It’s time for part three of what Amanda and Jared have been up to recently with their wedding planning. *SPOILER ALERT* This instalment features some very stunning dresses!

Hello again!
I wish I could say time is slowing down, but days seem to just keep slipping away. Today I will be talking about save the dates and wedding dress shopping!

[1] Save The Dates

During the last post I was able to show you all some of our engagement photos. I cannot stress how important it is to get these done ASAP. I knew I wanted to design my save the date including our most recent pictures. We also had never taken any professional photos together (he dodged it for almost 4 years) up until this point. After looking at different wedding time lines they mentioned save the dates on average go out about 6 months in advance- about 8 for destination weddings. You also have to consider the fact you need to design, purchase, gather addresses and finally… send them out stamped!

Our wedding date again for everyone’s reference is 10-18-14. I was able to get these pictures taken within 2 months of being engaged. I didn’t have to look far because my Maid Of Honor is an amazing local photographer. I knew Jared would be most comfortable around her and I am obsessed with her work. If I have learned anything during this process thus far about saving money, always consider families and friends for your vendors. If there are not any photogs, djs, chef ect. that you know, ask your friends who just got married. Chances are they have a really good person in mind or have researched and could give you some insight. 

Back to the save the dates: Designing – these are some of my favorite inspirations 

Take a look at how ours came out! I absolutely adore them! 

I knew I wanted my save the dates to be a magnet. A lot of wedding websites will offer magnets but they are super expensive. Especially if there is a specific “save the dates” section – From research, I found they will be pricey! I ended up using Vista Print and got 100 large postcard size magnets for $58.85 shipped! Every other website was three to four times more than that. My advice is to sign up for their email alerts – They are always offering amazing discounts on random products or off your entire order. You can design your own save the date or upload your own like I did. I plan on using them for my wedding invitations too because you cannot beat the price!

I mentioned before to start gathering addresses. If this is something you can task someone else to doing it then DO IT! IT IS THE WORST THING EVER. You basically have to go through your phone and text everyone for their address. Then you have to put it all in one location like a spreadsheet. I went to all of our parents first to get as many addresses as I could. You’d be surprised how many they have written down. WHO DOES THAT? Parents. I was able to get a good amount of Jared’s family and mine just by doing this.

Sending them out: If you can afford to have someone else write/print addresses on envelopes do it. Because I am trying to save in as many ways as possible, I ended up writing out my own addresses on the envelopes. Recruit a bridesmaid and you can bang it out pretty quickly. It took us about an hour. I also handed about around half to save on stamps. If you see someone frequently, just give it to them. They are not going to get offended because you didn’t mail it to their house. Honestly, who cares? If you do, chances are I didn’t invite you to my wedding 😉

[2] Wedding Dress Shopping

Gahh!!!! The part I was looking forward to most!!!! This experience is something we all DREAM of. Luckily for me, I use to model wedding dresses. So I knew upfront which styles I hated and which styles looked best on me. Going in with that knowledge made it easy to pick dresses that would flatter my shape which looks best in mermaid or trumpet dresses. 

List of things I wanted in my dream dress:

• All lace- and I mean PRETTY lace
• Capped sleeves
• Dramatic back
• Sweat heart/low front
• Not white
• Simple but unique 
• Not terribly expensive

Before going shopping I fell in love with Berta Bridal. “Berta is a leading Israeli bridal designer, and a rising star in the international bridal market. Berta’s avant-garde designs have taken over the bridal world by storm. Her artistic approach to bridal fashion have managed to surprise even the most veteran fashion editors and bloggers. Her collections are considered among the most praised and anticipated in the world.” 

I can’t even look at anything without my jaw dropping. She had everything I was looking for but after researching price….. that’s all I’ll say. Back to reality. We can’t live in a dream world. Don’t waste your time trying on dresses you know you could never afford. It’s just going to make finding one you can afford that much harder. 

Above and below is my favorite Berta design..

And also some dresses I tried on..

I went in with a clear plan of what I wanted. I did get side tracked for a second and fell in love with two dresses but the better dress won. Always go with your gut. It doesn’t matter if 10 other people in the room are crying over a different dress. You have to feel comfortable and beautiful in it. Always remember, it’s your day. Which one did I pick? You will have to wait to see my Martina Liana beauty of a dress after my big day!

Until next time, Amanda