DIY Tip #9: Let your Attendants Choose Their Gowns

I always knew I wanted my bridesmaids to be comfortable in their outfits. It wouldn't be fair to have these special ladies dress up for half a day in something they didn't really want to wear. For this reason, I made sure my girls wanted to wear what they'd be donning during their traipse down the aisle for me. Here's what I did:
1. Asked them about their style. One wanted a long gown. The other, a dress that was on the knee, shell-sleeved. And the other wanted one with a rusched bodice, and a skirt that fell slightly below the knee. Taking all these things into consideration, I was able to tell the seamstress tasked to make these dresses just exactly what kind of work needed to be done. As you can see, each girl got what she wanted.
2. For brides: Pay for your attendants' attire. It's always been tradition for the bride to pay for her attendants' dresses. Since this is the case, consider the kind of materials you can afford for the dress. I wanted my MOH's and bridesmaids' dresses to be a spin-off of mine, which was a flowing chiffon number. So I shopped around for a seamstress who could give me the price I wanted on all three dresses that I needed. You can give a certain budget to your chosen seamstress/coutourier for the package, and they can usually make suggestions suited to your budget.
3. Make sure to have at least three fittings of the dresses. You ought to have three fittings: one for the lining, and two more for adjustments and final tailoring. It's imperative that your attendants feel comfortable in the final ensemble that they're going to walk in.

I had a package of three dresses made using chiffon, georgette and satin ribbon (for the waist). Here's the breakdown:

Downpayment to seamstress: P1,500.00
Cost of labor, plus materials: P5,000.00
Incidentals, for adjustments: P500.00
Total cost for three dresses: P7,000.00

For those who want my source for these dresses, please comment on this entry. I'll be glad to share my sources.

DIY Tip #8: Customized Tables

We couldn't afford the services of a wedding or banquet coordinator, but we knew that we wanted a wedding reception that evoked sweetness and simplicity. Looking at the packaged table settings from our caterer's catalog, we immediately felt that we needed a more personal touch for our reception. So armed with a few inspiring references (and enlisting my mom and aunt for their discerning eyes), we set on customizing our reception look to reflect what we really wanted.

Elements

Brown and pink table runners. The sample themed tables and chairs weren't what I wanted. Everything was too pink, and the caterers didn't have the particular color palette we were hoping for. I knew I wanted pale pink and chocolate brown touches, So Mom and I went to Kamuning and bought yards of colored fabric, which we had made into table runners. Each table had a brown or pink center runner. (Costs: P750.00 for 10 yds of fabric; P600.00 for labor)
Total cost: P810.00 for 18 table runners

Roses. I wanted pale pink roses as the main centerpiece for each table. Since our catering package already included the flowers per table, I requested that the catering manager follow the topiary-type look for the flower arrangement, instead of the "fern-like" default arrangement. My good friend (who happened to be the florist for the wedding) threw in some rose petals for free, which we scattered on each table for a whimsical and dreamy feel.
Total cost: Flowers were factored into the over catering service cost.

Tealights. Being an outdoor wedding, I thought that warm candlelight would be perfect for the setting. Mom and I bought Php 10.00 tumblers from SM during a sale (We bought 70 pieces!). A friend from Vietnam gave 50 other scented votives, which she sourced out from a Vietnam-based candle supplier to Target. Each table had five tealights or votives, which gave off a vanila scent to compliment the sweetness of the table arrangement.
Total cost: P

Personalized table numbers. An idea I picked up from theknot.com, each table featured a table number with a picture of either my husband or I at different ages. Our ages in the photos corresponded to the number of the tables: We had 18 tables in all. Each table number was made in Photoshop, saved in PDF format for printing, printed and laminated at my bridesmaid's house for free. Costs: P69.00 for photo-print paper (National Bookstore); free printing and lamination c/o my bridesmaids. You can, however, avail of lamination services at copy shops.
Total cost: P69.00 for 18 table numbers

Escort Cards. We didn't particularly fancy a "registration" table for wedding guests at the reception. It all seemed so pedestrian to have a clipboard or chart where you had to find your name. Instead, we opted for escort cards. These were printed in the same manner as the wedding invitations and followed the same motif: Each guest gave their name to one of the attendants at our foyer (which was the reception area) and were given their escort card with their name and table number on it. Everybody seemed to love this idea, and even kept their escort cards as sort of a souvenir from the wedding!
Total cost: P39.00 for 150 cards (business card size)

DIY Tip # 7: Copy a Designer Dress

I didn't have a budget for a high-end designer dress. I couldn't even buy one that I liked off the rack. So I scoured the Net for a dress design that I liked and was determined to find an affordable designer who could transform my dream dress into reality.

The dress was based on a Carolina Herrera gown that I had viewed over at the galleries of theknot.com, a helpful resource with hundreds of pics of gowns. It looked soft, flowing, elegant and was simply embellished. It was exactly what I was looking for because I was determined to not have a gown that screamed "bridal." I wanted something light and airy, comfortable enough for me to spend almost half a day in. (FYI, I was in the dress for a good 12 hours!)

Here was the breakdown for the gown:

Initial designer's fee, with sketches (served as downpayment): P5,000.00
Cost of lining and chiffon overlays: P10,000.00
Chantilly lace bodice and beading: P3,000.00
Incidentals: P2,000.00
Total cost: P20,000.00

Everybody loved that the dress fell softly and wasn't at all difficult to walk in. I hardly even broke a sweat; it was that light and breathable!

For more information on how to get in touch with my sources for my gown, please comment on this post. I'll be glad to provide you with details.