Wedding Dress Shopping

A few tips for anyone wedding dress shopping:

1. Look at magazines and websites to find out what style you like. Bring pictures with you to the bridal salon. The sales associates are very helpful in finding the same or similar dresses. You don't want to waste your entire appointment figuring out what style you like.

2. Tell the bridal salon your budget. You don't want to look at anything you can't afford or else you will be tempted to overspend.

3. Bring one of two people with you - not any more. I didn't go with a large entourage because I didn't want to be influenced by too many opinions. I took my mom and sister - the people that know my style and are brutally honest with me.

4. Start early. Most wedding gowns (unless you are buying off-the-rack) take 6-7 months to arrive and then another month to alter.

6. Research shops before you go. You don't want to waste your time and your friends' time browsing a shop that isn't your style or in your budget.

7. Keep an open mind. I ended up buying a dress that had some lace and beading on it - something that I didn't think I wanted. Try things that people (especially the sales associates) recommend. You might be surprised!

Happy shopping!

DIY Water Bottles

Our wedding was outdoors and the day would be hot, so we knew we had to offer our guests some water. I came across these customized water bottles on The Knot Shop for $34.95 for a case of 24 bottles. That's over $1 a bottle (before taxes and shipping).

Then, I saw these pre-printed labels for $0.48 each on Wedding Star. We were anticipating 180 guests, so that's almost $90 on labels.

So I decided to do-it-myself! I recruited my fiance and my dear friends to help and over the course of two nights, we made these:





I started with this free template found on Wedding Bee and customized it in Microsoft Word.

I bought coverstock (thinner than cardstock and thicker than regular paper) from Staples, which made it easier to apply tape on.

Then, I printed the labels (5 per page), cut them out, and used packing tape to tape both sides (so that the condensation from the water wouldn't smudge the font). I left a tiny flap from the packing tape to tape the label to the bottle.

DIY Signs

I saw this beautiful sign on Etsy and really wanted one for our wedding pictures as well. I decided to do-it-myself!

I started with two pieces of wood from Dollarama.

I then painted them white and painted the words "Thank" on one plaque and "You" on the other plaque.

They turned out great in our pictures and cost less than $5!