Fab * Blog by InvitationConsultants.com

No Gifts Please

Amidst all of the natural events in the world and the declining economy more and more couples are saying to their guests, "forget the gifts." We are planning our ten year anniversary party and not only do we not need any more chotchkies, we certainly would rather the money guests would have spent be used for a better cause. We are seeing more brides and grooms, birthday men and women, and others planning parties include on their invitation "No gifts, please." Many are going a step further and including an additional card saying "In lieu of gifts, we request that if you can, please donate to one of these causes close to our hearts." They then provide the name of the charity, website and often mailing address. I find giving gifts is more fun than receiving them and I think often this happens when you just have accumulated enough stuff in your life and/or you reach your mid-to late twenties - but that's just my opinion. Below find the top 5 charities that couples and party throwers are requesting their guests donate to - you may find they are close to your heart as well:

March of Dimes, Doctors Without Borders, U.S.A. Harvest, American Red Cross, and Unicef.

{Fab*Bride} A Bridal Spotlight on Jen!

This week's Fab*Bride was nominated by Heather and Grayson of Jagger Photography, based out of California/Washington.  What's great about this fantastic duo is that they find fun ways to capture couples - they photograph real moments, laugh, and love.  This is most definitely the case with Jen and Jeff, whose Morris, Illinois wedding was a simple, gorgeous ceremony in the park with a backyard barbecue reception.  The couple has a lovely vintage style, which is most definitely reflected in these photographs. So what did Heather have to say about this Fab*Bride? Well...

"...Why I think Jen was unique, well there are a ton of reasons!  From the first email she sent me you could just tell she was so laid back and sweet.  She told me some of her ideas and I fell in love with their wedding, they are exactly the kind of people and wedding we love shooting!  We flew to IL and got there on the wedding day to find her in the backyard setting up.  I was shocked!  Most brides are getting their hair and nails done, lounging in the room and just enjoying it all, this girl was working!  It was so funny to me.  Later I saw that she did her own hair and makeup which also blew me away; she was just so easy to deal with!  Nothing was a huge deal, no blow ups, no freak outs, she just went with the flow.  Everything at her wedding was handmade and so crafty, that is exactly what I love so I was exciting to take every photo.  I loved the story of their relationship; we got to talk a lot while she was getting ready and she told me all about how they'd moved around and everything.  Her wedding was so quaint and beautiful.  She was amazing and you could tell everyone at this small wedding just adored this couple. I wish I could shoot them everyday!"

Well we wish we could look at photos this adorable everyday too!  Let's ask Jen her questions and take a peek at her wedding day!

What was the inspiration or concept behind your wedding? I grew up trying to make sense of a dual heritage and feeling like I never completely fit in.  Whether it be extended stays in Mexico or daily life here in the states I was different, ni modo.  All of that blossomed into a need to stick out, to be the first and only.  It goes without saying that one of the most important days of my adult life was a celebration of individuality.

The moment I saw your wedding photos, I instantly felt the love between you and Jeff.  You two look care-free and most certainly in love.  What does Jeff inspire in you? Jeff is the single most brilliant person in my life and one of the most beautiful souls there will ever be.  He challenges me to never stop adding to what I know and where I've been.  His strength throughout his ongoing battle with cancer inspires me to remain positive amidst all adversity.  It's inspired me to be after what is truly important in life, spirituality and justice vs. materials and self-service.

Your wedding dress is simple, elegant, and lovely – tell us about your search for the perfect piece.  How did you go about accessorizing to finalize your look?  I wanted a dress that was natural...elegant but understated.  I was looking for something that wouldn't go out of style and I knew it would end up coming from J Crew.  I was torn over several of their wedding gowns.  There's something so sweet and romantic about the one I chose.  Some gold ribbon around the waist added a perfect little something and was a way to match my groom. I hadn't really been able to picture myself in a traditional veil and when I saw this unique headpiece I was head over heels.  It was the perfect amount of 'flashy' to go with my simple dress.  It was all very easy to wear and I felt timeless.

{Fab*Bride} A Bridal Spotlight on Hannah!

This week's Fab*Bride is quite famous!  Her sister, Kelty of Portland-based Steep Street, takes absolutely phenomenal shots and is a wonderful designer, and Hannah (our Fab*Bride) is often times her muse; you can typically find Hannah modeling and showing off her b-e-a-utiful red locks.  I've put together boards showcasing her wedding to her now-hubby Alex, their photographic shoot to create album art for wedding favors, a few shots of their snowing anniversary session, and lastly two very lovely modeling shots taken by Kelty.  Let's dive in to all of this eye-candy because they have lots to share with all of our dedicated Fab*Bride readers!  It's definitely worth the read so stay tuned til the end!

