DIY Bride

Attention brides who’ve ordered gowns from a Maryland couple selling gowns via the internet. The Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has reached a settlement with Melody and James Row, the owners of a wedding gown business conducted under many names including:

• Bridal Elegance
• Elegant Creations
• The Bridal Suit
• Heavenly Accent

The Rows have agreed to stop their business practices after complaints that paying customers complained never received their dresses.

The settlement requires the Rows to pay restitution to consumers who paid for products they never received.

If you’ve ordered and have not received your gown from the above company, do contact the Maryland Consumer Protection Division by calling 410-528-8662 or by going to http:⁄⁄www.oag.state.md.us⁄Consumer⁄complaint.htm.

(Please be aware that there may be other reputable companies with the same - or similar - business names in other parts of the country.)
Read More…

Fab member, Ella, sent me this great link to a site where you enter your zip code and it’ll spit back what the “average” wedding cost in your area is. It even gives a breakdown of those costs.
I’m just a tad skeptical about how accurate/realistic/valid this service is. Why?

“On average, couples will spend $87,682.14 for their wedding in {my town}. This does not include cost for a honeymoon, engagement ring, bridal consultant or wedding planner. Add that in and cost could reach $116,258.00. ”

Riiiiight.

Now, granted, my town is one of the more spendy in the area. But over $100,000 for a wedding? I seriously doubt that’s even close to the average.

I plugged in the neighbouring town’s zip code and got a dramatically different result:

“On average, couples will spend $45,495.45 for their wedding in {neighbouring town}. This does not include cost for a honeymoon, engagement ring, bridal consultant or wedding planner. Add that in and cost could reach $60,322.00.” So, if I schlepp the less-than-10 miles to the next town, I can slash my wedding costs in half!

From my experience with working with local brides, I know that the average is closer to the $30,000 (or less) mark. And that’s here, in the Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is quite high.
Unfortunately, the wedding cost website doesn’t disclose its methodology. I’m very curious how they determine what the average is in each area. I suspect they’re using a percentage of the median household incomes and are not basing their results on what couples are actually spending on wedding items.

So, the cost website is fun to play around with but, as far as reliable information about local costs goes, I wouldn’t take it too seriously.

How does the site’s results compare with actual wedding costs in your area?
Read More…

For a mere $999 starting bid, you could own a piece of pop culture history, y’all. Someone is auctioning off an invitation and wedding favor candle from Britney Spears-Federline’s wedding.

Read More…

Khris shows you, step-by-step, how to create a monogram in MS PowerPoint.
Read More…

Khris shows you, step-by-step, how to create a monogram in MS Word.
Read More…

The 2nd DIYBride audio podcast of 2006 has been released and is available via iTunes
Khris gives an DIY invitations 101 presentation. Topics include:
* The importance of your invitation
* What your DIY options are
* The four essentials of invitation design
* Anatomy of an invitation
* A paper primer
* Invitation trends
* And, finally, a few tips and hints to set you on your way to awesome invitations

 

 DIY Bride Podcast Episode 2 [22:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In our first episode Khris introduces DIYBride.com, talks about how it got started, and shares her background.

 

 DIY Bride Podcast Episode 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I’ve released a brand new project sheet and template for creating a fan-style wedding program.

You can find the file in our downloads section.

Read More…

The US Postal Service released two new stamps last month designed specifically for wedding correspondence. The stamps are available in lavendar (39 cent) and light green (63 cents). Hopefully they’ll follow up with a corresponding stamp for post cards (great for RSVPs).
Read More…

A big thanks for Alison R. who shared her instructions for creating a rhinestone - embellished tank. This project can be adapted to any iron-friendly surface such as shoes, handbags, and hoodies.The project sheet is available in the downloads area under Project Sheets/Attire.

Read More…