From Feb 1 to March 15, you can go to JCrew.com and enter to win a trip for two to Santorini, Greece, including a 5 nights stay at the luxurious Tsitouras Collection hotel and a beach ready wardrobe for two.  Please go to jcrew for details.

Credit – jcrew

I heart Martha Stewart.  Below are some inspirations that I found on Martha’s site that are unique, beauiful, and budget friendly.  Enjoy!

Credit- Martha Stewart Wedding

My wedding dress was a Tara Keely collection made by J.L.M. Couture.  Although I didn’t have a specific dress in mind, I knew I wanted a slight pickup skirt with a simple design.  So when it was time for me to look for a dress, I went to ebay to try my luck. Luckily for me I found this brand new Tara Keely dress auction on ebay.  I ended up winning the auction for $275 including shipping (I think the reason why the winning bid was so low was because of the poor quality of the seller’s picture.  So note to self- when bid on ebay, don’t discount the item just because the picture was poorly taken)  The dress came in the mail and was in perfect condition! I took it to my seamstress, she did her magic and the dress was a perfect fit.   I cannot tell you how many compliments I received on my wedding day and it helped to know that I only spend less than $500 on it.  With the money that I saved from my dress, I was able to splurge on Jimmy Choo shoes!

Credit – jlmcouture.com and photo by yoursbyjohn photography

When I was planning our wedding, I visited many sites on the internet looking for a program that is trendy but yet affordable.   After hours and hours of research I was disappointed so I decided to make my own.  I paid $39.95 for a one year subscription at www.weddingclipart.com and I was able to choose from many different borders, cliparts, and templates.  I ended up making my own programs, menu cards, and drink menu using the borders and templates from weddingclipart.com and printed them out from a laser printer.

To cut cost, we ordered flowers from Costco.  (Tips-To make sure the bouquets are available on the day of your wedding, go to your local Costco customer service and ask if they can give you their local floral vendor name and number.  Call the vendor and see if you can order the bouquets and pick them up the day before your wedding at your local Costco.)  Our vibrant, tropical buffet arrangement costed us $15 each.

For centerpieces-we ordered 4inches square vases on the internet for $4 each.  We bought lime from the local grocery store for 4 for $1 and we ordered burgundy cymbidium orchids from Costco for $20 each.  Our total cost per centerpiece was $25!!  We prep and assembled the vases the night before the wedding- filled the vases with lime, then put grids of masking tapes on top of the vases (the purpose of this is to secure the flowers later).  The morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids filled the vases with water and cymbidium.  They turned out so stunning and professional, no one knew they were home-made!

Credit – photos by yoursbyjohn photography