Ok, ok... people have been asking me for another wedding blog. I don't know why you'd want to read about it when I would happily tell you in person. But hey, I have a couple minutes.
Ugh... some days I feel like it's all I can possibly think about.
I'll be at work making a turkey sandwich with mayo, lettuce and pickles wondering, "How would the groomsmen look in charcoal gray instead of black?" It's saddening to me, actually. I'm trying so hard NOT to become wedding obsessed because I feel like it's what the wedding industry from the black lagoon wants me to do. Meh, I should probably just admit the truth to everyone: I AM WEDDING OBSESSED! Absolutely wedding obsessed.
And I guess by all rights, I should be obsessed. What bride isn't obsessed with her wedding? It's the biggest day of your life. Although I think for most brides, they're obsessed with overall perfection. I'm obsessed with how super awesome can I possible make this thing without breaking the bank (btw... I'm totally winning this battle). I've got origami flowers, really awesome photo pins, DIY save the dates, I've got the BEST alternative to the stupid bouquet toss and after a consultation with my decor guru Angie (a.k.a. my-soon-to-be-awesome-mother-in-law), I will have EPIC centerpieces.
This won't be a surprise when I tell you weddings are expensive! Like CRAZY expensive! When Zack and I sat down to discuss the wedding budget, we decided to splurge on two things: Photography and the DJ. Although I'd like to think we got REALLY great deals on both and the people we booked are pretty awesome.
Anyways, Zack and I really faced the question of how were we going to pay for this shindig. We have parental support but not a lot, which is fine. I never expected the 'rents to step up and pull out the credit cards.
If you've talked to me at all through this process, you know I've done everything to keep this wedding as cost effective as possible (except for my dress... I admit that got out of hand but in my defense, I look amazing).
Most of the wedding is DIY. It's incredibly cost effective and I really enjoy doing craft stuff. Example: The flowers for a wedding party of 15 (including ring bearer and flower girl) is roughly $75. Bonus: The flowers will literally last forever.
The save the dates were designed by yours truly and I got 250 for $28.50 (including shipping and taxes). Now granted, I don't need 250 but I saved almost $10 doing it that way, which can go toward something else.
Point is: I'm really coming way under what I budgeted for this stuff, which is good because I didn't realize how expensive postage would be. I bought 150 stamps and it cost me almost $60! HOLY POSTAGE STAMPS, BATMAN! That's more than 2x's what my save the dates cost!
Needless to say, I made a list of other costs I'm expecting so I'm not caught off guard. I knew stamps would be pricey but I wasn't expecting $60.
And Zack and I both work full-time so we have money coming in. Plus, I've been saving up for more than a year for this and so far, we're in really good shape for this. But I did have to get pretty creative because making sandwiches doesn't necessarily pay for the wedding of my dreams. I got a second job at the Halloween store last year and made close to $2000 in 3 months. And on top of the money I've been setting aside from each paycheck, I also found a way to bring in an extra $300 a month (at least, that's what I earned in January).
It's not Mary Kay or Scentsy or anything like that, I've been shopping! I know it sounds weird but there are literally companies out there that will pay you to go out and rate customer service, cleanliness, etc. It's called mystery shopping. I read about it on a blog last month and decided to give it a try. It was really nerve-wrecking at first because I felt everyone knew I was rating them but you get used to it. And after I calculated what I got paid in January, it came out to be roughly $292. I haven't gotten paid for February yet but if I'm right, it'll be right around $250. If you do the math, that's an extra $542 for my wedding in 2 MONTHS! My goal is to do enough to make around $250 a month, which in 10 months will give me an extra $2500 for the wedding! Thank you ladies and gents, I know I'm awesome.
At this point, I'm only cautiously optimistic about the mystery shop thing. It's been working out really well for the last two months but I don't want to count on it completely. I've been getting really good assignments but I've had to cancel quite a few. Between the harsh winter and work being a pain, it's been difficult to do. While I'm incredibly dedicated and a major overachiever, I'm worried they will get tired of me canceling and tell me to shove off. However, spring is approaching fast and work will be getting easier with the addition of new staff members, so I remain positive.
I know people are worried about how Zack and I will pay for our wedding and I understand completely. Some days I worry about it too but I'm INCREDIBLY determined this wedding will be paid for with absolutely NO DEBT! Since graduating college, the over achiever in me as been sitting dormant, waiting for the right time to rear it's proud, stubborn head. And my friends, it's been out in full force since day one. I'm finding ways to make sure I have the wedding I want without breaking the bank, all I ask is y'all trust me to do it.
Of course, if you would like to help with monetary donations, I'm always willing to accept. I may be stubborn and fiercely independent but I'm not an idiot.
Oh and you might be wondering about why I put the name of a famous children's game in my title. It's really quite simple: this hungry, hungry hippo is about to go mystery shop a restaurant!
P.S. If you want information on the mystery shopping stuff, let me know! And the best places don't require you to pay to sign up. They should be paying you to shop for them!
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