Not all couples have an unlimited budget. Most of us do not hope to go into debt over our weddings and just like all things involving money. The best plan is to have a budget and stick to it. But where do you start? How do you know what is a realistic amount to pay a florist and baker? All these questions can drive a bride insane!

Thankfully I'm addicted to Real Simple and fancy that! They have a nifty budget worksheet! Love Love! Totally going to use this for my wedding!

http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/budget/wedding-budget-worksheet-00000000009135/index.html

Apologies for the short blog, but quality is better than quantity right?!

Their Colors Speak

What are the two gems you think of when you think bride? Diamonds? Pearls? Maybe a sapphire or an opal to take care of the “something blue” requirement. With all the other parts of wedding planning, choosing bridal jewelry tends to be an afterthought unless you have eyed your grandmother’s pearl necklace since you were a little girl. Yet when you start looking nothing seems to fit the beauty of that gown that you just chose.

Luckily there is a website where talented artisans have created almost every style imaginable. I’m addicted to Etsy.com. I could spend hours upon hours on this website, especially the jewelry section. Anyone who knows me is not surprised by this statement. So I’m not surprised that within this website is a hidden gem a wedding page (http://www.etsy.com/category/weddings) . Vendors who make wedding jewelry, head pieces, invitations, decorations, anything you can imagine. Just click that link and I dare you not to spend hours on it.

One of my brother and sister-in-law’s friends from back in college days, Gillian, has recently started selling wedding jewelry on Etsy at her shop, Scarlet Oak (http://www.etsy.com/shop/scarletoak ).

Here’s a link to a real bride wearing these (http://www.thefrenzelsblog.com/2010/10/05/kristyn-mike-married-pomona-wedding-photographer/ ) On a different note, I love love love the bridesmaids dresses. I’ve never met Kristyn & Mike but I love their style!

Anyway back to Etsy and jewelry...From a different seller Plumb Crazy, these Vintage Romance Bridal Earrings are beautiful and classic. They are timeless and they seem to transport you to a far off castle. How can you not feel like a princess with these dangling from your ears?(http://www.etsy.com/listing/58248712/vintage-romance-bridal-earrings-silver?ref=cat2_gallery_12 ).

Then these Bermuda Blue Swarovski Crystal Teardrop earrings from AzureTreasures fill that “something blue” in an elegant, memorable fashion (http://www.etsy.com/listing/60699813/bermuda-blue-swarovski-crystal-teardrop?ref=cat2_gallery_3 ).

These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of.

~George Eliot

Through the Lens of Lukas VanDyke

BASED OUT OF: Southern California

PRICING: Engagement sessions are free if you meet any of the conditions (otherwise they are $450) 1. He does your wedding 2. Already have a date and venue booked and he has the date available and you want to see how you look through his camera 3. Super creative idea that he has never done (you'll have to go to his website to see more specifics); Wedding packages include images, proof books, wall print, but he is flexible with people who are on tighter budgets.

When I was a student at Master’s and someone got engaged or wanted good headshots, there were only a handful of photographers that were used—Lukas VanDyke was one of them. I even had him do a series of headshots for my college graduation.

He is one of those guys who you naturally feel comfortable with him and although I have never met her, his wife, Suzy, seems to complement him in every way. Then you add on his artistic flare that seems to catch details that a bride and groom will wish they could remember and you have a winning combination.

His humility and his desire to be helpful to his couple are exhibited in each of his weddings and his blogposts. He even has a 3 part blog series that helps a couple choose a wedding photographer (http://www.lukasvandyke.com/?p=4454 ). His blog is a treasure trove of insight (http://www.lukasvandyke.com/?p=2740 ) and beautiful images and his willingness to travel for weddings makes him a candidate even if you live outside of Southern California. I even read a comment from a girl stating that she regrets not getting Lukas to shoot her wedding in Alaska. I think that is testimony enough...

The Writer & The Idea

Well if you're wandering around blogs and trip across mine. You may wonder who the writer is... wedding planner, bride-to-be, or just a blogger. Well I am the last one!

Basically the idea of this blog stemmed from my roommate (who is a bride-to-be) and I (one of her bridesmaids) searching the internet endlessly for quality wedding vendors versus popular (also known as overpriced, take advantage of this one-time event). Most couples have their visions, but to find people who can make it happen without high cost and high stress is stress-inducing in and of itself. I uttered these words to her, "I wish there was just a website that was organized in a way that gives people like us real people who are trustworthy and who do good work." I scanned through photographers' and florists' websites that I knew and thought, 'Hey, you could do this!'" So this is the beginning of a project that hopefully will organize the chaos of wedding planning and make it a bit more enjoyable and less stressful.

So enjoy and if you have an suggestions please let me know, especially for different regions of the country or fun ideas you have seen from different websites or weddings or even wisdom of how to enjoy that special day. My experience is limited, but yours and mine combined along with our imaginations are able to make this special day of someone's a little bit more of what it should be.