DIY scratch off/game card favors

Lottery scratch off cards as wedding favors? Marketing messages? Fortunes?

I actually saw the former at a friend's wedding. It was a cute and interactive favor and during the reception someone shouted out that he won $5. :)iDIY posted DIY scratch offs via Artmind.I could picture putting cute messages behind each card. What would you do with it?

Rock and Republic in LA - Fashion Night Out Sept. 10 - 6 - 11 pm

@rockandrepublic - thanks for encouraging us to live in an era when jeans and tights are totally cool and wearable at night.

It's also awesome when fashion labels like Rock & Republic have one night where customers can not only shop but participate in giveaways, makeovers, and meeting the CEO. That night is Sept. 10 in LA at their Robertson Blvd store (man wish I could be there!)

They'll have exclusive items like this:
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Sept. 11 memorial.

That of course totally rocks.

Counting down to #London!

We're off in 8 days!

Today was the last day of my volunteer gig.

It was bittersweet. Bitter also because I still have to figure out why this one function didn't work in Excel. Grrr, vlookups.

Tomorrow I start packing.

I really wanted to start sharing pictures of my hair and accessories, but have to sort through what I have and wait for the rest of the pictures. The fascinator and bird cage veil are worth it though!

Judith Leiber Sample Sale - Woodbury Commons NY - Aug 8 - Sept 8

Forgot to post this, but I'll definitely be checking it out in person. Ooh, to get some lovely shoes or a wallet...I saw some lovely reptile sandals for $200 at Woodbury Commons last time. Tempting indeed...

Let me know if you want the e-mail and I will forward it to you!

Please vote for my friend nanamoose for Fun Taiwan host

...because she's a sweet, well-traveled, lovely girl and a great cook. We met during school in Singapore/France.

Please go to YouTube and vote for her here:

1. Look for her at Nanamoose travels.
2. She is a few scrolls down and has about 700 votes now.
   
3. Click on "Love it". You can vote up to 20 times per account. I'm not technically inclined and think I have only voted once.
   

Thank you in advance!

DIY: How to make your own fabric fascinators/brooches

I found lovely dark red fabric in India that was used for the bridesmaid dresses, ribbon wands, and bouquet wraps.

I was in my fascinator frenzy and also decided to create fascinators or brooches from the same fabric as the dresses.

Here's the DIY for my fabric fascinators!

1. Cut fabric into several different petal sizes (an oval with a larger top). The petal may be rounded or slightly curved on top. The larger layers go on the bottom, smallest on top. You will need at least 18 petals based on 6 petals for 3 layers. You can gauge depending on size of petals.
2. Take 5-7 petals and place them around each other in a circle so the smaller ends are touching. Sew the petals to each other by sewing through the center of each petal (I made one long stitch across the center to gather the petal). You now have one layer of petals.
3. Repeat step two to create additional layers from your remaining petals.
4. Place the layers on top of each other to style how you want each of the layers to lay.
5. Sew through all 3 layers.
6. The center of the flower will be secure but you may have lots of stitch marks in the center.
7. Cut a small circle and sew this in the center covering the center stitch marks.
8. Glue or sew your center bead.
9. Glue a small rectangular piece of felt to the back. Glue a pin or alligator clip to the felt.
10. You're done! Voila - fabric flower fascinator!

Note: My silk/cotton fabric frayed very easily. Organza or a satin would probably have worked very well.

Designer Thursday - Sariah NYC

I used to only be all about the classics - GAP t-shirts, Banana Republic button downs, and Ann Taylor skirts.

Then a few years ago, I discovered outlets.

Whoa, I could get a Barney's cardigan for the same price as one for Banana Republic?!
Mom's Loehmann's store had $30 Nanette Lepore shirts?
I could get a sample purse from Hayden Harnett for $150?
Thus the designer and deal obsession began. I liked getting stylish and interesting pieces (and really loved it if I could get it on sale).

So it was nice to discover designer Sariah. Her prints are just fun and could be paired with jeans or tights for a sleek look.

Here are some favorites from the Fall '09 line:Would love this print with tights

So flapper chic

I'll probably still wait for a sale, but oh I love window shopping!

Bridal shower or couples shower?

