DIY Cuting Corners on Costs: Wedding

Hi, I'm Jessie, you may know me as your; penny pinching, frugal minded, cheap ass friend.
SO naturally... I wanted to help save costs anyway possible when it came to our wedding.
Weddings are so commercialized, and prices are crazy these days. Especially in New York State (God do I hate this place)

Cake

Holy F wedding cakes are ridiculous. They are expensive, and not permanent what-so-ever. Hardly worth all the money they expect you to pay.

Andre and I went to a licensed baker to get an estimate and taste test. The flavor was mediocre, the design was too simple, and the baker had brown teeth. His estimate for this cake was $600-$700 bucks!!! It looked like this cake but no flowers.

                                                     We took some time to think and ask around - We struck gold! We are ordering our wedding cake at the Bakery of Tops Supermarket in Hamlin, New York. We found an ornate white cake with white butter cream frosting and gum paste flowers cascading down the side (in colors we choose) This cake is delicious!! and CHEAP! It cake came out to $250.00.

 Flowers

Flowers are even worse than cake when it comes to budget. My mother and I went to a tiny floral shop in the middle of nowhere to get an estimate on flowers. We thought going to a small, deserted shop would give us better chances of hitting a jackpot on flowers. 
"Let me calculate this all up for you...It will probably be around $930.00."
So we said "uhhhh, let us get back to you on that one!"

Flowers at this moment were a lost cause.

One day when we were shopping at A.C. Moore for my art supplies we heard on the overhead speaker:
"If you buy the silk flowers here at A.C. Moore, we will provide free floral arranging for free."

DEBBIE FROM A.C. MOORE IS AN ANGEL WALKING THE EARTH'S SURFACE.
The flower arranging she did for us came out BEAUTIFUL! and it was only $120.00 for everything!




I'll post pictures for you all to see after the wedding :) till then, it's a surprise.

Stationary

Also crazy ridiculous. Trust me, anything wedding related it absolutely ridiculous.
I love graphic design so I decided to take a shot at doing all of this myself.


All designs were made entirely on Microsoft Paint. Printed with a laser inkjet printer. Hand cut over 200 copies. Then sprayed painted each with a clear protection.

Wedding Invitation:

Bridal Shower Invitation: Outside of book (Folded in between images)

Bridal Shower Invitation: Inside of the book (folded in between images)

Response Cards:

Rehearsal Dinner Invites:

 

We also made save the date cards to send with invites (to save on postage)

We uploaded them on WalMart.com and got close to 200 printed for $0.13 each. The total was merely $30.00. My parents were telling me that Save The Date cards are a luxury and the only people who do them are rich. Well, I loved the idea too much to not go through with it.

                                                                    

If you are a friend then you definitely received a different version. haha

Table Center Pieces

In a last minute attempt of being "creative" after months and months of draining my creative juice I was slacking and running dry. We ended up using the glass bowls in which the reception site provided.

 We filled the bottom with the teal water balls that are meant for vase decoration and to water your flowers for months. We bought these at the lilac festival for gifts for very cheap and used the leftovers.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, here is a picture and a link you can find them at:

 Buy Water beads here!


Then we added water, a floating candle, and rose petals to each centerpiece. It came together really nicely.

Seating Chart/Wedding Favors

We decided to combine the 2 ideas to save costs ! 

The result: DIY Personalized match boxes.

Pictures to follow!

 

Bitch Dranks

Andre named it;

"Blueberry Time Machine"

                                                                  2 oz. 1800 Tequila

3 oz. Pomegranite Blueberry Juice

4 oz. Cranberry juice

                                                  2 oz. Strawberry Orange Sunny D juice

                                                             Garnish = White Petunias

                                                              Inventor = Jessie Powell

"Shandy Remix"

                                          1 Bottle of Michelob beer (Preferably Berry Flavored)

1 scoop of  pink country time lemonade mix

splash of cranberry juice and or orange juice.

Inventor: Me

                                                               "Green Joosetini"

                                                           Photographed with grapes

                                                 Inventor: Kirstin Clark & Jessie Powell

                                                                   

                                                          Tequila Sunrise & Blue Margarita

                                                         On the left - Bermuda Triangle

                                                       "Frozen Country Pie Lemonade"

                                                           6 oz. Smirnoff Citron Vodka

                                                                      2 Cups of Ice

                                 A few scoops of Country Time pink lemonade powder mix

                                        3 Large scoops of Lemon Meringue pie ice cream

                                                   Blend all until smoothie consistency.

