Your BFF --> The Bridal Emergency kit

I saw this article and video posted on yahoo about what to have in your emergency wedding day kit and it reminded me of an excellent post topic. I was just discussing this topic with my *newly married* friend prior to her wedding; the article on yahoo just gave me that push!

Let me start by saying the best thing in your kit is a wedding planner - they will have EVERYTHING you could ever need and the know-how to use it. The worst thing you could have? Items that waste space- this kit should be easy to assemble, low in cost and take up minimum space so you can take it with you with ease.

The list on yahoo was great, but below is my personal list of items that I think serves you and your wedding party best (listed in the order I thought of them):

• Tissues
• Chalk - white! for the brides dress
• Fashion tape - keep things in line!
• bobby pins - like 10 max, don't go crazy because somebody else already did with your hair
• hair spray - a great idea because it keeps your hair in place and can help with static cling
• extra pins- for pinning flowers as the men will never think to have this
• extra lipstick or a lip stain - keep them lips pretty!
• safety pins - of various sizes, please
• Those awesome mini-toothbrushes for on the go - they freshen your breath and clean your teeth
• Small pair of scissors - they have traveling safety scissors that fold into itself and it costs $3
• super glue - just in case
• Blotter tissue - you will need them

Items I find useless in an emergency kit

• Pantyhose - Really? It just seems so stupid to me. Do you wear hose the day of your wedding? Most of my brides do not. If you do, is your dress so short that people will notice a tear?
• Emory Board - I have never seen someone in a situation where they have to use this item. Never. 
•  Needle and thread - If you have a tear, I think the safety pins and fashion tape should get you though quicker
• Dental floss - what are you eating, popcorn with cilantro sprinkled on it? Go for those traveling toothbrushes instead which can also double as a breath freshener
• Bringing too much makeup - you will probably need to touch up some, but once the photos start, you don't have much time for anything. Don't bring everything on your face as it will take up space and tempt you to spend more time in front of a mirror when you should be celebrating.

Guest Blogging!

 Sorry for the lack of wedding posts, but it is wedding season! To take a break from working events, I took a stab at guest blogging over at BrandiNell the Southern Bell for an upcoming home improvement project. Check it out! I will be sure to cross-blog the results!


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While Brandi is busy handling some unscheduled home repair, I offered to step in and do some guest blogging. My name is Serena (@TheFriz11) and I've been a follower/admirer of Brandi's projects since we started working together. You can find me blogging over at Venue Vibe where I share wedding and event planning advice. Unlike Ms. Neil, I am wordy, stink at taking before pictures, and tend to do more cosmetic work than hammer and nail stuff.

In a few weeks, I'll be starting a project I've wanted to do for a while - transform my bathroom, which is also the guest bathroom, into a spa-like retreat. To make it interesting, I'm trying to do it for only $100. But before I jump into that, I wanted to show you some of the work I have already done so you can get to know me.

One of the first projects I did at my house was shaping up the backyard. Remember what I said about before pictures? Yep, I don't have one so you'll have to trust me when I say the finished project is better.

Our backyard had these stones, but they were pushed together in a smaller patch and had some rotting wood creating the trail leading into and out of the backyard. I started by ripping up the rotten wood and rearranging the stones to be more spread out.

 

After I placed them, I took them back up so I could place this "fabric" underneath to prevent plants trying to spout between my design. I use to know the name of it, but I forgot. 

Because I was filling the gaps with pebbles, I used garden trimmer to line my pattern so the pebbles escape less.

From there, I just had to add the pebbles!

And the finished project was...

 Awesome!

Double project bonus! Here's an example of my inside work -

Once again, no before before shot, but here's the room with the original paint color and I just finished stripping the popcorn off the ceiling

 My cats are often the overseer to my projects. I hope Sushi approves...

Anyway, another day of painting and I get these awesome results!

 That's a quick sample of my work! I look forward to sharing more with you guys in a few weeks!

Bonus Point Palooza

Even though I'm in the middle of wedding season, my mind is focused on the home. With spring in the air, I am repainting, re-cleaning and reorganizing my entire house. And I do all my bargin hunting, it got me thinking about a great blog post to help make your wedding pay for your honeymoon so here starts Bonus Point Palooza!

You're about to spend a lot of money, so make sure you make the most of every day and how you pay with those dollars with a little up front planning.

1) Delta Skymiles bonus points - Being in Atlanta, this is a no-brainer. Most facilities and caterers will accept credit card, so why not use a card that can help pay for your plane flights? New cardholders get bonus miles for their first purchase to help you achieve points faster. You probably will not get a flight on points alone, but you can at least get them discounted or use the points for some in-flights perks. Warning- Just be sure not to take on charges you can't pay off - otherwise it will cost you more in the end!

