Budget Lists: Guest Post

Hope you are all having a great week so far! While I am honeymooning with my boo, Merrissa was kind enough to guest post for me!  Take it away... 

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Hello Everyone! I’m Merrissa and I blog over at Rad Maverix. Before we dive in to today’s post how about I tell you a little about myself?

· Oklahomie

· Banker by day; dog-mom to 3 (very) spoiled Mini Aussies by night.

· Sarcasm is my love language.

· In the process of starting up a tees & tank shop for the rad & young at heart.

· Former PETA member now practically married to a cowboy/rancher who spends most of his time on the Rodeo trail (He’s a Team Roper for any of you that might follow the sport of Rodeo).

· My mom is my best friend & we are dangerous together!

· Currently remodeling our 1940s ranch-style home. (This project is never-ending.)

· Hopeless romantic & lover of vodka-water and wine.

· Cowboy—err cowgirl—boot hoarder.

· List-maker and felt-tipped pen enthusiast.

I wanted to write a really intense & intriguing article related to weddings since, you know, this is Miss Lisa’s Wedding Month (Congratulations!!!). But let’s face it, I’ve never been married, or engaged, and I wouldn’t even know the first place to begin! So that’s why I’ve put together two printables, a to-do list & matching budget worksheet, designed by yours truly.

I love lists…here are a few reasons why:

1. The tasks that need my attention are centralized to one location. If it’s not in front of me I will forget to do it, every damn time.

2. It brings so-called order to chaos. Lists help me organize what otherwise seems overwhelming.

3. The satisfaction of crossing off a task I have completed. Sometimes when I’m rewriting a To-Do list I will write a task I have already completed just for the satisfaction of crossing it off my list. Don’t judge.

4. Obviously, it helps me remember to do things that are pertinent and it shows me what I have already accomplished.

5. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Lists are normally not infinite; therefore they don’t go on and on and on…

6. Lists help me from hopping on the procrastination train. Helps keep my head on straight and allows me to tackle the work one aspect at a time.

7. I like to feel productive. Refer to #3.

Wedding Budget Sheet #1

Wedding Budget Sheet #2

Hustle Harder

(The info on the Budget Sheet was extracted from Realsimple.com.)

Xoxo

Merrissa

Instagram / Twitter / Bloglovin’

Guest Post : Ericka

Hi there Showered with Design readers!  I'm Ericka from This Crazy Thing Called Life.  I'm excited to be guest posting for Lisa while she is enjoying her wedding and honeymoon.  I can't wait to hear all about her big day--she is going to be such a gorgeous bride!

I started my blog a couple of years ago after I got engaged and was in the process of becoming a first-time home owner with my then fiance, Kevin.  We got married on June 29, 2013, so we are just over a year!  You can find all of the details about our wedding and our home buying/owning process on my blog, along with recipes, diy projects, our fur baby, and all of our other adventures!

Today I wanted to share a few things I have learned during our first year of marriage.

Having a joint bank account was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  I thought I would really struggle with this, since I've always been pretty financially independent, so I thought I would struggle having to "share" my money with someone else (sounds dumb, I know).  However, it really didn't change anything at all, which was great.  I know couples all handle their finances different, but having a joint account has really been great for us.

It doesn't really feel different being married versus dating or being engaged.  This might not be the case for everyone, but aside from the fact that my last name is different and I get to call Kevin my husband now (which makes me feel old), it doesn't really seem too different (besides the fact that we get asked about having kids ALL the time now).  This might have to do with the fact that we dated for almost six years before we were married and lived together for three of those years.  I think if we wouldn't have dated for so long, or wouldn't have lived together first, it would have felt way different.

Marriage takes work, but is totally worth it!  Even though I just said being married doesn't really FEEL different, it is very different when it comes to decision making.  When big decisions come up, you have to make sure you make those decisions together.  I think most of those decisions are financial ones, or at least for us they have been.  But they could be job related, family related, etc.  In the end, you have someone on your side.  Someone rooting for you when you succeed and there to pick you up when you fall.  You get to go through life with your best friend, and that is the best part!

Thanks for reading!  Hope you all find these tips to be somewhat helpful, and thanks Lisa for having me! Hope you have the most fabulous honeymoon!

