Budget Review: Attire, Accessories & Rings

Wedding Dress

{My dress was a gift from my parents & bought as a sample}
 $600 cash

{© Epic Image Photography}

Alterations
Something Old Designs/Sarah Mallory
$60

{© Epic Image Photography}

Veil, Fascinator, Shoes, Jewelry & Undergarments
{veil & fascinator designed by TruLu Couture}
 $219.66

{This photo is owned by Natosha Benning. All rights reserved. Not for personal use}

Tuxedo Rental
{Men's Wearhouse}
$84.11

 {This photo is owned by Natosha Benning. All rights reserved. Not for personal use}

Custom Cufflinks
{made by the bride}
$5.00

{© Epic Image Photography}

  Bride's Wedding Band

{purchased online & sized locally}
$83.52

 {This photo is owned by Natosha Benning. All rights reserved. Not for personal use}

Groom's Wedding Band

{purchased on Amazon.com}
 $180.73

 {© Epic Image Photography}

Total Cost: 633.02
 ($1228.02 with dress)

 Just as a side note, many of the pictures that say "this photo is owned by Natosha Benning" were taken my sister, mother-in-law or family friend. I want to give them proper credit without using their real names.

The Bridal Trousseau

In the beginning of the process of being engaged and planning a wedding, I just didn't realize how many outfits one must have for the purpose of  getting married. I'm not saying you have to, just that most girls I've known want to wear cute, new things in celebration of the upcoming nuptials. As in, you buy a wedding dress. You buy a "going away" outfit or second wedding dress. Oh wait, gotta have a new dress for my bridal shower. And rehearsal dinner! Shit. Better get some clothes for the honeymoon, too.

I'm attempting to strike a balance between new clothes and my some cherished clothes for the above mentioned purposes. I do have several other weddings, showers and events to attend this year, so almost everything will be doing double duty. I have a red Mad Men-esk dress from our engagement trip that I will probably wear to my bridal shower. I have yet to find a "going away outfit" and I just purchased a black, strapless party dress on clearance at David's Bridal for our civil ceremony/rehearsal day. Yes, I said black. 

I shouldn't feel bad about buying new clothes for the wedding stuff (sometimes I do), but my question is ... did any of you budget these expenses into your wedding budget? I certainly didn't think to and of course, I will re-wear almost all of it as mentioned above (obvious exception being the wedding dress.)


Of course, in times past, these clothes, the gifts from bridal showers and items one would have sewn in anticipation of  being married and running a household were referred to as the bride's trousseau and were considered part of the bride's dowry. It helped that fashion didn't go in and out of style as quickly as it does today. Then again, those ladies didn't always have careers either, did they? My, how some things change will other traditions stay the same. 


trousseau |ˈtroōˌsō; ˌtroōˈsō|noun ( pl. -seaux pronunc. same, or -seaus )the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.
Here's some interesting information about the history of the trousseau.
The Bridal Trousseau
Timeline of Trousseau
The Vanishing Trousseau

Wedding Shoes ... the search ends

 

Tonight, I met up with a former colleague for dinner at the Yellow Porch in the 100 Oaks area. I had a wonderful time! Its always good catching up with friends.

Afterwords, I dropped into TJ Maxx and found my wedding shoes! The VERY thing that I have been searching for! Closed, round toe, shiny but not satin, a color matching my "pearl" colored wedding dress, small heel height and budget friendly. I love me some Liz Claiborne!

I walked around the store in two sizes before I took one of them home with me. For $29.99, even if they didn't "match", it would be okay, right? They just happen to be a perfect match. I have several ideas for "customizing" them other than my "shoe bling" (see picture on right), so look for updates.

Happy Thursday!

Diamonds & Pearls

I was supposed to go to "Veil Night" at Arzelle's tonight, but something about this weather made me want to come home and watch a movie ... maybe sip some hot chocolate! I knew that Big Spoon wouldn't be home from work for awhile, so I headed out to our jewelry store instead.

I say "our" jewelry store because I can't imagine ever using another one as long as we live here! Wholesale Jewelers in Hermitage is stellar.

I have a nearly broken string of pearls that my parents gave me the day I graduated High School. Needless to say, no matter how inexpensive they were, they have sentimental value to me. They are freshwater pearls, not even beaded like the good stuff, but I want to wear them on our wedding day. The jeweler cut me a great deal on having them re-strung and while I was there, I sold some old yellow gold pieces I've held on to for a decade. Who says old high school boyfriends aren't good for something? I made $20 to apply toward my necklace repair. Yay!

