First Purchases..Great Deals!

So today was my payday! Yay! Being that we have decided to start saving money in September, I started a little pre-wedding research and made a few small purchases today.

I began by sitting down and making a list of items we'll need to buy, just off the top of my head. I envisioned what I want the decorations in the church to look like, what the reception tables will look like, cake, etc. As I envisioned each detail, I listed what we would need to complete this look. My fiancee and I have decided on an Alice in Wonderland theme, and our colors will be red and silver. I jotted down items such as playing cards, tea cups, small cookies with the words "eat me" on them, etc. I also listed the small items that are necessities: floral wrap for the bouquets, tape and thumbtacks for the decorations, and so on. I have a master plan of purchasing items throughout the year as I come across something that we will need. I have a large weather proof storage box that I will store everything in until the time comes to use them.

One site that I came across which has incredible deals is Oriental Trading (www.orientaltrading.com). They have a section dedicated specifically to wedding decorations. One great buy is a satin "wedding set" (guest book, garter, flower girl basket, wedding ring pillow). The set is white with a colored accent (red, brown, silver), so you can match it to your specific wedding colors. The set runs for about $70 and will take care of some of the simple wedding necessities in one shot. If you're having a fall wedding, or if a rich, chocolate-y brown is one of your colors, Oriental Trading has a beautiful set, including personalized champagne flutes and a cake serving set for $90. The cake server is personalized as well. Not bad, right?

While browsing around on Oriental Trading, I found a really cool "save the date" product. The website offers wedding cake shaped magnets which you fill in with your wedding information. The magnets run for $5/dozen and include mailing envelopes. I ordered 2 dozen today to send to out-of-state relatives. Super cute and super cheap!

I feel like I've accomplished a few things today, and have officially begun purchasing items for our wedding. Total spent today: $90. I will post more as I come across other great deals. Have you found anything that's a great steal for a wedding? Post it in the comments section below!