Save it for the Honeymoon

Written with love, by Stephany Sujiati

During my years in the fashion industry, I realized I truly loved the creative and fast paced life! For a second, I thought I was made for this business until I realized I was capable of mixing the skills that I’ve earned with the hobby that I love. Event planning has always been a dream career, but I never thought to push further until I realized I wanted a purpose to what I do. I love making people happy- it makes me happy too! Also, you know what they say …

‘When you love what you do, it wouldn’t feel like you’re working at all!’

In 2008, I started my event planning career as a hobby in helping create charity events to help raise money for The Garden of Hope Organization in Thailand, who gives food, shelter, and education to women and children who are sexually exploited in the human trafficking industry.  I’ve developed a passion and felt it was my calling to use my skills to help others.

After many more personal experiences later – helping organize birthdays, baby showers, and planning my best friend’s wedding, I realized I had a niche for planning “once in a life time” event – events that allow me to stage, perfect, and capture those rare, wonderful moments we all will experience in life.

With my experience in the fashion industry as a Product Developer, I’ve obtained a keen eye for fresh designs, details, and the understanding of creating a marketable product on a budget! No matter where we are in life, there is always a need for a budget, right? Money doesn't grow on trees!

Part of our motto is “Delivering Style and Grace at a Budget Friendly Fashion!” We believe in “Imagine Celebrating Life Bigger” without forcing to shake the very last penny out of your honeymoon piggy bank. 

Weddings are wonderful, even without the lavish decorations.  Most of us dream of this day since we are little and each bride imagines a beautifully decorated wedding day. However, the stress of planning a wedding, especially on a tight budget, can strain the relationship of the couple and make one feel not so excited anymore. We don’t want that to happen so that’s why we’re sharing with you inexpensive wedding decorating ideas that just may save you extra money for the honeymoon!

Location, location, location!

Our number one favorite way in saving on wedding decor is to select a gorgeous location. If the location is fabulous, let it speak for itself. You shouldn’t have to add too much sugar to something that’s already sweet.  If you’re planning on a tight budget, consider an art gallery, a bed and breakfast near the beach, a public park or a golf course with a beautiful back drop of the mountains. Vintage and rustic weddings are so in, so if you can get out of the city, you may be able to save thousands on a country setting. Small town locations are usually less expensive than big city venues.

Flowers

Flowers can take a big chunk of the budget at times. Flowers dress up any occasion, but they don’t always have to be expensive. One of the ways you can save is by choosing flowers that are in season. For a vintage look, you can save by using twinkling lights and baby’s breath (which are very inexpensive).

Lighting

We’ve come to experience that music and lighting totally set the mood of the wedding! You can minimize the flower use by having more lighting. Twinkling lights or the glow of candles can add a romantic chart to a night time reception.

Table Decor

Decorations and rented items can easily add up, so if you’re really on a tight budget, grab your loving friends and bridesmaids to help you begin to DIY! We have done rustic weddings to contemporary weddings. Some of the ideas we love are the use of wine bottles, burlap table runners, artsy paper plate mats, and re-usable vases. Dress your table like you would dress yourself. Let your decorations not only flow with the theme but express the lifestyle of you both.

It's A Sign

Signs are whimsical and functional! Adding signs not only helps point out the direction of each event, but can also serve as a creative décor! Have fun in making your signs and use fun wordings to add a personal touch.

DIY

You are only one person! Having to decorate, plan, and execute all of the above will drive you crazy. Be sure to plan ahead and plan wisely. Enlist bridesmaids, friends, and family members to lend a helping hand.  Have a pizza and movie night with your bridesmaids while working on some crafts (like DIY favors). My all time personal favorite is creating a “photo booth” station – so get creative with the backdrop, purchase a disposable camera, and make your own props for fun! If you simply do not have the time or your wedding date is near, check Etsy and other online retailers for inexpensive priced items.