Kelty claims that..."as you can probably tell from [her] website (TGIHs!), [she] love taking pictures of Hannah.  One of the reasons is that she's drop dead gorgeous, but the bigger reason is that she helps me make every shoot we do together a totally fun and organic experience.  She doesn't seem to have a ton of preconceived notions about the process, which is liberating and inspiring.  Her main hope for the wedding photos was that I show her and Alex in their element with their personalities shining through.  She didn't limit me to certain "key" moments that HAD to be captured, but wanted the photos to have a documentary feel as if it were through the eyes of a guest, rather than the head of a giant, posed spotlight fixed on her. I knew that she liked action photos to capture her and Alex's energy, and those happen to be some of the most fun to shoot!  When we were shooting materials for the album covers, we turned on a Metric album super loud and I just had them dance and do whatever came to mind. I never had to tell them when to kiss, when to hold hands, when to jump... I guess it helps that they're both incredibly creative, funny, and natural performers, but the lack of stage-y rules certainly contributed to the spirit of the shoot and the resulting album covers.  As a bride, Hannah was incredibly laid back, creative, and fun-loving... which is how I would describe her as a person as well.  We've always worked well together since our days of playing pretend as kids, and I consider myself extremely lucky to still be able to collaborate with her on a weekly basis and even luckier to be the one to help make her big day memorable!"

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Now it's Hannah's turn to take a stab at our grueling ten questions.  (I must say she absolutely nailed it and has great advice for budding brides).  Enjoy!

I've done my research a little bit, but tell our readers how you met your husband and your proposal story. How does it feel to live with your childhood sweetheart?  Alex and I met on our neighborhood pool deck around 1991.  Our families got to know each other because we were both on swim team, although Alex and I didn't exactly run in the same circles- he was a lifeguard, and a bit older than me at that.  I was a rather outspoken nine year old swim patron, and the poor guy humored my silly stories and sass admirably.  Alex went off to college a few years later and we lost touch, then both our parents moved from the neighborhood. I never expected to meet Alex again, and as I grew up, he became a distant memory of my childhood summers.  Fifteen years later I was living in Barcelona, teaching English, and Alex was back in Portland, living as a starving musician/graphic designer.  His brother made him a myspace page for his music, which led us to somehow bump into one another and reacquaint by email. And that was it, I guess!  We wrote emails, then sent each other sound file monologues and guitar tunes, then the guitar tunes turned into love songs, then we talked by phone, then decided we had to meet.  We met up in San Francisco just before Christmas and had our first date. Two years later we proposed to one another on Christmas Eve.  Well, what actually happened was that Alex proposed to me while I was half asleep under the covers, and before I opened my ring box I grabbed a ring I'd bought him four months before and had hidden away in case he'd had the notion to pop the question... and gave it to him. I don't know how it worked out so well, but it was such a wonderful feeling to both be so surprised on our engagement day.  I wouldn't necessarily call Alex my childhood sweetheart, but I still laugh sometimes when I think about how things have turned out. I sometimes wish I could go back in time and tell my chubby, chlorine-haired nine year old self "Hannah! You're going to MARRY Alex!".  I don't think I would have believed it back then, and I still pinch myself now. 

What was your number one priority throughout the wedding planning process?  Our number one priority during the wedding planning process was to put together our kind of wedding: low budget, DIY and with our own distinct feel.  We felt very strongly about not following tradition just for the sake of doing so, so we attempted to take what we liked from traditional weddings, add what we felt was missing for our particular one, and to respectfully leave the rest.  It was a relief to come to terms with the fact that, for example, that we're just not cutting the cake kind of people, or that we didn't feel comfortable having a first dance or walking down an aisle during the ceremony. We love going to weddings that do incorporate those traditions, but it just didn't feel right for us, and I'm so glad that we stuck to our gut feeling with that.  Instead, we served cupcakes as well as a Haribo candy-covered wedding cake, had a few pinatas for guests to take a whack at, said our own vows standing in hula hoops with our family/friends crowded around us, opted for Disneyland (honeymoon) donations rather than a registry, and ultimately enjoyed the unstructured, organic progression of the day.  The location was also a priority for us, as we wanted to feel connected to the places where we said our vows and celebrated them.  We had the ceremony under our neighborhood oak tree and the celebration at a relaxed brewery/barn nearby. We followed our own vision of what a wedding meant to us, and it turned out great.

