The Wedding Series: The Dress

Now for the most exciting part of the wedding planning process: THE DRESS.



I've heard of people spending upwards of $5,000 for a dress that they'll only wear for one day, and to me that sounds insane. It is possible to have a beautiful dress on a $2,000 budget!

I found my dress on eBay. Yes, I said eBay. The seller that I bought from custom made my dress to my exact measurements and I received my dress only two weeks after ordering. The best part is that it only cost me...$160!

The seller that I bought from on eBay is "stuck.sh", in case you are interested in that seller specifically. My dress is not listed anymore, but there a few others to still choose from. However, this is not the only seller you can buy from. Before running over to David's Bridal, look through dresses on eBay or Craigslist. You can be as specific or general as you want as you search and can filter the search by your dress size. I found quite a few that I loved after just a few minutes of searching before I settled on the one I wore.

Mine shipped from China and still got to my home in two weeks and fit like a glove, so don't let that scare you away from a dress you love! If you still feel uneasy about that there are plenty of people that are selling within the US. Just make sure to check that option on the side bar when you're doing your search. Also, read the ratings and reviews of the seller you want to buy from. That will give you a good idea of what to expect from your purchase.

Try narrowing it down to two dresses and buying both! That way you'll have a second option just in case one falls through or doesn't fit you well enough. You can return the one you liked less than the other, as long as the seller allows it, and it saves you the stresses of trying to find another dress last minute.

Listed below are just a few of the options that you may come across when searching for dresses on eBay!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-White-Ivory-Wedding-Dresses-Bridal-Gown-Custom-Size-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-/151656386465?hash=item234f6ccfa1:g:y34AAOSwEeFVNcV6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Ivory-lace-Bridal-Gown-Wedding-Dress-Custom-Size-2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-/272139030693?hash=item3f5cc010a5:g:PhMAAOSwa-dWhfEM

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ivory-White-Bridal-Gowns-Chiffon-Wedding-Dresses-Custom-Size-2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-/161623482267?hash=item25a1829f9b:g:CTgAAOSwI-BWJvPM



And that is only the beginning! Check local websites for people who are selling dresses in your area. Look around at antique shops and thrift shops. If you find a dress you love and it's too big, alterations will still be significantly cheaper than buying a dress at a big name store. Getting the perfect dress on a budget definitely calls for more patience and creativity that buying a dress at any price, but is well worth it in the end.

When You Forget to Love All of You

I am the absolute worst when it comes to comparing myself to other people. I look at their hair, their faces, their talents and abilities, their possessions, and tell myself that I’m not good enough because my life isn’t identical to theirs. I’ll love my body until someone posts a picture of themselves on Instagram and suddenly I can’t stand to look in the mirror. I’ll love my college major until I see someone being so successful in theirs and I’ll want to give up. I’ll feel like my life is on track until I hear stories about someone else’s and mine suddenly feels dull and I find myself wanting what they have. It sounds ridiculous as I read that part out loud, but I can’t be the only one who’s ever felt like this.

Luckily for us, one awesome attribute about God is His creativity. He has created each of us different from one another, no one being made “less” than the other. With that being said, it is wrong for us to dislike who were created to be. We are created with a purpose, one that we may not even see yet. Each individual has been given a unique purpose, and to crave someone else’s downplays what God has in store for you.

I need to learn to fully love and appreciate the beauty and the talents of others without downplaying my own. This has been an issue that I have been struggling with and dealing with for quite a long time, but especially these last few months. It has had a negative effect on my ability to serve the Lord. I find that when I don’t like myself, I don’t want to like God either. Reading my Bible is the last thing I want to do when I feel like I don’t compare to everyone around me. But this is dangerous because it’s impossible for me to ask God to use me how He sees fit when I don’t like where He has me right now. Learning to love who God made me to be while also appreciating His other creations is a work in progress, but is essential to my life here on earth. I cannot fully serve God until I love everything He has made me to be.

It’s so easy to forget your worth, but we are worth more than we can understand in the eyes of our Savior. What a beautiful truth to know.  

The Wedding Series: Venue

Obviously a wedding isn’t going to happen without a place to host it.

Let’s talk venue! I knew right away that I wanted to have a wedding outside. I knew I wanted it to be somewhere with a lot of trees, preferably a clearing in the woods somewhere. And I found just that.

My reception was held at an outdoor chapel in the woods at a church camp. There was a wooden stage with wooden benches, and the scenery was beautiful. The whole setting was breathtaking. The ceremony ended at about five in the afternoon, just as the sun was setting through the trees. The reception was held in the lodge at the top of the hill that led down to the ceremony. Inside were wooden walls and a big fireplace inside a dimly lit room filled with candles. Outside the lodge, the guests were able to walk around trails going through the woods while the sun set. And all of this cost me less than $200.

 

Now, I definitely got lucky with such an amazing venue for such a small amount of money, but there are some ways for anyone living anywhere to get a venue that they love and still save money.

Look at church camps. Many church camps will have an outdoor chapel, which will work for most of the year. If you’re having your wedding during the colder months, most camps have a lodge or indoor chapel of some kind. Church camp prices will run lower than a lot of other places, too.

Another option is a friend or family member’s backyard. The setting is intimate and beautiful, and will most likely cost you little to nothing. I held my reception in a separate building, but you could hold both in the same general area. Even renting a tent or canopy is cheaper than most venues.

The greatest thing about having a wedding outside is that the setting will serve as decoration, saving you even more money. For the ceremony, we decorated the stage with an arch and some greenery, but besides that the woods served as the most beautiful part of the décor. An outdoor wedding also makes for the most beautiful pictures. The setting also allows you to make your wedding as casual or as formal as you would like it to be, as you don’t have to fit your wedding to any sort of décor that already exists inside a building.

It’s not difficult to save money when looking for a venue. Don’t settle for the most expensive, most popular place. Be creative and open-minded. After all, the day will be wonderful and perfect no matter where you have it!

A Day in Kansas City

Last Wednesday, Joshua and I got to explore Kansas City as part of my Christmas present. We had tickets to see Josh Garrels and John Mark McMillan in concert, but we walked around downtown before the concert started. We came across this coffee shop called Quay. I had heard nothing but good things about this place and for good reason; their lattes were to die for. Best coffee I have ever had, hands down. The people there were great, and the atmosphere was calming. If you ever have a chance to go down to Kansas City, check out this coffee shop.                                               <--- And look how stinking cute he is.

We went antiquing at the coolest antique shop I have ever seen. There were three levels plus a basement full of everything you could ever think of. We walked around for an hour and still hadn't even made it to the top floor.
And we decided on this trip that we are going to start collecting vintage cameras.

And finally, the best part of the whole trip. We saw Josh Garrels and John Mark McMillan live at Uptown Theatre. Before the show started, VIP ticket holders got to do a Q&A with the two of them. I learned so much about them as performers, as people, and as followers of Jesus. It was so cool to not only see them perform, but also to be completely transparent with us about all different aspects of their lives.

Following the Q&A was the best live performance I have ever seen. I didn't know it was possible, but both artists sounded even better live than they do on their albums. Josh Garrels played "Heaven's Knife", the song that Joshua and I danced to at our wedding, which was a really cool moment for Joshua and me.

After about three hours of music, the concert started coming to a close with McMillan coming out into the crowd and all of us singing along to an acoustic version of "How He Loves". Most people don't know, but that song was actually written by McMillan, and not by David Crowder. This trip was one of my favorites that we have taken together thus far, and by far my favorite concert. If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to the music of either of these two artists, I highly recommend you take the time to do so.