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Education
High School Diploma, and a Interprovincial Certified Technician in a trade
Hobbies
Reading, Watching movies, Hanging out with friends and family, and shopping! And ofcourse, playing with our dog and 3 cats (who think they are dogs)
About Me
I'm a very fun loving person, and I enjoy the company of my friends and family, I am what I call a girly-tomboy...I enjoy being outdoors and quadding and such, but I love all the girly stuff!
Rants
Living in a small town with no anything for wedding planning/supplies, the nearest place with wedding gowns is 3 HOURS even then there are only two stores!!
Raves Getting married in my small town, in my parents yard in the home I grew up in!
Mr.Schmidt
Occupation
"Transportation Specialist"
Education
High School Graduate and various oil field tickets
Hobbies
Quadding, being outdoors, boating, ski-dooing, whating TLC, National Geographic, and various educational shows.
We kind of met at a school program in grade 9 (it was a two day program about sex..lol) Didn't really meet though, just seen him there, (two different schools attended, he was from the catholic school, I wasn't) Then later in the year we actually met at a school dance, we was there with one of my friends, We all just hung out and danced I guess..Then We really met at ANOTHER school program (It was a two day thing where different courses are offered, like self defence, sports massage..etc) And we really clicked I guess and I asked him to meet me outside the school after the day was over, He said yes, and I didn't show up!! LOL I forgot all about it and went to my friends house for the weekend. After a while, We were still hanging out and such, then our mutual friend told me he really liked me, asked if she could set us up on a date, I said sure, We went to Super Troopers as our first date, And from then on we were dating...on-again, off-again,
Then, finally after I moved away when I was 20, got a new bf, He realized he couldn't not have me in his life and loved me very much and asked me if I would some back..I said yes, then cried.) And have been together ever since. I moved back home, We agreed that we wanted to get married, but not until I was done college (in 3yrs, I finished up in '08) and now we kinda just agreed we would get married next year in August (his parents farm..so we have very limited months available, and we both work hard core during the winter)
The Ring
I received my ring, and I love it! it's 18K white gold with a princess cut solitaire, and a half eternity band that slides in the middle. I love my ring because it's simply, gorgeous, unique and totally me! But, I don't love it as much as my Fiance..lol (close though!)
Our Wedding Plans
We're not very religious people, We are having a civil ceremony in my parents yard, I am having 2 bridesmaid's, My MOH is my Bf of 16+ years, My other bridesmaid is my cousin. I have 3 flower girls ( my nieces) Ages: 4,6,3, and one ring bear, my nephew who will be 7. My sister-in-law is expecting agin and is due January, so if it's a girl, I'll have another flowergirl, but if it's a boy, I will have a ring bear! My Fiance hasn't picked his Bestman or Groomsman yet, as he said, quote 'They will have to prove them selves.." lol, Whatever, as long as he picks them soon!
Our Planning Experience
What can I say, we have our good days of planning, and some days are, well, stressing. I think planning a wedding is a good look on how you will deal with life's problems and dilemmas as a married couple, If that's our case, We'll be married forever!
Our Advice
Do what you want, it's your day! It's sometimes hard to do, but, I'm always trying to come up with witty responses to people 'suggestions' *demands* *cough*cough*..lol IE: "Hmmm, maybe when you get married you can do that!" or "That's not really our style, but you should remember that when you get married!" or my personal favorite "Isn't that nice" and walk away..
MORE ADVICE
I saw alot of post on the forum for brides asking for budget friendly ideas, so I decided just to post all my ideas and tips on here, and then tell any future budget-friendly inquiring brides to check it out! Any other ideas brides, PM me and I will add them! Maybe we can then compile a book and make millions! LOL
FIRST TIP: It NEVER hurts to ask for a discount, what the worst that can happen, they say no? and the best thing? they say yes and know off a few dollars!
Ceremony & Reception
Consider a local park, rental fee is often small or even free! A friend or family members yard, or even a museum! If a church wedding is more your style, contact as many as you can and ask what their requirements are for getting married (any counseling, prep-courses, certain types of songs, can't use flower petals, etc?) and if their fee seems a little steep. Ask them what all this money goes to. I personally, would like to know what my money would be used for.
See if your venue can provide a space for both the Ceremony and Reception, will you get a discount if you use them for both? Receptions are held in many places, schools/college gyms & banquet halls. Elk’s hall, anything like that, check them out you never know! As for the schools and colleges, check out the ones you graduated from, they often offer discounted rates for alumni. For another way to save money on venue fees consider having an "off day" wedding either on Friday or Sunday. Ask the venue if they have reduced rates on days of the week that aren't a Saturday. Also look into "off season" dates such as January (when it's cold) or July (when it's hot).
