Pickle: Now for the Addresses

You have your guest list, but these days, you do all your communication via text, email or Facebook right? Who sends mail anymore? Chances are you have a long list of friends without addresses. You can probably get the addresses of your family members through your parents reaching out to everyone else. You just need the rest.

The Pickle: You need to get the addresses of your friends, buddies and besties. You don't want to send individual messages to do it either.

The Solution: Mass text, mass email or for the purpose of this post Facebook!

You might have thought about making a group and inviting your friends to it to ask for their addresses. Don't do it! Why?

1. Somebody you don't plan to invite will request to join if it is a private group. Making you feel bad
2. Somebody will post their address on the wall of the group that you don't plan to invite. Making you feel bad.

Best to keep it all private through a private mass message. Here is the step-by-step on using Facebook to get the addresses you need.

1. Go to your friends list and click on Edit friends

2. Click on Create a list

3. Select all the friends for that list up to 20 people because you can only message 20 people at a time.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 until you have all the friends you want to invite in a list.

5. Write out your message requesting addresses, ask that they hit the reply link to you

instead of the reply all button. 

Nobody likes getting a million messages that aren't for them.


What ways are you going to get those addresses?

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. – 1 Peter 1:23

Man of the House

This is the second video of the series for Once Upon a Marriage. An excerpt below.



You can find the full video with study notes HERE.

Here are my notes summing it all up for you:

To be a God-Centered Marriage/Family, the husband has to fulfill his God given role. What this means for the wife is this:

The wife is to be the husband's helper, helping him to be what God needs him to be.

Belittling him with words (nagging), essentially turns him to become that which you speak of him.

Pastor Craig says this: 
No man will ever crawl out of his wife's constant complaining a better man even if what she says is 100% true about him.

What is rewarded is repeated. If he does the dishes, tell him, "thank you." Even if he did it wrong.

Don't take over. Let the man, be the man. He has a God given role. If you constantly take over, he will lose that role and never become that which you may complain that he never does.

Pray and stay out of the way. Let God do the work to bring the man to be what he is made to be.

For a God-centered family, the man has 3 roles
~ The Provider- women can provide too, it is just that the man has to set the financial tone
~ The Protector- not just from physical harm but also the family's heart and emotions.
~ The Pastor- setting the spiritual tone, going to church and being involved, praying as a family

You don't have to get married and fall into the stereotype of the nagging wife and the complaining husband. Make God the center, fill the roles He made for your family and your marriage will be what people don't expect.

Food for thought, huh? Yeah, I constantly think before I speak when I feel the need to nag, lol. What do you think? If you need prayer to ask God to bring your marriage to be God-centered, I would love to pray for you! Let me know!

Word of the Day Inspiration: Gung-ho

Gung-ho according to Dictionary.com

Wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous

Gung-ho about your wedding?
Wedding dress? Try Big wedding gown!
Jewelry? Big honkin' jewelry!
Hair piece? How about an extension of my head that is art!
Elegant cake? I want extravagant! Too many details to make it hot!
Outdoor wedding with chandeliers? Oh yes!
Flowers? Everywhere!
Pick one unique purse? I'll take them all!
Stressed out? No, I laugh, smile, then laugh again!
Over the top? Nope, I'm gung-ho!

Are you gung-ho? What lavishness are you not leaving to chance in your wedding? Leave your comments!

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:19-22

Emergency Kit: Little Kids pt.1

Having kids at your wedding? Be prepared!

1. Crayons and Coloring Books- or whatever you need to keep those little darlings entertained.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

2. Band-Aids of their favorite cartoon- When they get a boo boo, they can smile when they get to wear their favorite character on them.

3. Candy- Always a good bribe

4. Comfy Shoes- Those nice shoes they wear for the wedding can hurt them after a while and make them cry. Those will make for no fun moments.

5. Handheld Device- Ipod, Gameboy, whatever you have to give them games to play or movies to watch while they watch all the big adults get their hair done. I've also seen with my 6 year old sister that nothing entertains kids these days more than electronics!

Dialogue: You Better Hand Deliver My Invite!

It may be strange that I was inspired to write this post based on an episode of American Chopper, but I was. There was an episode where the dad was talking about how important it was to get his invitation to Jason's (one of his employees) wedding personally instead of it being mailed to him.

Anyone watch this show? My husband loves it!

