Summer Sessions

This summer, I enrolled in a couple of summer classes, just to make my upcoming semesters a little lighter.  The first class began in June and lasted four weeks. Looking back, I was terrified of the thought of an entire semester all rolled into four weeks, but in all honesty, it was not all that bad.  Don't get me wrong, it was pretty intense with a pretty heavy work load, but it was manageable. 

I have heard horror stories and read them online, but I have come to realize over the years that it is usually the students who don't do well in classes that rant on and on on the teacher rating sites. 

Below, I will list some of the things that I have learned throughout the past four weeks in ACC 255.

1. Time Management
• This is most likely the most important factor I have taken from this course. Students are often tempted by sunny summer days, where homework is the last thing on their mind. In the past four weeks, I was able to train myself, you could say, and make a weekly schedule in order to accomplish tasks for each project.
2. How to create an ebusiness from scratch
3. Blogging
4. How to create a website
5. How to gain traffic to sites
6. I learned that bloggers can become affiliates in order to produce revenue
• I have always wondered how bloggers created a living this way.
7. The concept of affiliate marketing
• I was disappointed to find out that I wasn't able to become an affiliate for amazon because of Illinois tax laws.
8. How to use html codes for customizing websites and blog posts
9. Implementing advertisements through html codes
10. How to find key words that will help others find your site/blog
11. How to link to sites within a webpage or blog
12. How to create an ebook
13. Discovering my niche
• I learned that this niche site and blog might be something that I continue to do.
14. How to help others through my past experiences

Tutorials: DIY Fingerprint Invitations

This is another post for DIY Invitations.  Invitations can be pretty pricey, depending on how many guests you plan on having. Usually, if you're having a smaller wedding, it's more cost effective to create your own, whereas, if you're having a fairly large wedding, many online places will give you discounts if you plan on having a lot of guests. 

My friend Ann did this for her wedding and it turned out beautifully! Ann ended up doing this for her save the dates, but this can easily be converted into an invitation. This project is beyond easy and super cheap. 

Photo Credit: Ann's Personal Photo

Fingerprints

 Supplies:

- Card Stock

- Alphabet Stamps

- Ink Pad

- Ruler

- Paper Towels

- Fine Tip Pen 

**For the ombre invitation tutorial, click HERE**

Photo Credit: Oh So Beautiful Paper

Step One: Print First

...If you're deciding to print out the invitation details on your computer, do this first! This will allow you to leave space for your fingerprints without having the to smudge the ink.

...If you're writing out your invitations, do this before too, just to avoid smudging the ink.

Step Two: Takes Two to Tango

...Now, this is the rare occasion where he will need to be involved. That's the whole fun of this project! Once you have designated the area of where you are going to put the fingerprints, take your index finger and press it onto the ink pad. Immediately transfer it to the invitation before it gets dry. If you are wanting to add stamped letters, similar to Ann's, ago ahead and do this here too.

I know how stressful planning can be, so if you need a little pick me up, watch this video. It's hilarious and will guarantee to brighten your day! 

Happy planning!

With Love, 

     Olivia Mae

Tutorials: DIY Carnation Centerpieces

This is another centerpiece that falls in all the right categories: beautiful, simple, and most importantly, CHEAP! This project also allows some wiggle room to personalize and variations. Go crazy and let your mind run free!

Photo Credit: Hostess with the Mostess

Bell of the Ball
Supplies: 
- Candle Holder
- Floral Foam Ball
- Half Inch (wide) Dowel Rod (optional)
- Real or Fake Carnations
- Water
- Glue

Step One: Prepping for Real Flowers
... Real Carnations- Soak the foam ball in water for forty five minutes prior to project. This will keep the foam moist for the flowers. Once soaked, let sit on a paper towel to drain excess water.
... Fake Carnations- No real prep needed.

Step Two: Start Stickin'
... Real Carnations- Begin to work the flowers evenly around the foam, making sure to cover every inch of foam, without compromising the weight; meaning, try to avoid over flowering certain sections. If there are gaps, we can fix them later.
...Fake Carnations- With your DRY foam ball, take a blossom and add a drop a glue to the tip of the stem, then begin to distribute evenly around the ball. 

Photo Credit: DIY Weddings Magazine

Step Three: Stabilize the Sucker (optional)
... This goes for both real and fake carnations, if you feel comfortable leaving the ball balance on top of the candle holder, great, but if not, you may want to follow this step.
...With your carnation-filled ball, take the dowel rod and generously apply glue on the rod, then stick it into the foam ball a quarter to half the way in. This will stabilize the ball and keep it from falling off the stick.

