The Cheap but Chic Bride Ensemble

The Dress:

I purchased this dress online from David's Bridal over a year and a half ago (Yes, it really did arrive at my door in this white box-a wedding dress!).  It was intended for my daughter, Jenni, who passed on it for a dress she had her heart set on.  No worry.  I only paid $179.99 for it on sale!  I just couldn't pass up a bargain like that! And I adored it! The vintage look, the lace and sparkle, the cut and the flow of it--just darling!  So . . . when Bethany told me she was getting married in just 3 weeks time, I took it out of the closet, and with a little altering, it fit her beautifully!

The Shoes: I think the shoes are the only thing Bethany purchased for this outfit besides the garter, and what a bargain!  She found these classic white peep-toe pumps at Payless for $24.95!  They were just perfect with this dress!

The Clutch & the Hankie:  Both the classic white clutch and the tatted hankie are the same that Jenni used in her ensemble.  Both belonged to my mom who passed away in April, so it was very special to both girls to have a part of their grandmother with them on their wedding day.  I remember my mom using this clutch every time she attended a wedding--and the hankie was hand-tatted by her mother, my grandmother!

The Pearls:  The pearls were also borrowed--from me!  I've had these pearls for years and they were the perfect compliment to this classic vintage dress.  Anything too glitzy would not do--pearls fit the bill!

 

The Hair Comb:  We knew we wanted something vintage looking for her hair, which was curled into a soft and sassy  bob on the wedding day, but we didn't have a lot of time, and everything I found was just too expensive.  So again, we borrowed! (I am a huge fan of borrowing for weddings!) This is from my friend Kiley, who is also a phenomenal hair stylist (and did both the girl's hair on their wedding days).  It ended up being perfect!

The Garter:  Just for fun, Beth picked up a pretty garter at the Dollar Store, for--what else-$1.00!

The only other accessory Bethany wore was a pretty pearl bracelet that the groom had purchased for her.

The Bottom Line for this Chic Bride Ensemble:  $205.94!!!!!!

Cost to the Bride: $24.95

Cheap but oh so very autumn chic :)

DIY Wedding Bouquet

We did all the flowers for Bethany's wedding ourselves--one of the advantages of a small wedding.  Beth knew exactly what she wanted for her autumn bridal bouquet: bright yellow sunflowers, happy orange lilies and deep red roses.  She picked them up at the super market the night before for less than $20. and I made them into her bridal bouquet.

The only thing is, Beth forgot was the floral tape!  So we had to improvise and we used duct tape to hold the stems together.  I found a wide piece of ivory satin ribbon (which Beth also forgot) and we finished it off with some long pearl-topped floral pins.

Beth Jenn and I all had a good laugh over using the duct tape, and I'm sure we'll be laughing about it for years to come, but that's one of the best parts of DIY weddings--learning to just relax and go with what is! No one but us knew what was beneath that satin ribbon and the bouquet was gorgeous just the same! We trimmed the stem bottoms when we were done, then stuck the bouquet in a vase with just about 2" of  water overnight.

Bethany was happy with the end result and that is all that really mattered!

This is Bethany with her sister and Maid-of-Honor, Jenni, on the way to the ceremony.

Wedding bouquets can cost $100. and up, but by purchasing just the right flowers and knowing a few simple tricks of the trade (and having the right supplies!), you can really save some cash and still have that fabulous eye-catching bouquet!  Everyone loved Beth's flowers, and we did it ourselves for less than $20!

The Sunflower Cake

The three-tier sunflower cake was the special creation of Jenn Klopotoski (Cakes by Jenn) and it was dee-lish!  The top and bottom layers were yellow cake, the middle layer chocolate, all with sweet black raspberry filling.  The frosting was buttercream done in a rustic spread and the gorgeous sugar sunflowers were all hand-made by Jenn as were the white-chocolate leaves that added just a touch of elegance.  What a perfect compliment to our fall house-wedding!

