If the Shoe Fits...

Dear Friends,

Another short post for you eager beavers out there...

Our original plans were to go barefoot for our wedding, but so much has changed that this is no longer an option (well, at least not for the ceremony). So I did a little bit of shopping and found...

Isn't it beautiful? I got this lovely shoe and its sole mate (I had to) for only... $13.97. Gotta love eBay.

Total Price for Shoes: $13.97

Remaining Balance: $2603.51

Until next time,

This Thrifty Bride

The Dress(es)

Dear Friends,

I can't believe I've let seven months go by without posting anything! I have so much to tell you all! Beginning with...

I have my wedding dress! And a backup! (You can never be too safe). Wanna see? (Don't worry -- Alex has promised me that he doesn't read my blog. The jerk.)

Isn't it gorgeous? I never thought I would wear anything other than a long, flowing gown on my wedding day, but I fell in love with this dress as soon as I saw it. Knee-length it is! Price for dress: wait for it... $18.89.

Ironically, I paid a bit more for the backup dress (yes, they're identical). Price: 21.95.

Total price for Wedding Dress(es): $40.84

Remaining Balance: $2617.48

Until next time,

This Thrifty Bride

The Dates Have Been Saved!

My Maid of Honor will agree with me when I say that I haven't been very good about keeping everyone up-to-date on the wedding planning (sorry, Allie!), but that doesn't mean that I haven't been keeping up with the planning process!

As of last night, we are officially done sending the Save the Dates! Unless, of course, any of them are returned to us (that's already happened once... there goes $0.46 of the wedding budget for nothing) or we spontaneously remember that we have forgotten to include someone important.

So, what does this all mean? Well, for starters, it means we have pretty much finalized our guest list. Unfortunately, we had to cut a lot of people because of our budget, but I hear that small, intimate weddings are all the rage these days. Second, it means that one tiny item has been checked off of our to-do list.

Oftentimes, couples with much larger budgets than ours don't indulge in the luxury of Save the Dates because they think they can't afford it. How did we pull this one off, you ask?

First, I sat down and began brainstorming. How could we come up with a design without hiring a professional? I took out my new Lenovo laptop and began designing. Eventually, we had something that was both aesthetically pleasing and budget-friendly. Price for the design: $0.00.

Then, I went to the store and bought a package of blank, unlined index cards. Well, first I procrastinated for a few weeks and then I went to the store and bought them. Price including tax: $0.75.

Then, it came time to figure out how to transfer my brainchild onto paper. We don't have a printer of our own, but thankfully both Duke and Alex's parents did. Price: $0.00 and a whole lot of frustration.

Luckily, I already had a fairly new box of No. 6 3/4 envelopes (small ones) lying around. I printed labels on each of these to match the design of the cards. Price: $0.00.

After the cards were printed and the envelopes labeled and stuffed, all that remained was to send the Save the Dates on their way! I bought some Forever stamps at a local post office and carefully placed one on each envelope. Price for postage: $22.08

Total price for Save the Dates: $22.83

Remaining Balance: $2658.32

Three for Two

I know, I know. You're mad at me because I haven't posted anything in a really long time. But look down there! Something shiny!

I promised you wedding bands, and here they are! Alex and I originally purchased these metal trinkets to serve as a symbol of our everlasting love:

Unfortunately, though these rings are just what we were looking for (simple, durable, and cheap), the industrial look doesn't match my filigree engagement ring at all. At first, I didn't mind, but after a while Alex noticed it, too, and, well, it was too late to return them for a refund. But that's OK; Alex likes his, and now I will have something more durable to wear for gardening and working out. Together, they cost a total of $46.94.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051JD7NC/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But I still needed something to match my engagement ring, so I dropped everything and started shopping online (as if I needed an excuse!). I don't know why I didn't look at the Antique Jewelry Mall first... it was only a short amount of time before I found a band that matched the filigree pattern of my engagement ring exactly:

http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/sswr356.html

Beautiful, huh? After getting this sized, it should cost $110... not too bad for a match as perfect as Alex and I.

There's still so much planning to do! Save the date cards, picking out a wedding dress, choosing a place, invitations... heck, I don't even know what flavor cake we are going to have! I hope you enjoyed not hearing from me for a while because time is winding down quickly, and you'll be sick of me soon enough! That said...

Remaining Balance: $2681.15

Cheap Entertainment

Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long to update the blog; school has been kicking my butt for the past few weeks. On top of that, I learned today (well, technically yesterday) that my laptop's hard drive is close to kicking the bucket. Instead of replacing the hard drive and the temperamental battery, I decided to splurge a bit on the new Lenovo G585 (http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G585-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Textured/dp/B009MPBEH2/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1350712274&sr=8-15&keywords=lenovo). With a new laptop being shipped and a wedding to save for, what does a broke couple do for fun?

