Monday, January 25, 2010

wedding giveaway! microsoft office 2008 for the mac

I'm Yours by lovesugar.etsy.com - 8 x 10 Archival Giclee Print
{ i'm yours archival giclee print by lovesugar }

yes, it's true! i'm getting married. if that don't beat all, as grandpa would say.

i promised a big giveaway today and am sorry if that implied i was going to reveal the story of my incredibly organized dream wedding, inspiration board, and plans, vendor by vendor. because... {nervous laugh}... that would imply i had some idea what i was doing. ha! hoo no. i mean a good old-fashioned giveaway: free stuff for you!

i've been holding onto this one from last year: i *finally* got my new mac, and finally tested this stuff out, and i can officially vouch that you *can* use microsoft office 2008 to make all kinds of DIY wedding goodies like save-the-dates and budgets and table cards and invites. not that mine are done. hoo no. but it's *possible.*

to celebrate, i'm giving it away!

to enter to win your very own copy of Office 2008 Home+Student Edition for the mac, along with some handy tips and how-tos on putting together DIY wedding essentials:
  1. comment with 3 great tips*, links, or resources for someone (like me) just engaged who (theoretically of course!) has no idea where to start.
  2. all creative entries* will be entered in a random drawing.
  3. bonus points for those who would actually *use* the software to DIY their wedding -- pls. include your wedding date.
  4. deadline: february 2.
please see the mac system requirements before entering. OSX v.10.4.9 or later.
and thank you, thank you for reading and for all your good wishes!

*if you've got more than 3 tips or links, bring it on, but please don't just put 1.) the knot 2.) martha 3.) your mom. that much has become clear.

36 comments:

  1. Here are a few! They have been keeping me sane:

    Offbeat Bride - http://offbeatbride.com/ for beautiful wedding pictures and inspiration

    A Practical Wedding - http://www.apracticalwedding.com/ for deep thoughts about marriage and relationships

    2000 Dollar Wedding - http://2000dollarwedding.com/ for cute DIY ideas and relationship-building advice

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  2. Congratulations! I too just got engaged- Dec. 29th- and also have no real idea of what we're doing. Other than, "Fall 2012". That's enough, right? I can put that on an inspiration board?

    Some of my new favorite finds:

    100 Layer Cake (http://100layercake.com/blog/): So far, my criteria for adding a blog to my Reader has been, "Do I like the pictures of the weddings they feature?" Certainly true of 100 Layer Cake. Plus, I love the name. Mmm, cake...

    Grey Likes Weddings (http://greylikesweddings.wordpress.com/): More gorgeous pictures. She does DIY workshops, but on the west coast (I'm in NY). Plus, she's a good Twitter follow, if you're on there.

    Ruffled (http://ruffledblog.com/): I don't know how much of this I'll end up using- my fiance's not really nuts about vintage- but it makes for more great pictures to bookmark. Plus, I like that they do a great job featuring engagement photo sessions, since I think that's possibly the next step. Maybe? Again, the planning.

    Then one that may possibly be too obvious, but if you're not reading Style Me Pretty, I highly recommend it! This is possibly my most favorite. It's online here:
    http://www.stylemepretty.com/

    And LASTLY! While not so much help for wedding planning, it's a hoot, and it makes me laugh, AND it's run by a friend of mine, and you can pass it on to your fiance! I recommend The Groom Says:
    http://www.thegroomsays.blogspot.com

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  3. www.i-do-it-yourself.com is probably my favorite! She often posts links to free downloadable fonts or templates for making your own stuff.

    www.apracticalwedding.com and www.offbeatbride.com are awesome, for the reasons already listed.

    One of the best things I discovered was that local photographer blogs are a great way to learn about venues. I started following the RSS feeds of about 8 local wedding photographers' blogs, and got to see a great variety of wedding venues. It's actually how I found the one we're using -- they weren't on theknot or weddingwire!

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  4. Congrats. I am busy planning my wedding too. Got engaged in Oct last year & getting married December 2010.
    I have a couple of blogs & websites that I follow; and I LOVE the photographers websites (give you LOADS of ideas). Here is a couple of links for you, hope this helps:
    * 100 layer cake: http://100layercake.com/blog/
    * martha stewart weddings
    * bride on a budget:
    http://brideonbudget.blogspot.com/
    * i LOVE style me pretty (link in another person's comment)
    * Green Wedding Shoes:
    http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/

    Hope this helps & check local photographer websites for more cool ideas.