My wedding dress is beaded with rhinestones and pearls. Pearls are my birthstone and definitely a favorite of mine - timeless and classic. I'm so excited to have them fixed and someday, hopefully, pass them along to my daughter or grand daughter.

Bubble Veils

I love birdcage veils, but after trying on a bubble veil a couple of times now, I am sold. As crafty my mom and I are, I can't justify a $100-200 price tag. Mom and I will be making my veil, so it will be more personalized and styled to my taste versus off the rack. Yay for DIY! The above pictures are my inspiration. Enjoy!

The Dress - Part 3

I HAVE A WEDDING DRESS!



It is much sooner than I had anticipated, but I found "the dress" at the Elegance Bridal Gala in mid-August. I tried it on while I was there and loved it. I made a few appointments and planned to put a deposit down at a trunk show and order the dress later, however, Cherished Memories Bridal and Formal is closing its doors in October.

My parents came down today to go with me and after I was laced up, we determined that the sample actually does fit ... but a few more pounds won't hurt me. It wasn't dirty or worn, so I felt comfortable buying the sample. The dress seems quite easy to alter and I'm confident that my mother or aunt can do the alterations for me for free!

Hoping to get the dress for a bit more than 30% off, I asked about the Elegance Bridal Bucks card, which she will not honor now that her dresses are clearance priced. Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone going out to the shop to look around.

All of the above aside, Lisa is very nice and reasonable. I ended up offering her a cash payment in exchange for a small additional discount and took my dress home with me. However, she is still offering deposits/payments and short term garment housing.

Now my dress is hanging in an upstairs closet, waiting for our wedding day. Next year. 58 weeks. 407 days.

The Dress: Part 1

I tried on my first ever wedding dress on July 15 at David's Bridal in Madison, TN. I posted about the dress I hoped would be the one here.

It wasn't.

Nor were any of the other half dozen or more dresses I tried on that day. I hated them all ... except one that I felt mildly interested in and when I got the snap shots home, I almost cried. It's not that the sales associate was bad or that anything was wrong with the dresses, per se, but I felt very foolish in most of them ... and fat. The florescent lights are not flattering and to say the least, I came home quite discouraged that day.

Fast forward to today ... I planned an entire day of dress shopping with my parents. I made two appointments and planned to visit four shops. We began our second shopping excursion at the White Room in Lebanon, TN. The consultants there were lovely, attentive and intuitive. I liked almost everything I tried on.

Yes, the opposite problem than I had had previously. To make matters more confusing, I liked two different styles in Lebanon - this ethereal, beaded beauty and a lovely, minimally embellished A-line.

After stopping in at a consignment bridal shop and having lunch, we realized that the third store had already closed for the day. We called to get directions to the White Room's sister store in Murfreesboro.

Another great experience, the consultants were again attentive and helpful. I walked in without an appointment and they saw me right away. I tried on a few more dresses before realizing that they had this one in a much much larger size. I tried it on and did the clamps in the back to help me see how it would actually look on me. I even tried on two birdcage veils and a "bubble" veil with the dress, both of which look fine.

I then tried this dress. Now I was torn again. Three dresses, all equally flattering - and all different. In total, I've had on the first dress five times today.

At this point, it was time to wrap up our shopping for the day and I headed over to David's Bridal with my parents. I had set up the appointment several weeks ago after discussing with a sales associate that I was looking for specific style numbers that the Madison store did not have in stock. She assured me that they would have anything I wanted from the Fall 2009 line.

They had two. Out of six dresses on my list (that Madison did not have), they had TWO.

So I tried on the Galina dress again. I felt more comfortable in it this time, but I'm still very undecided. I think it will be best for me to actually secure the venue we have been "penciled in" at and then make a decision.

PS. I forgot to mention that I ran into Little Miss Southern trying on wedding dresses at the White Room on Saturday morning. Check out her lovely blog! I can't wait to see what dress she picks!

Too Cute Wedding Shoes

I ordered these lovely shoes this morning from Zappos.com. I love their free shipping! I’ve had my eye on these for quite some time now, and while they are on sale, I couldn’t resist. I have nothing to loose with a 365-day return policy. I hope the combination of the frill and my shoe clips aren’t too much.