 This got me thinking because back when I was mailing out my invitations I wanted to deliver it by mail to everyone, even my parents. One of our groomsman told me he didn't want to give me his address because he wanted his hand delivered because he expected to see my fiance soon and I flipped a gasket. (probably because this groomsman and I never got along) In my mind at the time, I felt like all invites had to be mailed for formality. I thought, "Well, this is not like a birthday party in elementary school where I hand deliver all my invites to my friends. My wedding was more special than that!"

Of course, looking back, I see things differently. Especially after that American Chopper episode. Now I see that it would have been more special to hand deliver my invites to my parents, my close friends, and those who I saw often. (You also get a little bit of savings in postage!)

Yeah, I now wish I hand delivered my invite to my parents for sure. I imagine I could have had meaningful moment handing it to my daddy. :(

What did you do or what are you going to do with the invites to those close to you? What do you think about the formality or the informality of hand delivering invitations?

Pickle: Choosing Your Girls

One of the first steps in wedding planning is choosing the bridesmaids.

The Pickle: I can't have 20 bridesmaids. How do I narrow it down?

The Solution: There are several articles you can find on this particular topic so I will give you a handy chart to aid you.

Essentially, fill it out, see who gets the most marks and you got your girls.

Well, mostly anyway. Let me explain.

According to my filled out chart below, I wanted 8 bridesmaids, I needed 4. The chart tells me it would have been Merissa, Mel, Jessica and Lila (names changed from my actual girls' names)

Here is how the chart is set up.
~ Absolute: The ones who will be your bridesmaid, no thinking about it.
~ Best/Closest: The girls who you are closest to and consider your best friends
~ Oldest: You've known these girls since childhood or since high school, or since college.
~ Family: Blood is thicker than water they say.
~ Facebook: Looking at how often you communicate. Do you facebook this person often?
~ Text: Do you text this person often?
~ Phone: Do you talk on the phone often?
~ Hang Out: Do you hang out, shop, eat often?
~ Meaning: This is the most important. What is the reason God brought that girl in your life? What role did she/does she play? How has she affected or changed you?

Merissa is my sister and my all-star on the chart.
Mel is one of my closet right now and very much a part of my life still. She was a no brainer.
I gave up Jessica, my bestest friend ever because she is in the military and couldn't get leave. I had no choice.
I gave up Lila because while she was my closest cousin, choosing her would have put a rift among my 3 other girl cousins in my family. I gave her a different role in my wedding and she knew and understood.
Ana was my sister to be, essentially family and saw it as absolute for her to be my bridesmaid. Plus, we get along so it was something I wanted.
Mary is one of my best friends who is probably the one friend I feel God actually brought to me as an answer to prayer at a certain time in my life for a specific reason. She holds a lot of meaning for me, so I chose her.
Jerry and Chrissy, while we used to be close and we have history, it just didn't feel right putting them in my wedding when we hardly speak anymore.

After analyzing the chart, I actually chose Merissa, Mel, Ana, and Mary. (Jessica would've been my fifth, but I chose not to replace her, hence only needing four girls.)

So you can fill out the chart, but the last column could change your mind. Fill out the chart based on your relationship with that person now, not on how it was when you were in fifth grade. Pray about it and you will know who are the right girls to be in your wedding and it will feel right.


Download the chart Here or make your own.
Read this very helpful article from The Knot. 

Hopefully, the process is easy rather than painful. Comment and let me know how it goes! :-)

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:11

*DIY* Storybook Wedding: Save-the-Dates

After I did last week's DIY on a ring bearer book (instead of pillow), I ended up with these cute little cut out circles that inspired me to run a series of DIY posts focused on a Storybook themed wedding.

So, without further ado, from the beginning of wedding planning projects to the end, starting with Save-the-Dates.

What you will need:

~ Cut-out circles from the pages of a used or throw away book. (Find one laying around or find a cheap bargain book.) You can cut out any shape you like with scissors or a craft punch.
~ Printer, paper, and picture paper or card stock (if you want to put a quality photo on it)
~ Pencil
~ Black marker
~ Glue
~ Scissors

Step One: Open up a document on Word, and type out in the font of your choice what you want to say on your Save-the-Dates. With my circles being about 2in. I had the size of the font at 20 and 22. Print.

 Step Two: Cut out your text. On the back, with the pencil, shade the area behind the letters.

Step Three: Align the letters on the circle and trace the print. You should see the outline of the font on the circle.