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  5. First of all, congratulations! As someone who seems to be a pro at the engaged part (engaged June 2008, I've learned a lot in the soon-three year engagement that I know I didn't even think about in the first year we were engaged.

    Resource: Your fiance! My fiance, when I wasn't noticing, had some wonderful ideas for the wedding. It seems like a "Duh" answer, but my family and friends seem to have forgotten it's his wedding too!

    Tip: If you find a photographer or other vendor you like, and your wedding isn't for a while, start cultivating a relationship with them now by interacting on their blog or Twitter or Facebook. I have a wonderful relationship with my videographer now that will only help him make the video even more personal.

    Link: I second A Practical Wedding (apracticalwedding.com) because it really brought me back down to earth from the tulle filled world of weddings into how to build my marriage.

    Wedding Date: September 3rd, 2011. It's my fiance's computer, and I fully intend to put it to use! He's got OSX 10.5.

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  6. -Go to a bridal show ASAP, bring address labels (or print some on Avery labels with your email, phone number, wedding date, name, etc) so your hand doesn't fall off. Enter EVERYTHING. You'll probably win something. That's why the earlier, the better- so you haven't booked it all already!

    -Set a reasonable budget. If you are relying on anyone other than yourselves to help, make a backup plan for in case they fall through (like my FMIL did) and really think about whether or not they're trustworthy and likely to keep their promise (like my FFIL is!)

    -www.weddingbee.com their boards are the most active I have found - I like the knot for local stuff but for larger wedding-related questions/ideas the Bee is a great forum.

    -Find a good vendor you really really like, and ask them for help finding others. Ex: my photographer has hooked me up with most of my other vendors. She's amazing. Photogs know a LOT of vendors and have seen their work, good, bad, and ugly. I used her recs for everything from florist to makeup artists... and she's letting me use things, like an easel, and a stand-in ring!

    CONGRATS AGAIN!

    kjpugs (http://misspug.blogspot.com or http://pugandbugg.blogspot.com)

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  7. 1) I usually start my day with the wedding blog beat. I feel like A Practical Wedding provides a lot of great advice for planning a wedding. Meg gives you the confidence to be DIY and not worry. For example:
    http://www.apracticalwedding.com/2009/10/our-diy-well-dit-wedding-flowers.html
    and
    http://www.apracticalwedding.com/2009/09/djing-your-wedding-with-ipod.html
    and
    http://www.apracticalwedding.com/2009/11/wedding-graduate-chic-on-cheap.html

    2)Also, for themes or atmosphere ideas and other DIY projects, I like to look at Design*Sponge
    http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/diy-projects
    http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/made-with-love
    Centerpiece ideas: http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/we-like-it-wild

    3) I have found most of my vendors via word of mouth. I found my photographer on Yelp. She introduced me to my Reception venue. The catering manager there suggested hotels for room blocks in the area. I am going back to Yelp to find a florist and transportation. This word of mouth work requires a lot of leg work, but it has resulted in the best deals for the "big stuff".

    4) Before I go to bed, I play on Etsy for at least 20 minutes to get ideas for invites and details. We found our designer for our save the dates on Esty and she also happens to be local!

    Best of luck and congratulations on your engagement!

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  8. I too just got a pretty shiny on my finger! :) (Jan 7th) We're going to Hawaii & sealing the deal 5-21 THIS YEAR. However, I've been planning this wedding for the last 3 years (we've been together 4). I'm also a wedding photographer, so that has definitely helped me in the idea area. I fully agree with all the mentions of following a photographer's blog. Not only will you see amazing locations, but you get great ideas for posing and environments for your own engagements or bridals. Things your photographer might not realize you want, even :)

    On to the links!
    For cheap cheap cheap reception supplies -- check out
    http://www.save-on-crafts.com/

    Awesome wedding website host - I tried out 15 and this is the one I remembered and use.

    http://www.wedsite.com

    For photoshop brushes & inspiration, I go to a few sites, but I'm always impressed with Pixels & Ice Cream

    http://www.pixelsandicecream.com/

    I also LOVE ellothere on Etsy's invites. Simple and awesome.

    And, just because, here's a great photographer to follow (its not me so that's not breaking rules right ;)

    stacietatum.com/blog

    ^ I get to help her! She's amazing!

