I'm not sure if you know this or not, but according to Bridal Association of America, an average bride will spend $659 on wedding invitations and reply cards. Granted this information hasn't been recently updated, but still.... 

$659.00 on just paper. 

I was in shock when I read this. Seeing as I've been trying my hardest to make my wedding a budget friendly event, I was not about to spend that much on invites that 99% of the receivers will throw away. This weekend was designated "Domination Wedding Invites" with Zach. I was prepared to dive in and get these babies done and sent out this weekend. Hah! My, what big expectations I had.

Dreams of designing and putting together my own invitations had been dashed by my busy schedule and the desire to save even more.  So, a couple of months ago I purchased my invites and reply cards from Target on a whim....they were cute, reasonable, and I wanted to get this over with.  This Saturday, Zach and I headed out to Office Max to get the invites printed and get this marked off the Knot checklist.

After almost an hour of proof-reading, margin checking, and one CAPS freak out, we left with our finished invites!  We just need to go back and get the reply cards printed.  Let's hope that won't be such an ordeal.  

 To think, all this stress for pieces of paper...


These are the invites before we printed on them. What do you think?
We are planning on punching holes in the top and tying a decorate bow using jute.
I'm going to be handwriting all the addresses in calligraphy, but will be utilizing return address labels to save my sanity... I do want to get these sent out on time!

After crunching numbers, here is the estimate of how much everything will cost after we are done:

Two packages of invitations (with reply cards) = $70.00
To print about 80 invites and reply cards = $60.00
Stamps (reply cards included)= $90.00
Jute Bows = $2.00
Labels = $16.00

Total = $238.00
(Plus Zach had a Office Max gift card for $40!)

I think we did pretty good considering we have 155 people to invite! That's about $1.50 per person.
Has anyone done their invites for cheaper? I'd love to hear how they did it!  We also did save the dates via an e-card and I'm so glad because that saved so much; trees, money, and time.  At the time I felt like this was a "scandalous" idea because it was so cheap and I have never heard of others doing this...have you?

Hopefully everyone is having a great week so far!
Make sure to enter in my Owl Necklace Giveaway before Wednesday.

-KateLainey

With birds chirping their heads off every morning this week, it's nice to know that warmer days are definitely here.  My mood always seems to brighten with the renewal of Spring; when nature becomes green and alive with growth.  With the change of seasons, come a change in wardrobe and I'm so excited to put away my down coat. To honor this lovely weather, I thought I'd do a giveaway of my latest pursuit in jewelry making.

Can you see him? 

My love for little birdies has transcended into the owl trend as well. 

2. Write a comment about what outfit you would sport with Toby! 

Giveaway ends on March 23rd at 8pm EST. 



-KateLainey

If you ask any kid what their favorite food is, they will usually say, "Pizza! Pizza!"

Fond memories of family dinners centered around mom's huge homemade pizzas always arise when I'm making my own pies.  Nowadays, pizza still ranks pretty high up there as a favorite food of mine.  

What can I say, homemade pizzas share a soft spot in my heart.






Over the years my taste in pizza toppings have changed from just cheese, to veggie max!

This little guy is vegan delish!

Here are the fixings:
Whole Wheat Crust 

Olive Oil
Vegan Parmesan (Nutritional Yeast, Sesame Seeds, and Sea Salt blended together)

Tofu

Shiitake Mushrooms

Red Peppers

Corn

Kale

Sunflower Seeds

I love experimenting and putting unlikely toppings on my pizza.
I know this pizza looks a little crazy, but it was so good!

What is your favorite kind of pizza? Have you ever tried any bizarre combinations of toppings?
Let me know, I'm always up for trying a new combination...like artichokes and tortellini!
 YUM!

Good morning lovelies.

I can't wait. 

Oh, to escape away as newlyweds to a beautiful, remote vacation spot...the peace, serenity, and romance.

Sounds lovely doesn't it.

Out of all the wedding planning you wouldn't think that the honeymoon would be the most source of stress and tension, but it has been. This past week we have gone back and forth between whether we can afford the dream honeymoon or not.  

Both of us had already envisioned a perfect getaway; conjuring up images of what a honeymoon should be. 

Basking in the sun on a secluded island.

Hiking through uncharted jungles. 

Taking bike tours through Italy.

Snorkeling in the waters of the Caribbean

(man, I sound like a Sandals commercial)

With buying a house in the near future, we have decided that we will not be taking the fantasy honeymoon that society tells us we should take. Instead, we are heading out west and staying in the good 'ol USA.  At this point I'm glad we are fortunate enough to even make a honeymoon happen. Regardless of what I had dreamt about when I was younger, I know that we will remember this trip for a lifetime.

Our destination as of now - Monterey & San Francisco.  

Here are a few things we'd like to do at each place: 

Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Kayak through the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Stroll down Cannery Row 

Vineyard tour & wine tasting

 Ride on a cable car

See the Golden Gate Bridge

Fisherman's Wharf

Shop at Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange

Visit the Golden Gate Park for tea in the Japanese Garden

Run through the unique neighborhoods
And of course finding local coffeehouses

Blue Bottle Coffee

For me, an ideal vacation would mostly entail absorbing the culture around me.

I adore exploring cities by shopping, tasting the local cuisine, photographing the beauty, sampling coffee, visiting vineyards, and finding those hidden hot spots that only the locals know about. 

As a typical man, Zach craves adventure with his lady. His wish list contains anything from hiking, kayaking, mountain climbing, eating, drinking local brews, seeing sea lions, exploring and getting lost along the way. 

We'd love to combine our ideas for the ultimate honeymoon.

 Has anyone been out to Monterey or San Francisco and have recommendations for us? 

I'd appreciate any help seeing as there is so much to do and we only have a week to enjoy ourselves!
Thanks! :)

And who is this handsome young man?
Zachary wasn't so thrilled when I turned the camera on him.