Nina Shoes - 17th and Park

Say I Do-Over: If I Could Go Back To My Big Day (ft. The Plunge Project)

We're gathering helpful ideas, tips and lessons from the most respected wedding bloggers in the country. We hope to compile enough advice to actually make an e-book titled, 'Say I Do-Over: If I Could Go Back To My Big Day.'

If this happens, we'll distribute it for free so that future brides-to-be everywhere will avoid learning some lessons the hard way. :)

We asked every blogger the same question:

If you could start your wedding planning process over, what three things would you do differently?

So of course, we reached out to the wonderful Nicole of The Plunge Project, whom we interviewed here before about love and marriage. Here's what she had to say this time:

Planning my wedding has been an absolute whirlwind, and I've learned a lot of lessons along the way. Of course, there are things I think I did a good job with, but there are also a few things I wish I had done differently. If I could re-do my big day, here are three things I would do differently:

1. Enjoy the Engagement More

I'm a planner. When I have something to plan, I charge full-force into planning it, so my wedding was no exception. About 3 days into our engagement, we'd already picked a date and about a week in, I'd already scheduled the first round of vendor appointments. While my full-force planning meant I got a lot out of the way quickly, it also meant that I started to lose sight of something really important — actually enjoying my new fiancé and our engagement period! If I could do it all over again, I think I would take the first few months to just look at my shiny new ring and enjoy being engaged to the love of my life instead of choosing a date and diving right into planning. Michael agrees.

2. Save More Money

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with No. 1, but I wish Michael and I had chosen to have a longer engagement so that we could start a wedding and honeymoon fund to save additional money. Although my parents donated a large portion of our budget, we still had to dip into our own money to cover a lot of the extras (which add up fast), and thus, we're really broke now. If I could do it all over again, I'd take the first 6 or so months of engagement to just save as much as we could for the wedding and for a more luxurious honeymoon.

3. Don't Rely on People I Didn't Pay/Sign a Contract With

Michael and I tried to cut costs any way we could, and I don't regret that at all. However, one of our ways to cut back was to ask a friend (who DJs at local clubs around Knoxville) to DJ our ceremony and reception. Then 10 days before the wedding, he canceled on us! Of course, a DJ is a pretty important part of a wedding, especially when you need someone to DJ the actual ceremony as well, so we were a little frantic for a few days while we sought out another that would fit into our budget (which was pretty much nothing). If I could do it all over, I'd probably just pay for a professional DJ right off the bat instead of leaving it to chance and being forced to scramble in the final hour.

Do you want to contribute? Participating is simple! It's just the one question and you can write as much or as little as you want. But the more you share, the more helpful it will be! Email your submissions to Matthew at miles@ninashoes.com or leave your tips in the comments below.

5 Essentials To Pack For Paradise Honeymoon

Even if you're not planning your honeymoon right now, we could all use a little virtual vacation. With all the blizzards, we've endured this winter, it's the least I could do!

Without further ado, allow me to share part of my honeymoon. Behold...BORA BORA!

 

Sigh.... Now isn't that better?

Now that you're all officially trying to figure out exactly how soon you can jet off (and I'm willing to give up anything just to be back on my honeymoon), let me share the five must-haves for your suitcase.

1. Multi-Use Cover Up - Pack a bathing suit cover-up that could pass for a chic dress! This way you can go from beach to bar or pool to lunch with ease.

 Tie-waist Cover-up from Victoria's Secret

2. A Big Fabulous Hat - Let's face it ladies, we aren't getting any younger. So look fabulous and save your skin while rocking an uber chic floppy hat.

 Floppy Striped Straw Hat from Amazon

3. Cute Shoes - Espadrilles are an absolute must for your packing list. They kick any sundress up a few notches on the style-meter. Obviously, Nina Shoes has got you covered in this department with two authentic styles made in Spain.

 

Nina Vannah

Nina Valise

4. Pashmina - Nights can get a little chilly and/or breezy, even when it's a high of 95 during the day. Always have a playful pashmina or shawl to throw over your shoulders for dinner or a sunset boat ride. Pack a few and throw in some prints as well, so you can spunk up a plain dress.

 Tiger Print Pashmina from The Pashmina Store 

5. Beach Tote - You can use a stylish oversized tote to pack all your goods for the pool or beach. It also doubles as a carry-on for the flight. I forgot this must-have on a vacay once and I'll never do it again. How can you look effortlessly chic when you are carrying a few magazines, a kindle, iPod, sunscreen, etc. in your arms? Exactly, you can't.

 Straw Beach Tote from JCrew

Packing for your honeymoon can be really stressful. You have so many other last-minute things to handle before the wedding, so here's one more tip!

Have your best friend come over with a bottle of wine and help you pack. Also, try to pack your bag a week before you leave, that way you won't be stressing at the last minute (aka the day before your wedding!) Hope this made your day a bit better by dreaming of someplace sunny!

What are some essentials that you just can't live without when you travel? Have you ever forgotten something super important on a trip? Let us know!

Wishing you all glamorous planning,

xoxo

-Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)

Snooki Loves Her Nina Shostoppers!

Nicole Polizzi (a.k.a. Snooki from "The Jersey Shore") wore the Nina Shostopper light-up shoes for her appearance on the Dave Letterman show on December 10th.

As she showed them off, she exclaimed, "Aren't they cool?"

The next night after appearing on Letterman, Snooki was out in L.A. and back in her Shostoppers as she hit West Hollywood with her guy Jionni LaValle.

