bridal shop, so she knew what she was doing and I knew it would turn out great. Sure enough, I picked up the dress on Friday, and it fits me perfectly :) She did exactly what I wanted and was super fast in getting it finished...and she only charged me $42! So I got my alterations done for less than half of what the bridal shop was going to charge me :)

I obviously can't post a picture of the full dress on here...can't have my groom getting a sneak peak ;) ...but I will give you this much:

I loved the dress, but it had this really ugly sash/belt thing around the waist that I wasn't a huge fan of. It wasn't sewn onto the dress, so I knew it would be something that would be easy to replace. I found some wide ribbon from Jo-Ann's in my perfect red-orange color :)

I also found these flowers for $2.49 at Michael's in my colors...I haven't decided if I want to have flowers on the sash yet, or if I just want the ribbon sewn into a belt. My mom is also going to make my new sash, so either way, that will end up being a pretty inexpensive addition to the dress :)

Next up...I decided I didn't really want to wear a veil. I didn't want to be fighting with it if the wind was blowing on the beach, and veils can be SO expensive! On top of that, my groom actually told me once that he thought veils were creepy...haha. I think he really just means the kind that go over the face, but still...that sealed it for me. I really don't want him to see me walking down the aisle and think, "Yikes, she's creepy," ya know? So I decided to make a fun little hair piece. The problem with that is...I am not terribly creative. At all. So I didn't know what I could make...but as I was wandering around Jo-Ann's yesterday, I found this fun little flower that was pre-made, and I found a random feather thing at Hobby Lobby that was funky and just looked like fun...so I bought them both.

The flower was $2.50, and the feather was $0.99...I also bought a package of alligator clips for $1.47. I glued it with my hot glue gun and called it good...I am pretty happy with how it turned out! :)

I absolutely love pearls. I wanted to wear pearls for my wedding jewelry, and I got the absolute best deal on these: completely free! :) These pearls were my great-grandmother's, who passed them on to my grandma. She had them for years and had them restrung and passed them onto my sister, Sarah, who was named after my great-grandma, for her 16th birthday. Sarah offered to let me borrow them for the wedding! I am so excited about these...they are simple, which I love, and absolutely beautiful. They are perfect. My grandma passed away 3 1/2 years ago, and other than a couple of pictures, this is one of the only things any of us have of hers, so that makes it that much more special. They get to be my something old and my something borrowed :)

I had to include SOMETHING Razorback in my wedding! haha...I found these on ebay and they were $19.99, which isn't bad at all, considering I got two of them, so I have one I can toss, and one I can hold onto as a keepsake :)

I told you about Walter's custom suit in Part 2 as well...I thought I'd throw in a picture, just so you could see it :)

Last but not least...here are the pants I found for my nephew, who is going to be my ring bearer! I found them at oldnavy.com, and they were $19.94, but I was able to use an online coupon code that gave me 20% off, so I got them for $14.96 + tax. They are a linen-cotton blend, and they have an adjustable waist, which is perfect because he's one of those tall, skinny kids that has a hard time getting his clothes to fit. haha. And they are something that he could wear again, so that's always a perk! Way cheaper than buying a little man tux! I still have to find him a shirt...but I am excited that I found these :)

I think that is the latest for now. As of today, we have 13 rooms and 30 guests (including us) booked for the wedding! Things are coming together quite well, and I am really enjoying it...I will keep you posted as I come up with new ideas and new ways to save money :)

199 days!! :)

My New Motto

I have found myself saying this a lot lately, so I've decided that it might as well be my new motto:

"You win some, you lose some."

Especially when on the hunt for frugal wedding planning ideas. I suppose you can't get everything for as cheap as you want it. But don't worry, I still plan on trying.

I always hate it when I miss out on a perfectly good deal. I didn't miss out entirely, but it was definitely a deal disappointment.

Let me explain.

So I found these linen-blend khaki pants from Old Navy a couple weeks ago when I was on the hunt for what I want my ringbearer/7-almost-8-year-old nephew to wear in our wedding in May. I know, I may be a little ridiculous buying things in August for a wedding next May for a kid who is probably going to grow 4 inches by then (okay..4 may be a slight exaggeration. But you never know with kids and their growth spurts), but don't worry I planned ahead and got him a size bigger than he wears currently. Now let's just hope he doesn't suddenly change his mind and decide to be a midget...

Anyways...my sister was kind enough to look at the Old Navy back home last weekend during the tax free weekend (that I missed out on because California is a jerk...), but to no avail. Apparently the stores don't carry them. Bummer.

But, good news! I get this email in my inbox ridiculously early yesterday morning that says, "One day only! 25% off online orders with this promotion code!" So you can imagine my excitement. That would amount to almost $5 off since the pants were about $20. Sidenote: It amazes me that by the time he is fully dressed, I'm going to end up spending more on my ring bearers clothes than my bridesmaids dresses. But hey, you win some, you lose some.

So I get online yesterday at work, find the pants, add them to my cart, type in the promo code...and voila! 25% off! BUT then they slap the $7 shipping charge on there. Lame. So I realize you can get free shipping for orders over $50. So I justify the extra expense by deciding that I would rather spend an extra $35 to buy actual items rather than $7 on a box and some postage. Due to the fact that I am approximately half a person smaller than I was a year and a half ago, I could use some new shorts anyways!