    Oh! I can't stop! There's a new blog/site that another photographer I know just started up -

    http://www.groomsoldseparately.com/

    It's got all kinds of ideas and vendor reviews. Definitely worth looking at.

    Crossing my fingers for that Office! I just got iWork and didn't realize I can't open .pub documents :( reeeeally don't want to spend another $150.. ;)

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  9. Great giveaway - I would definitely love this for my Mac!

    Three tips, and hopefully no one has mentioned these yet:

    1) CRAIGSLIST. Search in the services section of your city - just enter weddings, or wedding ____ (photographer, etc. You'll often find up-and-coming vendors at a great rate! Or post an ad that you are looking for a certain service and you'll definitely get some vendor responses!

    2) VENDORS. Always ask if they can offer you any kind of discount...a discount for booking early, paying full price for their service upfront, referral discounts, etc. Most vendors want your business and are willing to negotiate!

    3) THE DOLLAR STORE. Even if it's not exactly what you're looking for...spraypaint it! I just bought frames that I'm going to use for table numbers (after I paint them), and a roll of wrapping paper to use as envelope liners for $1 EACH!

    Hope these help! Oh, and my wedding is May 15, 2010!

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  10. sorry, forgot my email address for my comment - laura.toomey@gmail.com

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  11. Congratulations! I've been engaged for over a year now, but I remember how daunting the world of wedding blogs was in the beginning. Our date is June 5, 2010.
    1.I know someone already listed this one but to reiterate apracticalwedding.com to keep you sane & remember what this whole thing is really about
    2.100layercake.com/blog/, greylikesweddings.wordpress.com,stylemepretty.com-- beautiful inspiration
    3.for freebies and tutorials, www.i-do-it-yourself.com, www.mydiyweddingday.com, oneprettything.com (different ideas every day, great for weddings and all party-planning)

    we actually just got our first mac two weeks ago and I can't wait to make it my wedding planning assistant!

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  12. First off, congratulations!!

    Ok, my tips:
    1. As others have said, Off-Beat Bride (start here: http://offbeatbride.com/engaged) and its associated Ning site, Off-Beat Bride Tribe (http://offbeatbride.ning.com/), is the best resource I've found for planning and unique ideas. (And your fiance might like http://offbeatgroom.ning.com/)
    2. A Practical Wedding is another great blog. Great tips, great thoughts.
    3. Enjoy the planning process and don't let all the details overwhelm you. There's a lot to do, but weddings are planned every day. And hopefully your fiance and families will be just as excited to plan the festivities!
    4. Remember to breathe and look after yourself during the planning process. Yoga is always helpful to keep a person grounded.

    And if you want to see what I'm up to, check out my blog. It's a lot of random thoughts, brainstorming, silliness and information that I'm gathering along the way.

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  13. My wedding is on July 18. I also have a Mac, and would LOVE to use MS Office for some DIY projects (table cards, escort cards, etc). Plus, I am going to business school in the fall, and will be very poor with student loans and wedding expenses, and MS Office is a stable with MBA classes. (!!!)

    I just got engaged on NYE, and here are my tips:

    1) www.apracticalwedding.com is the BEST wedding blog out there. Meg is sassy, smart, and SANE. She keeps it real. Every bride should read this blog.

    2) Read Miss Manners' book, How to Have a Surprisingly Delightful Wedding. I just read it, and gave a copy to my mom and my future MIL, this book has steered SEVERAL conversations back into the "sane" category. And no mom is allowed to disagree with Miss Manners.

    3) As soon as you get engaged, people will JUMP all over this wedding thing like crazy. I was shocked at how interested people are in my plans, and how INVOLVED everyone wants to be. When people (siblings, parents, aunts, etc.) want to be VERY hands on but you want to be sure to allow yourself the room to do what YOU want, find a helpful project that they can delve into -- preferably one that you just need to get done, but dont care about all that much. Future FIL is doing calligraphy on the invitation envelopes, and step-mom is making the cake. Very helpful, keeps them busy, and gets something off my plate. 3 birds, one stone!

    Not to sound ungrateful, I am SO grateful, but I am realizing that successful wedding planning has a lot to do with successfully managing people...

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  14. CONGRATS!!!