Step Four: Fill in the fonts with your black marker. If it bleeds through like mine, you may need to glue a backing behind it, which makes it sturdier.

I used an index card to glue to the back.

Of course, when I dropped the scissors to cut out the backing, my darling baby, Mila, took hold of it!

 Step Five: If you want a picture, print out the picture to glue onto a circle. Assemble the circles how you like. I chose to set mine up to be a magnet. I didn't do this to mine, but you should laminate it to make it have more durability to withstand the mail delivery. Nothing like getting wet mail and your Save-the-Date  being ruined with bled out letters!

Stay tuned next week for DIY Storybook Wedding Invitations

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. – 1 Corinthians 12:12

Pickle: Anonymous RSVP

The Pickle: You got an RSVP back from someone who said they are coming to the wedding, but they didn't put their name on the line.

Really? I know right. How does someone forget to do that? What are we to do, check for fingerprints?

Solution: Number all your guest groupings on your guest list. Then for each RSVP card, write that guest number on the back. This way if you get a no name card back, flip it over, find the number on your list and see who just said they are coming!

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me -- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.  ~Acts 20:24

Never Satisfied

Here is the video for this week's study. I also have a link below that allows you to watch the full video and download questions.

Once Upon a Marriage: Never Satisfied

I love this study and I watch the series every so often to keep myself in check with my marriage. Essentially the study focuses on how in order to have a happy marriage you have to find THE ONE. 
We are taught in society that if we find THE ONE, that we have found unending love and that we should get married and live happily ever after. But if that is our focus, we will never be happy. Probably why there are way too many divorces! I took notes from this video and share it with you.

3 Problems when you believe marriage is the answer to happiness
1. You compromise more than you should. Compromising who you are for the sake of solving problems in your marriage only makes you not who your spouse married and it won't make you happy.

2. You become demanding We raise our expectations of each other and our marriage becomes a contract. You do this for me and I’ll do this for you. Because I did this for you, you have to do this for me. We bargain like doing a business transaction.

3. You will always end up dissatisfied Both you and your spouse are only human. You can't be all things for all people. Don't expect that from your spouse. Don’t expect your spouse to be the one to meet all of your needs, because they will let you down.

We think that if we make the money, get the big house, the new car, have the big family that we will be fulfilled.

What is missing?
prayer, seeking God, faith, spiritual connection
Don’t make your marriage based on what you want from each other.

We have been conditioned to believe that to really be fulfilled in life, we have to find THE ONE.
You found your love, but don’t say, I have found THE ONE. Say, I have met THE TWO!
God must always be your one and spouse your two.
In that case to really be fulfilled in life, you do have to find THE ONE!

Don’t set your marriage for failure and disappointment. Seek THE ONE and you will have a satisfying marriage.

Word of the Day Inspiration: Concupiscible

Concupiscible. This is a fun word. Dictionary.com defines this word as an adjective meaning "worthy of being desired." Hmm. This is a fun one.

Here is my concupiscible inspiration:


 

What spells desire better than candlelight, lace and the color red? A concupiscible wedding can be pretty hot! Go check out stylemepretty.com and get creative with the boards! I promise you, it's fun!

". . . His faith and his actions were working together, and His faith was made complete by what He did." ~JAMES 2:22 NIV

Emergency Kit: Ailments pt.1

1. Neosporin- Bridesmaid burned her thumb doing her hair? I love this stuff to prevent scarring.

2. Pepto Bismol- Let's face it, we don't want gas on the big day standing at the alter. Say no to the spicy garlic wings! (I personally prefer Tums, lol. I just like the awkward commercial Pepto has.)

3. Midol- Cramps are nobody's friend. If one of your girls is feeling poopy, this will help them!

4. Ibuprofen- Mom may be so stressed that she has had a headache for weeks! She may not be the only one.

5. 5-Hour Energy Shots- Did you only sleep 2 hours from excitement. Is it only 3 o'clock and you are pooped with your ceremony still 4 hours away with a bangin' party afterwards? Time for that energy boost.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts then your thoughts." ~ISAIAH 55:9 NIV

Dialogue: RSVP- The darn thing is stamped! Send it back!

One of the most annoying parts of planning is getting the head count. So much of your budget hangs on that number, but those RSVP cards have a hard time getting back to you. Aunt Jane told you she wouldn't miss it when you first announced your engagement, but she didn't send back an RSVP yet. Seriously, Aunt Jane, you never answer your phone!