{Wednesday Trendsday} Ideas That Sparkle

When I spotted an article in Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary issue about using glitter as an accent to wedding attire and decor I had one of those wistful moments in which I wanted to plan my own wedding all over again. I fell in love with the pink and gold twinkling images and the shimmering accents. The article focused on glittering decor and celestial motifs like hanging five point stars and even sprinkling glittered stars along the aisle. The images really centered on stardust and sparkle, and they reminded me of our Preston Bailey wedding invitations. I know you may think it's a stretch, but when you take a peek at these invitations in person, you see a dimension of glimmering colors on the shimmer paper they're printed on. The pink and cream colors in Pink Fantasy just lend themselves to sparkling inspiration. Check out Martha's glittering inspiration here, and our Preston Bailey wedding invitations. If you doubt the glittery-ness of the invites, order a sample and see the sparkle for yourself. It's sweet and subtle and oh-so-dazzling.

{Fab*Bride-To-Be!} An Engagement Spotlight on Liz!

I'm most excited to introduce Liz, our first Fab*Bride-To-Be! The eventual goal of Fab*Bride was to expand to more than just brides who just got married, but also ladies who are currently engaged, mothers, and other real women out there living their best life possible through major milestones.  This is what makes Fab*Blog so personal, because we are most interested in all of events that everyday people go through.  And Liz is certainly no exception. She's so poised, candid, and absolutely adorable (even through e-mail).

She was nominated to us by Erin and Randy from he & she Photography, a husband and wife duo based out of Orange County, California.  They sport a fashion meets photo-journalistic style, and Liz and her fiancée Rich were ideal candidates to pose for them.  Erin had many lovely words to say about Liz:

Liz and her fiancée, Rich, were simply a pleasant surprise. We hadn’t met them before shooting their engagement session, but just from talking on the phone with Liz I could tell she was full of spunk and excitement. The most notable qualities about Liz, other than the fact that she’s absolutely gorgeous, are her playfulness, generosity and ever-present bubbling laughter. She’s the kind of person who exudes such a warm and positive energy that you can’t help but catch onto it!  At the end of our engagement session, we talked while sipping on Jarritos sodas that Liz and Rich shared with us.  Liz didn’t ask about when they’d receive the pictures, or any business related questions.  Instead, the first question out of her mouth after the shutters ceased their snapping was, “Did you guys have as much fun as we did?”   We of course said we had a blast, and Rich piped in that during the drive to our second location of the shoot, Liz kept asking, “Do you think they’re having fun? I hope they’re having fun!”  It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that exhibits Liz’s generosity. She thinks of others before herself.  It’s fair to say that Randy and I were in shock of how awesome Liz and Rich were.  We feel so fortunate to have befriended them and to be a part of their wedding.  Even the next day after the shoot, Liz sent us an email reiterating again how appreciative they were, how much fun they had, and how they’d love to go hiking with us sometime!  Her thoughtfulness and excitement are what make Liz stand out as one of our most unique and unforgettable brides.  Shooting a bride during her engagement session is typically a little different than shooting her on her wedding day. The anticipation and distraction of the details of the wedding day can understandably inhibit brides from fully relaxing during their pictures.  It’s then our job to help her relax so that her joyful emotions can emerge through the pictures.  Randy and I absolutely love our engagement sessions because of the relaxed environment. Our engagement sessions are really more like hang out sessions. They are a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know our couples and capture candid, fun photos!  Liz and Rich’s wedding is going to be at The Darlington House in La Jolla, a charming Spanish villa.  They are currently in the midst of hand making Spanish-themed flags for part of the decor. Liz is super stylish and creative, so I get the feeling their wedding is going to be very intimate with fun, hand-made details! We can’t wait!

Without further ado, Liz and her wonderful answers to the grueling ten questions!

 
First things first, we adore your outfits that you chose to wear for the shoot.  One is so casual-chic…blending with the rugged surroundings, and the other is so dainty, feminine, and Hollywood.  How did you decide how you wanted to style yourself, as well as Rich?  Rich and I really wanted these pictures to reflect who we are, and what we normally look like...  perhaps just jazzed up a bit!  All the clothes we donned for our shoot were things we couldn't wait to put back on!  I always find myself drooling over sweet, feminine dresses so that was the easy part for me.  In this shoot we were hoping to communicate our vision for the wedding -- charming, romantic, maybe a little bit whimsical--and we also wanted fit in with our surroundings [as much as you can in nude, patent heels up in those hills!].  We started with my dresses... the blue, a $30 STEAL from the Anthropologie sale rack--yum! and from there, we pieced together Rich's outfits to not only reflect him and his sense of style, but to complement my outfits.  We wanted to look like two peas in a pod, did it work?!  :)

{Fab*Bride} A Bridal Spotlight on Sarah!

