Frugal Friday Find

How much do you love these Champagne flutes from Crate & Barrel?  With a hint of rose, they're perfectly feminine and practical at $14.95 for two.  Give or get yourself!

Great, Inexpensive Wedding Gifts

'Tis the season of giving – so we wanted to explore some thoughtful, affordable wedding gifts, since you’ll be a guest more often than you’ll be a bride. 

Couples register for a reason, though you may want to give something more sentimental or personal.  Unique vintage pieces and family heirlooms are always appreciated.  
 

Mom may pass down Grandma's china, though gifting a set of salad plates or a serving dish to a sister or cousin is a thoughtful gesture.  None in the family?  Consider starting the tradition with a set from Ebay or Etsy (above, $23.50 for 6)

While gift certificates are great (and fit snuggly in a suitcase), don't be afraid to step outside the box.  Post-wedding, it’s nice to see objects around the house that remind you of your special day. 

While vases and other decorative items are riskier unless you know their style (and home’s color scheme), serving pieces are the gift no one thinks they need until they do.  Traditional white or ivory as well as gold will always be in fashion, while well-made wood pieces are classics. 

Original artwork can be a great idea if they have art hanging now. 

Amazon even has a "Suggest a Gift" feature where you can "gift" an item without it shipping, so you can express your creativity while the couple can still easily choose something else if they prefer.

Hopefully it goes without saying that a gift designed for both people is best.  It’s much less fun to open something clearly directed at only one half when you’re celebrating your new life together (save those for his/her birthday.)

What might be most helpful: think about your favorite wedding gifts – why were they so dear?  Did you ask for them specifically? 

Still need some inspiration?  Check out our recommendations below:

1. Membership

To a museum, Costco or Amazon Prime.  Other good bets: Spotify, a yoga studio, NPR, botanic gardens, a ski mountain, Netflix/Hulu or a driving range.

2. Tool Kit

Everyone needs a full tool kit and a spare is great for the garage or to fill-in lost pieces

3. Champagne Flutes

Champagne flutes say ‘Celebrate!’ and can be used for their wedding toast (if you send in advance) and for countless celebrations in the future.

4. Personalized Gift Certificates

To the restaurant of their first date, their favorite wine store or a certain movie theater if they're fans of the big screen.

5. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Clubs and subscriptions continue long after the wedding bells ring; the happy couple will thank you throughout the year.  There's everything from bacon to bagel of the month clubs.  Some favorites:
 
 Murray's Cheese begins at $200
Norman Love Chocolates start at $240
Craft Beer Club packages begin at $37.75 per month

What about a BarkBox for the couple who incorporated their pup in the wedding? A reoccurring gift out of your price range?  Consider a nice gift basket from one of the above (though make sure it arrives after the honeymoon if perishable.)

6. Favorite Cookbooks
If they spend any time in the kitchen cookbooks are a nice gift, with one caveat: give those you’ve tried out yourself.  The ease and quality of recipes varies greatly.

The books I gift: Tartine, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and anything by Ina Garten, in particular How Easy Is That

7. For Travel

Luggage tags, postcard frames, passport holders, travel blankets or a suitcase if you can splurge will all be appreciated on the honeymoon and beyond.  Grooms will love gadgets like electronic adapters and portable charger.  And everyone could use noise-cancelling headphones sometimes.    

8. Memory Keepsake Box

Relatively inexpensive, these are a great way for the happy couple to protect and organize the little details from their big day

Tell us your favorite wedding gift in the comments! 

Pomona College Weddings

When it comes to on-campus weddings, Southern California can’t be beat.  So why not have your wedding at Pomona College, the best-of-the-best if I do say so myself.

Tracy Kumono Photography

Pomona hosts private events during breaks (first two weeks of January, Spring Break, Fall Break and Thanksgiving Break) as well as summer (mid-May through mid-August) and has facilities for 50 to 300 guests. 

For the ceremony Little Bridges (Hall of Music) is a stunning yet intimate concert hall setting for your ceremony.  With capacity for up to 500, you could fit your all your Sagehen friends in here (go figure.)  The Hill Memorial Organ, commissioned in 2002, can be used for weddings and adds a storied, romantic component to your rites. 

Assuming perfect Pomona weather (the norm), the Sontag Greek Theatre provides a casual, timeless outdoor space in which friends and family can surround you as you say your vows in a sunken garden setting.  Built in 1910 and renovated in 1997, the open-air theater has a classic feel with its structured, circular design and topiary landscaping.  It can seat up to 500 in its built-in benches. 

Breathtaking gardens scatter Pomona’s campus.  The Memorial Garden can accommodate up to 250 for a wedding ceremony.  
 

For the reception, Edmunds Ballroom – you may recall from the annual ‘Death by Chocolate’ holiday party?! – can seat 300 at round tables (or up to 500 theater-style for your ceremony), less with a dance floor.  For less formal cocktail parties it can accommodate 600 standing.  Rental includes a portable stage for your vows or a band.  

Tracy Kumono Photography

The Steele Forum just outside the Ballroom works well for a Welcome area (cocktail as guests enter?) and can be reserved privately.

Get Married on Campus, Save Serious $

Budget-minded brides will appreciate this article: "31 Insanely Beautiful Colleges You Can Get Married At."  Campuses can be stunning, practical and affordable, though many book up in advance (and some have restrictions if you didn’t attend.)  

Concerned about drunk kids in toga costume interfering with your Saturday night fête?  Consider a weekend brunch or a summer celebration when most are off-campus.  Security guards will be key for a university wedding. 