You would think that with a pre-stamped envelope it would be easy to get those back. You spent a lot of money on those stamps too!

I have seen some invites give a website to RSVP online, or an email or number to contact. With many people communicating online, clicking a button online or sending an email may be easier and cheaper (and greener) to get those RSVP's back. Some people look down on the informality of that but if it is the better option for you, go for it.

How are you handling your RSVP's?

". . . Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me." ~MATTHEW 25:40 NIV

Pickle: No-Show DJ

It is always a bride's biggest fear. What if one of my vendors don't show up? You can generally get a feeling of reliable vendors before you book them, but the control freak in you may be freaking out. Especially if it is one of those DJs that don't do contracts. Today I want to focus on a back-up plan for a DJ who is MIA.

The Pickle: The DJ cannot make it.

The Solution: You can frantically call a DJ in the area, pay fees, call a speaker rental location and hook up your laptop and play your playlist. You can do these things and pay a lot of money and stress out for something you may not find.

Or you can prepare ahead of time.

1. Find a Back-Up
Call your friends and family to call their friends and family to go on the hunt for a speaker system. If you find someone, see if you can borrow it. Offer a payment if it is someone who is more of a stranger to you. Before the wedding, you, or someone close to you can pick it up. Arrange for it to be readily accessible in case you got a no show for your DJ. Maybe you have a friend who knows how to set it up. If not browse the web. Check out one explanation of how to connect your laptop to speakers from Yahoo! Answers.

Photo from homeauvi.com

 2. Make Your Playlist
We all have extensive music libraries with all our favorite music. Make a playlist of music you and your hubby-to-be enjoy. Save it on your computer, make a CD copy and sync it to your mp3 player. If you have the speakers, you will need the music. These back-ups will be it.

3. Be in Constant Communication
You will do this with all your vendors of course. Confirm that the DJ knows the date, time and location. Check with them the week before. The day before. If they are easy to communicate with, more than likely, you may not have a problem. If they take forever to get back to you and never answer the phone, I would worry and really get on the back-up plan.

Anyone having fears about vendor no-shows? How are you handling it? Did this happen to anyone? Tell what happened!

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." ~ROMANS 12:18 NIV

*DIY*A Ring Bearer. . . Book?

In the effort to customize our weddings we look for ways to take the traditional and put a twist on it. You don't want to use a traditional ring bearer pillow? Well. . .

Here is how you turn this

into this.

I found this on Martha Stewart Weddings a while ago and when I was planning my wedding, I wanted to do this. However, as working a full time job and having no money, so the way it always goes, I never got around to it. When my mother-in-law came to me with a Marine ring bearer pillow (my husband is a Marine) that she already bought, I figured, "Well, one less expense and I know my husband would like it." So, away the book project went.

Okay, now on to the how-to. Martha Stewart Weddings explains how to make it on their website, but didn't quite get down to the nitty. With only two pictures, you'd be jumping in blind! Also, it is easy to make with things around the house rather than buying fancy craft items.

Step by step, here we go!

What you will need:
~ Hardcover book or journal. You know those cheap hardcover books at the store of the classics? Get that and you got a bargain! Or, maybe you already have some dusty hardcover layin' around the house!
~ Glue Stick
~ Box cutter (even though I used a knife because I couldn't find our box cutter, which I wouldn't recommend)
~ Some ribbon, or lace, or whatever you want to personalize your book!
~ Pencil 

Step One: Use something, I used a drinking glass, to trace a circle, or whatever shape you want on the inside cover page of the book. If you have a book that tugs the first few pages when you open the cover, start your hole a few pages into the book.

Step Two: Use the box cutter, or craft knife to cut out the circle. Press down pretty hard so that you get more pages. I was able to get about 3 pages with each cut. You will see, I used a regular knife and it wasn't fun.

The circles will pretty much punch out.

 

Repeat the process until you get the depth of the hole you want. I did 21 pages and decided it was enough.

Step Three: Glue the pages together. I found you don't have to glue every page because it sits in place just fine.

Step Four: Attach the ribbon for the rings. I used a pencil to poke a hole and punch the ribbon through.

Punch another ribbon through and tape the ribbons down behind the page.

Step Four: Personalize the cover however you like. If you don't like the words on the side of the spine, you can cover it up with ribbon like I did.

Finished shot. (I didn't have my husband's band since he was gone. I used my two rings instead.)

