We'll Be Back Soon : A Note From The Editor

Happy Wednesday Budget Brides!!

I wanted to address to you all the reasons why I haven't been blogging within the last two months. My life has been through many ups and downs since March 13, 2009. This was the day that began the downturn of my life. I lost my job at a well known furniture and jewelry retailer who ended up going out of business. I know many of you would think well this was the perfect time to begin blogging with a passion. Well my passion of blogging, business and life in general began to decrease more and more. Now I have found myself a little over two months out of my original layoff date and still unemployed. Not only have I been unemployed for almost the last year but a very special person departed this Earth on November 20, 2009. I lost my friend, fighting partner and confidant in my grandmother Mrs. Lucille Wright. So life has just not been the same.


I know that many of you maybe wondering why I am sharing all of this. But I truly love and appreciate my readers. In not leaving you hanging, I just felt it was super important for all of you to know that I have not left or forgotten you. However, life does happen and sometimes it hits us a little harder than other. In saying all of this, I am pushing past all of my negative feelings and getting back to the old me. In 2010, The Budget Brides Handbook will begin a new beginning and we are looking to all of you for amazing support.


Thank you for taking the time to read my heartfelt note.......


Yours Truly,
Sharise

An Evening at Lion in the Sun with the Wedding Pros

Happy Thursday Budget Brides!!

So last night I trecked out to Brooklyn for a blogger networking event at Lion in the Sun Paperie.

First, let me say how wonderful this little stationary store in Park Slope, Brooklyn is so warming and welcoming. On the corner of 4th street and 7th Avenue it's so inviting to those of us who love stationary and attractive to the invitation seekers. Go, visit and let them know The Budget Brides Handbook sent you.

Here are some tips from the experts:


Anne Chernoff (From I will to I Do)

Anne told a great story of how she went to a wedding and unexceptantly had to pay for valet parking. She didn't mind so much that she had to pay for the parking but the fact that no one (Bride, Groom or Valet Attendant) mention that the valet had to be paid by each individual guest. Her suggestion was that you don't necessary have to pay for valet parking for your guest but you need to tell them whether it is already paid for or should be paid by the guest.

Xochitl Gonzalez (Always A Blogsmaid)

Xochitl discussed allowing Bridesmaids to choose their own bridesmaid dresses. She thought that this trend was every thoughtful for the Bridemaids and allowed them to show their personality. All of the panelist agreed that this new trend should be done with much preparation and direction.

Sarah Pease (Brilliant Event Planning)

Sarah reminded all of the Brides to be realistic about the day of their wedding. If you wake up the morning of your wedding and it is raining outside. You should probably rethink that outdoor ceremony. Sarah told us a story about a couple she worked with and how it had rained earlier in the day with chances of raining again during the wedding ceremony. The Bride and Groom were deadset on having their wedding ceremony and cocktail hour outside. Needless to say Mother Nature won that battle. Good thing for the couple, Sarah was thoughtful even to set up another 200 chairs in a room on the property and the couple was able to repeat the ceremony for all to hear.

Loren Michelle (Naturally Delicious)

Loren heighten all of our taste buds with her delicious food that she provided at the event. I love the chocolate brownies the most. One of Loren's tips was to make your wedding menu your own. She told us of a story about a couple whose wedding menu was their first date meal. She also talked about another couple who had lots of help from their friends from their wedding website to the Groom creating his own beer for the special day.

Melinda Morris (Lion in the Sun)

Melinda gave us a budget saving tip with tear away RSVP cards. She even showed us an example of an RSVP card that tore away from the actual invitation. It's a cute and chic way to to save money; however, please remind that this type of RSVP card should be used for more casual weddings.

Vane (Brooklyn Bride)

Vane discussed including both families culture into the wedding. For her wedding, Vane and her husband decided to have a New Orleans band at the wedding while performing some of the dancing rituals from her Turkish family.

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Crown Invitation Templates from Wedding Chicks

Happy Thursday Budget Brides!!!

Here is an amazing DIY wedding invitation courtsey of the ladies over at Wedding Chicks. These invitations are great for regal and fabulous Princess wedding that a Budget Bride may want to achieve. The Wedding Chicks give you directions on how to print these invitations through VistaPrint. But I think that these invitation would come out even better on some shimmery card stock and if you got them printed at a print shop. I can see the shimmery champagne cardstock and raised printing. Just smiling at the thought.