So I start trying to browse on Old Navy's website to find some clothes for me. And unfortunately, my internet at work is not only painfully slow, it is very tempermental. It was not being cooperative to say the least yesterday. So I think...Oh well, I'll order it when I get home. I even put it on my grocery shopping/to-do list so I wouldn't forget.

Well...I didn't forget. But I left work, went to the commissary only to find them closed (I didn't realize they are closed on Mondays), so then I had to go to Wal-Mart instead. As I've mentioned before, we have a baby Wal-Mart here in Ridgecrest, so definitely not equipped with all the necessities. Example: no produce section. Fail. So I got everything on my list that I could at Wal-Mart, then made my way to Stater Bros to get some fruit and veggies for the week. If I had not let mother hubbard's cupboards get so bare, trust me, I would've waited til today to go to the commissary. It AMAZES me how expensive regular grocery stores are. It actually kinda makes me sick. But I had absolutely no food to make for dinner last night, or breakfast and lunch today, so I kinda had to get it done. I'm still deciding if missing 3 meals might have just been worth it based on the extra expense of shopping at the regular grocery store instead of the commissary...

Anyways...I digress (you're probably used to that by now...). So I get home, unload all my groceries, start picking ticks off my poor dogs, which by the way, is a difficult task when:

This is what a tick looks like...don't worry, it's a google image find. I did not take a close up picture of a tick on my finger...

This is what Koda looks like. Horrid color resemblance = very difficult finding pesky little creatures! P.S. I know, my dog is weird. I didn't put him in the bathtub...he did that all by himself. I guess he felt dirty...

Then I proceed to making dinner and having my evening Skype date with my other half...

We talk until about 9:15pm, and he is tired so he says he's sorry, but he needs to hang up and go to bed. So I say, "No problem, I actually need to get on the Old Navy website to buy these pants for Jaxon," and share my excitement about my 25% off one day promo code. His exact words, "Are you sure it doesn't expire at midnight Eastern Time?" Which of course, my immediate response is, "Surely not! Most of those things are based on whatever time zone you're in."

I was wrong.

I get on the Old Navy website, do my shopping, find a couple of cute things for me in addition to the pants for my nephew, add them to my cart, type in promo code and proceed to checkout. It only gives me 20% off. 

Have I mentioned that I hate being wrong?

I go back to my email and read the fine print, only to find that the 25% off was good on August 8th until 11:59pm Eastern. You could use the same promo code and get 20% off on August 9th, and 15% off on August 10th. So I still at least got 20% off but still...I missed the extra 5% off by like 30 minutes! So frustrating.

 

Anyways...I'm done complaining. Here are my final purchases :) (looks like I'm going to have to add pictures later...my work computer is not cooperating...again...)

Boys Linen-Blend Khaki Pants - Size 10, with adjustable waist. I really wish they had these in slims, because Jaxon is a skinny minny, but I guess I will just have to settle for the adjustable waistband :) - regularly $19.94 - 20% off ($3.99) = $15.95

Silver Earrings - I could use some new earrings, and these look kinda fun :) Regularly $7.50 - 20% off ($1.50) = $6. I better like these though, because I am stuck with these. No returns on earrings apparently.

Cuffed Khahi Shorts - Gray. They come in navy, gray, khaki, and white colors, and I kinda wanted white shorts, but I ended up going with gray because they only had size 18 in the white...those won't fit. The gray had either a 0, 6, 10, 18 or 20...so I went with the 6. I'm really not sure what I wear in Old Navy sizes, so I'm hoping the 6 fits...if not, at least they helped me qualify for free shipping, AND they can always be returned :)  These were regularly $22.50, but were on sale for $16.50 - 20% off ($3.30) = $13.20

Pleated Charmeuse Shorts - Black. I have been wanting a pair of "dressy" black shorts for a long time, so I really hope they fit well. I also ordered a size 6 in these, so here's to hoping I picked the right size. If not, I can always exchange/return them :) These were a little pricey, but I have been on the hunt for a pair, so I figured it was still a good find with the 20% off. Regularly $26.50 - 20% off ($5.39) = $21.11

So with tax, I ended up with all that for $60.81, with a savings of $14.18, plus the tax would've been on the $14.18. Not bad if I do say so myself :)

Now I still have to find just the right color of a turquoise shirt for my adorable nephew to wear...I think I like this one (minus the tie...not what I'm going for..) but I am still on the hunt. I also haven't entirely decided if I want to just have him wear a white button down shirt instead. I found this one at Old Navy for $10. Quite tempting. And it would probably match my groom and his best man better, because I believe they are wearing white shirts...but I just really love the turquoise! Oh, decisions decisions...

By the way, the Old Navy 20% off sale is going on today until 11:59pm ET, and 15% tomorrow until 11:59 ET. Don't miss out. Just use the promo code ONSCHOOL at checkout. And don't forget...You win some, you lose some :)

Completely random sidenote: All documents are officially off to the scholarship company that has to approve my extension request that, if approved, would result in me getting to live in God's Country for a whole extra year. Cross your fingers, and let's hope this turns out to be in the "you win some" category ;) I will keep you posted!