Handmade Wedding Invitations

We wanted to make every aspect of our little green wedding as meaningful as possible, so we decided to handmake our own wedding invitations.

I turned our used paper into a slurry, which I proceeded to turn into handmade sheets (for instructions on how to make handmade paper, the best resource is the Arnold Grummer website). The leaves and flowers are from bouquets we've given each other over the years, or picked at various places we've been to.

I did the calligraphy myself. (At the Catholic school that I attended from kindergarten through high school, I didn't see why they were such sticklers about having perfect penmanship. I remember spending hours in grade school doing page after page of loops and swirls. Looking back, I'm thankful for the experience, because being able to do the calligraphy myself has not only saved me tons of money, I've been able to do the calligraphy for my friends' weddings as a unique gift.)

With no two invitations being similar due to the variations in the paper, as well as the florals and leaves that we used on each invitation, we came up with beautiful pieces of artwork that truly represented who we were as a couple. Best of all, something that would have cost us hundreds of dollars only cost us several hours of hobby time.

www.thecheapchiccouple.com

Wedding Seals Made of Salt Dough

We like the idea of having a seal on the wedding invites but rather than buy the wax seals, I decided to experiment with salt dough instead, which is an extremely inexpensive alternative, given that it’s basically just salt, flour and water.

I simply took a stamp (we found one a couple years ago with our initials - ‘A’ for ‘Ascalon’ and ‘M’ for ‘Marshall’-when we were down at the Hollywood Toy and Costume Store and had to buy it), pressed it into a piece of salt dough that I had rolled out into a thin sheet, let it air-dry, and painted it with black and metallic gold acrylic. I waited for it to dry before painting on a layer of varnish.

For the salt dough recipe and more cheap chic tips, go to http://www.thecheapchiccouple.com/

The $5,000 Cheap Chic Wedding Challenge

They say the average wedding in Southern California costs $33,000.

We are 10 months away from our October 2008 wedding, and the quotes are coming in for wedding cakes, venues, flowers, gowns, what-have-you, and while it’s nowhere near that $33,000 magic number, the one line that goes through my head after a visit with one of these wedding vendors is, “ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME?!!!”

The mortgage consultant in me - the one who gives clients a stern lecture about taking the cashout from their refinance and putting it towards their daughter’s college fund or putting it back into their homes (great for value appreciation) instead of blowing it on a spiffy sportscar that strokes their egos and nothing more- can’t even comprehend how a couple-unless one of them had a last name like Trump or Hilton- could spend that kind of money on the Big Day. I know it’s the most important day in every couple’s life but $33,000 ? Come on! You can pay the closing costs and the down payment on a starter home. A starter home which would give you major tax deductions, and grow in equity over the years.

Having worked as an ad agency account exec prior to becoming a mortgage consultant, I also had to handle some event planning for my clients. We would do a decent markup on the vendor items, but it’s interesting how the mere mention of the word ‘wedding’ is reason enough for the markups to go through the roof.

So, we decided to take on the $5,000 Cheap Chic Wedding Challenge, of course. But how does one go about having a simple, elegant wedding for $5,000 in Los Angeles ?

I have planned enough successful events in the past to where we can do without a wedding planner. I make handmade paper as a hobby so we will be making our own custom wedding invitations. We just walked through the L.A. Fashion District over the weekend and found a store that would sell us two 50 yard-rolls of tulle for only $60, and 20 yards of gabardine for $1/yard (the vendor was going to charge us the same amount to rent it, but I intend to do something arts-and-craftsy with the runner after the wedding). I found these elegant burgundy floor-length gowns with intricate beadwork for my bridesmaids at $76. Corey found beautifully made black paisley vests ($29) and ivory shirts ($15) that his groomsmen could wear over and over at special occasions, and that was just the start. We didn’t make it down to the Wholesale Flower Mart before they closed but we know we’ll find some really sweet deals there as well.

Will we meet the $5,000 Cheap Chic Wedding Challenge? Who knows, but it’s a lot of fun to try. Plus, it’s one way to ensure that we won’t be up to our eyebrows in wedding debt when we're pronounced husband and wife!