 

I think I am going to do something with the circles and post about them in the future. :)

God Bless!
"... I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." ~Phillippians 3:12 NIV

As You Can See

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will notice some things are different.

The changes:
New RSS Feed - easier to subscribe
New Tabs - Notice how they spell out Pickle! You might also notice that {K} is an empty page. It is my wild card page. I'll put stuff there soon.
Meet Me- I thought to make this a more personal experience, I would tell you who I am up front and not hide behind my computer screen with no face. I want to get to know you too! Email me or Twitter me!
Scripture everyday- Every post will have a line of scripture from the Bible to keep us God-Centered. As I mention in the Christ Tab, A Christ-centered life + A Christ-centered marriage = A fulfilling life with your husband!
Features Added - You will notice new features pop up. I already introduced you to the bible study, and the first Word of the Day Inspiration Board.

I feel a lot better about the cohesiveness and purpose of this blog now, tying everything together and putting my best foot forward. I hope you like what I have to offer! Enjoy!

I hope to see you tomorrow! A DIY post is up next :)

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  

ROMANS 12:18 NIV

Holy Matrimony

With my new change to the blog, comes Christ-centered focus which in turn means a Christ-centered marriage. As you do your wedding planning, you probably have come across having to do counseling or a marriage class to get married possibly as a church requirement or to get a discount on your marriage license. You are putting a lot of time an money into your big day, and naturally, you are planning on forever with your husband. How do you make your marriage last?

Well that solution is easy. God.

So, Sundays may typically be love scripture as in the past, but it might also be video, or the start of a marriage centered bible study that you can do during the week.

This week I want to introduce a video series called "Once Upon a Marriage" by LifeChurch.tv (those of you from Oklahoma know about this church whether you go there or not lol). Seriously, these marriage studies changed my life and improved my relationship with my husband for sure!

 

This will be a study I will launch and discuss real soon. Study questions and discussion posts will be spread out during the week along with my articles on Wedding Issues and DIY projects. Stay Tuned!

Word of the Day Inspiration: Dun

Since I don't have real weddings to feature (yet, I hope) and I don't like not posting on Saturday, I decided to start a new feature called Word of the Day Inspiration. I am a vocab lover and I love wedding pictures. Inspiration boards are so addicting and fills your brain with so many fun ideas! Style Me Pretty has an awesome tool where you can make your own boards.

So, without further ado, here is the Word of the Day and the parts of the definition I used for inspiration (via Dictionary.com).

Dun . . .

–adjective

1. dull, grayish brown.

2. dark; gloomy.

–noun

3. a dun color.

4. a dun-colored horse with a black mane and tail.

Those bold words in frutition:

 

Many Blessings!

Letter

In lieu of my usual Friday Emergency Kit List Post, I thought I would end the week with an announcement.

I announced on Sunday a new schedule for Wedding Pickle, only to find a new awakening as the week went on. I started this blog with a vision and pursued it. While I am loving it, something is missing. Yesterday, it donned on me that it needed a center. Before I explain what I mean, you must know something about me.

I am a Christian. What this means, is that while I am far from perfect, I strive to live a Christ-Like, Christ-Centered life. One of the biggest things I learned from 2010 was that happiness isn't enough. 2010 was probably the happiest year of my life and yet I lacked the feeling of purpose which brought me down when I should have been happy. I prayed and sought God for that purpose. My relationship with God grew last year where I learned that EVERYTHING I do needs to glorify God.

Once a week, I feature scripture from the Bible about love to remind us of what matters in the midst of the chaos wedding planning can bring. Love is the reason we get married and at the core of who God is. Once a week is not enough. You will see that in this change. 

I started this blog, and got consumed in it. It's time to put God in the center of it. And, speaking of center, God needs to be in the center of a marriage for it to succeed.

God calls us to do things as a part of His plan for us. I feel this blog as my calling to reach out to a community of former Brides and Brides-to-Be. With so much attention to the wedding day, we don't want to forget what matters; the years of marriage after that day. So many marriages end in divorce. If God is the center, that simply will not happen! Here is to happy wedding planning and a prosperous marriage!

So, it is my hope that you learn and get inspired by what I have to share in this blog for YOU! I want to do this to help make your wedding plans easier, to help you be prepared and to help keep you centered with what really matters in life and in your future marriage!

Look at this before pic of what Wedding Pickle looks like now because in the next few days the changes will slowly pop in.