Photo Credit: Cheap Unique Wedding

Let me know how yours turned out! Happy Planning

With Love,

     Olivia Mae

Tutorials: DIY Glittery Centerpieces

I hope everyone had a great fourth of July weekend! I can relate to how difficult it can be to get back into the swing of things. It seems like I have had writers block for the last couple of days, but no worries, I'm back!

I am going to cover more DIY projects for your wedding reception. Today, I will give you a tutorial on a centerpiece I helped my friend Ann with. I will also list the supplies needed to accomplish the project. If you click on the supplies, it will lead you to a site where you can purchase them online, if you so choose to. 

Glitter Candles/Sticks

Photo Credit: Brunch at Saks

Supplies: 

- Candles/Candlesticks

- Glitter

- Pan

- Masking Tape

- Spray Adhesive

         or

- *Mod Podge*

- *Paint Brush*

Step 1: Find a designated working area.

...If possible, try to do the project outside or in a well ventilated area. Fumes will be strong but don't have a ceiling fan! Glitter will go everywhere.

Photo Credit: Lee Mae Marie

Step 2: Taping the Top

... Only half an inch away from the top and bottom if you so choose to. This will give a polished look in the end.  

Step 3: Getting Sticky

...Spray Adhesive Users- Generously spray the candle/candlestick while avoiding to touch any wet areas. 

...Mod Podge Users- Dip the paint brush into some mod podge and brush a thin layer onto the candle/candlestick.

Step 4: The Fun Part

...After applying your choice of adhesive, immediately begin to cover in glitter. Hold the wet candle/candlestick above a pan and sprinkle the glitter, making sure to cover the entire area. Then set aside to dry.

Let me know how yours turned out or other ways you found made the project easier!

Happy planning!

With love,

     Olivia Mae

Must Haves: Emergency Kit

"It's my wedding day. Everything has to be perfect!"

Sound familiar? It's okay, every bride goes through a panic stage; whether it's during the planning process or the day of, but no matter what, it's best to always be prepared!  Today, I'll be covering the Wedding Day Emergency Kit.

The Maid of Honor is the one who is usually in charge of this, so if she tends to be forgetful, remind her of how important this is! 

On the day of the wedding, no matter now much we want everything to go smoothly, there are always going to be a few bumps in the road.  However, with this DIY Kit handy, you will be ready for all of those pesky bumps!

**These items should all be able to fit in a 

medium to large makeup bag**

What You'll Need: Safety pins, double-sided tape, bobby pins, ponytails, lint roller, mints/gum, tissues, chapstick, lipstick, lip gloss, travel sized deodorant and hairspray, Advil, tampons, pads, mirror, Tide-to-Go, comb, nail polish, mini sewing kit, tweezers, nail filer, tums, and most importantly, a granola bar.

The granola bar, or any small snack, is crucial! Make sure you eat! Your nerves will be going haywire, making your tummy probably feel queasy (that's what the Tums are for), but make sure you have something in your stomach. The last thing you will want is to pass out while you're standing at the alter!

Planning a wedding can be stressful, to say the least, but with the right tools, it can make the process much easier.

Happy Planning!

With love,

   Olivia Mae

Budget, Budget, Budget

As theMODESTbride, I thought I could go over some tips on how you and your fiance can stick to your planned budget.  After doing some research and going on past experiences, I have concluded that the average wedding costs up to $20,000. Makes you a little sick, doesn't it?  As I said in previous posts, it is imperative to sit down and have a serious conversation about the budget and seeing whether or not the parents are going to be contributing. It may be an uncomfortable conversation, but it has to be done. Once you have figured out the numbers, stick to it! Here are a few tips to stick with your budget:

1.) What Is Most Important: Once you have decided on your budget, you two need to decide on what about the wedding is necessary to have, then write it down. This will be your list to remind you about what is important to purchase, stopping yourself from splurging on unnecessary items.

2.) More People = More Alcohol & Food: The bigger the head count, the bigger the bill is going to be for alcohol and dinner. Decide whether or not you are going to have an open bar or any alcoholic beverages at all. And for dinner, if you are having a smaller wedding, ideally less than one hundred people, consider doing a buffet! Cheaper!

3.) Mmm Dessert: Traditionally, people have beautifully decorated cakes but lately I have seen a lot of people doing cupcakes! It's a great idea but keep in mind the head count! Try not to purchase more than you need.

4.) Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Purchase decorations that you can reuse! I remember throwing away so many decorations from my sister's wedding; they were beautiful but such a waste! If you use a lot of mason jars, use them as pots for plants or even cups! 