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Cloud 9 Wedding & Event Planning

Delivering Style and Grace in a Budget Friendly Fashion! Imagine Celebrating Life Bigger!

Photos Captured by Leanna Annunziato Photography

Kiss For A Cause

I was browsing Instagram last week and came across a bride who turned part of her wedding into an amazing cause. And I became a little obsessed with this bride. I immediately commented asking her to email me so I could say hi, how proud I was of her (even though I don't know her), and I just wanted to tell her what a great thing she had done in my eyes. While it didn't seem like much of anything at the time, for some reason I felt compelled to talk to her.

A couple minutes later, I was ecstatic when I received an email from that very bride. I am sure she was a little confused why she was emailing me, but for some reason she did. And it made my day! I told her how amazing I thought she was, she thanked me, and told me her story. And once I heard her story, we were immediately connected.

My mom passed away in 2008 after a seven year battle with cancer. I couldn't call her to tell her that he had put a ring on it. I couldn't go dress shopping with her. I couldn't plan all of the fun details with her. And I couldn't take all of the adorable mother-daughter photos with her on my wedding day. It was hard, but I got through it. And this very bride I met on Instagram had gone through the same thing as I did, except she took it a very special step further and that is why I am here sharing her story.

I am sharing this story for three reasons:
   1. First and foremost, to share a beautiful story of a bride with an amazing heart
   2. To show any of you out there that are going through a similar circumstance that you can get through it
   3. To show you an amazing idea that many of you may want to use for your own wedding day!

So here it goes!

The Story of Tyson & Dwan

Tyson and I have always known of each other. Being four years older than him, when I was in grade 12 we went to the same high school - he was just in grade 9. He didn’t catch my eye until we were both set up on a blind date with some mutual friends in Lethbridge, Alberta. I didn’t think I would have ever ended up with a hometown boy on a blind date, never mind getting engaged after 7 months.

Read more about the amazing proposal here!

Our wedding was held in Sparwood, BC Canada at St. Michaels Catholic Church. Reception was held in Fernie, BC Canada which is 20 minutes away from Sparwood. Sparwood just didn’t have the building size we needed to hold all of our guests. We both have large families and a big group of friends. So we decided to have our reception in Fernie. Also having a New Years eve wedding, I wanted to have lots of snow. Fernie is known for its amazing ski hill so I knew we would have the snow I wanted for pictures.

What did you do that was so meaningful?

At my wedding instead of clinking glasses or ringing a bell for us to kiss, I choose a charity! If guests wanted us to kiss they had to bring money up to the MC who would announce how much and who it was from and we would kiss. The bigger the donation, the bigger the kiss. As the evening progressed, tables started to pool their money together and the donation amount brought up to the MC started to get very large. So our kisses needed to become even “bigger” and more creative. It was really fun seeing the tables try to one up each other.  When the money was brought up the to the MC,  everyone just waited and watched for what creative way Tyson and I would engage in a kiss. We pecked, he dipped me, we stood on the chairs, we Eskimo kissed,  he “threw” me down on the floor and leaped into the air and down on to me. My personal favorite was when a table brought up a large sum donation and said this money was donated to have the groom and best man kiss. And it was just hilarious!! Tyson grabbed his best man, dipped him (away from the crowd) and kissed him. They both say they didn’t actually kiss, but it sure looked believable. The whole hall was filled with laughter.

How did you think of that?

I researched and researched new cute ideas for clinking glasses because I wanted to change the way our guests got us to kiss. I went to a wedding earlier that year that did a donation for the Canadian Diabetes Association. I thought this was a cool idea, and I had never seen that before!  I’ve seen couples getting their guests to donate for them to kiss for a honeymoon fund, but that’s just not me. I don’t like to ask for more money when guests have already traveled, paid for accommodations and have already given a gift.

Where did you donate the money?

