Bachelorette Party on a Budget… bringing back the Slumber Party!

These days everyone is pinching pennies and watching their budgets carefully so when it comes to doing your duty as a Maid of Honor, we’ve got a great idea for how to throw a fun memorable party for your Bride-to-be without breaking the bank.

Bringing back the Slumber Party!

Remember as a little girl when the most fun thing EVER was 10 of your friends a ton of junk food and staying up all night gossiping and playing silly games? Well slumber parties aren’t just for 10 year olds anymore!

Here are a few suggestions for making your Slumber Party great!

If the Maid of Honor (or one of the other bridesmaids) doesn’t have a house or apartment large enough or local enough to host the party…look into getting hotel room for the night! Why not have your party, and not the clean up!

Start the night off with a fun dinner, find out what the Bride’s favorite meal is and order in or make the meal as a group(if you are the culinary type). Mix up a pitcher of Margaritas or a batch of yummy Champagne Punch, watch a couple of sappy wedding movies, decorate cupcakes and pamper yourselves with some at  home spa treatments.

Another fun idea is to have a Romance Specialist at your party. Nothing says Bachelorette Party like Adult Toys and party games. If you are looking for a local consultant check out Amanda’s Party Gals.

If you and your gang like party games…check out these DIY Bachelorette Party Games.

Here are a few suggestions for recipes, spa treatments and party favors to make your Slumber Party great!

Easy Champagne Punch Recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 oz frozen fruit punch, partially thawed
• 10 oz frozen strawberries
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 24 oz Ginger ale
• 1 qt Champagne
• 3 cups water

Preparation:

1. Place a frozen ice ring in a punch bowl.
2. Add the fruit punch, water, strawberries, and juices.
3. Stir to dissolve the punch.
4. Slowly pour in the ginger ale and Champagne.

Avocado Carrot Cream Masque

• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 carrot, cooked and mashed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons honey

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth.  Spread gently over your face and neck, and leave in place 10-15 minutes.  Rinse with cool water and follow with your favorite toner.

DIY Photo Magnet Favors

Flat-bottomed glass gems (the kind for filling vases with; you can find them at any craft store) or Glass squares.
Pictures
Mod Podge
Paintbrush
Magnets (strong ones since the glass gems are heavy)
Gorilla Glue
Clamps

Cut out your picture to fit the bottom of the glass gem.  Trace if you need to.

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the flat side of the glass gem and affix your paper.  Let it dry.

Apply Gorilla Glue to back of gem and add your magnet.  Then clamp it per Gorilla Glue instructions.

*For Bachelorette party supplies online check out Bachelorette Party Superstore

Let’s talk about Mom’s…

It’s Mothers Day, so it is only fitting that today we talk about the Mother of the Bride and their role in the wedding planning process.

So what are the responsibilities of the mother of the bride?

First, she needs to be so excited and supportive of her daughter. She is taking one of the biggest steps in her life and will need her mother to be her guide, confidant and supporter.

This is a time for her to make her decisions with what she wants, not what Mom wants. Offering advice is one thing, taking over is another.

This can be a fun experience for Mother and Daughter if Mom can let go of the control and enjoy the process. It can be magical when she chooses her wedding dress, sees the perfect flower arrangement and finds the right venue. These will be moments to be  treasured forever.

There will be times when all engagement etiquette can go out the window. This is when the bride and groom have reached levels of stress that they never imagined they could find,  Mom should try to be the calming force in the engagement.

Other than being a great support for the bride, there are other mother of the bride etiquette items to follow. These will help move the planning and execution of the wedding along smoothly.

• Budget~ if Mom is helping fund the wedding, she will need to sit down with the bride and groom to determine the wedding budget. This needs to be done right away and throughout the engagement.
• Mother of the Groom~ if she does not contact Mom, Mom should contact her. It is a good idea for her to establish a good relationship with his mother.
• Guest List~ compiling a guest list quickly is a good thing to do. There will be people that are important to Mom that she wants to include that the Bride may not know.
• The Dress~ Once the bride has chosen her dress and colors, Mom will need to select her dress. Good mother of the bride etiquette will have her in a long, modest dress that fits in with the colors the bridehas selected. Once Mom has chosen your dress, let the mother of the groom know so she can select hers.
• Accommodations~ It is one of Mom’s jobs to help the bride’s guests make travel and hotel arrangements for the wedding day. If there are a number of guests coming in from out of town, reserving a block of rooms at a nearby hotel will be the best bet.
• Ceremony Instructions~ Make sure that the wedding party has instructions for the ceremony. This will include the seating arrangements, the order of the receiving line and any other requests the bride has. Making sure the wedding party shows good wedding etiquette is very important.
• Enjoy!~ Last but not least enjoy the day! The Bride may be the princess for the day, but remember Mom is the queen. Take the time to cherish the occasion and the people who are sharing it.

To the Bride to be, from her Bridesmaids…

Dear Bride to be,

We your bridesmaids, have a few things to say.

We are your best friends (except for the 2nd cousin  that your Mom insisted on because you were a mercy bridesmaid in her wedding)

We adore you. We love you. We would do anything for you.EXCEPT wear that dress that you pointed out in the magazine last week.

We are so happy that you are getting married, and we love your Fiance (well all of us except you-know-who, but that’s a different story all together), but if we have to hear the proposal story ONE MORE TIME we will gag you with that Tiffany’s box you carry around in your purse to prove where that rock you wave around came from.