5.) Choosing Wedding Dates: Believe it or not, there are some days in the year where you will receive a discount from venues! My best friend Brittney and her fiance chose the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend because they found a ton of places that reduced their venue prices! Never do it on a holiday but weekends of holidays are great too!

Happy Planning!

With love, 

    Olivia Mae

Themes: Red, White, & Blue

Happy early 4th of July!

I will be at my brother's annual fourth of July party, so I figured I do some posts before hand. I got to thinking about what to cover and I thought, why not do a red, white, and blue wedding! 

Photo Credit: One Lovely Wedding

July fourth is not the only holiday a couple can do a red, white and blue theme. For instance, if you have been following my blogs, you would have learned that my best friend is getting married on Memorial Day weekend, which is another great holiday for this color scheme. Not only that, if a couple chooses to have their wedding on a holiday weekend, venue prices are relatively cheaper! But, please, try to avoid having your wedding on the day of a holiday. Guests tend to not show up, as well as making it difficult to find a DJ and photographer that is willing to give up their holiday time. 

Anyway, when someone thinks red, white and blue, one tends to think of independence day and good ol' America. While some people may think this theme is tacky, there are others out there who have proven them wrong. Below I will show you how someone can pull off a beautiful independence day wedding.

Bridesmaids

Photo Credit: Unknown

This is a very patriotic theme and luckily, it becomes an no brainer when it comes to choosing the bridesmaid dresses. All you need to decide on is the style of the dress. Since these themes are great for the summer season, women tend to go with short dresses. 

As you can see in the photo, you can mix and match the colors, and no matter which colors you choose as the focal point, it will look beautiful.

Photo Credit: Studio 1208

Decorations 

If you're having a Military wedding, many couples have chosen to do a more sophisticated set up, as shown on the right, or you can make it more of a fun and quirky atmosphere with the lighter blues mixed with the reds.

Photo Credit: United with Love

Photo Credit: Unknown

Photo Credit: Storyboard Wedding

Photo Credit: Taylor 'D Events

               
                  

As for flower arrangements, here's a link where you can customize your own online.

Click Here!


Enjoy the holiday weekend!

With love,

    Olivia Mae

What's Been Happening

h a p p y   f r i d a y !

If you have been following, theMODESTbride is fairly new to the blogger world. I began a little over a week ago and so far, things have been going well. Over the course of a week, I have tried my best to post almost every day. 

As of today, I have twelve posts! So, with today's entry, I''m going to show you some of my favorite posts as of today, as well as give you direct links to those posts.

About Me
As you can obviously tell by the title, my very first post was to give you a glance into my life and why I stepped into the blogging world. Here you will also learn that I am currently helping two of my best friends with their wedding, so if I ever refer to Ann or Brittney, that's why.

Wedding Themes: Seasonal (Part One & Deux)
This was my first idea post aiming towards giving brides an insight of how to decorate and purchase items for seasonal themed weddings. Part one covered Spring and Summer. Here I talked about what color pallets would work well with each season, along with the styles of dresses. Part deux touched base on fall and winter weddings. For the fall, I mentioned the various color choices a bride could choose from while for winter, I mentioned styles of wedding dresses and treats to be served during cocktail hour.


Wedding Checklist
This is by far my favorite and I feel most important post to date. Every woman would like to have a checklist for their wedding, because of the fact that it can be so stressful. Here I set a one-year timeline of what a woman should do, order, purchase, and confirm throughout the wedding planning process. 


Once again, happy Friday, everyone!

With love,
     Olivia Mae

theMODESTbride Site!

h a p p y   f r i d a y ! 

I hope everyone had a good week, but I know there are many of you who are beyond excited for the weekend like I am! This weekend I'll be helping Ann with the decorations for her wedding. We'll be glittering candlestick holders, so, it'll be a little messy!

So, if you're staying in this weekend to do some of your projects, let me know what you're doing! Feel free to post some pictures too!

Now, if you've read my "About Me" post, you would have learned that I have my own site to go along with this blog! Given, it is a newer site and it's mostly the basics as of right now, but I wanted to let everyone know what it's all about.

theMODESTbride is geared towards becoming the bride's secret weapon for creating an inexpensively beautiful wedding.  I hope to form ideas, inspiration, and discovery so women can create the wedding of her dreams.

Here on the blog, I will be posting more tutorials for wedding decorations, invitations, bouquets, save-the-dates, and so many more. When I post tutorials, I will also leave a link to my site.  When you're redirected to theMODESTbride site, it will allow you to purchase all the supplies you will need in order to accomplish these projects. 

My hope is that theMODESTbride blog and site will be your one-stop shop when you're looking into a DIY wedding. My site will also have tutorials, lists, and tips, along with the supplies. 