Happy Friday and God Bless!

Dialogue: Do You Really Need Arranged Seating?

Where should Sally sit? Jack and Jill just divorced, where do we place them? Oh, the many questions you will ask when you are working on your seating arrangement. It is just unnecessary stress to add to your already stressful planning.

Wedding Wire has a free tool you can use for seating charts HERE

 I recently came across this question and answer forum on theknot.com that I disagreed with. The question was whether or not to have a seating arrangement for a buffet style reception. The answer was that arrangements are a must unless it is a tiny (under 50 people) reception or a backyard barbecue. Uh, I felt insulted by this. My reception was large, over 150 people, buffet style and no arrangement. It was in a nice, beautiful building and people didn't dress in t-shirts and jeans. Far from a barbecue if you ask me. It also wasn't a crazed free for all, so not having assigned seats didn't kill anyone.

I believe you can still be formal without adding the stress seating charts can put on you. I don't believe you really need it, not even for a sit down dinner. I think it is just up to you and what you want and what you dreamed of for your wedding.

There is one thing I do believe should be arranged and that should be seating for your family and close friends. There were so many people at our wedding that didn't even know me or my groom! There was no way I was going to have my family and close friends take a back seat to people I didn't know.

Now, you see all those cute name card ideas in magazines. I love those! If you don't want to do a seating chart but still want to do those cute name cards, go ahead and make them. Your guests can take theirs and use it to save their seat and keep as a wedding favor if it is really elaborate! Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

Pickle: Buffet vs. Sit-Down

You can't decide what to do for your reception. Do you have a buffet and let people pick what they want, or do you have a set menu with a sit-down dinner? You may be tempted to go with what costs less, but you should know a few things before putting down that deposit.

Photo Credit: Theknot.com

The Pickle: Would a buffet or a sit-down dinner be better for my reception?

The Solution: Consider your options. Ask these questions when considering a caterer:
What is the pricing? By the hour, by the head, by the food provided? Is there a minimum?
Does it include the work of servers? How much if it doesn't? How many would be needed for buffet? For a sit-down dinner? Does it cost extra for vegetarian plates? Food for vendors at a reduced price?

Then ask these questions to yourself:
~ Is my wedding formal, semi-formal? A more formal wedding would have the sit-down dinner, while the buffet allows for a more casual feel.

~ How much of my budget is allotted to my catering? If the food of your reception is one of your budget priorities, then a sit-down dinner wouldn't make you cry when you put down the extra dollars.

~ What food are you wanting to serve? If you are planning a dinner of food that isn't generally what people would eat, then you may be wasting plated meals and money. A buffet allows for people to chose what they want.

~ How much time do you have? Sit-down dinners take more time, while buffets can be come and go. This can make a difference on over-time fees. 

So, as you can see, it comes down to budget and what you are going for. All in all, either option can still have beautiful presentation. Always check portfolios to see how caterers set up their food.

*DIY* Centerpiece Glass Art

Here is the first post for the new DIY segment of Wedding Pickle! Like I mentioned at the beginning of the week, I wanted to add this because budget and making your wedding your own are some of the biggest issues brides face. DIY makes you wedding look great while saving you money. My first DIY find features something I thought could be inspiration for a centerpiece. I originally found this project idea at YoungHouseLove (one of my FAVE blogs!)

Here is how you make them:
You will need glasses and a resin based paint pen. (I had an oil-based paint pen on hand, and it still turned out)

Step One: Paint your desired art design onto the glasses. Allow to dry for 24 hours. (You don't have to bake them unless you want the designs to be more durable.)

Silly, Whimsical designs can add a personal touch to your tables.

Step Two: Put them in the oven and set the heat to 325 degrees. (You don't need to pre-heat to avoid cracking the glass from sudden temperature change.)

I only baked one just in case it cracked. It didn't!

Step Three: Leave them in the oven for 40 minutes. After that turn the oven off and leave them in there awhile to cool down. Again to avoid cracking the glass from sudden temperature change.

Then you are done! Now you could just paint the glass and let dry and be done with it. Baking them just makes the paint more durable.

Find some more tips here. The possibilities with painted glass really is endless and really adds that personal touch such as candles, ribbon, flowers, floating candles, and more!

Pickle: We Did Not Just Run Out of Food!

