My Big Fat Glamorous Wedding

In a couple of days, Hottie Husband and I will be celebrating our 3 month anniversary. We choose early April for our outdoor ceremony, knowing we would risk a rainy day, but wanted a bit cooler temperature. The day could not have been more perfect! Blue skies, light breeze and the perfect mix of family and friends.

HH and I did almost everything for our wedding on our own to save some money. Like I have said before, I'm not much into being "trendy" unless the current trend suits me well. It turns out that many of the things I did for my wedding turned out to be extremely trendy for this year.

Out: huge guest list that includes people you have never even met like your parents' work friends.

In: small, intimate gatherings of close friends and family. Everyone gets to interact with the bride and groom and you don't feel as if you are putting on a show for a bunch of strangers.

Out: matchy-matchy bridesmaids, including complete dictation of everything down to hair style, nail polish color etc.

In: don't most people look more beautiful and feel more comfortable in styles that flatters them? I told my bridesmaids to all wear a black dress of their choice. Each girl had a beautifully unique dress, but all in the same color to tie things together. I also bought each a light pink pashmina to wear.

Out: spending your life savings on flowers

In: DIY bouquets and alternative centerpieces (candles, branches, etc.). I used an arrangement of white ostrich feathers for my centerpieces. So hollywood glam! And I'll tell you a secret - all the flowers for mine and the bridesmaids bouquets were fake and arranged by me. Nobody even suspected it and it literally saved me a couple thousand dollars!

Out: leaving for your honeymoon right away

In: delayed honeymoon. I know - you just got through all this planning and anticipation and you feel like you need a vacation RIGHT AWAY! But, really, doesn't a vacation just make you more stressed and tired sometimes? Why not decompress for a few days at home (or nearby home) after the wedding. You won't feel guilty for staying in bed, ordering takeout and doing absolutely nothing if you are not in some exotic location. HH and I have booked a honeymoon this October in Italy. It gives us something else to look forward to and some time to save up money in between the wedding and honeymoon.

Out: little extras that suck up all your money

In: special touches that really matter to you. Seriously, have you ever been to a wedding and been pissed because you didn't get a program or a stupid bottle of bubbles with the bride and groom's name on it? Does it matter if the napkins are monogrammed? The little things add up and in the end, nobody will remember them anyway. Spend your money on the things that really matter to you and focus on the big picture.

Out: doing what everyone else does just because "That's what you're supposed to do!"

In: doing your own thing. Is your special day really going to be memorable if you do the same thing as everyone else? Think outside the box! Put your personality into it! Think of all the weddings that you've been to. In my mind, most of them just blend together in one big fluffy, fondant, wedding march, silly ritualistic mess. HH and I wrote our own vowels (didn't mean much to us to just say what everyone else says), I walked down the aisle to a beautiful, acoustic version of November Rain by Guns N' Roses and didn't do bouquet or garter tossing because it usually just embarasses the single people anyway.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my wedding trends and tips. If you would like to see some more pics of my big day, click here and see the blog for my fab photographer, Barbara Payne. She really makes me look better than I do in real life! ;)

What are some cool wedding trends you have seen that are unique and different?