A Beautiful Day

The Autumn Wedding Menu

So this is a busy week!  It's my first week of being a grandmother (which is totally awesome btw) and I am having a wedding at my house in just 2 days!!!!  I am consumed with cleaning, decorating and preparing the food.

This is the menu.  I didn't list appetizers because I'm not certain on what we'll be having; the groom's mom is making a few and I don't know what she decided.  One thing I am preparing is a hot queso dip with pita chips, melba rounds and bread sticks.

The main course was easy--Beth and Bob wanted a roast.  I added the roast turkey breast when the guest list increased; I wanted to be sure we had enough food and it also gives people an option.  The turkey will be accompanied by cranberry sauce of course, and the roast beef by a horseradish-sour cream sauce.  I am having a heck of a time finding horse radish in a jar!  The search continues.

The Two-Potato au Gratin is a favorite in my house--I make it every Christmas!  It's this real pretty potato dish that alternates sliced white potatoes (Yukon Gold) with Sweet Poatatoes, and is baked with cream, monterey jack cheese, fresh thyme and pepper.  I promise, there will be no leftovers.

I opted out of doing a vegetable dish and decided instead on this substantial autumnal salad of red pears, grapes, pomegranate seeds and candied walnuts tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette.  It called for spiced almonds, but when I made them on Tuesday, I used hot sauce that had garlic in it and I absolutely despise garlic, so I decided I'd use the sweet candied walnuts I made for an appetizer instead.

I'm making a couple of these delicious pecan corn breads that I've been making for years--they are another crowd-pleaser!  They are made in a round cake pan and are super moist because they have buttermilk in the recipe. And  I'm making this sweet maple butter to go with the corn bread!

I can't wait to see the cake--it will be amazing I have no doubt.  Jenn Klopotoski is making it; she is the same girl who made Jenni's Shower cake and it was the best cake I ever tasted.  There will be two flavors--chocolate and vanilla, both with black raspberry filling.  Yum!  Bethany came by last weekend and made cookies--leaf-shaped molasses cookies and pumkin-shaped  sugar  cookies.

For beverages: champagne, wine, beer, Pelligrino sparkling water, coffee and hot apple cider.

I love the menu!  It will be served buffet style since we expect about 23 people or so.  Tomorrow, I'll make the poatoes and the corn breads; Saturday morning, I'll roast the beef and the turkey--and while the apps are being served, I'll toss the salad!  Easy, right?

 

Hearing Wedding Bells

Here we go again! Even in between all this new-baby mania, I've been preparing for my daughter's wedding! My second daughter's wedding just two months after her sister's wedding! Crazy? Who even has time to think about it?

These are some of the things I've been doing to decorate. Above: adorable little fall leaf tags I found on etsy at Seasonal Delights make the perfect favor tags! Adapted Jenn's shower favors by pairing up yummy homemade buttercrunch from a local candy store, Tuck's, with cheery orange and yellow candy corns.

Below: Another recycled item from the summer wedding--the grapevine wreath! I dismantled the apple blossoms and starfish and added a long strand of bittersweet to create our new autumn wedding wreath!





On the mantel: dried hydrangeas, mini-pumpkins, bittersweet, little white lights and frosted votives.





Above: I made the "Just Married" sign by printing letter stencils off the internet, and sponge-stenciling the letters in white onto brown card stock that I fastened to twine and decorated with just a few silk leaves.





Above: Utensils folded into Isabelle party paper napkins from Target and tied with raffia.

Baby Love

Welcome Andrew Nathan!

Meet my first grandchild, Andrew Nathan! Born yesterday, October 3, 2009 at 2:13pm on a rainy, rainy autumn day--7 lbs, 7 oz, 18 1/2" and absolutely perfect!

Yes, that's right, after losing my mom in April, moving my Papa to assisted living and in between both my daughter's getting married, my son had a baby!

It's been one crazy year with highs and lows and this is definitely one of the highs! I am in love :)