Invites: Address the invite to ONLY the people who are invited. If you put a generalization on the front (i.e.: The Jones Family) expect more than intended RSVP numbers, If you are using the RSVP cards, Write their name on them, that way they know for sure who is invited and who isn't. Also be prepared to make phone calls to those who haven't RSVP'd.
I am making my RSVP deadline a month before the wedding, that gives me the time to make calls and makes kind of a sense of 'panic' to guests to get their RSVP's in right away (I hope!) I, personally, am for going the whole RSVP cards. The cost of an extra stamp and what not really eats up your invite budget. I am adding an insert card with the reception info, back up location, and How to RSVP and date by, We are having the guests either call me, or RSVP on our wedding website (which, I totally recommend to EVERY BRIDE!) I have also prepared a speech for those who are ho-humming-not-sure-if-they're-coming or rsvp's with more than intended amount. It goes as such:
"I'm glad that you are able to make it "Name", But, unfortunately, due to budget and size limit, we only invited "names", I hope you understand and you and "names" will still be able to make it" (use the invitees names as much as possible)
"I'm just checking on whether or not you will be able to make it, we haven't received your RSVP yet, so we assumed you weren't able to make it, We have to get the caterer a final head count so he/she/they can prepare enough food for everyone that does RSVP."
And for those guests that don't RSVP, return any calls and you still have no idea if they are coming:
"I'm so sorry you won't be able to make, I hope we can get together after the wedding, I'll let the caterer know that you won't be coming"
You can check out Micheals for DIY, just remember that this will be time consuming and at times frustrating! You could also check out www.vistaprint.com, they have a wide selection of invites, with matching envelopes for some of them, You could also try www.cardstore.com, These two site only offer single layer invites, if you want a layered look, try www.theweddingnotebook.com. Remember that size and weight will affect the cost of the stamp! What you think might only cost the standard single stamp can end up costing you over a dollar or more EACH!
FYI: It's NEVER EVER okay to put any registry information on a wedding invite, not even on a separate insert card. My advice is to create a wedding website and have a registry page. You can then include a link to your site on the wedding invite or insert card, and you can word it like this, "For directions, accommodations, registry and all things wedding, please visit our website at: www.yourweddingsite.com"
You can however, include registry info on bridal shower invites, Another way to let everyone know you have a registry, is give the info to the parents and bridal party, that way inquiring guests will know, You can even tell these people (parents and bridal party) anything in particular you need, that's not on the registry, like money.
On a side not about thank-you card etiquette, Some is personal thoughts and feelings, You have up to two months AFTER the wedding to send out thank you cards, any later, and guests will think you are ungrateful, lazy etc..I personally recieved a thak you card from a wedding we attending, almost A YEAR after the wedding..I personally, didn't think they were ungratefull, I thought someone had stolen the card with cash in it! You should also reference in oyur thank you card what you may use the monetary gift for ie: furnature, house, honeymoon, etc. and it it was an object, tell them how much you love the gift and how nice it is! PLEASE if you are sending a photo thank you card, attach a note saying thank you for coming, the gift, helping out, etc..not just a photo of you and your husband/wife saying "Thank-You" at the bottom and nothing else.. Hmm..what else, Oh, yes, even if they gave you a card and no gift, and whether or not they attended the wedding, send them a card thanking them for thinking of you two. They thought of you guys and that's what counts!
Guest list: Keep it as small as possible, Our rule of thumb was if I/We/He didn't know whom that person was, CUT! We also didn't invite ANY second cousins, unless we were really close with them. Kids. Allow all of them or none at all, It's ride to invite some, but not all, If your allowing kids, maybe reduce the amount of people with kids on your invite list, Do you really want to spend any where from $20+ for a plate for a kid that will only eat a little bit?
Catering: Find a venue where you can bring in your own caterer, that is of course, if all the other venues that provide the food are not within your budget. If you find a space where you can bring in your own caterer, what does the site require? Food safety certificate? etc. If not, maybe you can gather up some family and friend volunteers to help prep food the day before. Keep the menu simple, one meat, a few salads, a side and buns, That’s pretty filling with variety, but not so much your guests are over whelmed with the choices. (I know I am)
If a full out reception is out of the question, consider a punch, cake & finger food reception. BUT make sure you hold it at a time guests won't be expecting a full meal, say between 2-5, also make sure you state the type of reception you are holding, i.e.: "Cocktails and light lunch" "Light refreshments immediately following the ceremony" etc.
I may catch flack about this one, but I have never been to a wedding with an open bar that went all night. I think to help offset costs, you can do an open bar from cocktail hour until supper (most self provided bars are closed during supper, mandatory I believe). Then, after supper, guests can buy their beverages, We are supplying our own booze and bartenders and are only charging $2 per drink after supper, most likely enough to cover the cost of booze and supplies. This isn't bad compared to actual bar priced drinks. We are also supplying 2 bottles of wine for each table during toasts, as the bar is closed at this time. For those trying to save money on wine, get the boxed variety and just have them in carafes so that the box isn't on showcase. There are lots of great wines available in boxes but you don't have to sacrifice elegance to save some money there.