A couple's shower is becoming more popular and I thought about it since I wanted him to be involved and feel like he was having a party too. That and we lived together and it was being held at our place (the bridesmaids deemed it the most convenient location). He was there for the shower anyway, though probably mostly for the food.

But I read this article on getmarried.com about themes for couple showers. Here are my favorites:

Honeymoon heaven
For the couple who already “has everything” or for the couple planning a destination wedding that may be leaving the honeymoon as an afterthought, this theme is a great opportunity. It’s also good for inspiring ideas for the menu, drinks and décor as well as gifts, ranging from the cheap-‘n’-cheerful like a basket of sun care products for the couple to more expensive items like luggage or a camera. Look into ways guests can help make the honeymoon memorable, too, like paying for an upgrade on their accommodations, a week’s car rental or a special day trip or activity.

House proud
If you know the couple is buying a new home, a shower themed around home renovations and maintenance is ideal. Give each guest a season or a floor so that there will be a good variety of gifts.

Stock the pantry
If the couple loves to cook, ask guests to bring kitchen-inspired gifts–everything from mixing bowls and gadgets to chef’s knives and appliances. Have them include a recipe that not only requires the use of their gift but somehow reflect each giver’s personality or style. Arrange the gifts on a table and have the couple of honor try to identify who gave what, based on the choice of recipe and the gift.

What kind of shower will you have (if any)?

Yes, you can use silk flowers and real flowers for your wedding and some pics

Remember my debate about using real vs. fake flowers?

Well we ended up using real roses for my bouquet (my last choice but it turned out to be lovely and classic) and silk dahlias for the bridesmaids. The boutonnieres were made of roses as well.Closeup of both bouquetsCloseup of the lace on my bouquetWho knew? Roses can be pretty awesome.Bridesmaid bouquet in action along with her ribbon wand!

I did go to Whole Foods and got bright red gerber daisies but my cousin and mom didn't like them. They also didn't like the lilies my aunt and I bought for some tables. Good thing Whole Foods accepts returns on flowers.

My cousin ended up getting red roses at another Whole Foods. I think it was $30 or $40 for two dozen of the large roses and they held up pretty well. The dahlias were $3 each (50% off Michael's) and there were about 5 or 6 in each bouquet.
My cousin, aunt, and future cousin in law made all the bouquets and boutonnieres the night before (cloth from the dresses were made into ribbons covering the bridesmaid's bouquet's stems and some extra alencon lace trim covered my bouquet's stems). My family was ridiculously awesome. Let yourself be helped! So many things went wrong and I was also trying to see my out of towners so things were crazy that week!

So my final opinion: yes silk flowers (good quality ones) look fine and can be used in your bridesmaids or even your own bouquet. They're usually less expensive though not always. Their main advantage is that they can be made in advance and can be used after the wedding too!

Post Wedding Blues

Both of us have felt it a little. It was basically the biggest party of our lives, everyone we loved was there, and we felt like stars.

I'll admit it to you guys - I wore the reception dress again today and the birdcage veil so I could get some pictures because I got a double french twist today (I'm an occasional hair model). Mr. Chic 'n Cheap and the parents laughed while my brother just took some pictures.

I'm also a little blue because we spent several thousand more than I anticipated. My mom, who paid for my bridesmaid dresses as a gift, told me the bridesmaids dresses were much costlier than I thought (I'm more annoyed that they were expensive and we had to go for multiple fittings for items that didn't fit right). But this is balanced with the fact that we got some very generous last minute help from family and friends that covered our costs.

It all works out in the end.

Ok will blog about flowers tomorrow. Good night!

Tarte Cosmetics 40% off - August 17 - August 24

Tarte cheek stain was a strong contender for my blush (I used Stila convertible color since I already owned it and it looked great).
Tarte still has a great array of wedding ready makeup including:

• Cheek stain for $30 - loving liquid blushes now for the easy application

• Brightening wand - $22 - great way to lighten up those eyes (got something similar after, darn!)

• Concealer - $19 - for the flawless finish

Use FF09 for 40% off from August 17 - August 24.
Free shipping if you buy over $60 of products.

Linea Pelle Online sample sale

It's hard to resist accessories - so many occasions to use them - rehearsal dinner, girl's night out, etc.

Go to the Linea Pelle online sample sale to get something like the Lauren Conrad $40 clutch.How about the BCA tote for $150? Nice, and oh so useful.

