Ace Hardware is my new bff!! Seriously, who gives away free paint??? Not that I am complaining or anything. When I first heard about Ace's free paint Saturday I thought ok perfect chance for me to start our bathroom makeover. The add says 1 quart of Clarks and Kensington interior flat paint per person, hmmm...this is when my wheels started turning lol. So with some fast thinking and a perfect kidnapping I threw my husband and my mother in the car! One per person meant with us three I could get three cans of paint and tackle two separate projects!
We arrived at our local Ace in Federal Hill Baltimore and it was 10x easier than I could have ever thought. We walked in, they said hey want some free paint, we filled out a form, picked our colors, and that was that! While I was there I grabbed some sandpaper and this fabulous old time crème soda they had on sale for $1.00 and headed home. In case you haven't been following let me break it down for you...
1 quart of black paint (I believe it was called tuxedo)
1 quart of smooth slate gray paint
1 quart of warm sun yellow paint
3 single pieces of sandpaper
1 tasty crème soda (YUM)
Grand Total.....................$3.37
SCORE!!!
And with this paint I will be able to begin our bathroom makeover, and our laundry nook makeover! Stay tuned for updates, pics, and tutorial's of these projects in our home DIY section.
Now, if you didn't take advantage of this awesome promotion and you are just super jealous of my great find lol, then why not do it again next Saturday!! Now, I am not sure if this is a National sale as I haven't seen any news yet, but I know my Ace told me they would be doing the same thing next Saturday so I will be there hope you are too!!!
DIY Diva
Well, when I last left you all I was knee deep in planning, prepping, and DIY-ing myself crazy!! But now I can say that I have been overly happily married for 1/2 a year! Yes, it was crazy, and yes I almost killed him, but we made it like we always do and grew even deeper in love with not only each other, but ourselves.
Hmmm, where do I start? I know it has been a minutes since I last posted so please check out my updated DIY's from our wedding and our new home!
So, since we got married we have poured ourselves into growing our own business. We both made the decision to leave our full time jobs and start Soul Mate Weddings and Events, our own wedding and event planning company! Something I actually already had been doing part time in addition to a full time gig. We have been doing extremely well and of course you know we never live with regrets! Much like planning a wedding, running a business is full of crazy ups and downs and unexpected challenges. Hey, I guess you can say it is like managing a healthy marriage also. All in all, we are succeeding at both!
I guess the key to success is to have a plan, I cant say that we always have well thought out plans, or that we don't deviate from the plans slightly, but I can say that we know what we want and don't mind working hard to get it, that is OUR plan.
Phase 1: Get married
Phase 2: Launch our company and begin setting the foundation
Phase 3: Move into a bigger home that will allow our son to have more space, close enough to the city for our pleasure, but not too far away from the baby's school which we love! And closer to our downtown office.
So far our plan is successfully under way for year one. And while we may not be one of those out of the movie couples that get married, have kids, and buy a house, we do have our plans mapped out. And our 5 yea plan includes the purchase of our very own home but for now, we love our perfectly imperfect rental, being able to work on our own time, and driving our son to school! lol :)
Mrs. Bethea
Ok, let me just start by saying I know Craigslist can be somewhat scary with all the creeps out there, but let me just say that for the budget bride it can be a God send!! Craigslist has small businesses advertising for ridiculously low prices so that they may build clientel. In most cases they are even better than big brand companies that think of your day as just another paycheck. With the businesses you meet on sites like craigslist your getting companies that want to pour their heart and soul in making your event perfect so that their name will be passed and reccommended. The key is getting on craigslist and telling them exactly what you want and how much you will pay. Sound too good to be true? Check out the awesome deals I scored of Craigslist.
Photographer:
- All day coverage including the whole bridal party getting ready
- A 4 hour engagement shoot and all prints edited on a cd
- Editted photographs and rights to all pictures on a disc received 30 days after the wedding
- Free "Trash the dress" shoot included.
Total = $460.00 (Yes, thats what I said)
Caterer:
- Full sit down served buffet for 100 guests
- 3 appetizers passed
- Salad
- Choice of thre entress
- Vegetable and a starch
- 3 tiered wedding cake
- Basic linen
- All silverware
- Full staff team
Total = $1,500
This is just a sample of some of the savings I have scored. Not to mention all the dozens of past brides selling their left over stuff for pennies! Great right!! But please remember to never meet anyone by yourself. I always bring my fiance just to be on the safe side!!!
For people who are thinking about DIY-ing but not sure let me tell you it is totally worth it. Sure at times you may end up spending more money, but for the most part I havent and I have been able to create projects for our special day that are unique to us. Our whoke wedding will be completley personalized!
