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

Wedding Checklist

It's not until the day after when you both realize something: "Crap! Now we have to actually plan a wedding..." But no fear. That's what I'm here for. 

Below I have created a "Wedding Checklist" that is set on a one-year timeline. It will include a list of everything you will need to order, book, purchase and so on. 

Planning a wedding can be intimidating, but like I've said before, don't let the fear and anxiety cripple the excitement and joy that goes along with planning your wedding. Everything will work out, I promise!

Photo Credit: David Witt

After Engagement

• Tell Everyone!
• Create a Budget
• Make Appointments at Bridal Boutiques
• Get a Planner

Eleven to Twelve Months

• Find a Venue
• Choose an Official Date
• Select Caterer
• Choose Officiant
• Theme of the Wedding
• Begin a Rough Draft Guest List
• Choose the Wedding Party 
• Choose Ring Bearer and Flower Girl(s)
• Create Wedding Registries
• Engagement Party
• Send "Thank You" Cards
• Begin Projects

Eight to Ten Months

• Order Wedding Dress
• Take Engagement Photos
• Book Photographer, Florist and DJ
• Book Hotel Room for Yourselves 
• Block Hotel Rooms for Guests
• Finalize Guest List
• Send "Save the Date" Notices
• Food and Cake Tastings
• Decide on Dinner Options
• Order Cake
• Book Honeymoon
• Begin Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Four to Seven Months

• Order Bridesmaid Dresses *Seven Months*
• Second Wedding Dress Fitting
• Choose Attire for Men, Ring Bearer, Flower Girls, Mothers and Fathers.
• Purchase Wedding Bands
• Start Browsing Invitation Designs
• Renew Passports, If Necessary
• Begin Planning Rehearsal Dinner / Party
• Book Transportation for Wedding Party
• Find a Hairstylist and Makeup Artist
• Begin Buying Reception Decorations

Two to Three Months

• Send Invitations with Directions and RSVP Cards
• Get Final Fittings for Bridesmaids
• Write Vows
• Make Appointments for Hair & Makeup
• Choose Gifts for Wedding Party
• Finalize Wedding Ceremony
• Apply for Marriage License
• Finish Projects and Reception Decor
• Design and Finish Wedding Programs
• Contact Vendors for Confirmation

One Month

• Final Wedding Dress Fitting
• Go Over Playlist with DJ
• Contact Vendors for Confirmation
• Begin to Plan Seating Chart for Reception/Dinner
• Gather and Complete Name Changing Documents
• Go Over Insurance with Future Husband
• Do Hair and Makeup Trials
• Confirm Honeymoon
• Make Sure Rings are Clean and Fitted Properly
• Get Marriage License
• Give Shot List to Photographer
• Make Necessary Payments
• Contact Guests Who Haven't RSVP'ed
• Bachelorette and Bachelor Party
• Bridal Shower
• Wrap Wedding Party Gifts
• Get Accessories for Bride, Bridesmaids, Mothers, and Flower Girl(s)

One day to One week

• Final Head Count
• Finalize Seating Chart
• GET RINGS
• Get Dresses and Tuxes Pressed or Steamed
• Confirm All Vendors, Once More
• Pay Off All Remaining Balances
• Pack for Honeymoon
• Get Facials and Waxes
• Get Tan
• Nails Done
• Give Marriage License to the Officiant 
• Decorate Ceremony & Reception Area
• Write Place Cards
• Rehearsal Dinner
• Give Wedding Party Gifts
• Get a Good Night Sleep

Wedding Day!

Good luck, ladies!

With Love,

     Olivia Mae

Wedding Themes: Seasonal (Part Deux)

And here's as promised, my follow up post on seasonal weddings. Today I'll be covering...

~ Fall & Winter ~

Photo Credit: Wedding Bee

Photo Credit: Pantone, Fashion + Home

Fall:

I am really excited to talk about this particular season. Earlier this year, Pantone released their top color choices for fall 2013, and I must say, these colors will look fabulous with any wedding this upcoming fall.

The photo directly below are the exact colors Pantone released. While all of them are beautiful, I chose emerald and acai to be my top favorites! This is mostly due to the fact that when it comes to having a fall theme, I have seen a lot of oranges and browns, which are also good colors, but I feel that emerald and acai would be definite head-turners! 

A perfect example of this is the bridesmaid dress to the right. Acai is a luscious shade of purple that goes wonderfully with traditional fall colors if that is a direction the bride so chooses. 

Winter:

It may be the coldest season, but I think it's agreed that its the season when everyone's heart is the warmest. Not only do the winter months include a visit from Santa Clause but it also has the delights of hour long snowball fights and warming up to the fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa. 