Ian Villaceran $150 Photography package for non-Chicago residents

$150 was what I paid for 10 drinks at my wedding. That was also probably just one person. *Sigh*

Or I could have hired Ian Villaceran to take my pictures.
Ian e-mailed me to highlight this special deal (which I think was covered in Wedzilla too):

I am offering a special package for destination weddings (out of Chicago) of 2009 and 2010s if booked this year.

SPECIAL PACKAGE - $150

8 Hour Coverage

Online Proof Gallery

High Resolution Proof Disc

Engagement Session (if possible)

It is only $150 + Airfare. The couples are to provide the airfare, accommodations and signed release for future publishing. That's it! :-)

Please let me know if you are interested. I will also appreciate if you can share this information to others who are planning a wedding in a budget. You may email me or call at 847-454-6590.

Thank you and I look forward to hear from you.

Cheers,

Ian Villaceran

The recovery period from a wedding

..takes at least 7 days. One week later I found myself asleep at 11 pm and waking at 11 am (antihistamine at 1 am also contributed).Give yourself a full week to recover especially if you have out of town guests. Our last guest, who stayed with us, left on Thursday.

So much to blog about.

Upcoming:

• Budget percentage breakdowns
• Fascinator DIY
• Hair
• Accessories
• A new idea where I'd like to ask for all of YOUR help

For now, xoxo,
Chic 'n Cheap

Wedding picture sneak peek

Here is the veil and dress for my entrance. Trains are awesome. Seriously. I also love how my veil hit just above my train. Isn't my mom's dress also elegant?

I'm still waiting for the full-res version of a lot of pictures and generally waiting for my friends to turn in their pictures.

More soon!

Cutting costs and keeping things practical

Chic 'n cheap = practical

So, while I am entranced by all these wedding related details, at the end, it's supposed to reflect a day that is about us. That and of course we didn't have the budget for it. I wonder what I would have done with a ginormous budget though...actually I have an inkling and will post about that later.

But anyway our wedding did not have:

• fancy limo for $200/hour just to have a few pictures (yes the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Echo came out)
• dj encouraging everyone to do the chicken dance (yes Mr. Chic 'n Cheap dj'd from his iPhone, it was actually awesome)
  
• matching dresses if every girl has a different body
• $4000 dress for a six hour affair (but I did try on an $11,000 dress, wow)
  
• crazy cocktail hour with 6 stations and 6 hors d'oeuvres (yes I was offered that) if the food can not even be donated afterwards
• excessive wedding projects because they are SOO cute (this one was hard) and I'm stuck with random packs of metallic cardstock
• paper Save the Date because our wedding was in a few months
  
• multiple slips of paper and enclosure envelopes when most people forget to send the RSVP itself (I am guilty of this too)
• expensive flowers because I love them but would not pay >$1k for something that will die in 3 days
• makeup artist because fake eyelashes and lip stain are my friend
• expensive favors though I did stay up till 3 am baking cookies with a bridesmaid - it was actually super fun though super exhausting
  

We're happy with what we did and though it wasn't as low as I expected (alcohol cost more than food!), it was still relatively low and lower than the NATIONAL as well as NYC average.

I am awed by people that can have $2k weddings and give props to people that want to spend $100k.

But our wedding was us.
It was interactive.
It was totally practical.
It was Chic 'n Cheap.

What "traditional' aspects are you skipping? Or what can't you live without at the wedding?

Update: Lauren Merkin sample sale further reductions

Clutches $40- $100 & Day bags $95-$195.

Nice.

Remember there may be $15-$25 bargain boxes as well.

Open bar vs. bar on consumption

I got sticker shock when we got our venue bill today. The alcohol tab was significantly more than we had estimated. I admit I left out the 30% service/tax in our original total estimate so it was always going to be higher.

When do you choose open bar vs. bar on consumption?
Here is what we did:

• we worked out the math on open bar (remember this is per person including grandma!)
• we worked on a drink estimate per person

We decided to do the bar on consumption because we thought that this would still work out well given the makeup of our guests. Our guests ended up having about 794 drinks according to the bill. We estimated about 300ish. But, this price still ended up being about the open bar package we would have chosen. I'm also still not sure if this is correct as well so we'll see.