Click the image to download template.

Love this post! Let us know what you think in the comments!!

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FAB!!! Eye Candy from Christan Dior Haute Couture

Happy Wednesday Budget Brides!!!

I saw this dress, Belle De Delft by Christian Dior Haute Couture, on a few other blogs and I just had to share with all of my Budget Brides. Just think of all the creativity ideas you can develop for your wedding from this picture. You never know you may see this dress in an upcoming segment of Sunday Brunch.

Do you love this dress? Would you wear it on your big day?

Leave us a comment letting us know what you think.

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Ban.do Head Pieces (Prices to Fit All Budgets)

Happy Tuesday Budget Brides!!!



I have been obsessing over Ban.do for the past couple of weeks. I have seen Ban.do's headpieces and accessories on other blogs and media outlets but never took the time to actually look at the website. About two weeks ago, I finally took the opportunity to check out the site and let me tell you I loved everything I saw. What makes me obsess over Ban.do even more is its creativity and price point. Ban.do adds lots of color to the creation of its headpieces and accessories that it makes it easy to wear after the big day. The price point is even better because they have three tiers Ban.do($95 - $225), Ban.do Black Label ($200 - $300) and Heart by Ban.do ($50 and under). Ban.do is the perfect match for any occasion especially weddings which range from big beautiful bows, exaggerated blooms to glittery jewels. Check out the bridal collection.

Click here to fill out the survey and receive $25 off your next purchase at Ban.do.

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Win a Wedding Dress from Jilted Ex - Fiance

Happy Monday Budget Brides!!

I wasn't going to create a post today but when I saw this information on another blog I just had to share. So a few months back Richard Jefferson, a forward who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, canceled his wedding to Kesha Nichols by email 5 days before the wedding.

I am pretty sure that most of you heard about this story via all the gossip and media outlets. Since this personal tradgey, Kesha has decided to turn this embarrassing moment into a chance to help someone else.

Ms. Nichol's is giving one lucky bride (who may not be about to afford) the chance to win a one of a kind never worn couture wedding gown.

Here is what Ms. Nichols had to say about the couture dress giveaway, "I'm sure I could have sold the dress for a good amount of money,".... "But I would rather give the dress to someone who would never have the chance to wear a $10,000 couture, one-of- a-kind dress."


Here's How To Win:

Kesha Nichols is giving away her $10,000 Guillermo Couture dress to one lucky Post reader.

Tell the NY Post and Ms. Nichol's in an essay, 150 words or less, about how you’ve “danced through life” and adversity, and why you deserve to wear the gown on your wedding day. Post editors and Nichols will pick the winner. Just e-mail your entry to dress@nypost.com by noon Tuesday.

Details about the dress.....

The gorgeous gown, handmade by Midtown’s premier bridal boutique Guillermo Couture, is made up of 80 yards of imported English netting. The ruffles are arranged in a mushroom-pleating pattern. It took a month of work to create. The dress is a size 0, but Guillermo has promised to alter the dress for free for the winning reader. The dress can fit up to a size 4.

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NY Post Article

Guess Who's Entering The Wedding Dress Market

Happy Wednesday Budget Brides!!!


So our favorite T.V. wedding planner has decided to throw his hat into the wedding dress market. David Tutera of WE TV's, "My Fair Wedding", has partnered with Faviana New York to launch David Tutera by Faviana. Look for it in your favorite bridal salon spring 2010. Below you can find the press release and a snippet of video from the fashion show.

CELEBRITY WEDDING PLANNER DAVID TUTERA COLLABORATES WITH DRESS HOUSE FAVIANA ON RED CARPET-INSPIRED WEDDING GOWNS

NEW YORK, NY — September 15, 2009 — Celebrity wedding planner and host of WE TV’s hit show “My Fair Wedding,” David Tutera, and special occasion dress house Faviana collaboratively launch David Tutera By Faviana, a line of luxurious wedding gowns inspired by celebrityred carpet fashions. The venture is the first bridal fashion collection to carry the David Tutera name.