As of next week, I'll be posting some more tutorials and tips for your DIY wedding. But if you have any ideas or would like me to make a tutorial for a particular project, or have any questions at all, let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear your ideas.

I hope everyone has an amazing Friday!

With love,

     Olivia Mae

Need Inspiration?

As you can tell by reading my previous post, blogging is a newer experience I'm trying, and so far, I'm loving it. However, since I'm new to the blogger world, I still need some inspiration.

I have tons of stories up my sleeve from previous weddings I've been apart of, but unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job documenting it. So, this is why I've been searching the web trying to find amazing photos that depicts my stories fairly well.

As I was looking this morning, I found myself always coming back to one particular blog.

.

Photo Credit: Ruffled

 It's so clean, simple, well-organized, sophisticated, and all around cute! Ruffled even has it's own DIY sections - I was immediately drawn. After browsing their blog, I wondered if other people liked this place as much as me, and not to my surprise, it's rated as some of the top wedding blogs out there!

Once I discovered Ruffled, I had to share it will all of you too. If you haven't already visited the blog, it should be your next stop. 

What really drew me in was the simplicity of the site. I've seen a lot of blogs where there's been a..

BAM! COLOR EXPLOSION

.

Ruffled has a very simple navigation bar, too. It's not difficult to find exactly what you want. Another cool aspect of the blog is the ability to submit your wedding. The homepage of the blog is dedicated towards other's weddings. People can submit photos of their wedding and Amanda, the woman who edits and founded Ruffled, will create an entire post dedicated to your wedding. 

If you'd like to check out Ruffled, just click the logo above!

Have a wonderful day!

With love,
     Olivia Mae

A Woman's Best Friend

(drum roll....)

P i n t e r e s t 

But before I go in depth about how fabulously wonderful this site it, I have something I would like to share.

Story time!

So, I work at a local video store where we get hundreds of customers everyday. 

Well, this past month I ran into a woman who was saying she still needs to figure out dinner for her family. 

As I'm ringing up to total, I suggest, "Just go to Pinterest" 

and her response, "Hm, sounds yummy, where's that at?"

M  y     j  a  w    d  r  o  p  p  e  d .

This woman, bless her heart, has never heard of it. Ludacris, right??

But in that moment, I knew I had to open her eyes to the wonderful world of Pinterest.

So, if you couldn't tell, today I'll be covering Pinterest. Since that encounter with that woman, I realized that not everyone may have heard about Pinterest yet, so I'm helping to spread the word!

Pinterest is a website where people can share what they found on the web with their friends and family through the site's "virtual pin board". You are, essentially, pinning your interests; get it?? 

For example, if you find a Rachel Ray recipe you'd like to try out and share with friends, you can simply "pin" that recipe to your customized recipe "board." You can even choose the picture you would like the "pin" to have. - This site is great for creating your very own "pins", where you can upload pictures from your computer.

Pinterest is for anyone at any age. Almost every woman in my family has their own account, give or take the little ones. 

 To the right is a snippet of what my homepage looks like.

**Can you tell some of my friends are getting married??**

Pinterest is great for finding just about anything, literally. If you need a recipe for dinner tonight, Pinterest has millions to choose from. 

Essentially, Pinterest is the Holy Grail for DIY project. There is even a category to browse dedicated to DIY. Whether you're looking for a new project, home decor, or even wedding bouquet tutorials, I promise, Pinterest will have it. 

Sign up to totally free; all you will need is an email address. If I've inspired you to delve into the world of Pinterest, you're very welcome! Click the photo below that will link to the world of pinning!

With love,
    Olivia Mae

Must Haves: Wedding Planner

... and no, I'm not talking about the movie.

but it is a super cute!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a freak when it comes to organizing; whether it's an event or a room, I believe everything has a "home."  This is why my friends love me helping out with their weddings, I'm always organized... and this is what this post is all about: Organization.

Now, if you're not hiring a professional wedding planner, creating one of you own is just as good. (and cheaper!) Another name for them are organizers. I mentioned back on my Wedding Checklist how useful it can be to have all of your important dates and reminders all rolled into one book. Planning a wedding is a stressful task, and trust me, you don't want to end up like her.

There are two ways to go about getting a wedding planner, 1.) Hello DIY  2.) Pre-Made 

 ~ d i y ~

Photo Credit: Wedding Friends

Photo Credit: Two Prince

If you prefer a little DIY project, this will be great for you. 

<---                     --->

Click on these links to access different types of tutorials!

~ pre-made ~

However, if you are a bride who is always on the move with little times to spare, purchasing a wedding planner will be the best option. 