It wasn’t until my mom passed away very suddenly with cancer a few months before my wedding, that I really struggled with how to incorporate her memory into the wedding day. I had a beautiful slide show with our pictures but I felt like that wasn’t enough.  My mom had the biggest heart out of anyone I have ever known. She literately gave the shirt off her back to help others in need even when all she had was that one shirt she was wearing. She once took in a homeless man off the streets of Vancouver. His name was Boggie, and he was my biggest fan during my singing performance during street festivals we had once a year; front row and centre.  My mom gave him a place to live, clothed and fed him until she was able to get him into a home where he died peacefully, with food in his belly and clothing on his back. I knew I had to have more than just pictures of my mom, I had to do something…something she would have done, something she would be proud of me for. So that’s when I remembered the donation idea. I was going to donate all the money the Canadian Cancer Society!!! Every penny of it!! That night every time the MC announced there was another donation, I knew my mom was up there cheering away and laughing at the events below.

Drum roll please...

Donations stopped coming in after dinner, which usually is the case with the clinking of the glasses. By the end of the night the money was tallied up and we raised $1388.95 to be exact. Every penny went to the Canadian Cancer Society and when I called to ask how they wanted me to send them the money, they were thrilled to hear about this idea for weddings and how much was raised during that short time.

Any advice for other brides who may want to do this?

First the pros: It raises money for nonprofit charities and all of the money got donated in our names so it became a tax write off for us.  It was fun and who doesn’t like to help others in need?

The Cons: I guess if you feel like your guests would be offended in having to donate, then that may be a con.  To me it wasn’t about raising thousands and thousands of dollars. My guest knew my story of why this charity was so close to my heart and why I was asking for the donations. I think if you gave a reason as to why you were asking for a donation and where it was going, then those who could would not hesitate to donate. I had some guests who couldn’t attend our wedding and when they heard what we did, sent money in on their own to the Canadian Cancer Society on behalf of Tyson and myself.  When your friends and family know why you are asking, they are there to support you. 

And how amazing is this?!! I stole this one off of her Instagram. Someone secretly nominated her and she won! I know you have a very proud mommy looking down on you :)

This story is one that touches my heart so I am truly thankful for Dwan and Tyson allowing me to share it with you all!

Wedding Superstitions: Yay or Nay?

We came up with our own little superstition. You must give your fiancé a pair of very warm socks the morning of the wedding to ensure that he doesn’t get cold feet!

Yay or Nay?

I had fun with it on my wedding day! Can we keep my tradition going??

Roses are traditionally a popular wedding floral because they symbolize love. And unfortunately, the beautiful Peonies that are oh so popular (and stunning!) represent shame!

Yay or Nay?

We love a peony bouquet so we’re throwing this one out the window!

Did you know that it is said to be bad luck if your last names start with the same letter?
“To change the name and not the letter, is to change for the worst and not the better.”
Do any of you have last names that start with the same letter? I wonder what the luck is like if both have the same last name to start! Hmmm...

Yay or Nay?

We believe in one true love so if you find that one and their last name starts with the same letter as yours, we think you should dump the superstition and follow your heart!

The color of your wedding dress is said to bring you either good or back luck!

  “Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead”
“Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow”
“Married in Green, ashamed to be seen”
“Married in Pink, your spirit will sink”
“Married in Grey, you will go far away”
“Married in Black, you will wish yourself back”

So choose that dress colors wisely!

Yay or Nay?

We absolutely love the traditional white wedding gown but in other cultures, colors are a large part of the wedding day and are absolutely stunning! So I think we can do away with the rhyme and choose a dress we feel beautiful in :)

“Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely ruin the day.”

Just because it’s the fifth month of the year, means you’ll have a bad wedding day? Seems a little iffy if you ask me!

Yay or Nay?

We love May weddings, at least here in Southern California! So I think we can pass on this one. Any brides out there getting married in May?

English folklore says that finding a spider on your wedding gown brings good luck to you in your marriage!

I think most of us will need to throw our dress into the woods the night before the wedding in order to make sure this one happens!

Yay or Nay?