Whether or not if this is proper etiquette I think depends on area and regions.
Planning: It's a great idea to sit down with your Fiancé and make a list of what each of you would like and not like wedding wise and see if you can compromise! (Wish I were told that!) Asking for money is never easy, but I find whatever parent(s) you are asking, the child of said parent should ask. There really is no easy way to ask, I think this line is ok: "Hello, insert general conversations here, Well, me and name-of-fiancé have some up with some wedding plans, this is what we have figured out: colors/location/date/bridal party/budget, can you and dad/mom contribute? If not, we totally understand, Oh okay, you are/aren't contributing, Sounds good!" (if contributing) "Thanks for helping out, are there any areas in particular that you would like to help out financially?" Remember, Put money towards what matters to you most!
Stress: Wedding Planning. It's a roller coaster, one minute you're loving all your ideas, then you doubt yourself, or someone puts their two cents in and it drives you over the edge! My advice, make 'No Wedding" allowed time days, and dates with your FH, family friends and bridal party, just take some time to your self, or, with your Fiancé, and just relax and reconnect, then you'll remember why y'all getting married!
Flowers: Using larger flowers (hydreangeas, peony,etc.) will result in using less stems. Also keep in mind flowers that are availble in your wedding season (check out http://www.flowers-cs.com/type_of_flowers.html for different types). Instead of flower center pieces, how about candles on top of a mirror to reflect the candle light? Make sure to check if your venue allows candles.
Dj/Photographer/Videographer: Check local arts colleges for photographers, if thats a no-go, and all the other photographers are out of your price range, ask for a custom quote only of the services you want, i.e: Photopragy for x amount of hours, skip the wedding album, engagment session and what ever you wan and don't want. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount! DJ, lets face it, they can be expensive, yet again, only have them provide what you really need and want. Do you really need $1500 worth of light for your reception? Maybe son't use all hte lights, just a few basic ones. Outdoor ceremony and need music? That'll cost extra. Designate a reliable friend or realtive to operte the stero/Ipod and make a wedding music only play list, with the songs in the correct order. Or if you have a musically gifted friend/relative, ask them if they wouldn't mind playing for you. As for videographer, Do you really want and/or need one? Yes it would be nice to look back on the day, but hey, that's what your pictures are for! If you decide you want it filmed, check the local arts college yet again, or even craiglist or kijiji. If that is out of your price range, ask friends and family! provide 2 of them with cameras and record away! You can have them professionally edited later on.
Transportation: A antique Rolls Royce may seem awesome, but the price? Probaly not! Know anyone with a nice vehicle that would happily lend it to you for the day? How about a vehicle rental service? Maybe you can cash in some of your credit card rewards to go towards a rental.
Wedding Dress: If you okay with buy a gently used gown there are various site that offer this to brides, www.oncewed.com (also had tons of DIY projects!) offers this, and a dress search app, you can even search for specific designers! There are other sites as well: www.smartbrideboutique.ca and http://www.lightinthebox.com/producttags/Used-Bridal-Gowns/ to name a few. For those looking into buying gowns from china or any other discount sites, and any other internet purchases, READ THE POLICY AND RETURN INFO!! you never know how many days you have to return your item from the purchase date not date you recieved it!
My favorite websites: www.etsy.com, www.oncewed.com, www.mygirldress.com (got my flower girl dresses here, I liked the dress, but not the customer service), www.ebay.com. At www.clubbing.com, you play games to earn points, and then redeem them for frequent flyer miles, books, games and so much more! and of course wedding wire!
THANK-YOU Konichiwa, for adding your ideas!
MORE TO COME..when I figure out what else to put!
Congrats!! I am a Mrs. Schmidt as well- Are you in the New England area? If you are looking for help with flowers let me know- I think it would be fun to do another SCHMIDT wedding!
Thanks soo much, i just dont get it. why people are the way that they are. I know that females are haters to an extent, but these are suppose to be close friends, like are you serious? So i just am trying to pull back from everyone and just letting them talk because i jsut dont have time anymore...
And thanks the kids are wonderful. Those are my babies.. they just make us one big happy family 
I love the story on how yall meant!! How cute!!! Adn exciting !
I missed the whole cash bar post and I didn't want to rehash the whole topic now that its died down but I love the way you stood up for Kelly! I would've said the same thing :)
Posted On: Oct 22, 2009 11:51 AM
DJ Bob Stock
Please let us know if you need any help or suggestions. We're in California, but any wedding pro should love you for wanting to book early! I'll be happy to help you locate someone great for any part of your big day! Congrat's! DJ Bob & Shannon Stock WWW.p1dj.com
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