My best friend Brittany Stallworth and her fiancé are one of the four semi-finalists of the "Sharing the Romance" giveaway sponsored by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston Wedding Magazine, and FOX24-TV. 

Now this is the public's opportunity to select a winner of this wedding giveaway, valued at $50,000. Please help me and show your support and vote for Brittany and Sergio at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. Only one vote can be cast in a 24-hour period. The voting ends Aug. 15.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!

$1500 Wedding

I challenged myself to plan a elegant chic wedding with a budget of $1500. This does not include the rings or the honeymoon. The wedding is being planned with 100 guests in mind with actually 75 being in attendance. When you are reading this please proceed with an open mind and remember this couple only has $1500 to spend; therefore, some of the things will be unconventional. 

Here is the breakdown budget for each category: 

                              SUGGESTED %          BUDGET

Reception                     45%                        $675

Ceremony                     2.7%                     $40.50

Apparel bride                 8%.                        $120

Apparel groom.            .60%.                         $9

Photographer                 7%.                       $105

Videographer                 5%.                         $75

Flowers                          7%.                       $105

Music                          6.25%.                    $93.75

Stationery                      3%.                        $45

Accessories.                1.5%.                      $22.50

Gifts                             1.5%.                     $22.50

Transportation              2.5%.                     $37.50

Beauty                        .70%.                      $10.50

Other                            7%.                        $105

Overages                    2.25%.                    $33.75

TOTAL                        100%.                     $1500

For the bride I found a dress on clearance at David's Bridal for $99, shoes on clearance at Dillards, jewelry at ICING for BOGO, and veil on Etsy.com bringing my apparel bride's total to $147.39. Over budget. 

For the groom: Men's Warehouse has a special when 5 tux rentals are paid in full the groom's tux rental is free! My cost for grooms apparel is $0. Under budget. 

Beauty: The bride will get her makeup done by a professional at a makeup counter such as MAC for free. The mani/pedi and hair will be done by a student cosmetologist all for $51. Over budget. 

Photographer/Videography:  Once again we will take advantage of professional students. View some of the portfolios of photographer and videographer students. You will be very surprised by their work. They would be thrilled for the opportunity to add to their portfolio for free. You would maybe have to pay for the printing of the pictures and DVD of the wedding. Free. Under budget. 

Music: Create a playlist on your iPod or other device. Assign a responsible person to operate and switch to the songs picked out for each part of the reception. Free. And for the wedding ceremony, the church choir, soloist, or talented friend can sing at the ceremony. Free. Under budget. 

Stationary: DIY invitations and DIY programs purchased at Walmart for $70.19. Over budget. 

Accessories: This includes flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillow, aisle runner, cake knife set, and toasting flutes all for $49.03 from Walmart. Over budget. 

Gifts: The bride will give her attendants monogram luggage tags or keychains purchased at Etsy.com for $30. Most men don't care about little things like this so I suggest the groom pay the tab for the first round of drinks for his attendants. Over budget. 

Transportation: The couple will borrow a vintage or antique vehicle of a friend or family member. Usually people with vintage cars (just for personal use not intended for car shows) will lend out their car (driven by the owner) for free. Only $40 in gas would be required for transportation for the couple's send off. Over budget. 

Ceremony: Most preachers will wed couples of the congregation without a fee. Decor for the wedding will be rented (arch and unity candle stand). The candles and spheres for the unity set will be purchased at Dollar Tree which brings the total to $47.50. Over budget. 

Reception and flowers: The reception will be held at the church reception hall or other addition to the church for free. The linens and napkins will be rented for $150. The clear fancy plates, silver cutlery and clear fancy cups will all be purchased from Sam's for $81.39. The bride's cake and groom's cake will be purchased at Publix bakery both for $260. The food will be catered only with a carving station that will supply the meat for the reception for $265 which includes rolls, condiments, and attendant. Now for the sides the couple will enlist the best cook family members to make side dishes such as green beans, au gratin potatoes, and supply iced tea and water. Next is the table decor for the wedding. The centerpieces will be DIY with very low cost. The brides's bouquet and boutonnières will be live flowers purchased at the local grocery florist for $100. I choose baby breaths because they are the most least expensive flowers. All other flowers used for decor at the reception and ceremony will be artificial purchased in a bundle from Hobby Lobby during their 50% off sale for $50. Or individual small bundles from Dollar Tree. Total $906.39 

THIS BRINGS MY GRAND TOTAL TO $1480.25 with $19.75 LEFTOVER!!!!!!