If you are opting for a buffet for your reception, you better be talking with the caterer about how much food will be provided. If the food is running low towards the end of the reception, good. No wasted food. But if your food is running out half-way through, something went wrong. Maybe it was an inaccurate head count. Maybe your budget couldn't afford enough food for the amount of people who came. Maybe a few of your guests went back for 3rds or 4ths.

Photo Credit: dexknows.com

The Pickle: Your buffet is looking naked a little early in the game.

The Solution: The most effective way to make sure you have enough food is to get as close to your head count as you possibly can. Even if you need to make phone calls to people who haven't RSVP'd yet, do it. If costs money and you don't want a party foul just because you didn't have an accurate count. "It is getting close to the wedding and I need to send a final head count to my caterer, just checking to see if I can count you in!"

http://www.mgpweddings.com/

 The other way to prevent this dilemma is to make sure you hired a caterer who knows what they are doing. Always check references. Just know that even the best caterer cannot provide enough food if 50 people show up unexpectedly. You also don't want to spend money on extra food for people who never intended to show up forgetting to RSVP.

Get that head count!

New Year Blog Revamp

So it is that resolution time and I decided not to make one. However, I do feel a calling for change in a few areas in my life and that includes my blog. I want to broaden the content of my blog to spice things up, I am going to be switching to a new schedule for the new year and adding new features.

New Features:
Do-It-Yourself- I realize that an issue a lot of brides have is with budgeting and making their wedding truly their own. DIY solves that problem with being affordable and with several ways to make a wedding one-of-a-kind. Plus, DIY is my favorite aspect of weddings! I will hunt for various DIY ideas and apply it step-by-step (with pictures!) to an example wedding or maybe I can show you how to apply it to your wedding! If you know of an idea you like and want to see how it can be used in your wedding, let me know!

Pickle Tales- I can talk about an issue, generalize it and give you a solution, but in reality, you will have an issue with exceptions and specifics that no one can predict. I want to hear about them! They can be major or minor. They can funny or serious. You can be featured with your story too!

The new schedule will look like this:
Monday: Pickle with Solution- general wedding planning issues
Tuesday: Alternate between Polls, Poll Follow-Ups, and DIY Projects
Wednesday: Pickle Tales- your stories of issues you had and how you solved them. I may also feature Etiquette issues in between getting your stories.
Thursday: Dialogue-my opinion columns so to speak where I welcome your opinions on the topic as well.
Friday: Emergency kit lists of course!
Saturday: This is sort of a wild card day. I can feature a story, wedding, your individual questions, projects, or whatever!
Sunday: Scripture you can use for your ceremony and not to mention the real reason for holy matrimony right? In all your stress, don't forget what really matters.

Scripture Sunday #4

Emergency Kit: Jewelry pt. 1

1. Jewelry pliers- fix, tighten or loosen some pieces to make it look perfect.

2. Super Glue- Stones and crystals can get loose and fall out. Have something to stick those babies back in place!

3. Earring Backings- I lose these all the time. It would not be cool to lose your wedding pair on your big day. You might look at your photos always saying, "I had the cutest earrings and I couldn't wear them!"

4. Fake Wedding Bands- Whoever is in charge of the bands may not have those rings for any number of reasons. At least have a stand in pair just in case. Saying your vows and sealing it without a ring might be a bit awkward.

Photo Credit: weddingringcentre.net

 5. Extra Jewelry- My husband's grandma lost her earrings on the wedding day, and one of my bridesmaids had an extra pair of studs for her. I wouldn't have been a big deal to anyone else, but we women need all aspects of feeling dolled up to be dolled up right? Have some extra jewelry for anyone to use, but remember those earring backings? An earring can be lost that way too. I would suggest having a wedding earring back-up pair, so that you won't have to say what I mentioned in #3.

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Dialogue: Write or Print Invitation Mailing Labels?

I always hear that it is a huge no-no to print the mailing labels for your wedding invitations. It isn't formal etiquette and some people look down on it. However, wedding trends are so different and some even non-traditional. Is it really necessary? Calligraphy wouldn't match an upbeat techno wedding just as Comic Sans would not fit an elegant ritzy wedding.

I did not want to write the addresses or have family or friends waste valuable time writing addresses for so many invites to many people I didn't even know. I didn't want to pay for someone to do it for me either. (Of course, had it been the intimate, small crowd I wanted, I would've written it to give it a personal touch.)