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart

If you decide to have this theme, why not tie in those traditional winter delights into your wedding.

Many couples decide to take wedding pictures after the ceremony in order to follow tradition. While those sessions can take an hour or so, why not give your guests a treat that will remind them of their childhood: hot chocolate! 

Photo Credit: Unknown

There are many ways a bride can go about setting something like this up. You can organize a hot chocolate bar so the guests can create their own or have cups hot and ready to serve! In the picture above, this couple created personalized sleeves for their special day! I love that idea.

However, one of my favorite ideas for a winter wedding is a long-sleeved wedding dress. Preferably with lace; I'm a sucker for lace. Princess Kate is a perfect example of how a woman can pull this off, it's absolutely stunning! 

Have an amazing weekend, everyone!

With love,

     Olivia Mae

Wedding Themes: Seasonal (Part One)

Alright, ladies. Now that he popped the question, there is one major detail you need to decide on before you channel your inner Bridezilla: choosing a theme! 

There are thousands of different themes a couple can choose from and sometimes, it can become a little overwhelming. But for starters, lets look at some seasonal weddings.

~ Spring & Summer ~

** REMINDER: I will have a "Part Deux" entry coming up cover Fall and Winter **

Spring:

Photo Credit: Bridal Musings

When it comes to seasonal weddings, this one may take the cake in my book. Brides who have spring inspired weddings can heavily benefit from the freshly bloomed flowers and blossom lined tree tops. 

Coordinating pastels into the wedding will freshen up the look and feel of your wedding while keeping a sophisticated atmosphere. 

And perhaps, with this theme, deciding on the bridesmaids dresses couldn't be any easier. As shown in the picture, mix and matching the styles of the dresses will help satisfy the elegant and playful feel.  This also allows your girls to have a slight reign of freedom when their dress shopping; in the end everyone will be happy.

Photo Credit: Alzuro

Photo Credit: Unknown

Summer:

When someone says summer, I think bright and vibrant! 

I have been to a couple of summer wedding where yellow was part of their color scheme, and it was absolutely beautiful!  

Perhaps a bride thinks yellow is a bit too bright to be the focal point, but adding yellow as an accent color will definitely make everything pop!

This can be done with the decorations of the wedding, as shown in the photo above. Not only can this become a great centerpiece, it will also be an easy and inexpensive project you can do with your bridesmaids! 

Please Note: When I have these blog posts, I'm not saying that these are the only colors schemes and decor that someone can have for these seasonal weddings. This is just to give a bride an idea of how they can go about planning one.

I hope you all loved these ideas. But no worries, I'll be back with more!

With love,

     Olivia Mae

So, This is Me

Welcome! 

I'm Olivia Mae Bell
 Olivia Mae for short & and that's me on top of Mount LeConte! 

To tell you a little about myself, I'm currently a full-time student pursuing my bachelors degree in Business Administration.

However, now that summer finally rolled around, I'm all about one thing: 

weddings! 

This summer I'm helping two of my very best friends with the wedding of their dreams! 

Although we're all the best of friends, by no means do these girls have similar themes... 

Ann: Sophisticated Fairy Tail           -   October 2013
Brittney: American Vintage              -        May 2015    

But there is one common element: 
Being a broke college student!

And this is where my blog comes into play. This blog is dedicated towards do-it-yourself (DIY) wedding projects on a modest budget. My goal is to give future wives and wedding planners a doorway to an inexpensive yet beautiful wedding day of their dreams.

True, I have yet had a ring on my finger but I have helped my sister-in-laws, and now my best friends. 

I've been through the ups and downs of the wedding process, especially when it comes down to minding the budget. I wish I could say that planning a wedding is a piece of cake, but I would be lying. It's work, hard work. But by paying close attention to the budget and becoming a master at time management, any man, woman, or couple can pull off a wedding. 

Couples in similar situations as my girlfriends may have an overwhelming sensation of fear, anxiety, and frustration with the thought of how much money is spent on weddings. But please, don't let the fear cripple the excitement and joy that's supposed to go along with planning the wedding of your dreams. 

Let me guide you.

By following the blog, I will post ideas and tutorials to everything there is to know about a wedding. It will range from DIY invitations, centerpieces, bouquets, ideas for themes, how-to's, and important lists needed for a wedding and so on. 

In addition to the various DIY projects and themes, I will also insert links to my very own site that will have similar projects to the ones you are interested in. Those links will also direct to purchase supplies in order to accomplish these projects.

I hope you will find a peace of mind through this blog. If you have any questions, feel free to email me through the contact form below.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

     With love,
         Olivia Mae