In honor of this year's Holiday season, I have a splendid visual gift to give.  This week's Fab*Bride is Sarah.  She was nominated to us by Dallas/Ft. Worth-based photographer Erik at Poser:Image Photography and we couldn't be happier than to present these lovely images.  Bloggers are always looking for something unique for you to "oooh" and "ahhh" over, and I think we've found just that. 

Instead of showcasing a Fab*Bride amidst her wedding day surroundings, Erik has given us a bridal fashion shoot showcasing only Sarah.  It gives us a moment to enjoy photography at its best and highlight a beautiful woman.  Erik refers to many of his clients as posers.  Sure the word "poser" has gotten a bad rap, but to him it is a positive word that defines the muses of his photo-journalistic aesthetic.  According to Erik,

"Sarah is the definition of fabulous.  She is such a Poser.  Very comfortable working the camera, she is a classic beauty.  At the wedding, when guests saw her bridal images,  they all said she resembled Giselle Bündchen.  What do you think?  Sarah and Steve had a wonderfully classy wedding in Dallas at Arlington Hall at Lee Park.  It was an honor to tell their story."

Without further ado, our Fab*Bride Sarah and our grueling (aka fun!) ten questions!  Enjoy.

From the looks of these photos, you are superbly model-ready!  Tell us a little about yourself.  Are you naturally comfortable in front of the camera or was this something that you were slightly nervous to participate in?  Was this shoot before or after your nuptials & would you recommend a bridal shoot to other gals out there?  I don't know how model-ready I really am, but this summer I was in a national ad campaign in Canada, so I had a bit of practice before this photo shoot.  Either way it was hard work!  We shot this about two months before the wedding, and it took about 4 hours or so.  I was totally exhausted and my yet-to-be worn wedding dress was filthy.  But when I saw the shots it was totally worth it.  (Sounds like she would definitely recommend!)

Now take a moment to gush about your now-husband:  where you met, how he proposed, and how you knew he was the one for you.  We actually met at work.  Our desks literally faced each other.  He used to send me ridiculous, hilarious British pod-casts and we would sit across from each other laughing with headphones in.  About a year after we started dating.  We bonded over our mutual love of traveling, whimsical fairy tales and life in general.  He proposed in Paris, last new years eve, just after the lights had stopped flashing on the Eiffel Tower.  It was so romantic, except I thought he was joking!  Once I realized he was serious, I immediately said yes, burst into tears and we spent the rest of the evening at a French Bistro drinking champagne and reveling in what had just happened.  It was magical. 
    
Your dress is gorgeously simple, chic, and classic!  Tell us about your quest to find the perfect fit for you.  I only tried on a few dresses before I found the perfect one.  I wanted it to be timeless, but to also convey my quirky sense of style.  This Lela Rose dress totally did it for me.  Sigh...I do love it so.  (We do too!)

If you could label one song as the theme to your wedding, what would it be?  Hmmm.  I think it would have to be "In My Life" by the Beatles.  That was our first song and to me it has always spoken to the significance of life's events.  It's the only part of our wedding that I had envisioned since I was a child.

{Fab*Bride} A Bridal Spotlight on Natasha!

This week's Fab*Bride exudes all of the qualities in a person that I wanted to showcase when I started this series of features.  I do not know Natasha personally, but throughout our e-mail correspondence and in answering all of this week's questions, she has proved herself to be truthful and a woman full of grace. Natasha was nominated by Lindsey Thorne of Lindsey Thorne Photography and The Jason Groupp.  Last week's contributor Sarah Rhoads Photography told me about Lindsey. I instantly loved her aesthetic and she happily nominated Natasha. The summer wedding took place at a beautiful park in Manhattan, with stunning views, beautiful gardens, and trees for days. When I asked Lindsey what made Natasha stand out enough to nominate, she had nothing but wonderful things to say; the story behind how she came to be Natasha's photographer is so interesting:

'My photography was a gift to Natasha from her friends; I had never met or spoken with her until the morning of her wedding. I walked in and saw the dress, the shoes, the bride -- amazing! Natasha is timeless, more graceful than I ever have been. I noticed how she carries herself, how she looks people in the eyes when she's speaking with them. Her friends and family love her very much, as was apparent in the first five minutes of my time there. As the day unfolded and I realized where her ceremony was taking place I was speechless. This wedding possessed so many qualities I would like to have at my own some day. I appreciated that Natasha is artistic and real, and it challenged me to photograph her in a way that would reflect that. Congrats you guys! I wish you all the best. xoxo."