“Inspired by the red carpet, worn on the white carpet” is the signature of this new luxury collection for brides who want to capture the essence of celebrity style for their big day. Designs range from classic and beautiful to dramatic and innovative, while reflecting the culture of couture.

David Tutera By Faviana will debut with a 20-piece collection at the Chicago Bridal Market in October. The gowns will be available in sizes 0 to 24. Suggested retail prices will range from $1150 to $2,150, and the collection is expected to be in stores in January 2010.

Omid Moradi, Faviana CEO, states, “Our mission with the David Tutera By Faviana Collection is to bring couture and celebrity-inspired wedding dresses to the market at prices that make sense for today’s bride.”

“I have been planning and designing high-profile weddings for over 20 years and know what brides look for in the search for the perfect dress,” says DavidTutera. “Walking down the aisle at a wedding ceremony is like walking down a runway. I am delighted to work with Faviana to bring celebrity style to the bride through red carpet fashion trends translated into wedding day styles at accessible prices. Every bride should feel like a celebrity on the biggest day of her life…her wedding.”

Faviana is one of the world’s leading designers and producers of stylish, sophisticated evening wear. Owned by the Moradi family for more than 20 years, Faviana is renowned for innovative style and exceptional fit. Faviana’s quality workmanship is marked by their meticulous attention to detail including intricate beading, sequins and embroidery.

Faviana COO Navid Moradi reports, “We are thrilled to be working with David Tutera on this exciting new collection. David brings a contagious energy and enthusiasm to the project and, best of all, it’s fun to work with him.” Moradi adds, “David is a master of detail, combining his unique artistic skills with the ‘big picture’ vision of a Hollywood director.”

Honored by Modern Bride Magazine as a Trendsetter of The Year and called the “Best Celebrity Wedding Planner” by Life & Style magazine, David Tutera’s ability, uniquely creative talents and outstanding reputation have brought him tremendous success in the bridal arena. Known throughout the world for turning wedding fantasies into realities, David Tutera exceeds expectations and creates the latest entertaining trends with imaginative innovation.

David’s hit primetime show, “My Fair Wedding” on WE TV follows David as he completely transforms the wedding and look of a bride in distress, with only three weeks to go before her big day. With the clock ticking, Tutera overhauls the design plans and orchestrates all the physical and emotional transformations the bride needs to become a poised and graceful bridal beauty just in time.

David's impressive client list includes the weddings of Star Jones and NY Giants Antonio Pierce, events for Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, the Grammy Awards, Elton John, Barbara Walters, the Rolling Stones, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, Susan Lucci, film premieres and parties for royalty, politicians and socialites.

David is the author of six entertaining books Big Birthdays, The Party Planner, America Entertains: A Year of Imaginative Parties, A Passion for Parties, and two upcoming new bridal books, The Big White Book of Weddings.

Faviana designs hundreds of long and short evening wear styles each year in colors and fabrics to fit every woman’s style preference. The company has become the “go-to fashion resource” for all special occasions. Faviana head designer Shala Moradi says, “Our customer likes to stand out from the crowd…That’s why we create so many styles each season. A woman ALWAYS wants to make a ‘head-turning’ entrance.”

Faviana’s unique designs have been featured on Access Hollywood, The View, the Today Show, E!, Reuters TV, CBS Evening News, Eyewitness News,NBC’s Weekend TodayandInside Edition. Celebrities who have worn Faviana include Kim Kardashian, Entertainment Tonight’s Thea Andrews, Dancing With The Stars’ Samantha Harris and Hannah Montana’s Emily Osment. The company has also provided gowns for Vanna White of ABC-TV’s Wheel of Fortune, the cast of CBS-TV’sThe Bold and theBeautiful, WE TV’s My Fair Wedding, as well as the “briefcase girls” of Deal or No Deal. Faviana dresses have graced the pages of O, The Oprah Magazine; OK!; Life & Style; InTouch Weekly and Women’s Wear Daily and are mentioned regularly on “Page Six” of the New York Post.

Faviana boasts more than 2,000 retail accounts worldwide, including specialty boutiques and bridal shops throughout the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Australia. In fact, Antarctica is now the only continent on earth in which Faviana is not sold.

For more information please visit www.davidtutera.com and www.faviana.com