 
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If you want to write about your weekend recap (Since I am absent gettin' hitched, check out Dateless In Dallas's blog and write about your weekend! Don't forget to grab 
the button below :

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DIY Bachelorette Tank Tops

Hey all!  If you didn't already know for my Bachelorette Party the girls and I went on a 3 day cruise.  I wanted to get something super cutesy for my gal pals to strut around in.  I wanted them all to match so that everyone on the cruise knew that we meant business!  I looked around online for cute bachelorette tanks and all were at least $17 PER tank top.  Considering I needed a total of 5+, that would have cost me around $85 not including the shipping and tax. Soooo not gonna happen.

I opted for a more affordable option, DIY.  I had some stencils around the house, a paintbrush and acrylic paint.  First I layed out the letters on the Tank top and taped the edges so that when I began painting, they would hold in place.  Add some glitter, let it dry, and you have yourself HANDMADE bachelorette tanks that are not only affordable ($5 per tank + paint (already had) + paintbrush) but UNIQUE and one of a kind!   Total cost per shirt if you didn't already have paint and paintbrushes would probably come out to around $6 each, totaling to $30 for 5 shirts.

COST if I were to buy these     $85

COST I actually spent            -  $30

Total saved:                            $55

I also had an idea to make some matching tote bags the girls could take to the pool on our cruise.  I found these plain bags at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each.  What a steal, right?  Add some paint with the help of a few stencils and BOOM - you got yourself a cute, unique bag for the girls to take by the pool.

{I found some cute ones online that were @ minimum $15 per bag.  That would have cost me @ least $75, but because I did them myself, it only cost me $10 for a total of 5 bags!

The fabulous shirts in action:

My gorgeous bridesmaid in her tank!

The ladies before the cruise!!

Entire project (Shirt + Bag)

If I would have purchased:    $160

Actual cost I paid:                    $  40

Amount saved:                      $120

I think I'm going to like this whole DIY stuff.

Here is what I put inside of the bags for the girls:

*Personalized coozie (via Etsy)

*Clear Plastic Mason Jars filled with Advil, Bachelorette name tags, beads & whistles, and penis straws of course!

*Personalized tank tops 

*Personalized fake "boarding passes" with our cruise schedule

Enter the giveaway I have running here.

P.S. Two more days till our wedding!!! EEEEEeeeekkkkKKK!!!

Wedding Banner Giveaway

I cannot believe that in 4 days I will become a Mrs!! Since I am away from the blog for a short while while I do all the fun wedding festivities and while I am away on my honeymoon, I thought it would be nice to host a giveaway! And today is your lucky day, because Lauren @ The Family Tree - Hydebanners has offered to giveaway  an amazingly cute burlap Mr. and Mrs. Banner which you can customize it with your color of choice to one lucky bride!  The Family Tree creates burlap banners which are a hit for special events like bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, photo sessions, and any other decor you can come up with!

Check out a few of her banners she's created for weddings, holidays, and household banners: 

 

 Her banners would make a great engagement gift for the newly engaged couple!

They would also make great gifts for bridal showers too!

I personally love the Mr. and Mrs. Banner which you can use twice! Once at your bridal shower and you can have it displayed at your wedding too!  

It's like having two banners for the price of one! I love reusing items, because you 

get more bang for your buck!

Plus look at how cute this Mini card banner is: 

And, wouldn't this burlap Bride sash make a cute gift for the Bride 

To Be to wear on her Bachelorette?

Lauren also creates gorgeous window and wall art too, so make sure to check out her facebook page!  Now for the fun part, the giveaway!

This Mr. & Mrs. Banner is what Lauren is Giving Away:
With the color of your choice!

Good luck!
This giveaway will run until July 29th, so make sure to tell all your friends to enter!
& While I am absent becoming a Mrs., you can  follow along on my instagram.

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weekend Recap

Hosting another Weekend Recap with Bella from Dateless in Dallas! I cannot believe we are only 5 days away until our wedding.  So insane! We turn in the final head count today!

I had a very productive weekend and I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July!  We spent ours a little differently this year.

Friday we had off work, it was so nice to be able to relax.  I layed out in the early afternoon for a few hours and then went to our new home to begin painting. Oh what a chore that is!  We completed painting two closets and decided to hire a painting crew to do the rest.  So they should be done by this week!  Later that evening my fiance( for 6 more days!) and I went to our friends house on top of a hill and had the most amazing view.  We were able to see practically every firework show in every city within a 50 mile radius all around us.  Such a neat thing!