We are not the biggest fan of spiders so I think we can pass on this one!

Dating back to arranged marriages, it is said to be unlucky to see your soon-to-be husband or wife before the ceremony. People believed that in an arranged marriage, seeing each other beforehand would give them a chance to make a decision to back out before the wedding. Eek!

Yay or Nay?

While I did keep this tradition when I got married, we encourage doing a “first look” so you can get most of your photos out of the way before the wedding even starts! Not only does it make for great reaction shots and a time to be alone together through all of the craziness of the day, but allows you to join the party sooner after your ceremony. I’ll say yes to that!

Getting knives as a wedding gift symbolizes a broken relationship and bad luck in a marriage. If you have them on your registry, then the only way to prevent the bad luck from coming your way is to give the gifter a penny – that way it’s a purchase and not a gift!

Yay or Nay?

Click here to What is better than a nice set of knives? In my eyes, not much! We think that a knife set is a great gift to add to your registry!

In English tradition, Wednesday is considered to be the luckiest day to host a wedding. But there’s more! Monday weddings will bring you wealth, and Tuesday weddings with bring you health! And the funniest part? Saturday is considered to be the most unlucky day to host a wedding – strange that Saturday is now the most

Yay or Nay?

Getting married on a weekday, saving a lot of money because of it, AND getting good health and wealth luck...where can I sign up?

A bride crying on her wedding day is supposed to be good luck! It symbolizes the last shed of tears as she begins a marriage with no tears.

Yay or Nay?

We wouldn’t want you to ruin your makeup so just make sure you get those tears of joy out of the way before you get your makeup done. Or wear some waterproof mascara :) We think this one can be tossed because no matter what, there are going to be ups and downs in every marriage and that is a way to learn and strengthen your relationship!

For those of you who have mentioned that you are nervous about rain on your wedding day, I’m sure everyone and their mother has told you that rain is good luck! But why? In some cultures, rain symbolizes fertility and cleansing.

The pastor at my church back home once told us a beautiful story of a couple he was marrying. As the ceremony began to start and the rain began to come down, he took his sermon in a different direction. To make a long story short, he began talking about a knot. When a knot is tied with rope, it is stronger when soaked in water than when it is dry. And that downpour was symbolizing the strength of their knot from that day forward. Just a beautiful story that I wanted to share :)

Yay or Nay?

Unfortunately, we cannot control the rain so whether or not you want rain on your wedding day is not up to you! But rain or shine, your wedding day is going to symbolize your beautiful future together.

The wedding ring is worn on the 4th finger on your left hand because it was once thought that that finger was the only one that had a vein that ran directly to the heart.

Yay or Nay?

We think this is a great tradition that has been and should be kept for years to come! Switching it up would just be strange, don’t you think?

We hear this saying time and time again. And for some reason, we all just know that we need to have these items on our wedding day. But have you ever figured out where this saying comes from?

Something Old: This represents the bride's past.
Something New: This represents the couple's future.
Something Borrowed: This item is supposed to come from someone who is happily married so that this fortune will rub off onto her as she becomes a wife!
Something Blue: The blue represents love and faithfulness in her marriage.

Yay or Nay?

We think that this is a beautiful tradition that should be kept and used for all brides! It is a wonderful symbolism of the true meaning of the wedding day and we believe every bride should be true to that.

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We hear them time and time again throughout the planning of our weddings and the planning of our marriages.

How can I make sure my wedding day and marriage are successful? How do I ensure that no bad vibes are sent my way?

Wedding superstitions are such a fun and exciting part of planning a wedding. And while some are very well known and still observed today, there are others that seem a bit crazy. And that is why we are beyond excited for this week's series!

Each day of this week, we are going to be telling you about two wedding traditions and superstitions and whether we think they should be kept or stomped on. And we want to hear what you think!

So don't forget to check back each day this week (Tuesday through Sunday) for a total of 12 superstitions to make sure you aren't inviting those bad vibes into your weddings day!