But lesson is, be warned that alcohol may still end up costing more than you imagine. Sigh from a non-drinker.

Additional tips when considering bar on consumption (based on newfound experience):

• Waiters may pick up half empty drinks
• Bottles that may not be entirely consumed may still count as a full bottle
• Guests themselves may get more drinks than usual just to try different ones

So the reception wasn't as low budget as we originally thought. But it was still pretty low for NYC and we had a rocking party.

Lauren Merkin sample sale - August 11 - 14 in NYC

LAUREN MERKIN SUMMER SAMPLE SALE

TUESDAY, AUG 11 – FRIDAY, AUG 14
11 am - 7pm

&

Saturday, Aug 15 - 11am - 4 pm

Lauren Merkin Showroom
231 WEST 29TH ST
SUITE 201
BETWEEN 7TH & 8TH AVE
212 239 2459

PAYMENT ACCEPTED:
CASH. AMEX, VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER
No Checks please. No Phone orders

Prices 40-70% off:
Tatum Bubble Lambskin – was $325, now $150
Diana Metallic Lambskin – was $250, now $75
Large Plum Tote Lambskin – was $575, now $295
Plum Tote Lambskin – was $450, now $200
Edie Quilted Lambskin – was $450, now $200
Blake Satin – was $275, now $100

There are also always samples at super discounted prices for $15-$80. Look for the bargain boxes as well!

I'm married!

There were salsa dancing men.

There were great vintage accessories.

There were the most awesome portabello mushrooms I may ever have had.

There were tears.

There was laughter.

There was a great party.

Things didn't go perfectly. But we created a wedding that was so us and people kept telling us they had really awesome food, our venues were fantastic, and we had so many personal touches.

Now I can help my friend plan her wedding.

Resizing a ring

Mr. Chic n' Cheap's wedding ring arrived and is too small. Maybe only .05 a size too small. But we'll have to get it enlarged.

Here is some information on resizing a ring.

This was one of the downsides of my ordering a ring for him from India. While beautiful. well priced for 18k, and sturdy, he wasn't able to try on the ring.

Unfortunately resizing for 1/2 sizes mean the bands will thin somewhat and it is easier if they don't have stones. Otherwise, they will have to cut it and add more material.

Sigh. It's still a great ring and hopefully we can fiz it soon.

Plan for a mistake or a buffer in DIY projects

Murphy's law may strike at any time. Obviously we never want to think this will happen at our own weddings.
But from one 3 month planning bride who wishes she had more time, let me tell you, there will be times where you'll have to replan things due to mistakes or other changes (and they won't be your fault but you'll have to correct them).

Examples in the last few weeks:

• Our programs got miscut by Kinko's and the text for our best man's name cut off (I was an upset bridezilla inside only) but I calmly showed them, they are reprinting and recutting, and I am picking them up today
• The last batch of cookies my bridesmaid and I made was left in too long and is too crispy looking now (we were busy trying to wrap the other cookies) but luckily I have an extra batch of dough. The first batch was in a minute too short and is more cakey.
  
• I totally miscut a piece of scrapbooking paper for a DIY coaster project and don't have any paper I can use from that sheet
  

It's not the end of the world if a project doesn't go right. Hopefully you have time to make more. Or like my first batch of cakey cookies, we now have cute shapes for each favor box.

Hopefully your projects go well! What have you had to replan due to something you or one of your vendors did?

Designer Thursday - Toybreaker screenprinted ties

Girls have most of the fun when it comes to fashion and accessories.

But if you have a guy whose willing to have fun prints, he should check out Toybreaker's Etsy shop. They have volume pricing for those that want to buy multiple ties. These are pretty cool for brothers, fathers, or other guys in your life.

Here are some of my favorites.

Poppy Ties - 5 for $135Oak tree tie - $30

Caviar silk screened tie - $30

I was definitely considering getting Mr. Chic 'n Cheap and his guys ties from this shop, but he's not as adventurous with these prints. Do you have any favorite prints?

T-4 days!

Man I have so much to do: programs, dance practice, cake drop-offs, favor boxes, A/V trial, flowers...

Ooh, and I'm beta testing with one of our favorite websites - Style me Pretty! You know I'll represent NYC as best I can!

I'll post about flowers later!