    Tip 1 - If you have anyone in your family that has a different idea of appropriate or etiquette from what you think - get this book! http://www.amazon.com/Something-New-Etiquette-Breakers-Traditionalists/dp/1416949100 LIFE SAVER for me since my mom (and her friends etc) tend to be a little more "proper" than me. It explains the tradition - the modern take on it - and useful tips and thoughts.

    Tip 2 - DO NOT TRY ON ANY DRESSES OUTSIDE OF YOUR BUDGET - NOT EVEN FOR "FUN". Too many blogs are full of brides who tried on a multiple thousand dollar dress and fell in love, but cant have it. They are sad sad stories and most tend to always think lowly of the dress they actually wore b/c it wasnt as good as the expensive one.

    Tip 3 - There is this great blog about hand crafted wedding stuff I used and stalked ALL THE TIME... oh wait - thats you! :) Go back through your old posts and see what jumps out at you - you can start to form your ideal wedding style by figuring out what really stands out to you as something "you".

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  15. Tip 1: Check out http://www.Projectwedding.com has real brides sharing real ideas, its so inspiring and they have great advice.

    Tip 2: Check out the library for tons of books and magazines, especially floral and ceremony books.

    Tip 3: Ebay has their own site/blog with guest contributors http://www.theinsidesource.com/ it offers ideas and links to real-time auctions.

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  16. hi there - we're getting married may 1st and boy does the planning go FAST!

    resources:
    * as someone already posted, http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/ is a super resource for easy, beautiful templates and ideas. highly recommend clicking through the archives - there is SO much there

    * joanna at a cup of jo has a lot of romantic, special, wedding related stuff in her archives, as well: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/

    * for lightly used wedding decorations, or a place to resell yours: http://www.bravobride.com/, and craigslist

    * so many people have great ideas, i check in with http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/wedding to see what the tumblr community likes

    * for ease in planning honeymoon travel: http://www.tripit.com/

    pick colors - it might seem dumb, but it makes things way easier, and it's less restrictive than a full on "theme." lean on your partner. stay grounded, and have fun!

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  17. #1 - Before you do anything, create a budget that includes everything you can possibly think of. Jason and I had a general idea of our budget and had our top 5 things that we would use the budget on, but realized a few months into planning that we forgot to include some important things in our budget (bachelor/bachelorette party, stamps, gift for parents, travel to KS for a reception for family who can't come to the wedding into NV, etc.). Including those in the original budget would have helped prevent a lot of headache later!

    #2 - Start looking at design blogs and decorating magazines for inspiration. You can find more interesting decor concepts. It's been great for us because we've found a style for our wedding that will work into our lives. That means we're not buying things we'll never use again - we have a plan for where we can reuse everything and decorate our home to be "us."

    #3 - Hire a seamstress. Bridesmaid attire is all either too expensive (I don't feel right asking my bridesmaid who just gave birth to boy #2 to shell out $300 for a dress that works with my vision, but she'll never wear again) or doesn't fit the problem areas bridesmaids have requested be hidden (why are there no bridesmaid dresses with sleeves?!). My three bridesmaids and I picked fabric and a cohesive look for their dresses. Everyone gets something that they want and I'm happy because the cost is about $100/dress!

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  18. I forgot to mention how Jason and I would use the software. We're both Mac people (yay!), but we never had the funds to buy the Office Suite (now we really don't have the funds because we're paying for the wedding ourselves!).

    Right now we both will stay after work to use their office suite. Excel has been a lifesaver in planning the budget and crunching numbers for cost-comparisons. We would love to be able to do this at home!

    We also use Excel to track our guest #s, RSVPs, preferred name for invites and contact information. It is also useful in organizing our vendor contacts so we have one list that has everything we need! We are also designing our invitations ourselves. Using Microsoft word would help with that process.

    And tip #4 - create a wedding website. We created a website through Mac - it's perfect for updating our guests with wedding related activities (brunch after the wedding, discounted lodging we found, activities to do in the area, etc.). Now we have a one-stop site for guests to get updates, we don't have to worry about additional mailers, our guests can RSVP online (saves paper and $$) and Jason has a project to keep him sane and he feels great knowing how big of a contribution he's making!

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  19. Awesome giveaway! My best friend just got engaged and, as one of her Maids of Honor (Yes, there are 3 of them!) I am helping out so much with the wedding details. She is actually in Texas, planning to have the wedding in Indiana because of family and I have been checking out locations for her. But here is some advice that I have came across so far:

    First, get EVERYTHING in writing from the ceremony/reception location. Especially if you are on a strict budget. Make sure you know how much it will cost you if you go over or end up needing an extra keg. You don't want to go into it thinking you are spending $5,000 and then when the night ends, get a bill for twice that amount!

