A Successful Marriage | Type A Bride

Powerful words of encouragement for all you brides and grooms:

"A successful marriage is not one in which two people, beautifully matched, find each other and get along happily ever after because of this initial matching. It is, instead, a system by means of which persons who are…contentious and so caught by a dream bigger than themselves that they work throughout the years, in spite of repeated disappointment, to make the dream come true."

- Elton Trueblood from The Recovery of Family Life

Your Dream Wedding for Less | Type A Bride

The average wedding in the US now-a-days is about $30,000. It's even higher in the OC. We all know that weddings are expensive.

BUT your dream wedding is possible without having to spend all that you have. We’d like to share some of the tips we’ve learned from family, friends, wedding resources, and our personal experience:

• Free Airfare to Your Honeymoon: http://www.citicards.com/ or http://www.americanexpress.com/ and many other credit card companies will offer special deals of earning 25,000 free miles when you sign up and spend about $750 in 4 months. 25,000 miles will already be enough for a free roundtrip. However, if you’re going more of a distance away such as Hawaii, you can earn the extra miles you need by charging all your wedding expenses to that card. Since the average wedding is $30K, you’re bound to hit the required miles or be able to buy the remainder cheaply. Important Note: Cancel it within a year so you don’t have to pay the annual fee.

• Don’t Hold Your Wedding during Peak Days/Times: Peak times: Late Spring, Summer, Friday and Saturday nights. If you can avoid any of those peak times, you should be able to reduce a good chunk of the price of all your vendors.

• Rent the Dress: *Gasp* Did I say rent?! Don’t buy your dress. Decide for yourself are you really ever going to wear it again? Plus, how will you store it? You can rent a gorgeous bridal gown for as low as $150 that, at retail is over $1K. Bridesmaids’ dresses can be rented for as low as $35. Tuxes can also be rented as low as $35. The place to go? For those in the OC, go to the Little Saigon area in Westminster. There are plenty of districts that will allow you to rent so ask around. THOSE are where these good deals are. Try around though and make sure you’re getting the right price for your dress. One store that was just a block away of the final place I rented my dress was charging over $100 more for the same dress!

• Prioritize the Important Vendors: Prioritize which vendors are important to you. I’ve heard many say that, after all the wedding plans, they never more than once watched their wedding video. That immediately prompted me to not hire a videographer and to be willing to spend more on a quality photographer. But remember for your IMPORTANT vendors, pick the best that you can afford. You cannot skimp out on quality when it comes to the most important elements of your wedding.

• Hire the Up & Coming Vendors: Have your hair done by students from a hair academy. Have your make up done by an artist just starting to build his/her business/portfolio. Ask around to other friends if they know anyone they recommend that is just starting.

• Ask for Deals: Remember that you’re the customer. Ask your vendors if there are any circumstances where they can give special deals or discounts.

• Go to Free Make-Up Counters: I’ve seen make-up artists up to $500 for a one day event. Why pay them when you can go to a make-up counter for free at a mall? Go around to see which one you like and schedule it 3 months in advance. If done on a weekday, most make-up consultants will do it for free with no required purchase.

• Accessorize for Less Than $20: Buy your accessories where they are still beautiful but not expensive. There’s the Santee down LA. There’s Little Saigon. There’s K-town. If a relative is traveling to a foreign country, you might want to hit them up to buy the accessories. Go online.

• Cut Out Traditions that Are Unimportant to You: Is a limo that important to you? Do you really need to mail out a Send-the-Date? Do you really find meaning and significance in performing the Unity Candle, etc? Talk with your fiancé about what you may want to keep or throw out and you can chip away expenses like that. Do you really care about a guestbook? Will you do anything with it afterwards? Why not just have that be an online feature?

• Wait on Your Wedding Band: If you already have an engagement ring and have a dream wedding in mind, you may want to forgo the wedding band as a future anniversary gift or none at all. The plus side? Save potentially thousands of dollars and still be looked at as the bride much longer after your wedding.

• See What Your Ceremony/Reception Site Provides: If your site can provide audio equipment or decorations that are included, you can significantly cut costs with your vendors. It is less transportation and general work for them. You can negotiate a lower price because of that.

• Take the Free Offers: TheKnot.com and plenty of other sites will make you a wedding website for free. Take advantage of it!

• Borrow: Borrow items you can use from other people. There are plenty of things you can reuse: accessories, the veil, a fancy sporty car, etc.

• Have Delicious Food that Costs Less: Did you know that In-N-Out can cater weddings? That’s right. I went to a wedding that allowed me to eat unlimited In-N-Out burgers and, oh man, it was worth it. Caterers usually allow for complimentary samplings of their menu.

• Look Outside the Box for Your Wedding Invitations: Make your own invitations from Michaels and Wal-Mart. Or how about printing your own invitations as movie tickets and using a custom print company that’ll charge a lot less? Also, the technology is available. Why not e-mail your invitations now (i.e. www.evite.com )? Why mail out hard copies and pay for postage twice? Otherwise, you can hand deliver your invitations. How many of us honestly keep the invitation afterwards anyway?

• Ask for Volunteers: Last but not least, there are people that have blessed and surprised us so much with their love and support to help this dream wedding come true. Their help has significantly saved us time, energy, and money.

• Additional Highly Recommended Resources:

1. Bridal Bargains by Denise & Alan Fields: This book is awesome and chalk full of information on how to save money with details on actual good and bad vendors.

2. http://www.theknot.com/ : This website is overflowing with general wedding information, not to mention ideas you can copy.

3. Google Ideas to Save Money: Google “how to save money on a wedding” and you’ll get tons of links and articles to help you.

