Free JEWELRY for Bridal/Wedding Help

Calling all readers who can help with this wedding.

As you read the posts below you will find out that I am on a budget. A severe budget with only 6 or so weeks left to plan this wedding. Read below posts to be brought up to date on the reason for this short planning time frame.

I am a magician...I will pull a rabbit out of my hat...well more likely I WILL plan a wedding in 8 weeks and it will turn out nice. Or so I am hoping. There may be screaming, tears and blood but it will get done. And I will NOT turn into a bridezilla. I hate those women. Wow I sound like a bridezilla...honest I'm nice.

So back to how YOU can get FREE jewelry. I own a business called Glitzy Gallery (if you haven't figured that out yet). I create handmade jewelry at very affordable prices. Well your price is free. That is...if you can help me out.

I am in need of certain things for this wedding and ideas also to keep this budget down but still have an elegant wedding and reception. I am willing to purchase everything I can from online if that helps in giving tips.

Most everything has been delegated but there are a few things that I am still in need of...

• Lose fresh flowers that are all white or ivory so I can make my bouquet and all the other bouquets and boutonnieres (1 bridal, 3 boutonnieres, 3 bridesmaid bouquets).
  
• Disposable wedding cameras. Minimum of 5 preferably 10.
• Wedding bubbles for 100. (not champaign green bottles)
  
• Wedding favors for 100.
• Photographer (I just need the pictures taken but also have the CD at the end. No prints. I am a graphic designer after all...anyone in for a bit of airbrushing?)
  
• DJ (I know about the ipod CD thing but don't have anyone to man it).
  

Colors for wedding: Pool (David's Bridal version of Tiffany Blue or Turquoise), Black and White
Setting: Sunset wedding outdoors on decking overlooking marsh with white twinkle lights and candles everywhere. Reception semi formal outdoor with same as wedding decor but round tables placed on different decks for seating with candle centerpieces.
Date: I will snap the neck of the next person who asks. Can you tell that is a touchy subject? Honestly the military still hasn't released any information yet so fingers crossed we get something soon. We are figuring on early March.
Guests: 100 from all over
Location: Northeastern Florida

So back to what I need from you. I need information or physical goods/services for this wedding. If you offer goods/services I will trade you for gift certificates to www.GlitzyGallery.com good for Graphic Design or Jewelry.


As for information on how to keep this wedding affordable or a tip that points me in the right direction for the above mentioned items/services will get you an entry into a gift certificate for my shop. Valentine's Day is coming soon so this is the perfect time to have that extra gift certificate waiting.

There is no deadline. Well maybe there is...the week before the wedding. So I will let you know. There is at least 6 weeks so get those ideas in. You can also email me your ideas/photos/links to GlitzyGallery@yahoo.com or Keli@GlitzyGallery.com

Thank you everyone for your support and ideas. I really appreciate it.

Got The Dress...Now What?

Saturday was spent with my mother, my future mother-in-law and my maid of honor. What troopers!

First stop was to a beautiful park on the water. I can't believe it only costs $200 to rent the gazebo and the other park areas all night. There is even a huge beautiful water fountain. My only concern is if we do get this spot that we have to worry about the weather and the wind coming off the water. They don't allow tents with stakes. Maybe duct tape?

Onto a more fun thing...the DRESS! Arrived at David's Bridal to find a million brides and a bunch of stressed out but still nice and accommodating Bridal Consultants. Being the anal, over organized person that I am (got that from my mom...hi mom) I provided my consultant with a list of product codes for dresses that I had looked up the night before. Go me! I ended up getting the total opposite of what I was looking for. Still much more beautiful than ever expected. Not to mention marked down from $800 to now $290. Woohoo go me. Still way more than I would have ever wanted to spend, but my troop and some strange lady in the shop all agreed I should by it. It took a lunch break and two electric lemonades from Chili's to calm the nerves and get the dress.

My mother helped me try on the dresses and to say the least I couldn't do it without her. We were laughing so hard. I walked out with the first one on and didn't know I had to put a slip on. Prior to this experience I didn't know they made them that floofy. So trudging back into the dressing room my mother, the good sport she is, managed to get the oversized, stuffed slip on under my already poofy dress. Next we needed to put my shoes on again and somehow the little nylon sockies you wear...um my dress ate one. We couldn't find it anywhere. After getting a replacement we found it clinging to my dress. Thankgoodness we found the sockie before the wedding.

About 5 dresses later, I think...I kinda lost count after all the sweating, tugging and laughing, I found my perfect dress. I will leave it at that since my fiance may read this. He has already quizzed me and his mother on the dress and all we have to say is, "The dress sure is beautiful for being purple." Hehehe.