    Second, dollartree.com tells all of their items online in bulk. They have some great vases and rocks that could be used for centerpieces. You can also buy these in store and save on the shipping fee. Just depends on if you have the manpower to lug everything around.

    Lastly, try to not freak out over the small stuff and ask your bridesmaids for help. That's what they are there for. So far I've helped find a location and cake decorator for the bride-to-be. Use your resources and friends!

    Oh! and another thing we have found out is that reception halls in our area will work with you on your budget. Almost all of the places had listed on their website that you had to spend a minimum amount of money, but if you call and ask, they will negotiate. I almost wonder if this lagging economy is helping out in that way - they will take the business they can get!

    AND HAVE FUN!!!! :o)

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  20. Hooray!

    Everyone has already posted many of the links I love as well. I'll reiterate Weddingbee. Sure, it's not as sweet or independent as others but it is oh-so-cool to see all these ladies share their days with us.

    My best tip is to sit down with your fiance and discuss what you want your wedding day to be about for the two of you. Then measure everything against that. Sure, there will be compromises but stay true to what it means to the two of you.

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  21. Congratulations!

    No matter what, have FUN planning your wedding. I looked at it as the opportunity to plan an amazing fun day for my friends and family.

    Websites I loved:
    www.weddingbee.com
    www.weddingbeepro.com
    www.stylemepretty.com
    www.diybride.com

    Definitely do your own invitations: I had a friend design it and then I had them printed out at Staples. I bought my paper and enveloped at www.paperandmore.com
    There's also a bunch of websites, including on etsy where you pay for a pdf or template and print it out on your own.

    Keep organized! We used a google excel sheet to keep track of everything including guest list, expenses, to-do lists. and that way anyone can access the list who needs to...

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  22. No giveaway links for me (I have a boring ole PC anyway), but I just wanted to say congratulations! I have been a fan of your blog ever since my own engagement back in July and I discovered the wonder that is Etsy. Enjoy putting all your good finds to use!

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  23. This is *almost* cheating, but last week I asked the question on my blog "what's your best advice for the newly engaged?" in honor of my best friend's upcoming engagement, and got 21 amazing responses. I also included a list of my best all-time resources and general thoughts, so hopefully my creativity gets a point or so too: http://www.alosangeleslove.com/2010/01/advice-for-newly-engaged.html

    And Mac Office software would be amazing, since I have a PC and he has a mac-sans-Office, and trying to coordinate guest lists and DIY pretties has been a pain so far. This would help soooo much.

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  24. Congrats! Welcome to the madness. I got in engaged in September, and we're getting married in May. I'll try to suggest at least a few things that I didn't see when I did a quick skim of the other comments.

    1)Someone suggested the book, The Conscious Bride by Sheryl Paul, which has been an interesting read to counter-balance the lists and details. She also has an accompanying site: http://www.consciousweddings.com/

    2) We put together our wedding website ("Wed"site) using iWeb (go Mac!), and wedding bee has a good post on instructions for creating a wedding site with iWeb: http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/01/31/creating-a-wedding-website-with-iweb/

    3) It was important to me not to spend a fortune on my wedding dress. I scoured sites like www.preownedweddingdresses.com and
    http://www.oncewed.com.

    4) I also bought the book Bridal Bargains by Alan Fields http://www.amazon.com/Bridal-Bargains-Fantastic-Realistic-ebook/dp/B002KP6DWW -- and I've referred to that before meeting with any vendors, and I've found some really good hints of advice and references.

    Good luck!

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  25. Me and the boy I fell in love with, almost 9 years ago, are engaged. A nice longggg, 2year2month3day, engagement (9/9/11:).
    I've been searching HIGH and low for inspiration!

    * 100 Layer Cake http://100layercake.com/blog/
    I check this EVERY day! And then after checking for new stuff there I go to their 'blogs we love' and look through those too:)

    * One Love Photo http://onelovephoto.typepad.com/heathergilson/
    There is no way to not be inspired by this blog. EVERY time I visit that site I realize that I really have forgotten how beautiful the work they do is.