                                                                     Inventor: Me

                                                         Frozen Lemonade Coolada

                                                               1 cup of ice (blended)

                                                       Some country time lemonade mix

                                                      6 oz. Admiral Nelson Coconut Rum

                                                          Inventor : Lauren LaDue

 "The Dirty South"

1 oz. Spices Rum

Fill glass with sweet iced tea

& throw in a dash of pineapple juice OR Mai Tai mix.

Garnish=Lemon Slice in drink & on edge.

My life would not be as good without:

1. I love the magazine Scientific American Mind. The articles always pull me in, and ask Andre if I read one fact I like it sticks in my brain the rest of my life and I will share it with everyone I meet. I would love to be a graphic artist and help create the amazing images that you will see page to page. Every thing about it blows my mind.

2. Stupid little keepsakes. I am a memory hoarder. It started out with a few notes, now I have boxes full of useless objects that hold special meaning to only me. I have to limit myself to one box or else i'll end up on hoarders.

3. Unnecessary HUGE wall clocks. It's an obsession. Andre got me one for christmas and I am in love with it...even though he says it makes our apartment look like something out of dr.suess.

 4. Dallas Green. I used to fall asleep to his voice every night. There is nothing more relaxing.

 5. Woody Allen and his wise crack charisma. He inspires my smart ass ways.

 6. Films made before 1950. These were the days when movies were more pure and innocent. All you needed was a plot and some dialogue. Good old fashioned romance and conflict. The movie industry was limitless, ideas coming from every direction. These days were running out of film ideas so much that directors are recreating disney films! (Everyone knows nothing can beat the classics.) I was born in the wrong time era.

 7. Need I say more?

 8. Modernizing Art.

 10. I have an addiction to picture frames. I have more picture frames than I do photos. My house will look like this one day if Andre lets me. haha

 11. I have dyed my hair every color in the book. My favorite of all was cinnaberry. Deep Bold Red. I miss it.

 12. Brand New. I'm not emo, I swear!

 13. Salvador Dali. My favorite artist. We have a different style but he inspires me to think outside of the box and opens my mind up ultimately making me more creative every day.

 14. My family. (Plus Josh Pettit)

 15. Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald. My two favorite artists. Once again - born in the wrong time era.

 16. Unforgettable summer nights spent by a campfire and singing songs. I honestly have no idea who is in this photo haha. Andre and I got an awesome fire pit as a wedding gift. Someone should come over and light it up with us!

 17. Sushi. Particularly Eel. But I'm not picky, I will even eat chinese buffet sushi. (sue me)

 18. I love inventing fancy mixed drinks. This love for bartending started at a young age, when I had dreamt of owning a bar/cafe. I had it designed and everything.

 19. Clear Water Beach on the Gulf of Mexico. It is my favorite place in the entire world. I haven't traveled very far, but so far...this is it.

 20. Andre Brunette.

 21. My Coolpix Projector Camera. Hours of endless fun.

 22. Pharell William Powell. This little man has gotten me through some of the worst times. We have an unbreakable love, and I will never be able to replace him. I found him on October 17th, 2009. I drove all the way to Weedsport to find a starving 5 week old pup that reeked of abuse. I scooped him up for $50.00. That day he was shy until I bought Ralph and Rosie's pizza. He leaped and yoinked it straight out of my hand and ate it whole. I knew then that he was my boy! For months he would not leave my lap - driving, working, sleeping. We were attached. He's lived with my parents since December 2010... I miss sharing a bed with him every night. I can not wait to get a home where we can have Relly & Zero live. Until that day my heart is broken.

 23. Charlie from It's Always Sunny. He is the dayman of my life! haha

 24. James Dean. Perfect in every shape and form.

 25. Traditional tattoo doodles - I've always been attracted to images of sea life, but secretly I am terrified to step foot on boats. I fear the moment that land disappears.

 26. My greatest friend, Andrea Lyn Saeva. We met in the 2nd grade and have been inseperable ever since. We grew to be the same, and went through the stages of life together. She is one of those friends you know will be around until the day you die. I don't have a problem with that!

27. My best friend and cousin, Kirstin Lee Clark. We are ridiculous together, and not even 3000 miles can tear us apart.