School colors may inspire your palette (and work well within the campus design, which tends to incorporate these where possible). 

Libraries, music halls, courtyards and ballrooms abound on college campuses, giving you ample selection for venue.  Often within walking distance, the multiple-building setup allows you to move spaces for the reception without inconveniencing guests.  

If you didn't both attend the school, considering incorporating the other's fight song, colors or mascot (in the groom's cake or the favor).  

 

Worried about the educational vibe and address throwing off partygoers?  Play it up in your theme: 

• Books
• 'Romantic languages’ 
• Modern or classic art
• 'The Bronze Age': not so much theme as color inspiration + cute title
• Greek mythology: goddess headbands for all
• Shakespeare
• Science-inspired: test tube vases, periodic table seating chart, beaker decanters
• Historical themes
• Victorian 
• Medieval

For teachers or life-long students, a straight-up "school" themed wedding works, and can be classy (see here).  Paper airplane programs, No. 2 pencil favors, red apple details, gold star place cards = options are endless.  

Scripps may be #1 on BuzzFeed’s list, but one key school that's missing?  Pomona College, of course.  My alma mater has a stunning campus, certainly worthy of weddings.  Check back in for photos & details for hosting a Pomona celebration. 

Frugal Friday Find

J'adore these gold votive holders from Target. 

At $2.49 with a mercury glass-feel, they'll look great on the table in every season.  

The FOX, owl and reindeer salt & pepper shakers are fun, too.  

Perfect for the friend who can't stop talking about the fox and what he says.   

Favorite Indie Love Songs for Cocktail Hour

For some of us (control freaks) there’s no sense in a DJ, since we know exactly what songs we want playing when.  Or maybe you’re a music buff who can’t imagine letting someone else decide what top 40 hits will be associated with your big day for eternity.  Perhaps you are simply wise enough to see the value in modern technology and know that a playlist is perfect for your reception needs. 

Whatever the reason, today there are plenty of ways to coordinate your own music.  Plus you know your style best. 

While the ceremony may lend itself to live musicians (and some churches prohibit pre-recorded music), the cocktail hour is all about mingling, while dinner is about eating – very few would pay attention to a live band at these times.

We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite indie songs, perfect for your cocktail hour: some old (OK, mostly old – hey, they stood the test of time), some new, some borrowed (covers), some blues.   

If you’ve been jotting down your favorite songs your entire life, you already have a solid start.  But for others simply seeking a modern, appropriately paced playlist for background music, listen up:  

Day After Brunch ($5 per guest!)

Hosting a brunch the morning after the wedding is a nice touch.  It gives you more time to visit with those who traveled from afar while providing guests with a better option than steamed eggs at the hotel.  But it is another cost and can require serious planning, no matter how simple you intend it to be.  (Any event larger than 20 guests requires real coordination – while plenty of smaller events entail just as much.) 

On timing: a late start allows you to get presentable.  As the guest of honor you need to be there from the beginning, so calculate in travel.  With most hotel check outs at noon, I recommend a start no earlier than 11:00 am.  Those with early flights won’t be able to make it no matter what time it begins, so why not give yourself an extra hour to just enjoy your first morning being married?  A 2-hour window is ample time for all interested in attending.  Budget in 30-minutes before and after for setup and clean up – meaning you’ll need to set aside three hours or so to be social, then can get back to the early honeymoon! 

On attendees: you can invite family only though many welcome out-of-town friends and some have the means to include their entire guest list.  Most likely you will have far fewer attendees than at the wedding due to early flights, hangovers and family schedules.  An emailed invitation works well for such a casual event. 

Inexpensive food options:  What’s inexpensive?  I’m talking $5 a person cheap.  You’ve already hosted one awesome meal, if not two (counting the rehearsal) and it’s really about the socializing, so skip the smorgasbord and consider:

• A Bagel Bar: set out a variety of bagels and cream cheeses (of course plain, strawberry and chive – but what about pineapple, jalapeno or pumpkin?)  Consider apple or honey butter in addition to whipped (insert cute “whipped” joke?)  Or step it up a notch with lox, red onion and tomato.

• Donuts: towers and platters of donuts with milk (chocolate and plain variety.)  Need I say more?

• Oatmeal with All the Fixins: steel cut oats are perfect for this (the 'special occasion' oats are filling) and can be cooked overnight in crock pots.  Have toppings like fresh blueberries, nuts, slivered oranges, apples and brown sugar crumble.  A crème anglaise makes oats irresistible.
• French Toast Kabobs: battered bread alternated with raspberries and other fruits provides grab-and-go breakfast for those with tight timeframes.  Mini syrup cups in shot glasses or teacups?

• Yogurt Parfaits & Granola Bars: for the health-conscious, pre-made yogurt, fruit and nut parfaits pair perfectly with homemade or a variety of store-bought granola bars.  Those with flights later in the day will thank you for the portable treats!
• Cereal Bar: decorative jars and vases make your childhood favorites fancy.
  
  
• Cinnamon Rolls: spice up plain cinnamon rolls with various icings (vanilla, orange and bourbon-spiked)
• B&G: biscuits and gravy made simple with an DIY assembly-line setup.  Chinese take-out containers keep it quirky.  Display gravy in cast iron pots and garnish with fried sage for a composed touch.  With jams on the side for lighter diners, all appetites are covered.
• Coffee & Pastries: keep it simple with assorted pastries from a local bakery and good coffee
• Waffle Bar: rather than a manned station (which can get pricey) a less expensive version would be to pre-make a batter (I love this malted mix) and set out 2-4 waffle irons for a DIY bar.