Back from Vacation and Wedding Celebrations

What a wonderful time we had in Alabama! My husband and I were married in D.C. at the end of August and went home for fall break to celebrate with our families and friends. The two receptions were much more enjoyable for us than a large, blowout wedding would have been. Since our families live in the same state but several hours away, we used our extended vacation to have a party and some quality family time at each end of the state. This eliminated a long drive time for most of our guests and gave both sides of the family a chance to enjoy a party without worrying about hosting. I am busy filling out a stack of thank you cards now; my kitchen is full of wonderful new gadgets!

My suggestions for other brides:

• At your wedding reception have someone prepare a box of food for you and stash it for later. You probably won't have time to eat until everyone goes home. 
• If you don't want to spend a ton of money on your wedding dress, get creative. Look at stores that aren't specifically wedding stores. I found my dress at Macy's for under $200.
• Order invitations online to cut costs, and look/wait for sales before you purchase. I saw a link on Facebook at the last minute and saved 70% on the cost of my invitations. They turned out beautifully.
• Stay away from Pinterest. Unless you have an endless wedding budget, all those gorgeous pictures are filling your head with unnecessary ideas. Your wedding day will be special no matter what your cake toppers and decorations look like. The important things cannot be bought or made or bedazzled. 

I might add on to this list later, but the best thing we did was elope. That made the day truly our own and we didn't have to worry about anything else.