The dress being as beautiful as it is, was one of a kind dress so I didn't have much options for sizing. It is my size, however a bit big in the bodice. Now the search for a seamstress is on. With the economy being as poor as it is, most of my options have closed now. Anyone live in North Florida who can sew a dress for an affordable price? Hey, it's worth asking, you never know.

I got a great veil and the slip online on eBay for a 10th of what they would have cost at David's Bridal. The veil they wanted to sell me was more then the dress. Can you believe that?

I would post links to photos, but again my fiance is nosey. He is in Army training right now so I have the entire house to myself to spread out wedding things. Woohoo.

After dragging my hurt feet and my tired group of women around, they agreed so kindly to go to Garden Ridge with me. (Craft, home warehouse store) We found tons of pillar candles for 75% off being Christmas candles, but hey they are white, you can't tell they are Christmas. Then all the bridal stuff was 50% off. So we got the aisle runner, invites, tulle and so much more for next to nothing. Now to figure out what to do with it all.

I will be needing some assistance dear readers on my table centerpieces. My attempt at gluing those glass pebbles to the sides of white pillar candles looked great until I stepped back and realized it looked like it belonged at a little kids birthday party with bubbles. Urg! So readers, please send me ideas or post links on some good table centerpieces involving pillar candles, turquoise and black.

Now onto something I found today. It brought a tear to my eye. OK, an uncontrollable sobbing. I am a military bride and although I have already got my dress I was in search of bridesmaid dresses for affordable prices. There was a link to bridesacrossamerica.com Please take a look at their site and donate what you can. This program gives dresses to brides engaged to an active military person who has been deployed or is going to be deployed. This is a GREAT program. It is already hard enough planning a wedding between training and deployment dates, so having a wedding dress provided is a wonderful thing!

The search for a tiara is now on....who knew weddings involved so many little things.

The Colors Have Been Chosen...That's about it!

Thanks to the deployment it has been next to impossible to do anything related to this wedding.

I am a planner. I love to be organized. And until I have the dates we can have our wedding I can barely do anything. I pity the next person who innocently asks "When is the date?" I may just have to bite their heads off. So sorry in advance.

No really, I can actually get everything ready and pray that our location is not booked when the dates do come around. I will definitely be saving ALL receipts for any purchases.

A new friend of mine has offered to loan me her beautiful wedding dress. I may just take her up on that. After looking at a few of her online photos I think it super funny to have her posed in the backyard in her wedding dress holding an axe. I thought I was the only one with that type of humor. Oh yeah, they also have her holding a chain saw, just in case the axe doesn't work fast or efficiently enough. And then another one with her kissing a large plastic frog. I guess you do have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince.

We have decided on our color to be Turquoise with the normal white and black. Being the creative person I am, I can't wait to get my hands on some white pillar candles and turquoise glass rocks. Craft time at the Murray house. Oh how I miss using a glue gun. This may be my calling.

Oh and to all of you who are considering renting your chairs and tables for an event for 100, well well get ready to pay an arm and a leg. $900 for 100 chairs and 13 round tables. Can't I buy them for that?

I have been doing a bit of my planning around one of my coworkers who has a great sense of humor like myself. By the time I received the quote for the chairs, rental location, cake and caterer I had come to the best conclusion of all....and she calls me tacky. Everyone brings their own chairs, lawn chairs acceptable. Especially the ones with the fold out foot rest. The old time ones that you have to ratchet back and forth to get them to the desired level. Then each guest/family would bring a covered dish for the reception. One problem is most of the guests are coming from out of town. I see that happening one of two ways....way one, food is cold and not to a temperature that would allow people to stay alive after eating or ....way two, I see a lot of supermarket stickers on prepackaged foods. Either way I guess it works with me. And for the cake...a tower of chocolate cake donuts from Dunkin Donuts. Hey this all works for me just fine. Do you think it is tacky?

Due to the quickness of this ceremony and the need to be ready at a moment notice...Saturday will be spent checking out some locations and then darting south to David's Bridal to check out some wedding dresses. And after that, a trip to the local craft store to check out pricing for centerpiece and wedding favor items. Any ideas for affordable wedding favors for 100 guests?

Anyone have a wedding checklist that isn't harder to figure out than a Rubik cube? I would sure appreciate the help.

I hope I haven't bored you as much as my dog. Because at the moment she is snoring. Yes snoring like a fat man with his mouth open. She has no manners.