    * You Tube www.youtube.com
    As strange as this may seem, You Tube has been instrumental in me and my fiancé’s planning process. A song can stir up memories and emotions and there have been a lot of water works (100% from me). But it's just such a good way to make a certain moment in the day come together MORE perfectly because behind it is the perfect song, bringing your thoughts to the perfect place. 'sigh':)
    PS. Found this song for my ladies and it is TOO perfect...enjoy!
    'Here Come the Girls' - Ernie K Doe

    Best of luck to you and yours!

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  26. These are my FAVE wedding links (besides this one of course!):
    1. Style Me Pretty- an absolute must read for any bride for everything wedding related
    www.stylemepretty.com
    2. Snippet & Ink- great for inspiration, contests and links, and real weddings
    www.snippetandink.blogspot.com
    3. My new wedding blog Oh Lovely Day (which is very helpful if I do say so myself!)
    http://oh-lovely-day.blogspot.com

    I just got married (and did lots of DIY projects) but now I'm helping friends with their weddings and projects and hoping to start a business doing that (so I can quit my horrible day job) so this contest would be a huge help for me! I just bought my mac last week!!! Thanks and congrats on your engagement :)

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  27. Congratulations! I'm getting married in June after a two year engagement, so I hope you'll find these few things to be as awesome/incredibly helpful as I did:

    1. Read the book "One Perfect Day" (http://www.amazon.com/One-Perfect-Day-Selling-American/dp/0143113844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264716655&sr=8-1). It's an incredible book that tells you just about everything you need to know about the wedding industry. I think it should be a must read for any bride!

    2. 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding (http://2000dollarwedding.com/2010/01/guest-post-bridesmaids-gift-idea.html) Not just a blog about putting together a budget friendly wedding, it also explores what it means to have a strong, healthy marriage, etiquette, environmentally friendly wedding ideas, DIY, and most importantly, creating a wedding that best reflects who you are as a couple. I highly recommend it.

    3. InviteSite (http://www.invitesite.com/) I just ordered my DIY invitations from there. I recommend them because they have really lovely invites that you can either have printed or they'll send you a DIY kit to print your invitations from home for cheaper. Most of their paper is tree-free and my invitations even have seeds in them so if you plant it in the ground, it will grow flowers! How cool is that?

    4. Wedinator (http://wedinator.com/) If you need a good laugh (or a good shock)when wedding planning gets a little stressful (and it will), visit this site.

    5. MY DIY Wedding Day (http://www.mydiyweddingday.com/2010/01/cute-calendar-wedding-date-keepsake.html) I've seen some cool stuff one here that I haven't come across on other wedding blogs, so it can be a good source for unique ideas.

    6. You can create a free wedding website at mywedding.com. They have some really cute designs to choose from too. And it's really user friendly!

    I hope this helps! Congratulations again!

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  28. you are wonderful, wonderful women. *thank* you! i promise to put together a resources post with all your wisdom once the giveaway is over.

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  29. Oh! How fun! And congratulations!

    As someone who got engaged in September, I'm only a little bit ahead of you. Our wedding is in October, so the planning stages are flying now! It's crazy!

    Here are my recommendations:

    1. Real Simple Weddings. This magazine helped me come up with my budget, as well as a timeline for when I needed to get things taken care of. LOVE it.

    2. I always get inspired by looking at photographs from weddings. Some wonderful places for this are photographer blogs, like Mike Larson and Kate Headley. They're wonderful! And Southern Weddings posts some fabulous images, too!

    3. The Bridal Bloggette. (I'm contributing to it!) It's a bunch of bloggers who are blogging their way through wedding planning and everything else. The site is relatively new, but everyone is in a different stage of planning, and it's already got a lot of good information.

    Have fun!

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  30. Congrats! We got engaged January 9, 2009 and are getting married May 29, 2010, so I have had a lot of time for "blog stalking"! Some of my favorites are:

    http://hotpinkbrides.com/ for different, unique weddings that are usually bright and fun

    http://jldesigns.blogspot.com/ gorgeous flower pictures!

    http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop great deals, giveaways, and ideas

    http://kenziekate.blogspot.com/ one of my most recent finds... great blog with lots of inspiration!

    And I completely agree with following different photographers' blogs to get ideas of things you like that other people do! Sometimes, blogs and magazines show only one table setting or something that is completely impractical to replicate, but if you see on a photographers site that someone has already done it (or something similar) you know you can too... without being a millionaire! Best of luck to you!!