Let's take a peek at the gorgeousness that is Natasha photographed by Lindsey Thorne!

And now for the grueling (aka fun!) ten questions:

The moment I saw your wedding photos, I instantly felt the love between you and Jeremy, and the happiness of everyone surrounding you both.  What does Jeremy inspire in you?  Jeremy and I are both artists. He is a painter and I am an actress. He understands the difficulties that come with a life where there is no day to day security. There sometimes are weeks where I don't have a single audition, or haven't booked a job and it's easy to feel listless, uninspired, and down on ones self. I often fall into that place, but Jeremy has a way of getting me out of those dark periods. He is the most disciplined person I have ever met. He wakes up every morning at 8 a.m. and paints no matter what his mood, no matter how tired he is. I've often said that that quality "turns me on" but all kidding aside it inspires me to get up every morning and pursue my dream.

Describe one of your happiest moments with Jeremy before your wedding day.  Now that you’ve tied the knot, share a happy moment you’ve had as newlyweds.  I'm going to cheat a little on this question and tell you about a moment that happened in a blurry area-- on our wedding day in between our ceremony and our reception. After our ceremony, Jeremy and I checked into our hotel room. We were both in complete shock to say the least and neither of us had eaten a thing all day because of nerves. So, still dressed in our wedding gear, we ordered room service: 2 cheeseburgers with fries and a bottle of champagne! It was the best meal I have ever had! We both ate our plates in record time and toasted our day. We were so happy to be married and having that hour alone with just the two of us after all the commotion was like heaven.

Your vintage wedding dress is so lovely – tell us about your search for the perfect piece and why you decided on ‘something old’ instead of ‘something new.’ How did you go about accessorizing to finalize your look?  I love the idea that things that I own have had a previous life and have seen other things. I wanted my dress to have a history so choosing a vintage dress was a no-brainer to me. You hear all these horror stories from brides about the quest to find their dress so I was anticipating a long and treacherous journey. I found my dress at the third store I went to! I made some alterations to it with the help of a tailor and my mom, which turned the already beautiful dress into something even my wildest dreams couldn't have conjured up. The dress is entirely made of lace thus making it completely sheer and the alterations had given it a unique shape making it impossible to find a slip. So my amazing mom fashioned me a custom one by deconstructing a store bought slip. As far as jewelry I too wanted it to be "something old and borrowed." I wore my grandmother’s wedding ring, my mother's pearl necklace and bracelet, and my good friend’s gold bangles. My friend who designed and made our wedding bands let me borrow a pair of earrings (which i eventually bought from her because I couldn't live without them and because I wanted something from my wedding that i could pass along to my kids). I opted not to go get my hair and make up done and chose to get ready at home with the help of some close friends, my sister, and mom. I knew I wanted fresh flowers in my hair-- but the final hair-do was a spur of the moment creation by my mom. In fact my whole look at the wedding was quite spur of the moment — I hadn't really planned the look; it just sort of came together as I was getting ready.

If you could label one song as the theme to your wedding, what would it be?  We asked our good friend Tania to officiate our wedding. As part of her ceremony she got the whole crowd to serenade us with the Bangles' "Eternal Flame" a classic 80's love ballad. It was amazing and I instantly burst into tears while simultaneously laughing my head off. That song and moment was the perfect theme to our wedding.

{Fab*Bride} A Bridal Spotlight on Leda!

We're back with our third edition of Fab*Bride! This week's choice comes from a nomination by Sarah Rhoads Photographers, a husband and wife team based in Seattle, Washington. I adore each and every one of the photos I've seen them produce. They have such a freshness to them - truly unique! When they nominated Leda, I could not believe my eyes! The wedding is so artistic and stunning, and the bride is truly beautiful. I asked Sarah a few questions about Leda. She responded with willingness to chat about our lovely Fab*Bride!

What makes Leda fabulous?  What makes Leda fabulous is her heart for others. She is one of the most selfless and kindhearted brides I have had. She knows how to put her friends and family before herself and I really admire that in her. On another note she is extremely stylish and beats to the tune of her own drum!