Photo Credit: ohsobeautifulpaper.com

Now, if a bride were to ask me what they should do, I would say do whatever you want! Whatever makes your life easier and whatever fits your wedding style. It is your wedding so who cares! If you need to, just print them out in a nice, elegant, legible font on clear labels and they look just as nice. In a time when so many of us are working full time, and living on tight budgets, no one should judge that you used a printed label instead of writing their name and address. Besides, it goes in the trash anyway right? And, they should be happy for you instead of talking about what was wrong on the envelope. What do you think about this etiquette issue?

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Pickle: You Get What You Pay For?

So we just talked about budget. You have set your priorities and know what you are willing to spend. However, there are some things you just shouldn't cheat yourself on. I recently read on a forum that a common mistake brides make is going for the cheapest vendor. Sometimes a vendor can be cheap and not that good. Sometimes a vendor may not be aware of typical pricing, charge cheaply and be really good. I kinda had it both ways. I went cheap on my caterer/cake maker, I got what I paid for. I went cheap on my photographer, 50% off deal. Red flag? Not in this case. I got a steal for some real talent.

The Pickle: How can I avoid getting what I paid for in price and quality?

The Solution: There are a few things you should makes as part of your priority so that you have enough in budget to not cheat yourself. Never be cheap with your photographer and cake. You can also throw in the videographer as a secondary priority.

Why Photographer and Cake: This is simple. Your wedding day will fly by so fast that your photos will be what you hang on to to relive your day. This is number one because there are so many moments to catch that you will want to see, that you need to make sure you have someone who knows weddings enough to catch those moments in a beautiful artistic way. If you get a deal like I had, check the portfolios and recommendations to make sure it isn't a red flag. What ever you do, DO NOT hire your friend to take your photos. It is not worth the missed shots, the resentment that can cause, and they don't get to be a guest at your wedding! Not cool. (Now if you got a professional wedding photographer friend or family member begging to do your wedding, and you like their portfolio, well, I say why not? It helps build their portfolio!)

Now, the cake might be important to some and not to others. I made the mistake of thinking the cake wasn't a big deal. I urge you to reconsider making the cake as important as your photos. Here is why. It is such a centerpiece to your whole event. People leave talking about the dress and the cake. In fact, the cake is so important, it even has its own ceremony! You will have so many photos around the cake, you do not want to cheat yourself.

My photograher and videographer catching the cake-cutting (and my ugly cake lol).

 If you are doing video, you don't want to cheat yourself there for the same reasons as a photographer. Moving images of your day is like really reliving it and you don't want to miss those vital moments! The beautiful thing about video is that you see all the beauty of your day and not all the things that went wrong. You can see your day the way it truly was. :)

Check out my videographer's blog for samples of her videos. Tear-jerkers! Below you will find my wedding video trailer. Are you planning on using a videographer?

Melina + Michael | Oklahoma City Wedding Video from Sarah Pendergraft on Vimeo.

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Poll Follow-Up: Wedding Budget

The last poll I posted asked about what your budget plan is. You either have a strict budget, rounded budget, or no budget either because you haven't thought about it or because money is no option for you (lucky!)

However, even celebrities have a limit and so should you. Think about it, if a millionaire said do what you want to their vendors and planner, they might just be milked all they are worth. It could be a scary thing if your wedding is just a drain sucking your money and you have to idea what you have spent. Rich or not you need to have a grasp on your wedding budget or you might be in for the surprise of your life!

There are some percentages you could base your budget on but it needs to be based on your priorities. Sit down with your fiance and family. Talk about what is most important. Do you want the venue of your dreams no matter what? Is the dress your number one? Is it important for you to have a sit down dinner for your guests? Maybe you have had your eyes set on a cake maker since you were a child and you will have it no matter what the cost. Make your priority list then shift the budget around that.

Some calculators will allow you to adjust your budget and it will recalculate your budget for based on your customization. You can google and find many wedding budget calculators, but for this post I will use Wedding Channel's budget tool as an example.

 Plug in your info and let it do the number crunching for you.

What I like about WeddingChannel's budget tool is it also explains each item. As you can see, they will tell you what you should spend, but you can change the cost to what you actually plan to spend. For example, you might know you want to spend $3,000 on your gown and center the budget around that.

There will probably be some items you know you will not use. You have the option to remove those and recalculate the budget.

You may or may not use your budget calculator but it at least will give you an idea and will put you ahead of the game by knowing where your money should go. Then you will have no surprises. Nobody wants to start a marriage with debt!

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