*This is a hypothetical situation. Actual retail prices may vary. Pictures courtesy of David's Bridal, Etsy.com, Dillard's, ICING, Walmart, Pinterest, and Publix. 

"Strange & Popular Wedding Traditions Explained"

I ran across this cool article on MSN. It was explaining the origins of many wedding traditions that we know and do today.

Let's take a look at the explanations of some of the few strange and popular weddings traditions.

1. Wearing a white wedding dress

Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert in 1840 and she was the first to wear a white wedding dress. But before that brides wore the nicest dress out of their closet. In royalty, Queen Victoria traditionally was to wear a silver gown. She decided to go against tradition and wear a white satin gown, thus "unitentionally kick-started the tradition of the white wedding dress."

2. Having bridesmaids

Brides use to play a more serious role than throwing bachelorette parties and moral support. According to Roman Law, ten witnesses had to be present at the wedding to outsmart evil spirits. The bridesmaids would dress just like the bride so that the evil spirits would not know who the bride was and couldn't harm her. Bet you would think twice about being a bridesmaid now.

3. Wearing a wedding veil

Similar to the bridesmaids, the veil was to cover the bride's face so the evil spirit couldn't see her, therefore couldn't curse her.

4. Tossing the garter

Some historians believed that the removal of the garter by groom was symbolic of deflowering. But some believe in the superstition it represented. During the Middle Ages, the groomsmen and other men would bomb rush the bride to get the garter (off her leg under her dress). It was considered a prize, a good luck charm. I'm so glad only the groom gets the job of removing the garter.

Non-Floral Centerpieces

Flowers are expensive, even artificial flowers and consists of a good portion of your reception budget. Here are some examples of centerpieces that you can use to substitute using flowers and may help cut down on your wedding budget.

This would be great for the head table if using one. 

I like how the table number is incorporated as the centerpiece.

This centerpiece doubles as the wedding favors. 

City Hall Wedding

Most people frown upon a city hall wedding. But city hall weddings can be just as beautiful. People with a limited budget, I suggest having a city hall wedding that way your budget would be put towards the reception.  To be honest, the ceremony is for the couple and the reception is for your guests anyway. So having a small intimate ceremony with the parents and siblings is basically all you need. And then take, lets say $3,000 and throw a shebang reception including the extended family and friends. Hey if Carrie Bradshaw did it, surely you can do it.

courtesy of shefinds.com

Here are more pictures and ideas of a city hall wedding.

courtesy of ohhappyday.com

courtesy of Dominique Bader Photography

By it being a non-traditional site, the bride and groom gets to wear less formal attire giving them both room to be more creative in their apparel. And just think of all the photo opportunities you will have at city hall.

Wedding Myths Exposed

The majority of brides are opting not to have a traditional wedding. When planning a wedding many people will say "you have to do this, or you have do that or have this."  But its YOUR day and you can celebrate how you want. Here I am going to expose 5 of the many wedding myths.

Myth #1: The bride's family pays for everything (majority).

With most couples waiting later to get married and cohabiting before marriage, many men and women have already established careers and have become very opinionated on what they desire. So the couple then pays for their own wedding day with little or no help from either the bride or groom's family.

Myth #2: The bride's dress has to be white.

White symbolizes purity and that is to be incorporated into marriage. But like I mentioned earlier, many brides are not going the traditional route. Its also common for brides to choose a beige, off white, or cream dress. Why not consider a champagne color dress. Or go all out and choose a mint green dress like singer Kelis.

Myth #3: You have to have a groom's cake.

So is the "main" cake considered the bride's cake? Point taken. Two cakes are not necessary especially if that money can be used for something else. (Disclaimer: I did have a groom's cake only because I was afraid of what people would say or think if I didn't. That is something else that needs to be debunked. Who cares what others think. Its your day.)

Myth #4: You have to hire a DJ or band.

A popular trend that is growing is having a iPod or customized CD played at the reception instead of hiring a DJ or band. The bride would designate someone to press play, pause, and stop for different parts of the reception. With this option the couple has full control of what music is played at there reception and save tons of money.

Myth #5: You have to purchase a wedding band/engagement ring.

I personally would rather just have the engagement ring and not the wedding band along with it. Its too much on one finger. That's just my personal preference. Also colored stones and diamonds are very pretty and unique outside of the regular diamond for the engagement ring.