Saturday I layed out again for a few hours, and then went to  our house to  close up shop with the painters.  They sure did a great job on the first day.  We took it easy and BBQ'd some chicken, and corn on the cob. So delish!!  Also, my girlfriend shipped me the cutest hanger for my wedding dress!

Sunscreen Nose

Isn't it super cute!

Sunday I went to breakfast with my dearest mother.  We went to the mall to look for a purse for her to use at the wedding and found the cutest one! (Photos to come!) 
Then I shopped around later on with my fiance for his groomsman gifts.  When we got home, we swam and hung out by the pool for a few hours.  And possibly had one too many Coronas. (I'm obsessed !)   Then we BBQd hamburgers, tots, and had baked beans. So yummy!!  It was a great weekend, and although I am sad its over, I am so ready for next weekend!

Guest Post: Q+A

I know it's been a while since I have done a Wedding Q+A on the blog, and I thought it would be the perfect time to showcase a few since I will be out of town most of July for our wedding, so I have a few guest bloggers to help me out while I am absent!  To view past Wedding Q+A's click here.
Today I have Sarah from Sarahphrasing Life stopping by to discuss her wedding and hopefully help out all you future brides out there!

Take it away Sarah!
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When did you get married

August 3, 2013

How did you meet?  or What was your Engagement Story? 

My hubby and I met on a blind date, but we weren't actually on the blind date together.  My friend and her husband invited me over for a BBQ and to meet her husband's work buddy, and unbeknownst to me they also invited her husband's best friend. I arrived at their door, was immediately introduced to my hubby-to-be (HTB) and as he shook my hand I felt something I had never felt before.  It sounds cheesy but it was almost electric, and I knew instantly that we had something.  I thought my friend had scored!  And then in walked the work buddy... and I was so confused.  My friend explained that my HTB had been randomly invited and I'm pretty sure it was fate because we spent the whole night in our own little world.  And now we are all good friends - the other guy was actually in our wedding party!

  

How many bridesmaids did you have? How did you go about choosing them?

 In total I had four bridesmaids and it wasn't that hard to choose them.  I always knew my sister B would be my MOH and that my other sister would also be a bridesmaid, and my oldest friend and BFF was included for sure.  My fourth bridesmaid K is actually my husband's stepsister and now one of my best friends.  His family told me that she would be the true test and thankfully we clicked from day one.  And I obviously picked well because I couldn't have asked for more from any of them; they let me focus on my wedding and took care of everything.

What was your color scheme, and what made you choose it?

Dark purple and apple green... I have been obsessed with the color purple since anyone can remember so that was an obvious choice.  I wanted the other color to be something other than silver and my hubby loves bright green, plus our reception was in an orchard surrounded by apple trees and grapevines there was a lot of green "built-in"!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding day?

The look of pure joy on my husband's face for the entire event.  It was amazing to see that he was as happy and excited as I was throughout the entire day.  I should explain that he is incredibly shy and private, doesn't like crowds and joked (I think not so jokingly) that he would happily elope in Vegas... but we always talked about getting married at his family's lake house and we got our wish.  

The setup was pretty amazing; we had our wedding ceremony on the beach at the lake house and then the reception was at the family's orchard property surrounded by apple trees and grapevines.  We got to celebrate with all our family and friends at our favorite summer vacation spot and we get to go back every year.

What was the most stressful thing about your wedding day?

As ours was technically a destination wedding, we planned it on the August holiday weekend, traditionally one of the hottest of the summer.  We were slightly worried (ok my hubby was really worried and I was a bride in wedding land and didn't care) that it would be too hot.  Imagine our surprise when we started hearing about thunder, lightening and rain the week before... We scrambled to try and find more tents just in case (there were none available anywhere), my mother-in-law tried to find a venue large enough to hold 100 people in the tiny summer village (not even the church was big enough) and then it came to a point where we just had to move forward as planned and hope for the best.

On our special day, the sun came out and it was the perfect temperature, and you know how they say a bit of rain on your wedding day is good luck? Well around 9:30pm when the actual party was getting started on the dance floor, we had a 5 minute torrential downpour that brought everyone in under the tents and into the fun.  We had an amazing day spiked with a great dose of good luck!

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would not wear a veil.  I don't really like any of the photos I have wearing my veil, which is unfortunate because I wore it for my ceremony.  I loved the curls in my hair and wish I had shown them off a bit more.