Helping you plan your wedding is our duty and responsibility and we will all pitch in and do all we can. BUT if you call at 3 am AGAIN to tell us about the epiphany you just had about floral arrangements, we will be forced to confiscate and destroy your iPhone with its “Bride to be” glitter cover.

When the big day comes, we will all stand by your side, hold up your dress when you pee, fetch you champagne in between picture sessions, apply your bandaids to the blisters that your gorgeous but one size too small shoes cause on your heels. We will dance with your new husbands weird cousins and put up with your drunk aunt and her stories about how she always knew you would marry so well…. but so help us if your creepy uncle tries to cop a feel, there will be a dance floor smack down.

Remember that being your bridesmaids is our honor BUT not our reason to live…and we will all get through this in one piece.

Love Always,

Your Bridesmaids

On the road to ‘I Do’ Melissa and Gavin

Melissa is a very special to The 530 Bride team and so we are so very happy for her and so very excited to do thisfeature!

When we asked Melissa to be one of our featured brides she sent me a beautiful reply with the details of their engagement and wedding. Instead of repeating her… I will just share what she had to say.

We are both very dedicated people, not only to one another, but to our aspirations and dreams. I just graduated with my Teaching Credential in December 2010 and Gavin graduated with his Bachelors of Science soon following in March 2011. We are now in a new branch of our lives, anxiously looking forward into the future that’s fast approaching.

Everyone describes us as the couple that are meant for one other. We compliment each others differences and laugh at ourselves often.

Gavin proposed to me on 12/11/10. We went up to Grass Valley for his mom and step-dad’s house warming party for their new home they purchased only a few months before. We were all wandering around talking to each other. Gavin’s mom called everyone to gather around the living room to hear the minister bless their home. He read selections from the book, saying a blessing for different rooms in the house. After he was done and everyone applauded, it seemed everyone wa

s going back to their conversations and that is when Gavin said, “Excuse me, can I have everyone’s attention please? I have something I want to say, since we are all gathered around I’ll say it now..” He got down on one knee next to me and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.

Our wedding is going to be in Chico, California at The Palms. The ceremony will be outdoors in the garden surrounded by the Koi ponds and cabanas. The reception will be at the same location, only indoors in their Pavillion building. Our DJ is Dream Lighting and Sound, also the owner of The Palms. Our photographer is from Sacramento, Robinson Portraits. Also from Sacramento, our videographer Reel to Real Productions. We will be using the photo booth vendor that Veronica and Danny Enns used because we loved it so much! For the flowers and decor(centerpieces, linens, place settings, embellishments, etc) my mom and I will be doing it all mostly ourselves. We are having my step dad, Corey cook the food. Last, but not least, liquor is being provided by Finnegin’s Jug.

The color theme is turquoise, pink, and chocolate brown. The bridesmaids will be wearing dresses unique and specially hand made by my mom. The groomsmen will be wearing tuxedos from Men’s Warehouse that are black with turquoise vests to match the bridesmaid dresses.

The 530 Bridesmaid (and Bride of course) will be attending Melissa and Gavin’s wedding so stay tuned for a post on their amazing day!

Planning your wedding on a Budget? Do it yourself!

Our lovely Featured Bride Melissa gave us some great tips for lowering your wedding costs by Doing some things yourself!

DIY Tips:
(ways to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars)

• Buy invitation kits online or at a store like Michael’s or Bed Bath and Beyond and print them yourself.
• Use your photographers pictures from the engagement session to make your own Save the dates. Print them somewhere like Walgreens or Walmart
• Buy your linens online for cheaper than renting them through a company
• Find a venue location that is pretty all by itself and save on extra decorating expenses and time you would spend to make your own decor
• Order your flowers from Raley’s or Safeway and put them all together yourself one to two days before the wedding
• Have a friend or relative cook your meal and save tons on catering costs
• Make your own centerpieces. Go online and look up wedding centerpieces and find what you like. Then recreate it. Stores like Michaels, Joann’s, Ross, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods sell glass vases and products needed to create wonderful centerpieces. (Use their coupons Michael’s and Joann’s are always having 40 to 50% off one regular priced item or 20% off entire purchase)
• Meet with many vendors to compare prices to find the best fit for your money

On the road to ‘I Do’ Lisa and Justin

Lisa and Justin are one those fun couples that are always up for an adventure and they are definitely the life of the party.  That’s why we know their wedding will be no exception, and we know the couple will be dancing the night away. Did we mention that the groom can do the worm? Just ask him and he will show you!

Justin literally proposed to Lisa under a waterfall in Burney Falls and of course she said yes! So after 5 years of dating, this couple is on their way down the altar.   They have set their date to August 13, 2011 and will be getting married in Chico, CA.

The ceremony will be held outdoors at Chico’s Bidwell Mansion followed by the reception at the nearby Arroyo Room, flowers will be arranged by Chico Florists.

Her bridal party will be wearing black tea-length Alfred Angelo gowns with pink accents,  and the groomsmen will be wearing black tux’s with a pink accent to follow her theme.

We will be highlighting Lisa’s progress in her wedding plans so check back for updates!

My baby sister got married…

Veronica was reluctant to start out with a feature of her own wedding…mostly because she hates being the center of attention…welllllll….since I’m the one doing the typing today… I say we start with a feature on my beautiful little sister and her beautiful wedding.

Veronica became Mrs. Enns on October 10th, 2010 in Chico. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous ceremony. Here is a little video slideshow I put together…

Just so all of you ladies (and gents) out there know that we know what you’re going through. Planning a beautiful wedding is hard work…but so worth it in the end….and we hope that we can help!

-Alisha