Think back to the first Thrifty Bride blog post. (What? You didn't read it? Shame on you. Click here.) Remember the opening quote? Sadly enough, I don't have Pride and Prejudice memorized verbatim, so I had to pick up my battered copy and look for the quote I intended to use. In a moment of spontaneity, I began to read Chapter 1 aloud to Alex, and he highly enjoyed the experience (I do a pretty great Mrs. Bennet voice). Now, we're about 50 pages in and still having a great time. I don't know which is better... that we are having such a great time together or that it doesn't cost us anything. Price: $0.00.

Any suggestions for what we should read next? Maybe something Halloween-themed?

Be on the lookout for my next post... you may get a sneak peek of the bands Alex and I will be slipping onto each others' fingers in a couple of years!

Remaining Balance: $2838.09

Still Recovering...

Many, many thanks to Alex's Model UN friends for throwing us a wonderful engagement party Thursday night! It was a wonderful way for all parties to get to know each other a little bit better. Plus, we absolutely love the photograph Lindsay took of us!










Speaking of engagement parties, plans for the official event have been (tentatively) set! Please check your calendars and see if you are available for any (or all!) of the following:

• Part I: Formal Afternoon Tea at the WaDuke
  Thursday, October 25th, 2012 at 2:30-4:30 p.m.
  (http://www.facebook.com/events/216820538449002/)
• Part II: Informal Dinner at the Dillo
  Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
  (http://www.facebook.com/events/483063348391959/)
• Part III: Come-As-You-Are Soiree in Amanda's Room
  Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 10:00 p.m.
  (http://www.facebook.com/events/100270386800993/)

Hopefully, this will allow everyone to be able to attend (at least) one event. Please note that both Afternoon Tea at the WaDuke and Dinner at the Dillo are BYOFP (Bring Your Own FoodPoints) events. Snacks will be provided at the Soiree, but if guests would like a particular food (or beverage), they should either specifically request it or plan to provide it themselves. Hopefully, these measures will allow this celebration to subtract little to nothing from our remaining budget!

Remaining Balance: $2,838.09

It's Official!

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment." - Mr. Darcy

As of about 8:00 a.m. two mornings ago, I officially became the bride-to-be of one Mr. Alexander E. Haas. With the perfect ring on my finger, we can begin making wedding plans in earnest. But first, a brief history with regards to the betrothed:

Mr. Alexander E. Haas and Ms. Amanda J. Griffis met on the 10th of October, 2011 through a mutual friend, one Ms. Ariel D. Shpigel. Five days later, they agreed to go on a date, and by the 23rd of October, they were officially a couple. On the 23rd of April, Ms. Griffis asked Mr. Haas to go steady, to which he agreed. On the 10th of October 2012, exactly one year following their first meeting, Mr. Haas proposed to Ms. Griffis. She said "yes."

And here we are, two broke college students in love. Luckily, I have a knack for event-planning and some rather obsessive-compulsive tendencies. So, without further ado, I introduce you not only to our relationship, but to our goal: to finance our wedding with $3,000 or less.

Unfortunately, being on the path to eternal happiness means that some of our budget has already been spent. I introduce you to the first item on our list, the engagement ring:

I am so lucky to have a man who was OK with me picking out my own ring! I chose this from among the selection available from the Antique Jewelry Mall (http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/ssr2r.html). It features an enhanced natural red ruby (1.15 carats) set in a sterling silver replica of an antique Art Deco engagement ring. Price plus shipping: $135.00 (apparently he was afraid it wouldn't arrive on time, so didn't take advantage of their normally free shipping).

The proposal was more than I ever could have asked for, i.e. I was actually caught by surprise. Alex hid my phone in one of his closets the night before so that, when my alarm went off in the morning, I would have to search for it. I was quite shocked to see this, and I'm glad it was big enough to read without my glasses! I spun around to find him in the process of kneeling and saying "I only needed to know you a year to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I said "yes" and wrapped my arms around him rather forcefully before I started bawling. Price of blanket plus fabric paint: $26.91.

A friend provided us with a bottle of champagne, and Alex bought a bottle of orange juice with Duke FoodPoints (thanks, FinAid!). After tearfully dancing to our song (You and I by Ingrid Michaelson), Alex and I celebrated in private with some rather refreshing mimosas. Price: $0.00.



After many hours spent sitting through classes, I was finally able to see my new fiancé. He rented a WeCar, picked up one of my dearest friends, and drove to Bojangles to celebrate.

Running Balance: $2,838.09