Let me know if you guys have any other resources you recommend!

The Penrose Room at The BROADMOOR | So Scrumptious

• Restaurant: The Penrose Room
• Location: The BROADMOOR Hotel | Colorado Springs, CO
• Menu: French
• Attire: Jackets are required for gentlemen
• Price Range: The 3-course menu is $72 per person and the 4-course menu is $78 per person. The Chef's Tasting Menu is $102 per person, with wines $158 per person.
• Hours: Open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday only
• Reservations: Recommended

We celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary at the lovely Colorado Springs, CO.

From all the hotels and restaurants we've been grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy, none compare to the impeccable hospitality, service, and quality dining served at The BROADMOOR Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO.

We just happened to choose The BROADMOOR Hotel from a recommendation of a friend in culinary school whose taste we trusted. Little did we realize we would be in for such a delightful experience!

Massive

The BROADMOOR Hotel is massive with 3,000 acres with 11 restaurants, shopping center, golf course, spa, and a movie theater inside the hotel alone. To our delight, we learned (and very quickly observed) that we were in one of the top hotels in the world: a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort.

Award Winning

When we stayed there in November, the hotel had just been honored with the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award for a record 50th consecutive year. In fact, it is the longest-running consecutive winner of both the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star and the AAA Five-Diamond award. On top of that, it is the only hotel in the world to Triple Crown. In 2010, the resort was honored with a Five-Star win for the hotel, the Spa at Broadmoor, and the world-renowned Penrose Room restaurant.

A view of some of the beautiful rooms at the resort:

After viewing the size and beauty of the resort, we knew we HAD to get a taste of this award-winning dining experience.

The Penrose Room Experience

Set at the top floor of the tallest building in the resort, we were instantly won over by the beauty and the best customer service we had ever experienced. We were given celebrity treatment, especially with it being our anniversary, from all of the staff! No exception. It was our 1st time we got to experience several waiters surrounding our tables, setting down plates at the table and, in a synchronized motion, lifting the covers to reveal AMAZINGLY delicious food.

Throughout the night, we were given complimentary dishes by Chef Bertrand Bouquin that helped prepare our palate for the next course of the meal. In the background, we were serenaded by a lovely jazz band that completed the romantic ambiance.

We were SO pleased with the amazing service and quality of the food that we spoke with the manager. Completely thrilled with the place, we requested an opportunity for an exclusive photo session with the restaurant after hours. To our delight, we were granted the opportunity.

When we arrived home, we were followed up with a kind and impressively personalized Thank You letter from the CEO and President of The BROADMOOR. This is truly a place worth visiting!

To Brides & Grooms: We HIGHLY recommend The BROADMOOR Hotel for a honeymoon or anniversary spot. Let them know that you are celebrating and you will be treated so wonderfully. This is also a very affordable location! We were given a complimentary upgrade to a suite for staying there 5 days and only paid $160/night. The food and the hotel prices are comparably affordable, especially when considering the amazing world-class quality.

'Til we eat again, we hope you enjoyed this edition of our "So Scrumptious" explorations.

A New Year A New Wardrobe | Type A Bride

For many of you ladies, including you lovely brides, you know what it's like to have to pack up all your things and fit it in a new home and closet. It's amazing what old clothes you find buried somewhere in the abyss of your old one.

So I invited a dear friend and fashion expert to help me welcome the New Year...by purging my closet. At the end of the cleansing, I learned that 1/2 my closet was unacceptable or unflattering, including my old freshmen club t-shirts, sophomore homecoming gown and my favorite pair of white dress shoes...that were no longer white.

*Sigh* I have much to learn.

Still, it was refreshing to have another pair of eyes see what really flattered my body shape and style. I invite you to do the same with some girl or guy friends you trust!

Whether you're interested in starting anew, I'd like to share some valuable piece of information on WHAT to shop for in the New Year as you plan out your wardrobe. Check this helpful article out from the fashion consultant from Project Runway!

Tim Gunn's 10 Essential Elements for Women:
The MUST Have Basic Wardrobe for Women
http://womensfashion.suite101.com/article.cfm/tim_gunns_10_essential_elements



For you brides-to-be, the list may have 1 or 2 things you'll want to add to the registry!

'Til next time, let me know if you have any good fashion or shopping tips!

Wedding Trends for 2010 | Type A Bride

What's in for weddings in this new year? Check out these great ideas and news from The Knot on Wedding Trends for 2010!

Wedding Style: 10 Hot Wedding Trends for 2010!

Get some great ideas on how to create your modern wedding and tweak it for your love story. Follow them on their Facebook Fan Page to get in touch with the latest on weddings.

Cashton | Little Treasure Coming Soon

Location: Shady Canyon Trail @ Irvine, CA

After flying in for the holidays all the way from Arizona, Nikki & Robert were such an adorable couple to photograph! It's always a pleasure to have a shoot with a couple very much in love, especially with their 1st precious baby on the way!



After about 2 hours on this trail, David & I concluded that this good looking couple, after 8 months of pregnancy, is WAY more in shape than we are. It's definitely been a motivator for us to start working off the newlywed fat for this new year.

Jessica & Sean | Introducing Mr. & Mrs.

LOCATION

Ceremony: Historic Church of Fullerton

Reception: The Meridian Club @ Fullerton, CA

THE VENDORS

Event Planning & Design: A Good Affair

A STYLIN' wedding with a beautiful and lively bridal party and family! The slideshow of the lovely event is up and ready below for your viewing pleasure.

To Jessica & Sean, you guys are a beautiful couple. We wish you both a wonderful life together.

Congratulations, Jessica & Sean!!!