A couple months ago, I was doing some online shopping on Amazon with my best friend, Brittney, and we stumbled on a wedding planner. Even though Britt's wedding isn't until 2015, she's not afraid to start things early.  After reading the reviews about the book, she bought it. Everyone raved about it, and now, so are we!

Photo Credit: Amazon - The Knot
Paperback - Revised Version

This wedding planner was created by The Knot, "a go-to wedding website", and it includes all a woman needs to plan her wedding such as worksheets for a guest list, scheduling, a color swatch, tips, checklist, and even supplies to create a separate binder. 

There are two versions of this but it's practically the same. The one pictured above is a paperback revised version that was released on March 2013.  It is revised from The Knot's successful first wedding planner version released in January 2013. The paperback shown is only $14.15. The first version is hardcover at $23.01. 

The Knot thought of everything when they created this planner. It's not only cute and colorful, but it's full of tools to keep you sane throughout the planning process. I recommend this to every bride out there! If you want to purchase the book or take a glance inside, click the links below.

Revised March 2013 Paperback Version - $14.15

Original January 2013 Hardcover Version - $23.01

With love,

     Olivia Mae

Invitations Galore

In my last post, I mentioned doing one dedicated to invitations. Here I'm going to give you two to amazing invitation ideas, whether you're buying in bulk or making it a DIY project. Either way, it's always a good idea to get ideas early, especially if you're planning a big wedding. 

e t s y

Plan on buying in bulk and want to have thousand of options? Etsy will be your saving grace, but If you've never heard of Etsy... I forgive you. 

Photo Credit: Etsy

To put it simply, Etsy is a site for people to sell their vintage heirlooms, jewelry  custom wedding dresses, and more to everyone and everywhere.  This site has everything, literally, which makes it perfect for wedding invitations!


Etsy has pages upon pages of options to choose from.  However, each seller is different, so be aware of what you want. There are two ways of getting your invites: 1.) Mail   2.) PDF File

If the seller mails them to you, you don't have to worry about getting any more supplies. However, if you get a PDF file, you can print as many as you'd like, which is nice since you would only have to pay a flat fee, but then you would have to find the right size envelopes. Either option works well. 

Photo Credits: DIY Bride

diy ombre

We did this for Anna's invites and they couldn't have turned out better! 

This is from a bride's DIY blog; I included her directions below!



"Materials:

• Fabric dye (liquid or powder)
• Invite with words already printed (but no other graphics
• Trash can or container
• Spoon
• Paper Towels
• Glove

Step 1:

Start by setting up your dye in your container. Mix it according to the instructions on the package. I put a trash bag under my container so I wouldn't accidentally stain the floor.

Step 2:
Take your invitations one at a time and start to slowly dip in the dye. Start by dipping it all under to a certain point and then start bringing it up slowly. Keep in mind the longer it stays in the dye the more it will get stained. It is probably best to try this out on a practice sheet first to refine the look you want to achieve.

Finally lay it out to dry on a paper towel for a few hours. Repeat this process for each of your invitations. I love doing your invitations DIY because then everyone is different in some way."


Let me know what you think!

With love,
     Olivia Mae

Wedding & Fitness

I was searching ideas for more posts and I stumbled on Tone It Up! - Wedding Series created by two beautifully inspiring women, Karena and Katrina (K&K). These two are real life best friends who are models featured on magazines and billboards all around the word.  One day they decided to broaden their horizons and created a blog dedicated towards keeping women fit and healthy. K&K post daily with workout videos, tutorials, inspiring stories of their followers, nutrition programs, along with a bunch of recipes to keep a healthy lifestyle. 

Karena (left) & Katrina (right)
Photo Credits: Tone It Up

However, it wasn't until Karena got engaged when they began a wedding segment on their blog. Her wedding series is an amazing guide for brides, especially those who are having a beach theme.  She goes through practically every big step a woman goes through when planning a wedding. 

 Fiancé Nathaniel and Karena

My particular favorite post of hers was "Eat Drink, & Be Married." (Which made it that much better because it's a Dave Matthews Band lyric!) On this blog post, she talked about choosing the appropriate menu. Not only does she describe and list the courses she went through on her final wedding tasting, she also posted a video! She literally let you into her life and invited you to visit the last caterer (asides from the fact that we weren't able to taste the amazing food). 

Another plus to her post was that she was able to incorporate K&K's fitness aspect of it all by posting links to several workout videos on their YouTube channel. So, click this link,"Eat Drink, & Be Married", so that you'll be able to explore Karena's wedding unfolding right before your eyes. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!


With love,
    Olivia Mae