Checking off the Bucket List

Friday I was able to check off one of the items that has been on my bucket list for awhile now. That is getting a tattoo. Although I almost psyched myself out before getting it. I was expecting the pain to be much worse than it was. It was not that bad at all.

I got the tattoo on my right forearm. It is an ampersand with two black birds on it. The ampersand is my favorite font character and with the amount of writing I do and the number of fonts that I work with in my job this tattoo reflects this era of my life. The birds, well, I love birds, one bird represents me, the other represents Richie.

I found an ampersand that I liked and added the birds from another image that I took apart.

For Richie, he wanted an ampersand since I was getting one as well, but he's always wanted a fox tattoo so I designed his ampersand around his fox using a font that was more "furry" looking. His tattoo is on his left forearm.

DIY Christmas Wreath

We are finally getting settled into our new home, enough so that I've had time to finish up my first craft project:

A super easy Christmas wreath for the front door. Everything was purchased at the Dollar Tree, it cost less than $10 to make. A little patience and some hot glue to put it all together.

Can't wait to get the rest of my home more settled and more Christmas decorations put out. This is my favorite time of the year.

Wedding less than $1100

So we got married, and we managed to pull it off for less than $1100 thanks to our friends, family, and just general awesome people in our area.

We spent about $150 on decor, this is a generous estimation as much of our decor was free books from family and my boss:

Dress was $92 w/shipping and Suit was just under $200 Undergarments $15 and Shoes $10

Hair was $35 (and paid for by a friend as a wedding gift) and nails were on sale Sally Hensen stickers for $5. (better photo of nails later)

The venue was free but we donated an air conditioning unit that we've had for several years and that they needed.

The cake and cupcakes were $150:

Food was just under $300:

Photographer $100 (still waiting on those photos should have them tomorrow).

Marriage License: $35

And that sums it up!

Total with anything left out was $1077

Advice? 

Let your friends and family help where their strong points are. But be willing to return the favor. If you can make it yourself for cheaper than buying it, do it. Not only will you save money, but it makes the wedding more meaningful. Invite only the people who are truly a part of your life. If it isn't important to you, don't blow money on it. Be willing to tweak your vision if you need to in order to afford your day. It's about marrying the man you love, not impressing everyone you've ever met.

And that's just tips from me. This is your wedding do it your way!