So, everyone thinks I am crazy for wanting to take on sooo many DIY projects. I must agree that I do have a laundry list of things I want to do, which grows day by day lol. But the good thing is that I am starting early enough to make it work. I wouldnt change anything I have planned so far for anything, I am having a blast and it helps bring my fiancee and I closer. There is nothing like DIY-ing with your boo, enjoying a glass of wine, and getting to laugh and talk about your big day. So if any Bride out there is second guessing the whole DIY thing, I say go for it!
Now I know what everyone is thinking...How do you find time for it. It is crazy and does require time, but all of us have that time when we are catching up on our Real House Wives of Something Marathon and it is that time that I pour a glass of wine and drag out the projects. Please dont be fooled, I do have a life. I work a full time job, I am a full time student, and a full time mother. You just have to know where to put your focus and how to balance your time.
Tips for DIY DIVAS!:
- Give yourself plenty of time
- Always try to use a coupon or shop bargains
- A bottle of wine is always a plus while you DIY
- Have a DIY buddy, even if you're like me and you HAVE to do everything yourself, it's still nice to have someone to talk to
- Don't sweat the small things. The truth is only you know how it was supposed to look so dont stress because the font you used printed out with the wrong hue of purple or your programs were placed the wrong way!
- Draw up a clear plan or list of the project you want to tackle. Even if you add on later it's good to have a foundation
- Always buy more than enough material. I always buy a few extra of things just so that I have room for error. If you're doing it right you will still be saving money
- You must have a Vista Print account! No if, ands, or buts.
- The internet is your best friend... compile a list of great websites that you can order from and I gurantee you will be saving a ton of money ordering online.
- At the end of the day just remember why you're doing all of this. You're about to marry the love of your life, so enjoy it!
My list of DIY Projects:
DIY ITEMs
•CARD BOX
•RESERVED SIGNS
•PETAL CONES
•BATHROOM BASKETS
•OOT BASKETS
•COCKTAIL NAPKINS
•FLOWER GIRL BASKET
•RING BEARER PILLOW
•BROOM
•UNITY CANDLE
•VEIL
•SHOES
•BRIDAL JEWLERY
•BM JEWLERY
•PROGRAMS
•MENU CARDS
•ESCORT CARDS
•FAVORS
•RECEPTION AND CEREMONY FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS
•BRIDAL PARTY FLOWERS
•TEARS OF JOY PACKETS
•CAKE TOPPER
•STD VIDEO
•CAKE STAND
•DIRECTION CARDS
•BRIDES MAID HANGERS
•AISLE RUNNER
•PHOTO BOOTH
•CORD OF THREE STRANDS
•DAY OF EMERGENCY KITS
•PERSONALIZED FLIP FLOPS
•FLIP FLOP BASKET
•LOGO TABLE BANNER
•MR & MRS SIGNS
•TRIBUTE COLLAGE
•CANDY BAR SIGNS
•DOOR HANGERS
•BRIDAL PARTY TEES
And I am still adding!!!
The craziness continues, luckily we are more than prepared to handle it this time around. We will be getiing married December 31st, 2012 in Baltimore MD!
OOOH!!! I almost forgot the proposal story, here goes:
We got engaged December 31st, 2011 and it was so magical! We both work at the same Banquet hall, Alex as a sous chef and I am an event cordinator. So it was no suprise that we both would be working at the jobs annual New Years Eve Party, but what happened at midnight was a total suprise to me. After the countdown and the hooplah ended I heard an all too familiar voice come across the DJ's microphone. I was instructed to come to the middle of the dance floor and as I looked up and saw Alex standing on stage my heart dropped. After a long speech about how much we 've been through together and how much he loves me he hopped off stage and asked me again, if I would be his wife. It was incredible and completley unexpected because it was completley out of his character
Wedding Theme
We choose an Old Hollywood Glamour theme because I love old movies and the fashion, glamour and grunge of the 1920's and 1940's. Our color scheme is Black, White, Red, and a damask pattern.
Please excuse if I ramble, but this blog will be like a diary for me to keep all my random thoughts and ideas in. 2012 is here and all I can say is it's going to be a crazy year. Not only am I getting maried, but my bestfriend and my brother are as well. I have alot of work ahead of me, so it's a good thing that I love weddings!!!
So here's the story so far...
We want to have a fantastically amazing wedding on a ridiculosly low budget. The reason for that is that we also would like to settle into a place of our own in the close future. Not only that, but we love to shop, dine out, travel, and are very proud that we spoil our kids. lol.
With that being said, we dont make giant figures in the salary department, so you will see how we live our fabulous life very frugally. We have dreams of seeing the world and running our own business, so spending $20,000 for a wedding is crazy! Hell, spending $10,000 is too much for us!
Just stay tuned for amazing DIY projects and crazy bargains and tips!!!
