Thrifty in White: The Italian Princess Marries Her German Knight: Quite Possibly the Longest Post I Have Ever Written

You guys, I really miss college. I miss majoring in fun by scheduling all of my classes late and never, ever on Friday. I miss squeezing 10 people into one bathroom to get ready at the same time while wearing a new outfit every night--from your roommate's closet, natch.

And mostly I miss Sunday mornings laying on the couch with my senior year roommate, eating junk food and watching wedding marathons on WeTV. It was always best with pounds--no, seriously, pounds-- of discounted Easter or Valentine's Day candy. Yes, we were those girls.

I could go on forever, seriously. Don't get me started on the weekend we got snowed in.

.....

OK, I got myself started. Let me share a picture because I'm too far down memory lane to turn back now:

Snowed in with the neighbs 2008, unshowered and looking beautiful as always. And please note, this was not our apartment; we chose to decorate with zen gardens and pretty pictures, not a beeramid.

Anyway, who would have thought that one short year after us crying into our fountain sodas (a Sunday morning must) over other people's weddings on TV, my roommate would ask me to be in her real life wedding?

And oh, what a day. From squeezing the other bridesmaids' hands during the vows to seeing our friends as a married couple for the first time ever, it was an honor--and a blast--to be part of it.

So here's another trip down memory lane to the wedding of Italian Princess Trina Fabulous & her German Knight Adam, complete with tips from the newly married bride AND groom:

Niemerg Formals 127

All of their lovely, feel-good, happy photos by Lifeworks Imaging.

On Negotiating...

"My husband's family & friends were all traveling at least 3 hours for the wedding weekend, so a large reason we chose the venue was because it was a resort. The rooms were all different sizes and prices for our guests, and we were able to lower the booking cost for the reception ballroom by signing a contract that we would have a certain number of rooms booked that weekend. We even scored a free Honeymoon Suite with the deal!"

On "The Q"...

"My mother is a QVC kinda mother. There is a box from 'The Q' being delivered to our house on a regular basis--probably one on the doorstep as I type this. She called me on a Saturday night practically screaming to me to turn on The Q and make a decision if I wanted her to order 20 of the Today's Special Value!...and to decide in the next 6 minutes because the time on the item was almost up! We purchased our centerpiece vases & flameless candles that night and pretty much planned the tablescape around them.

"The day after the wedding, we gave away the centerpieces to everyone who put so much work into making our day perfect. I'm sure they took the purple glitter sand and the bedazzled flowers out of the vase and replaced them with their own decorative accents. But, I'm not judging."

[Side note: The Mrs. didn't send any photos of this. Typical. I'll see what I can do about this, but in the meantime, use your imagination.]

On the Super Dollar!...

"No, we didn't buy the entire wedding aisle in Dollar Tree. But most of the flowers for the 'helper' corsages and the few flowers in most of the centerpieces came from the dollar store. We just ripped them apart a little and jazzed them up. One can of glitter spray and 3 bags of crystals later, you would never know they were from Dollar Tree or the silk flower section of Hobby Lobby.

"And I bet not one guest knew which 'gourmet' products in the Out of Town Bags came from a dollar store!"

29439_659668432322_31106852_37893917_6717610_n

On Smelly Favors...

"My husband's family makes candles for a living. Like, they own a candle factory and sell them in department stores and shops nationwide. So, we used this to our advantage and had 300 candles poured in personalized jars as favors for our guests at no cost to us. And how nice that guests had something that was so personal to the family, not just a random bulk candle. Very personal and very cost effective."

And, like every single other wedding couple in history, they also had their splurges:

On Booze...

"Shockingly, it was not that much more money to have an open bar all night than a beer & wine bar. We did the math. A lot. Plus, I'm pretty sure the open bar was the best decision ever...there are a LOT of good stories!"

On the DJ...

"Our DJ was probably one of the priciest in the area for the service we wanted, and sometimes, you get what you pay for. Sure, we could've booked someone we've never heard of off of Craigslist and crossed our fingers & toes he wouldn't be out there dirty dancing with my grandma or not showing up in the first place. Peace of mind, I tell you."

On the Dress...

"It was The One, okay? I wanted it. My mom wanted me to have it. Could I have maybe found the one online or somewhere for less? Maybe. Oh Well."

29439_659668711762_31106852_37893960_2173570_n

29439_659669719742_31106852_37894096_1991194_n

29439_659668691802_31106852_37893957_5855146_n

And some final advice for us engaged folk:

Before the Wedding Day...

"The week of the wedding will be the most stressful week of your life thus far. If it's not that stressful for you, well then for God's sake pick up your phone and call me so I can remind you of all the things that may go wrong. And that all 250 people will, in fact, remember that part of your big day.

"For example, the main course being spilled in the middle of the grand ballroom right before dinner is served. Yep, it happened...to us."

On the Wedding Day...

"Step back and take it all in.

"One minute I'm standing in front of the mirror giving myself a pep talk so my makeup isn't ruined before my groom gets a chance to see his future wife. The next minute we are on the trolly heading to our reception with new bling on our fingers. What feels like 20 minutes later, we're popping open a bottle of wine in our honeymoon suite.

"It goes by so fast, thanks be to the Wedding Gods for our photographers who capture every moment and detail. Can you believe I didn't remember what our cake even looked like until I saw photos?

"Take some Nyquil, Tylenol PM, a big glass of wine...something to put you to sleep. I was up all night, lucky if I got 4 hours of sleep. On the floor. We had a slumber party, and why I didn't claim the couch, I don't know. I mean, I was the bride!

"So yes, take something to make you tired, and sleep in a bed. Not on the floor."

After the Wedding...

"You would rather not hear the words Hobby Lobby for a good two or three months following the wedding. The week of the wedding, I was in Hobby Lobby every day. Sometimes twice a day. I'm just now, 4 months later, able to go in and shop there without getting panicky!"

BONUS advice from the groom! It's lulz-inducing, but very helpful. Gotta love him for participating:

"Practice putting the rings on each others' fingers. He couldn't get mine all the way on....so he left it right in the middle of my finger. He said he was embarrassed, although I'm sure no one really noticed."

I LOOOOOVE real weddings, especially when it's one of my bffs getting hitched. It's so much more special when you know the people pictured (did anybody notice Grandma dancing in the background up there?) and can still feel the love and emotion every time you look at the pictures.

Do you guys have warm, fuzzy memories of your friends' weddings? Did anybody ever witness a stumpf fiddle (pictured above) at one? Doesn't it make you want to get one? I'm telling you...it was the highlight of their reception.

Stay Thrifty!
Hollie

Follow us on Twitter: @ThriftyinWhite
And we're finally on Facebook!