What's your best piece of advice for future brides out there?

The best piece of advice that I got is the same thing I have found myself saying to other brides: enjoy the day because it goes by so fast.  As soon as you wake up on your wedding day, let everything go and be in the moment as much as you can (it's hard but try). 

Oh and if cops show up to your outdoor reception because of a noise complaint, get a photo in handcuffs.  I didn't and totally regret it!

Follow me:
Twitter: @SarahphrasingL
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sarahphrasingli/
Instagram: Instagram.com/sarahphrasinglife

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Thanks so much Sarah! Your wedding looked amazing!

You are the first bride I've heard say "not to wear a veil." 

Make sure to check tomorrows post because I am hosting another giveaway!

If you want to "spy" on me during my wedding festivities you can follow me on my instagram. (Also, if you search our wedding hashtags (#florowedding2014, #floroeverafter, #floro2014), I'm sure others will post some too!)

Join our Wedding Bloggers Connect (WBC)!

 

Weather Stalking + What To Pack For The Perfect Honeymoon

I am probably not the first or the last bride to stalk the weather for my upcoming wedding. {9 days and counting!-- down to single digits bayyybayyy!!)

I literally have been stalking the weather reports every day for updates on any changes in the condition.  This July so far has been  pretty gloomy in the morning and burns off by late afternoon.  Which means I am hoping we are in luck because our wedding doesn't start until 5:30. As long as the weather stays between the 75-8- mark I am golden!  Because then I won't be drenched in sweat.. (don't forget I have a long dress on !) And the guests will be comfortable.  As of right now the temperature is staying around 72 degrees, and of course that will change (as it always does).   So I am hoping for picture perfect weather :)

One can only hope... 

On another note, our Honeymoon is just a few short weeks away! And boy do I have some amazing deals and ideas for your upcoming trips this summer! AND If you aren't planning any trips, these ideas would be fantastic poolside as well. *cocktails optional*

So I get a text yesterday from the Fi (aka: fiance) saying, 

"Hurricanes in the Caribbean right now."  

...

Are you flipping kidding me?

First I am worried about having perfect wedding weather and now I have to worry about our Honeymoon cruise too?  I mean we are going to be in the middle of the water.
There is no escaping that.

Here are some great finds (courtesy of Groopdealz) that will be sure to make your next vacation (even if it is just poolside) perfection!

Pool mats:

Multi style headbands (to keep that sweat off your face!):

Underwater phone case (uhhh YES please!):

Canvas Tote Bag

 

Fourth of July : Sport your Independence

Happy 4th of July! What do you all have planned this 4th? Whatever it may be, I hope it's filled with friends, family, and good American food!  Sport your Independence this 4th of July with some Stars and Stripes.  
Go get your once a year American bikini, bows, and American shorts on.
Check out Jane, Groopdealz, and Modcloth for some fun "American" clothing and accessories.

We all need to celebrate our Independence as Americans 
in the land of the free. I am extremely swamped and busy as heck, as I am getting married in 11 more days! And we are currently busy moving into our new home.  If you haven't read in past posts, we are officially homeowners! B and I closed escrow last month and we are finally ready to move on in! 
We were so lucky to find the perfect three bedroom, three bathroom home!  We knew we wanted an office AND an extra bedroom for when guests stay over.  This was the perfect find for us and our budget in Orange County!   

We are only going to move a few things in over the weekend (I know, who moves over the 4th of July weekend? .. We do!-- I am just so anxious!), We will fully move after the wedding and honeymoon.  My amazing aunt and cousins offered to clean our home while we are on our honeymoon.  Such an amazing and sweet gesture! (Love you guys!)

First up on our to-do list is put granite counters in the kitchen and two of the three bathrooms, and some other not-so interesting things like buying a fridge, new washer and dryer, new sofa, side tables, and end tables.  My list could go on forever!  Be sure to expect a lot more home decor & DIY posts around these parts, because I am ready to freshen and liven up our new home. (Now that it's OURS).  I'll be sure to keep you all posted here, but make sure you follow along on my instagram as well!
 I can't believe it's already THE month I am getting married. Gosh this has been my favorite year thus far!  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

What are your favorite festivities this Holiday? 

If you have not already entered to win this flower girl bracelet, do so now!
Bonus entrees if you pin this image on your Pinterest board!

 

Also, the winner of the Carolyn's Kitchen apron is...