Phases of Wedding Planning

I think all brides go through these phases of wedding planning:

1. Dreamy and full of ideas
2. Facing reality when you actually have to budget for things
3. Can't wait for the wedding to be done and over with
4. Freaking out when the time winds down to "the day"
5. It's here! So happy and relieved!

When I first started planning my wedding, I browsed through so many bridal magazines and websites. All the ideas seemed wonderful! The chairs covers added to the touch, the napkin ring holders, those huge centerpieces.... those all seem like must haves! When Cheapo Groom and I finally buckled down and set our budget, we had to list our priorities on which areas we can skimp on and which areas we can splurge on. Away went the chair covers and the letterpress invites with decorative trims. In came Costco invites and diy rsvp cards. We decided that we were ok with skimping on the invitations since most people just toss them out after the wedding anyway and also we are getting an ipod DJ instead of a real DJ since we already have a great playlist of music selection on our own. We did decide that we want to splurge on the photography since that's the only lasting tangible item after the wedding. We found our photographer to be really easy going and we love how he knows how to capture candid moments.

So with about 2 months left to the wedding, I am bombarded with small details that have to be done but are super boring. I have to think about what kind of favor boxes to pick, what kind of ribbons, papers for wedding programs, etc. I am not a micro manager and all these little details are driving me nuts. I know it's the little things that make the wedding special...but at this point, I just want the wedding done and over with. Who will really notice that I toiled over hours and hours on the internet researching for the perfect wedding favor box and ribbon trimmings? Chances are the boxes will go straight to the trash right away. I wish I can just give everything to my guests in a plastic shopping bag. =P Oh well...what must be done will be done. I'm just glad all the big stuff are all taken care of already!

Shady Houseofbrides.com

DO NOT USE THEM! THEY ARE SHADY!!!

I read online and found really mixed reviews about HOB. But I went ahead and ordered through them since they had the lowest price and free shipping for my Wtoo bridesmaid outfits. Things went well and the package arrived on time. I was all happy until I opened the package. First of all, the package came damaged, it had to be retaped up by my post office. I gave them the benefit of the doubt since that's not really their fault but rather the mail carrier's fault. Once I opened the box I realized they sent me the wrong color!!! I ordered Powder Blue and the color they sent me was Sweet Tarte (a light lilac color). So I called up HOB and after 20 min on hold I got to a live person. The person gave me an authorization code and assured me that they can exchange the color correctly for me if I send the gowns back to them. I sent the gowns back the next day first thing in the morning.

So I patiently waited for them to exchange my gowns for the right colors until I got this email:

Piggy,
We gave you authorization on May 21 to return the dress as you stated you rec'd the wrong color. The authorization has expired as the designer will no longer accept the dress back as too mich tome has passed.
Thank You,

HOB Website Department

I was really confused so I called HOB and again I was on hold for 30 min before finally reaching someone. I explained the situation to the lady and her response was beyond rude. She said I should've read the policy that they don't do exchanges or refunds. I explained to her that HOB sent me the wrong color, it wasn't my fault. Then she accused me of taking too long to send the gowns back. I sent the gowns back the next morning as soon as I can! So for awhile basically she told me I wasn't getting a refund or the dresses I sent them back. I was beyond furious!!! The 3 gowns costed me $450 and they were just going to screw me over because of their own incompetency?? The lady told me to call back since it was lunch hour over there and no one there can help me. I asked for her name and a direct number to call to bypass the 30 minute wait time. She refused to give me her name because she said she wasn't the one who authorized the authorization in the first place and that I'd have to wait through the 30 min phoneline when I call back. I blew up at her and HOB still refused to refund me back but finally agreed upon sending me back the gowns in the wrong color. So now I'm stuck with 3 gowns in the wrong shade. Anyone looking for Watters Wtoo #135 in sweet tarte? HOB is shady!!!

Look Like A Million Bucks!

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on "bridal" jewelry, you can look into buying celebrity inspired jewelry at a fraction of the price. At Emitations there are plenty of celebrity inspired looks that you can use for your wedding day.

For example, Gwyneth Paltrow's 2007 Oscars look can be yours for under $100! That's right...all 3 pieces of it!


Or get JLo's look for $150!

Hmm...somehow all Ben Affleck exes have good taste!

I Take You, Kitty...

Last night I made Cheapo Groom trade his points at Dave and Busters for my hello kitty lip gloss. It has glitter, mirror on the back and bubble gum flavor...I couldn't resist! He thought it was a waste of his points. I found this today...I think it's my dream wedding!



wow...every little girl's dream come true!!! =P

Cheapo Wedding Arch

Michael's is having a sale right now...like this wedding arch is only for $20! Cheapo Groom and I spent about 20 minutes assembling it. Here's the final product...have to use some imagination to imagine it filled with nice looking flowers and tulle!


What it's suppose to look like:

Cheap Alterations and Cheesy Wedding Glamour Shots

Sorry it's been awhile since I've last posted. It's been a busy month and also I've been under the weather.

So I've been looking for a seamstress to make some alterations on my bridal gown. I need to have a bustle sewn in since I have a small train on my gown. All the prices I've seen around the expensive Orange County, CA area quoted me over $100+. So I decided to give the Las Tunas bridal row in the chinese part of town in Temple City a try. It will only cost me $15 and will only take 2 days to complete! What a big difference!

Cheapo Groom and I will be traveling back to Taiwan to take those cheesy wedding glamour shots. They're a really big deal in Asia...so it'll be a fun and funny experience. Below are some examples:


ANGLES or ANGELS??


Funny Heehee or funny haha?

We all know what happened to Pearl Harbor...
Nympho + Epilepsy???

Of course there are looks that I like...that's why we're taking them! Below are some examples of looks I like:



Taking the glamour shots in Taiwan will cost us about $500 usd...and I found out the price in LA is $2000! Dang! Our two plane tickets plus the photo session equal to about the same as the Los Angeles price!

New Year New Furniture!

We went furniture shopping today. Thank goodness for cheapo chinese furniture stores that are open even during chinese new year! Here's our new sofa:

The recliner function sold it for us! We're going to be watching TV like that all the time!

We also picked up a new 7 piece dining set.


All this for $700 including delivery. Not bad eh?