Colorscope

For some people, it's chocolate. For others, it's bad boys. Or tequila. My vice? Paper. I love it. I love it so much I live above a Paper Source. Seriously. In the same building. So of course when I was bored the other day, I had to stop by. And lo and behold I picked up a fun little freebie: the Paper Source Colorscope!

It's a chart with all of the colors of the PS paper products. Not only is it very useful for coordinating your wedding palette, it also promises to "let [PS's] color palette tell you more about yourself." Alright, it's probably as accurate as Miss Cleo and the Psychic Hotline, but I love myself some silly horoscopes. I looked at my three wedding palette colors, plum, violet, and grape (displayed here on my thrown-together inspiration board):

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Let me tell you just one of my colorscope entries, the one for plum:

Your appearance is amazing [you got that right, PS!] -- you always know what looks good on you [who knew that colorscopes were so accurate?!]. You are charming [fo sho], concerned with the reaction of others [wait -- you find me charming, right?!], and find balance in life [um, I'm addicted to paper -- how balanced could I be?]. When in a bad mood you may have the tendency to see only the negative [don't go there, yatch].

If you don't get a chance to drop by the store, the Colorscope is also available online here. It'll provide you hours -- okay, minutes -- of enjoyment. Just a little somethin' somethin' to make Monday morning more bearable.

What do your wedding colors say about you?

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Sexy bridesmaid dresses for under $100 continued

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm still on the hunt for affordable, stylish dresses for the six ladies in my bridal party.  Thus far in my search, it seems like in the bona fide "bridesmaid dress" world, there are two types of dresses: 1) decent (or even cute) but way overpriced or 2) cheap but . . . well, cheap.  Designed by Blayne cheap.  Cheaplicious.

I've thus been branching out in my search, looking for off-the-rack options.  Let me show you what I found at the Nordstrom sale!

For those of you with ladies sized 10, 12, and 14, here's an elegant dress for a formal wedding, on sale for $87:

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How about this Jim-Hjelm-like number for $98?  Available only in 6 and 14, unfortunately.

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This Maggy London chiffon dress comes in a few different shades of blue -- perfect for a waterfront or destination wedding -- and is only $91.90!

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Here's another similar design, but with no sash . . . which seems to make the model sad.  But perhaps she'd perk up if she knew that the dress, which also comes in blue, is only $64.90.

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This JS Boutique strapless ruched dress is only $57.90 and comes in a rainbow of colors.

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Or how about this chic David Meister dress for $89.90?

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Alas, none of these dresses work with our color scheme (shades of grayish-mauvish purple), so I'm going to have to keep looking.  Any chance one of these dresses might work for your wedding party?

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Maid of Money?

There's an interesting post on the U.S. News and World Report Alpha Consumer Blog about the escalating costs of being a wedding guest and -- especially -- a bridesmaid.  Here's the money quote:

But the heftiest burden of all falls on bridesmaids. They play a role that, for all the honor of its implied intimacy to the bride, comes with a price to match. Bridesmaids are often expected to buy a dress, matching shoes, and jewelry, not to mention professionally applied makeup and nail polish on the day itself. And well in advance of the "I do's," they usually serve as host for a bridal shower, bachelorette party, or both. TheKnot.com estimates that, excluding travel, the average cost for each bridesmaid adds up to around $700.

Oy gevalt.  I kind of hurt for my bridal party just reading this.  I wanted to recognize their friendship and support for me through the years by asking them to play a special role in my wedding, but I by no means wanted to bankrupt them in the process! 

To help defray the costs, I'm going to be purchasing their dresses (I am, if nothing, a talented bargain hunter, so this should be manageable and fun).  I'm also going to be paying for makeup and hair for the day of; after all, they are getting gussied up on my behalf.  But they will still have to fly to the West Coast from the East Coast, find a place to stay, and incur any incidental expenses while they are in California.  Those expenses, plus even the most low-key bachelorette party (cancel the male strippers!), can really add up for the merry band of academics and government employees who make up our wedding party.

Are you worried about expenses for your bridal party?  Or do you think it all evens out in the end?  Did cost concerns lead you to forego having a bridal party altogether?  Do you have any tips or advice on how to help lower the costs?

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