Have you checked out...

Okay ladies, unless you have been living under a rock, you might have heard about ETSY and Pinterest. Let me say I absolutely love them both. And I have gotten so many cheap, inexpensiev ideas and items for my wedding. Pinterest.com is more for the DIY girl. There are tons of cute ideas such as having all your bridesmaids write a little note to you on the bottom of your shoes in blue or creating an "I love you because list" about your fiance to display at your reception. When you click on the pins, they take you to a website and tell you how to make it! It is amazing, very inexpensive and super cute. You need an "invitation" to join the site so if you aren'y on there and want to be, let me know I will shoot you an invite and you can pin away!

Then there is Etsy.com, this is where all the other DIY girls in the world help out the people who can't draw a straight line or have zero creativeity. Please sell items that they will custom make for you! So far off of etsy, I have ordered my favors, headband to match my dress, save the dates, engagement party invites, cake topper, I DO! stickers for my shoes, jewelry for my brides maids, a mother of bride hanger for my Mom for x-mas, and my guest book. And I can almost guarentee I will order more before the wedding. And all of these items were extreemly reasonabily priced. So, recomendation #5 is to check out these sites ASAP!! Use the links below to go there now!


www.pinterest.com


www.etsy.com

Vendors...

So, you’ve picked a venue. They next big step is finding all your vendors. Again this can be very overwhelming but once you have secured them, I promise things really do start to fall in place. You need to consider: Photography, videographer, DJ/Band, Flowers, Limos, Caterers (If you’re venue does not have on-site catering), and these are just the basics. Now you can go theknot.com and weddingwire.com, trust me I did but it can be EXTREMELY OVERWHELMING! Here is my recommendation #4, ask your friends. One of my best friends flat out told me NOT to use her photographer. Using other people’s suggestions really helps and gives you a place to start that won’t bring back 3,292 results. Also, use what you have personally seen. I went to a wedding were the DJ was terrible so I knew not to contact them. You have to actually go and MEET the vendors. Do not do it all online. Anyone can look good on paper. But actually going and meeting with them gives you more of a personal (or maybe not so personal) feeling. You will know really fast if you like someone or not. I ended up getting a female DJ. I never would have picked a female DJ but since I went and sat down and actually met her, I really liked what she portrayed and her personality. Also, these people are in the wedding business, once you have picked a vendor or 2, feel free to ask them for suggestions. Vendors have been around long enough to know who is worth calling and who isn’t. Most venues will even give you a list of their recommended vendors who have worked at the location before. I only found one vendor absolutely on my own. Everyone was suggestions from either friends or other vendors.
You also can’t be afraid to shop around for a price that works in your budget. I found a DJ for 4 hours at only $750. I have a friend you paid almost $2,000 for hers. Be honest about your budget and see if they will work with you. You don’t need to be paying absurd prices when there are so many people to choose from. Feel free to look at my recommended vendor list, there are some great suggestions there. 

So proud to be a Marylander!!!

Today at 5pm, my Governor Martin O'Malley, will sign the Civil Marriage Protection Act into law. I could not be more proud of what my state is doing. Everyone deserves the right to marry whomever we choose. Way to go Maryland!