Nina Shostopper

5 Ways To Save On Your Wedding Day Food And Booze

The catering bill is just one of the largest expenses of your wedding. Don't feel like you have to settle for a buffet to save money. You can have an elegant sit-down dinner without blowing your budget.

Here are five tips to help cut costs on food and booze without sacrificing the mood of the party:

1. Skip the Stations

So much food goes to waste at weddings. And remember, you pay for all of it - even the stuff that hits the trash can!

Forgo pricy cocktail hour stations. We opted for one beautiful cheese station (which also included a variety of breads, crackers and fruits) and heavily passed eight different hors d'oeuvre options. This saved us a ton of money.

Plus, who wants to roll out of cocktail hour only to sit down for three or four more courses?

 (Our mini lobster rolls from Neuman's, our fantastic NYC based caterer.)

2. Cut the Beef and Pass the Pasta

Skip filet mignon and opt for chicken or fish. I recently attended a wedding where they served salad, a small fish plate and then a small chicken dish. It was a brilliant way to shave down spending.

Incorporating a pasta into that mix would have helped them save even more! Salad, Pasta, Chicken (or Fish)...sounds like a great meal to me. The chef will be pleased he can experiment with different sauces and really shine.

 (No one could get enough of the extra yummy lamb chops from Neuman's!)

3. Pint-Sized Bills For Pint-Sized People

There's no reason to serve nine-year olds  adult-sized portions. Your caterer may even suggest a kid-friendly menu, if you have a ton of tots celebrating with you. Kids would much rather eat mac-n-cheese with chicken fingers than a salad.

Most caterers charge only about 50 percent of a plate for a child. Every little bit helps!

 (The mini truffle grilled chesse and tomato soup shooters were a huge hit from Neuman's.)

4. Fake It 

The cake can be fake. Yup, that's right! I wrote a post a while back about this discovery in How To Save Money On Your Wedding Cake. Well, I took a shot at this on my wedding day and I'm so glad I did.

I saved thousands of dollars by skipping a real cake. We opted for a fun desert table that the guests raved about! B and I were still able to cut into a real piece that was secretly inserted into the bottom tier by Anya at Cakes Confidential. She was fantastic to work with and helped me design a custom cake that only set me back a few hundred dollars. Huge savings!

The best part: No one had any idea! It was great telling people after and hearing, "No way! That cake was fake?!". People were too busy at the yummy desert table to even realize that cake slices had not been served. :)

 (Our beautiful wedding cake from Cake Confidential.)

(He totally got me! I wanted to get him back but wasn't taking any chances with red velvet cake in a white dress!)

(Our delicious dessert table that included tons of treats from Neuman's and mini cupcakes from Baked By Melissa.) 

 
5. Beer, Wine and Don't Forget The Vodka!

Many couples think the only way to cut the bar bill is to just offer beer and wine. Well, they're wrong! Here are a few ways to save that will allow you to keep the cocktails flowing:

Buy the bar yourself - Our caterer supplied the soda and juices for the mixers and we purchased all the beer, wine, and liquor. It took a few phone calls and a trip out to New Jersey, but we saved a few thousand dollars! (Yes, I said "thousand"!) We purchased all the wine directly from a local vineyard, Anthony Road, that we discovered at the Union Square Farmer's Market.

Serve Beer, Wine and Vodka - Most people order vodka-based cocktails. It's a fact. Purchase a few cases from a liquor store that will give you a bulk discount and voila - a bar! You'll already have soda and juice from your caterer for mixers.

Signature cocktail - Serve one refreshing signature cocktail along with the selection of beer and wine. You can also do a series of cocktails that all use the same base liquor.

Fake the bubbly - Serve a sparkling white wine instead of champagne for your toast. Ninety-nine percent of your guests probably won't know the difference and it will save you a ton of money!

Forget the bubbly - We didn't have a flute of champagne in the table setting. Guests already have their drinks from the bar, right? Right! (We did have a few bottles at the bar to accomodate the people who wanted it. But buying four bottles instead of 40 saved us a ton.)

  (Cheers to saving money while still having an elegant affair!)

You could help other brides save on their big day. Why not share your stories with us? Comment here, post on our Facebook wall or Tweet us with your big saving ideas!

Wishing you all glamorous planning!

xoxo,

-Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)

Nina Shoes Red Carpet Highlights

With awards season in full swing, Nina Shoes presents its red carpet highlights, including two recent Golden Globes television fashion segments -- the Nina Amp It Up sandal on E! News and a selection of Nina shoes and handbags on the NBC Today Show:

Nina Amp It Up

Nina Emma

Nina Ulina in The Knot

The Nina Ulina lace bootie is featured in the spring issue of The Knot, as the editorial shoe pick for marrying in a chic city loft.

Nina Ulina

Nina Bridal Coming Soon!

We're beyond excited for this month's launch of our new bridal accessory line - debuting at NinaBridal.com and more than 40 Bella Bridesmaid boutiques.

We've been in the hearts and soles (pun!) of brides for years, so it's only natural that Nina expand to other territories within the wedding industry.

Scheduled to launch mid- to late-February, Nina Bridal will feature veils, jewelry, headpieces, sashes and broaches as well as not-so-novelty t-shirts and bachelorette party veils.

Nina Bridal will be every bride's dream!. A one-stop shop for everything but The Dress. Here's a little sneak peak from our recent bridal shoot!

We're not the only ones buzzing about the launch. Read more about Nina Bridal in Women Wear Daily's Footwear News.

Are you excited about the Nina Bridal launch? Tell us what you think!

xx,

Krystina