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  31. Congrats!!!

    I won't post a bunch of links, because it looks like you already have a bunch of the ones that I like.
    But a few tips:

    Get yourself a big fat binder, and cut and clip different pictures and get them all organized in there for inspiration. I put together a huge one when I was first engaged and have been slowly weeding it out as time goes on.

    I'm a huge fan of doing things myself. Basically anything you find out there can be recreated by you or someone like you for much cheaper!

    Don't get too sucked up in trends. Maybe pick one or two you're absolutely in love with and have to have at your wedding, but then stop looking!! It gets overwhelming and you'll have a hodgepodge of a wedding before you know it.

    -kmattso2
    http://kmattso2.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. I am a planner, a DIY-er, and a new Mac Book owner. I have been planning my ever changing wedding probably since I was 8 and in the recent years, blogs have opened my eyes to so many great ideas and resources. Here are a few links I hope to use when doing some of my DIY projects for my own wedding.

    • http://www.paperpresentation.com/
    o they have a great paper selection and word doc templates for DIY programs
    • http://www.fontbros.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=TART-NESF
    • http://www.fontbros.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=TART-DAMO
    o This beautiful font and coordinating monogram are from Tart Workshop. They’re relatively affordable, and beautiful. While I plan on splurging on hand calligraphy for my envelopes, my escort and place cards is where I’m going to save some money and print them on Avery business cards using the Word template.
    • http://www.save-on-crafts.com/xyron900.html
    o I found my wonderful Xyron machine from this website. It was by far the best price on the web for that and many other craft items. I plan to use the monogram in a Word doc and print them onto scrapbook paper, then roll through my Xyron, use a paper punch and make cute stickers to use on our favors, welcome gifts, etc.
    • http://www.russellandhazel.com/content/wedding-templates
    o These wedding templates are awesome. I would use Word to tweak them to my liking though.
    • http://www.zazzle.com/binders
    o Finally, I would customize a binder on Zazzle.com to keep all of my edited checklists in.

    This comment is all over the place, but needless to say, I could really use Microsoft Office and save the $100+ would be awesome! Congrats on your engagement, thanks for the great giveaway and for the other brides to be for their great resources!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yay! Three great tips:

    1. See if you can get a student or someone just starting out to do you photography. You can save thousands of dollars and, often, get gorgeous pictures.

    2. If you don't know how to do the registry, let your best friend/ maid of honor do it, then just edit her list. I did that, and it was awesome.

    3. For our save the dates-- which are in the mail now-- woo-hoo! We took someone else's save the date from another state and crossed out their information and wrote ours below. It's super awesome, pretty, and a good joke. I also had them printed at Kinkos-- that was nice and cheap.

    Thanks!

    my email is isispal @ gmail . com :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Congratulations!! Some things i thing might help are:

    1) www.stylemepretty.com
    2) www.polkadotbride.com
    3) have fun with everything!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Congrats! I am also getting married, therefore I have started a blog of my own to store all of my ideas. Some of my favorite resources are:
    1.www.i-do-it-yourself.com. I know everyone has listed this, but it is just so perfect. There are so many freebies! I download template after template to use as labels, centerpiece decor and website decor!
    2. Scrapbook freebie sites! They are also awesome! You can get some very 3 dimentional looking items.....like vintage tags, ribbon and brads! Love it!
    3. Save anything that can be recycled for centerpieces! I save coffee cans and chicken noodle soup cans to adhere vintage labels that I print off of iDIY, Flickr or Martha stewart!

    Congrats again! My *NEW* MAC would love this software! Plus I have some yellow invitation envelopes to print!)

    <3,
    Sarah
    sarahbein@me.com
    www.sarahsconfections.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I would LOVE to have this to make me own programs, menus and many other DIY elements. Here are three tips for a better wedding!

    1. Have the caterer pack up a tasting box of appetizers and wedding food and have a friend bring it to your hotel room since you and your new hubby will probably be starved by the end of the night!
    2. Buy a big stack of cute rubber flipflops for bridesmaids and friends to dance in when heels get uncomfy - you can get pairs for only $2.50 in lots of colors at www.oldnavy.com
    3. To fancify DIY escort cards buy a cute floral or pattern rubber stamp and a gold ink pad to make a background image/print before writing down the person's name. I got mine at Paper presentation www.paperpresentation.com

    ReplyDelete

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