2) Visa extras/ rewards points/ possibility points - Whatever you bank calls it, you probably get bonus points for using your debt card as a credit card. For big purchases, stick with your skymiles card. For small purchases like favors, program supplies and wedding party gifts, order the items online through their market place. This way, you'll get 3, 4 or 5 points per dollar you spend and sometimes free shipping. Then, use those bonus points for gift certificates for car rental or statement credit to cover your expenses for food and fun while on vacation. Warning - this requires advance planning to have the items ship through the retailer and the points to appear on your statement. Shop early!

3) Work your registry - Before you pick your stores to register at, visit more than you think! Incentive programs are on the rise that can get you bonus gift certificates or 10% off items people do not purchase for you. Some resorts like Sandals allows you to register with them so your guests can contribute to your honeymoon costs. My favorite registry idea though is to partner up with the I Do Foundation - there's no cost to you or your guests and up to 10% of gifts purchased through your registry will be donated to a charity of your choice. In my head, that is a no-brainer!

Face lift!

While we lack the spring weather, I'm in the spring spirit! I have changed my blog title and URL to now be Vendor Vibe! Sounds catchy, right? Look out for a new design coming soon too.

What NOT to do when planning your wedding

I spend plenty of time talking about what you should do and should ask when planning your wedding, but there is also a host of items you should avoid doing when planning as well. This is equally important and can save you time, money and sanity.


1) Don't lose sight of your budget - The most important element in planning is budget. Every decision should start and end with budget if you want to stay on track. As you plan items from catering to favors, always think about how the cost plays into your overall budget. Spending is easy, it's keeping in your cost guidelines that hard.

2) Don't view venues out of your budget - It's nice to dream, but if you visit wedding venues that are out of your budget reach you're doing more damage than good. Don't set yourself up for disappointment or a constant "if only I had..." attitude. There are plenty of beautiful venues in all sorts of budget ranges. If you spend all your time looking at what you wish you could have, you may miss out on the perfect venue that you know you could have. Not to mention, it is costing the venue rep their time as well. On that note, don't interview any vendor who is out of your price range - that's time you can spend finding one who is in your price range!

3) Don't get lost in bridal magazines - I love bridal magazines, but what a lot of them don't tell you is that most of them showcase weddings that are out of the average bride's price tag. Or they feature vendors in the industry who were able to get a great discount on a big wedding. They are a great inspiration, but trying to recreate what is pictured may result in you breaking #1 on this list.  These magazines are centered around advertising and getting you to spend more. Glance, look, indulge in eye candy but don't let them run your wedding or your budget.

4) Don't forget to ask your friends and co-workers for advice - You have a great resource on hand that's free so use it! Ask your friends what they enjoyed, what they would change and what registry items they actually use. You don't have to choose their photographer, but maybe they learned some great questions to ask while interviewing them. Even if you hated everything about their wedding, you should still pick their brains. You never know what piece of information or handy tip you can pull out!

To see or not to see? - Should you see your groom before the ceremony?

While doing a site tour today, I was reminded of a little tradition that tends to bug me as a venue: the first look. We've let a lot of wedding traditions slide, but the one that no one wants to let go of is not seeing their groom before the wedding. I think one of the best things you can do the day of your wedding is take photos with your groom before the ceremony.

1) It helps with timing - You can get so many more photos in if you see your groom before the ceremony. The day of is a time crunch already, so freeing up some minutes after the ceremony by taking photos before can really help out.

2) It can help take the stress away - You have enough butterflies in your stomach already! Why would you add to it by not having some calm words whispered to you by your groom before the ceremony? I think it puts both parties at ease and gives you more time to celebrate together this happy moment.

3) No one needs to know - A first look should still be private and a surprise. Find a secluded garden or private room at your venue to meet up before hand and get some personal pictures and personal time in.You can still capture the magic of moment with how you enter the space (make it dramatic!). Remember, you only need to do this an hour or two before the ceremony, so you're look is still a surprise!

In short, I know this is the one tradition that brides try to keep but I also think it can be impractical with the modern wedding. Keep your mind open on this matter and it could help open your timeline a lot the day of!

Wear me out!

All of those blog pieces about discounts wore me out! I need some fresh new ideas to blog about. I hope to come up with an awesome piece for next Wednesday, but in the meantime I wanted to open it up to you, my few but loyal readers. Comment section is open - post some topics that you'd like me to write about or if you have a specific question I'd love to answer it!