Looking for an affordable ring for me, I decided to hit up Overstock because of their reasonable prices. I have purchase things from them before and they are really liable, fast, and their service is great. I am also planning to get the FI ring from here too. After search for a while, I finally found the ring for me. It actually resembled a ring that I first seen on Zales.com when we first got engaged but it was out of our price range. The ring is gorgeous and with a price tag of $166 $150, its unbeatable!



Unfortunately, the ring is no longer available in my size and its selling out. I contacted a sale representative and he informed me that it may not be restock due to they are a liquidation store (literally cries).

Aww this suck but hopefully they will restock; if not, the search for the ring is back on.

Today, while I was looking at different website, I came across this beautiful song. It is simple but very touching. Its amazing how one song can completely express how you felt in that exact moment in your life. This song explains how I felt when I said yes to my FI. Before we starting getting close, I prayed about it because I had just gotten out of an situation that left me hurt and used. I have noticed after taking to a few people that it takes getting hurt before you would stop looking for love. At the moment you think love has given up on you, it comes knocking at your door and if you not wise, you would run it away. After I got out of the situation I made a promise to myself and to God that I would never get into another "relationship". Because I couldn't be hurt like that ever again. I told God that if I did, it had to be from Him and ended in marriage. That God would have to tell and show me; rather in a dream, signs, people coming to be...whatever it had to take for me to believe it. Haha and the funny part is, thats exactly what happened. Now He didn't tell/or show me anything until months down the line but throughout those months I kept praying. Anywho, check the song out, I know you will love it! (Embedding is disabled by request so click on the link.)

Youtube "You're the One" by Lisa Shipman and Hallerin Hill

"The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the ballroom or church or synagogue. It's a choice you make - not just on your wedding day, but over and over again -- and that choice is reflected in the way you treat your husband or wife. Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day." - Barbara De Angelis

As of today, we have 1 year, 3 months and 6 days before our big day. I'm sure a lot of people would wonder why I am putting so much time in searching for venues, photographers, ideas..ect now. The reason is because I have no idea on what we would like. Nor do I know anything about planning a wedding. The last wedding I went to was over a decade ago. I was seven and a flower girls. It was exciting but all I can remember was fighting with my cousin because she took my dress and I ended up wearing hers. Now this wouldn't have been a problem if the dress was not two sizes too small and hung everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Its funny now but boy was she in trouble afterward.

Anywho, I decided to start early on the search because I wanted to have an idea of what we could afford before we actually start planning. That why things will go a lot smoother since I will be in school while planning our wedding. I'm looking to graduate by the time we get married but with FAMU the way it is, it may not happen. It would be an extreme blessing to graduate and get married all in the same month! Craziness yes but none the less a great accomplishment.

Here is what our budget looks like as of right now. I just realized I left out decorations but that is not a problem since we will have money left over.

Budget Breakdown
Ceremony and Reception venue $1000*
Ceremony $150
Marriage license is $93.50 ($61.00 with proof of a premarital class).
Reception $500
(includes food and drink, the cake).
Photography $1000**
Flowers $250
Attire $550
Stationery $100 (Have paper already, just need stamps and envelopes).
The rings $230 (his 57.99 and mine 166)
Music $0 Free
Total $3780

* Should have about $400 left over.
** If everything goes to plan, we will have money left over...about $200.

For the past two days, I have been searching for some photographers that fits into our budget and surprisingly I found some. Some that were similar to your style and some that was just, well I wouldn't hire them. After customizing their packages, their prices ranged from $600-$1000 which is pretty good if you ask me. However the problem lies with my FI. He refuses to pay $1000 for a photographer to "just take some pictures", as he would say. Mind you, this particular photographer is really good and can charge a lot more for her work. Plus she was willing to knock $300 off her original package price. You can only imagine how I felt. I guess its back to the drawing board to figure out something. This is exactly why I decided to take a jump start on my search for venues and photographers so it would not be much of a headache later down the line. On the brighter side, there are a few more photographers that I am waiting to hear from who was a little more reasonable...lets see how he feels about them.

Did you and your FI have disagreements about photographers? If so, how did you handle it?

So lets face it, not everyone can afford to spend $25,000 or let alone $10,000 for their dream wedding. This dreaded fact is especially hard one those who have to pay for their wedding out of pocket- without the help of parents or family members. I have toyed with the idea of just going to the court house, however, I cannot bring myself to do that. I’m not knocking those who have took this route but it is just not for me.