Where to find flowers if you want to DIY your bouquet?

You may recall my flower dilemma.

I'm going to try to use real flowers for my bouquet for sure. My mom will not have it any other way.
I will still use the silk flowers for pew bows and likely for some of the bridesmaid's bouquets. So I'm taking a cue from J. Bride and using real flowers for me and a mix for everything else. Luckily I don't have to worry about them for centerpieces. We'll just be using mixed picture frames.
So here are the options:

1. Flower district/flower market - unfortunately I was super disappointed when I went. In NYC this is 6th Ave around 27-29 Streets and some streets in between. I was disappointed because I thought there would be more variety and they don't know what flowers they get every day. For red flowers, they only had roses, gerbera daisies, and some tropical flowers. Prices were ok, but not super cheap:
   - Roses are $2/stem
   
   - gerbera daisies about $2.50/stem
   - Hydrangeas $5/stem
   - Calla lilies (saw some beautiful orange ones) - $3/stem
2. Online wholesalers - I heard about and liked the variety at Fifty Flowers. But they sell in bulk and you would spend at least $150 for one type of flower only. This adds up quickly when there are about 40-60 small to mid-sized flower in a bride's bouquet. So alas, no to that for my needs. By the way, the big flower sellers: FTD, 1800flowers, and teleflora can have decent sales on flowers, particularly roses
   
3. Local large resellers, e.g. Whole Foods - Small selection of flowers, but the prices are surprisingly good. According to Cheap Wife, Costco prices on bulk flowers are amazing. For example, you can get 100 roses for $99 and 150 carnations for $75.

- Hydrangeas $5/stem
- Alstromeria (peruvian lilies) $8/10 stems
- Gerbera daisies ~$2/stem for the bunch

So I may end up doing Whole Foods for some simple Alstromerias,and mums (I had no idea these were just chrysanthemums, my birth flower and the ingredient of a very yummy tea).
My mom also insists these pink/purple gardens in her garden are divine paying no attention to my color palette.

I think I could totally be set for my bouquet for $25. I totally advocate just taking a look at your Whole Foods if you end up doing your own flowers.

I'm not beholden to a certain flower (do love hydrangeas but they die in 1 day), just a color (red, maybe yellow and pink) so I'm able to come up with some cost effective solutions.

What do you gals think? Who else is making their own bouquet?

Free Printable Personal Notecards: Parsiri

Free Printable Personal Notecards: ParsiriI thought this would be cute for thank you cards right? Very professional looking though you need a color printer. Either that or something that says "Thank you" in a simple way or ties in our other details...

DIY - modeling shots and how to make your own waltz/chapel length alencon lace veil (part 2 of 2)

So we finished cutting the tulle and sewing the tulle on to the comb in part 1.

Attach Lace
1. Lay out the tulle in its entirety. Place the alencon lace carefully around the tulle.

2. Line the lace up to where you want it to end around the front. Mine is 5" away from the comb lining up with my ear which worked out perfectly.

3. If you want a specific pattern at the end, sew that first. I wanted a few more flowers at the end and had to cut my trim accordingly. In addition since alencon lace trim is double faced (flowers face different directions after you cut it) I lined up the same lace accordingly on either side of the veil.

4. Sew the lace to the tulle at the top edges of the trim with a triple knotted double thread. Ensure that the trim covers the tulle and the eyelash fringe is overhanging the tulle. Also ensure your alencon lace is on the right side (corded side is facing outward).

If you ever have to cut a small piece of the pattern, I recommend sewing it to the next piece of trim. This will give the illusion of a continuous pattern and keep the lace from flopping around.

I had a very specific amount of lace to work with. Otherwise my veil would have been a little longer, a full chapel length. Now it's maybe 76" so it's between a waltz and a chapel length.

This also took quite a few hours, especially since I adjusted (i.e. had to rip out the lace with the seam ripper and realign) a few times. I have some extra alencon lace flowers and am wondering if I should sew some in the center. What do you think? It's hard to take self-modeling shots because the veil doesn't drape well when I have one hand up?  This was the best shot I could take and apologies that it didn't resize very well!

Chic 'n Cheap - truly a labor of love and it's something I will pass to any daughters.

Do you like it? Who else is making her veil?

DIY - how to make your own waltz/chapel length alencon lace veil (part 1 of 2)

How much do you really care about a piece of tulle?