What is it about her that makes her interesting?  Well Leda is naturally breathtaking. She has a very unique look to her that instantly draws you in. Beyond that, she has an extremely dynamic personality and charismatic style.

What was your favorite part about photographing her? What makes her stand out from other brides?  My favorite part about shooting her was she was completely natural in front of the camera. She let her guard down with me and we got fantastic photos because of that. What makes Leda stand out is her heart for others and her flawless sense of style ;)

Without further ado, let us introduce Leda!

Your wedding is stunningly modern. What is it about this aesthetic that you love so much? What advice do you have for other brides out there who want something clean, yet totally chic?  Like many brides, the style of our wedding evolved over the course of planning it.  I always wanted an outdoor wedding and 'tent' reception, but the logistics became difficult taking into account our budget and geography (Seattle...rain!).  We ended up choosing a hotel near the Museum of Glass and were really inspired by the beautiful glass art throughout the hotel.  The black-on-black look seen in our wedding just seemed really classic and modern.  I really liked the idea of using a lot of black but in different textures.  Usually the more simple and clean, the more impact.  We had black chairs, table cloths, runners, tall black vases and bright flowers really popped against all the black. 

How did you know that Jonathan was ‘the one?’ He was the one who could always make me laugh.  I think that's the key to a happy marriage.  Find the one that makes you laugh and you're set for life.

Your photographer told us that you are super stylish! When we saw these photographs, we could not agree more! Who is your fashion icon + why? Oh do I have to choose just one?  I'd have to say Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Blake Lively and Diane Von Furstenberg not only because I love their style, but they're not afraid to be themselves.  I admire people who aren't afraid to step out of their comfort zone. 

If you could label one song as the theme to your wedding, what would it be? Definitely "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.  We had it as the background to the slide show we played at our reception and it was one of my favorite moments of our wedding.

A Vibrant Dia de los Muertos Wedding

Have you ever heard of a Day of the Dead wedding? The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans throughout the US and Canada on November 1st and 2nd which is also All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. The celebrations are festive, full of color, and often involving sweets like sugar skulls and delicious foods. You can read more about Dia de los Muertos here on Wikipedia, including information about the rich culture of celebrating those who have passed on. Wiki says that the celebrations are often comical, and that to me explains the use of vibrant skull motifs and figurines.

I stumbled across the adorable and lively Dia de los Muertos wedding above on Offbeat Bride, and the bride Julie was sweet enough to share her photos with me. I love all of the details- from the bright blue, fuchsia, lime, and orange decor to the spread of sweets at the candy buffet. I think the cake may just be the best part. Julie and her husband were married in Las Vegas, so their cake topper featured a bride, groom, and Elvis skeleton. How kitschy cute?! The festive colors didn't just lend itself to the cake and candy, but also to her retro floral printed dress, colorful paper poms, and her candle lit centerpieces. 

A Dia de los Muertos wedding is brave & unique and oh-so-fun! The idea can easily lend itself to an everyday celebration or birthday as well. Consider these adorable sugar skulls from Dean & Deluca, a skull cake design one of our consultants saw at a friend's recent 40th birthday party, and Mexican party invitation Fiesta Grande.

Have you ever been to a Day of the Dead wedding or party? If so, let me know in a comment below. I would love to hear about it!

Proposing to Your Girlfriend Recessionmista Style

I loved the movie The Proposal and not just because I am a super big Ryan Reynolds fan, but because it was a solid movie. It may have not been the most common way to become engaged, but I do think that not every engagement involves a fancy restaurant with a dozen roses. Some engagements are more practical, while others are more whimsy and some are just plain sweet.

Here are a few ideas for a simple, and recession proof proposal. Some are fictional and ideas to share and others are tried and true:

Propose at a drive-in movie during a chic flick.

Propose on the steps of your high school (if you were high school sweethearts).

Bring a boom box and dress like John Cusack in Say Anything and stand outside her window. Play your "couple" song on the boom box and have her come out and propose.

Put "Will you marry me?" in a fortune cookie. 

Make her dinner and prepare soup, place alphabet pasta in the bowl and spell out, "Marry me."

Put the proposal in baked goods. Inspired by Bakerella.

My fave: sweet and never fails: Propose at a picnic on the beach at sunset.

These are cheap proposal ideas, the ring is another story!

Simply Save the Date, Letter Burst, The Proposal movie stars, Picnic stuff, Say Anything