When determining a budget for your wedding, one must consider how much they can afford to save and how much they can afford to spend. Realistically for us, $5000 is pushing it. Although, I know that it could happen, I would feel more comfortable with staying under that amount. Being a college student who is stuck paying out of the state fees (even though I vote, pay bills, and pay taxes here) this is an extremely important realization. I love my mom but I know she cannot afford to hand me $2000 out of no where. Knowing this we are going back to my original budget of $3500.

Thanks to a Tallahassee bride, Bride on a Budget, we are now looking at two venues for our reception. The Tallahassee Automobile Museum and the Tallahassee Garden Club. Although with the TAM, we will only be able to host the ceremony/and or reception, we can’t beat $600 to rent it out. Need to check with them to see if we can extend their 4 hours to allow set up. If not, we will be hosting the ceremony at our church. Going this route will cancel out my dream of having the ceremony outdoors. Which I may consider anyways due to my FI allergies during the spring/summer time but we will see how he feels about this. As of right now, TGC is a strong candidate because we can have both the ceremony and reception at one place.

We will not be serving alcohol so we can cut cost with that. We are also considering having a pot lock dinner style. Hopefully I can find some people that is willing to cook for about 60 people which will save on catering too.

Other things I am considering doing myself (and with help of course) are:
• Invitations
• Save the date postcards (for those out of the state).
• Centerpieces
• Bouquets (I am strongly thinking about getting them made by a florist and doing other flowers things myself).

Although budget break down will be needed but until then, I’m sticking to my guns and to our budget. Maybe this way I can get my gown that I loved without putting a burden on the budget. If not, I may be taking a trip back home to Jacksonville and checking out their bridal stores there.

Planning and executing your walk down the aisle (right down to the reception tablecloths, flower bouquet, and the limo ride to the church) require a carefully sorted wedding budget that allocates enough money for you to complete all the tasks that go into creating an unforgettable celebration. While the goal for engaged couples is to stick to the confines of an approved wedding budget and avoid debt, let's face it – this is pretty hard to accomplish. The best you can hope for is leaving a little breathing room for your wedding budget and maximizing every dollar you plan to spend.

Calculating Your Wedding Budget
One of the most dreaded parts of planning nuptials is sitting down to discuss and calculate the wedding budget. Prepare for making a lot of compromises and sacrifices. Relax and keep in mind that you can still pull off a wedding in style without digging a deep hole with credit card companies and taxing your life savings. However, don’t put off calculating your wedding budget, as it is important for you to know where to save much-needed bucks and when to spare no expense. This is your chance to make the smart decisions that will prevent mounting bills in the future.

Tips on calculating a wedding budget include:
1) Separate your future wedding expenses into specific categories, such as food, reception, ceremony, transportation, flowers, entertainment, wedding attendants, and so forth.

2) Jot down on a piece of paper all of the major and minor details that go into creating a wedding budget. Use your categories to brainstorm. Don’t forget items like reception centerpieces, postage for wedding invitations, hair and makeup, and obtaining a marriage license. A wedding planning book will certainly help remind you of any overlooked details.

3) Enlist the help of married friends who have already gone through the process of creating a wedding budget. Ask for tips and pointers, as well as whom they used and estimated costs.

4) Once you know what you're dealing with, you can begin to comparison shop and gather the prices of all the components that will go into your wedding.

5) Make a list of all the financial assistance you expect to help with your wedding budget. Don’t forget to include your current income, any savings in the bank, as well as contributions coming from family members.

Maximize Your Wedding Budget
Before you dive into the world of pricey ice sculptures and diamond studded cufflinks, consider cutting back the strain of a wedding budget by embracing the following money-saving tips:

• Spend Less on the Dress: Who remembers where the bridal gown came from? Custom-made or clearance rack – it's how you wear it!

• Music Cutback: Consider foregoing the DJ and 5-piece band – think iPod and computerized playlists.

• Avoid Floral Overload: Save money by eliminating bulky floral centerpieces for your reception. Substitute with items, like pretty candles.

• Stick with the Photos: If your wedding budget is tight, locate a solid photographer and leave the videography to family members with camcorders.

Bored one day earlier this week, I decided to take break from my class project to design our invitations. We are still a year out but I wanted to feel like I was doing something towards the wedding...so I created an invitation. Just to get a feel of what we would like. We both really love the way it turned out. I plan to do a suite idea sometime this weekend since I don't have class tomorrow.




We took this picture in downtown Jacksonville at the River Walk back in May of last year. We were playing around and just want a few pictures together. Absolutely love how it turned out.

*Photo taking and edited by me.