Beautiful Bouquets

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No fun projects this week-- the "spring forward" today caught me totally off guard PLUS I stayed up way too late reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (talk about food for thought...). I do, however, have a very nifty DIY for centerpieces that I found today on Pinterest!

I've long been in love with the submerged centerpiece look-- I think it's a great way to add a touch of color and work in floating candles, but without being overwhelming and in-your-face like some taller flower arrangements can be. But, it's a bit of a pain to think about-- getting fresh cut flowers and making sure they're not underwater too long, trying to place them so they don't get singed by the candles, etc. As usual, Pinterest provided me with a "duh" moment today...

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What's that you say? Silk flowers look better submerged in water? Duh. 

So, for a cheap and easy fix to an elegant centerpiece, pick up some silk flowers, distilled water, and dollar store vases-- I'll try this out next weekend and let you know if it looks as good as it does on Pinterest!

Tips and Tricks

Most likely you realized before I did that I can't find you a bargain in and of itself every Monday, but tips and tricks are the way to go when a bargain isn't at hand! One of the best books given to me when I was planning my own wedding was Bridal Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields-- they've got a very pragmatic look at the way the wedding industry works, and include tips on just about everything from how to deal with the caterers to stubborn seamstresses during dress fittings! Of course, my version was from 1995, but they have a new edition out from 2010 which can be found on Amazon for a very reasonable price! Even if you have a wedding planner, this is a great investment for any bride-and-groom-to-be!

Christmas Clearance!

So, this is another sorry excuse for a Markdown Monday, which is why I want to know why you're reading this blog... you should be out shopping the clearance aisles at Target, Michael's, Big Lots, and (yes, I shudder at the thought, but...) Wal-Mart!

If you're getting married in the next year and you'll use red, white, green, blue or silver in your decor now is the time to stock up! We used Christmas clearance to buy linens for the tables, vases, trinkets, ribbon, and favor boxes at a deep price cut, so get out of the house and hunt down some deals-- your wallet will thank us both six months from now.

Dessy's Next Trick

Dessy 1019

Dessy Dresses are a tricky business-- a lot of times you can find a similar look for a little less elsewhere, and my final verdict on their LBD experiment stands: you have to be careful or you're not really getting a deal! They have a new program called Sample on Loan which boasts one upside for the busy bride on the go; they will send you a sample to try on at home! 

There are a few ways this could be a total rip off, so let's check out the details.

The Premise: You pay Dessy $35 to ship you a sample that may or may not be the proper size so that you can hang on to it for 2 days, try it on, wear it around the house, take it to dance lessons, what have you. 

The Ins and Outs: You get the dress (from the After Six Collection) and a pre-paid adhesive shipping label in the mail, you keep the dress for 48hrs. If you haven't returned it in time you are charged an extra $20/day. Dessy MAY be able to send you more than one dress at a time, for another $35. Your size may also not be available, so they will send you the "closest" size possible-- no word on whether that's one size up or one size down, but I would assume one size up.

The Ups and Downs: If you're planning on a budget, $35 to rent a dress for two days may not be the best investment. If you're not planning on a budget, and you're a busy gal, it might be worth it to you to not have to find your nearest Dessy (which for me is anywhere from roughly 8-20mi, ranging 30-120 minutes in travel time one way) and go in to the store, deal with people, etc. If you're going to be wearing a dress from Dessy's After Six collection and you have it in hand and you'd like to do a bridal shoot before the big day, you could always rent a sample to do the shoot in. Though I'm sure major damages would result in an extra fee, it would be a safe way to do your shoot and not worry about getting dust on the hem.

As with the NewlyMaid program, I would suggest really looking around and checking your budget to see if this is the right program for you. You should also contact the Dessy Customer Service BY PHONE to ask if there are any partial refunds available, and what happens if you rip the hem while seeing if your heels work with the gown. I emphasize BY PHONE because I e-mailed them and got a form response which was copy and paste from the website. No extra information, no effort put in to the response at all.

Filene's Closes Down

OK, Atlanta brides, here's your chance to experience the Running of the Brides without the potential to be trampled! Earlier this month, the AJC Biz Blog reported that Filene's Basement is shutting down operations! So, this is a bit of a cheat for Markdown Monday, but if you're looking for a dress don't count them out. I'm sure that the closer they get to closing (I'll update when they announce a closing date) the better the deals will be!

Filene's Basement in Atlanta is located at Lenox Marketplace:

3535 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 869-4466

Hours

Mon-Sat: 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Simple Centerpieces

Today's Markdown Monday is a referral to a DIY tutorial for the prettiest centerpieces I've seen in a while! I feature these in my post on Friday, but I think they would be amazing year round-- I'll be trying them out soon so look for an update on their real-life ease and beauty.

To find out how to make them yourself, head over to Crafty By Amanda!

Markdown Monday, The Limited

"While supplies last" over at The Limited, their wedding dress selection is all on sale! It's a small collection, but has a few fantastic choices for those with simple taste!

Strapless Reception Dress - $136.80

Soft Texture Wedding Dress - $238.80

Full Skirt Wedding Dress - $238.80

There is a lot of great variation within these 9 dresses and you could do a lot with them! A little something for everyone.

Markdown Monday

OK, so I was talking to a friend the other day and we agreed that the "worst" expense you love to expense in a wedding is the dress... she argued that David's is full of cheap material and that her natural material dress was way more comfortable than the one she almost bought at David's, and though I have no doubt that she's correct (I only tried on dresses at David's because they had THE DRESS) I also wonder why it really matters... To be perfectly honest, there's nothing to say that as long as you're within your budget you can't have a reception dress to follow up the picturesque one you use for the ceremony and pictures! As much as I adored MY dress, I almost wished I'd had a reception one!

So, here at AEA, we're going to start Markdown Mondays-- I say we, and I mean I. I will look through some of the major retailers for wedding dresses around Atlanta and on the internet and bring you the best deals your wedding dollars can buy and maybe even a few reception dresses to boot! Markdown Mondays sounds cheap and cheesy, but I'm hoping you'll enjoy it!

$200 at David's Bridal

$250 at David's Bridal

$150 at David's Bridal

$100 at David's Bridal

Now, of course, everyone seems to think that you "get what you pay for" when it comes to clothing, and I'm generally among that crowd, however if what you "get" is a dress that looks pretty on you, looks pretty in the pictures, and doesn't fail after 8 hours... I'd say that's about what you want in a wedding dress! 

My clearance David's Dress-- $114 with taxes!