When it's going to be your wedding veil, you'd probably care a little more than usual.

As you may recall, I was determined to have an awesome alencon lace veil after trying it on with the dress that got away. Through sheer chance (I've had incredible eBay luck) and perseverance, I have, umm, multiple dresses including my coveted alencon lace for much, much less than the original prices.

I also was blessed to find tulle and alencon lace locally. I used tutorials from my lovely blogger buddy The Thirty Something Bride and this bride to create the veil.

Here is my DIY veil tutorial for someone who barely knows how to sew (part 1 covers laying out the tulle and comb parts).
Materials:
- Tulle of your choice (mine was silk tulle which is the lightest, but priciest)
- Fabric scissors
- Mini binder clips
- head comb of your choice
- needle and white thread
- alencon lace
- narrow satin ribbon (to cover tulle poking out of comb)
- glue
- seam ripper (to fix your mistakes if the lace isn't aligned well)

Cut the tulle
1. Gather your tulle and decide the length and width. The top is now North (N), bottom South(S), left West (W) and right East (E).

2. Then fold it into quarters (first from N to S and then again from W to E). I clipped the tulle together at the edges with mini binder clips.

3. Continually smooth out the tulle so the 4 layers are even when you cut them. You may want to remove and replace the binder clips as you cut through the tulle.

4. This is to cut out an oval shape (great draping IMO). If you don't have a pattern, you will want to manually eyeball and cut out a quarter oval (basically a Nike swoosh logo upside down). Cut at a slight angle and round towards the top. Keep in mind that if the top is narrow, the bottom will be as well so don't cut it too narrowly.

Attach the comb
1. Gather appropriate amount of tulle to gather for your comb. If you use too much it will bunch up on the comb. In my two veil projects, I thought ~6-8" was a good amount to gather. Adjust as you see fit.

2. Create a substantial knot for the first run. I double knotted thread and knotted the end 6 times.

3. Now make an evenly spaced running stitch (~0.5"). I used pens as guides and sewed over and under them for a few inches. If you have a good eye, simply start sewing! You may need to cut the tulle across a straight line to make it even. Otherwise you get long and short strips to work with.

4. Pull the thread through to gather the tulle.

5. Tuck pieces of the tulle through the comb evenly. This is important because this will determine the fall of the tulle from the comb.

6. Sew tulle to the comb (through the teeth) to secure it.
7.You may also sew or glue (as I did) a piece of ribbon to hide the tulle.

You may need to adjust and gather more tulle to get the "hang" right. Just continually hold the comb with the tulle hanging as if it were hanging from your head and adjust accordingly.

Stay tuned for part 2 and modeling shots!

Etiquette - How NOT to ask for cash

Cash is obviously an appreciated wedding present, but is there any way to tactfully for it?A friend told me yesterday that her friend has increasingly seen "No boxed gifts" on wedding invitations. Her friend said that this is because a lot of people are paying for their own weddings and want cash. Interestingly enough, this friend was a doctor so I wonder if it was recently minted doctors hurting from their school loans.

Anyway, that message instantly illicited a gasp from the people that overheard. This is NOT a good way to ask for cash. Enclosing registry information in the invitations is already pushing it. But printing a line in your invite that asks for gifts, but not "boxed" ones is not tactful. Everyone who heard this story said they would be turned off from giving a gift at all. In this day and age, many people (especially couples over age 25) tend to pay for their own weddings so this is not a good reason.

While expenses are certainly high for any wedding (especially when one want to include awesome things like photobooths and chocolate fountains, etc.), and especially hurts when a couple is paying for their wedding, gifts are traditionally given for a bride's shower ("showering with gifts"), and not the wedding itself. Of course most wedding attendees will give gifts now. Some may just give cash anyway.

It is a tough question to answer, but explanations may be a good start. For example, a friend said to me "We are moving and there is not much space to store things at his parent's place." I understood and gave her a nice frame and cash. Another friend didn't even have a registry (which leaves the door open for strange gifts), but since I knew she was also renovating her house, I gave her cash too. I frequently give cash and a gift because I try to give them a gift they would use and I know they would appreciate cash.

Any thoughts on how else one can tactfully ask for cash, if attendees insist on giving gifts?