Credit to Photos By Winnie

As someone who’s sensitive to blood sugar highs and lows I was really worried about forgetting to eat and crashing on my wedding day.  I think it’s a fairly common problem for the bride and groom to be so busy and excited that they don’t have time for eating and drinking.  I knew for me that would be a disaster so I asked one bridesmaid ahead of time if she would kindly make sure I eat and another aunt sweetly carried around a water bottle for me in the hot July Californian  sun.  Shortly after my wedding I discovered Marrylicious.  Had I known of them earlier I could have had them mail me a little kit and been worry free.

Marrylicious creates beautiful, gourmet bridal survival kits that are perfect for your wedding day.  They feature local Seattle foods and beverages and come in elegant boxes with decadent ribbons.  Each package also includes tissues, mints, a sewing kit, stain removers and dental products!  I’ve heard of maids of honor and MOB ordering them to be delivered to the ceremony location or to the place for getting ready.  Brides occasionally order them for themselves and their posse as well.  They do overnight shipping and even 1-3 day global shipping. 

Credit to Photos By Winnie

For more information on their Tulip, Rose and Orchid packages click here.

There’s already a lot of research out there on the best types of pots to choose whether you get nonstick, hard anodized, 18/10 stainless steel, copper core etc, etc.  Having seen my mom use the same Revere stainless steel cookware set for over 30 years from her wedding, I opted out of any of the fancy technologies for 18/10 stainless steel.  The current Revere didn’t seem as durable to me as the set my mom has so I went for All-Clad, hoping that it will last as long as I can cook.  However, not everyone likes the weight of the All-Clad (or the price) so for this blog I decided to compare prices for a Calphalon Tri-ply 18/10 stainless steel set from Macy’s.

This 13 piece set, featured on the right, cost $399.99.  To demonstrate how much you can save in getting a set rather than keeping or purchasing individual pots I actually priced out each pot to find out if there is actually a savings in purchasing the set.  The table below shows the prices.

The total cost, if purchased individually, is $648.94. As the 13 piece set is priced at $399.99, the savings is $248.95 which is more significant than I thought it would be.

In addition, Macy’s often runs bonus and double bonus sales for purchasing cookware sets.  Currently for Calphalon they are offering a 6 piece utensil set with crock and a 5 quart dutch oven set.  They say the added value is $299.99 for a total savings of $548.94.

It seems this is produced just for the double bonus.

The double bonus seems to be a great added value but when you look closely bonuses are not really that great.  In this case, it’s likely that you already have a utensil set, or in the least wouldn’t want a $49.99 utensil set.  The dutch oven is actually not one that Calphalon even sells on its own.  I couldn’t find it in any catalogue which means that it is probably a cheaper knockoff of its nicer Dutch ovens and produced especially for this “double bonus” – meaning that it’s not really a $250.00 value.  If you could manage to swap out these bonuses for other Calphalon products of similar prices at Macy’s you’d be much better off.

My recommendation would be to find the set that you like and to get real bonuses added in and not these fake ones.  See my blog here on the topic.  As I explained in this earlier blog, if you choose a set smaller than what you actually need and augment it with pots as these double bonuses instead of their selections you’ll be much better off.

Thanks to Petitshoo for the photo.

How to Register for Pots

Tip #1 Register for many single pots rather than a set

Oftentimes when you go to Macy’s or other stores they’ll tell you to register for individual pots and then exchange them after the wedding for a packaged set.  The reason for doing this is so that guests can purchase something at a reasonable price rather than paying $500-$1,000 for one gift.  When registering for pots I recommend choosing them for the price range rather than for what you’d actually need.

Tip #2 Think about the pots you have used

There’s no doubt about it, purchasing a set over individual pots saves money.  However, some of the larger sets might not be adding much value and may be unnecessarily cluttering your kitchen.  Here are the pots I use 95% of the time:

• 6 quart stock pot – soups, boiling water for pasta, cooking for company
• 2 quart sauce pan – sauces and veggies
• 3.5 quart sauce pan – for when my 2 quart is in use and sauces
• non-stick fry pan - everything

And the pots I use 5% of the time but can’t live without:

• 12-16 quart stock pot with steamer options – pasta for the masses, lobster and crab, corn-on-the-cob, it’s my “party pot”
• 3 quart cassoulette- coq au vin, I love its multi-use stovetop and oven, great for entertaining

Once it’s time to return the individual pots for your set, do your research on what you’d like to get in return.  The sets are often great deals, but sometimes they sneak pots that aren’t very valuable into the larger sets.  A good example of this is the omelette pan.  They’ll throw in a six and an eight inch omelette pan and charge $200 more than a set without those pans, when the added value is only $50.  Not only that, but I wouldn’t use those two particular pans when I prefer my all-purpose nonstick 10″ fry pan.

Tip #3 Pick a slow day to complete your registry

If you go on a Saturday morning there won’t  be enough associates working to help carry the items from your car, you’ll have to wait and they won’t have the time to make sure you get what you need.   If you instead go on a Tuesday morning, you’ll have the store to yourself and the sales associate will be more entertained and interested in helping you complete your registry to your advantage. (see the next tip!)

Tip #4 Swap out lame bonuses for real value

Often All-Clad or Calphalon will have the double bonuses if you spend enough money on their cookware.  One bonus might be a nice steamer and the other could be an apron and spatula.  Ask the sales associate if it’s possible to switch out the one you don’t want for something else that’s more useful to you.  At Macy’s I purchased a smaller All-Clad set and augmented it with a large 12 quart stock pan and steamer and a smaller sauce pan as their summer double bonus ~ free!  Originally they’d been offering a panini grill pan but as cool as that sounded I thought the sauce pan would get more use in the end.

Tip #5 Get 20% off for completing at one time instead of 10%

Macy’s typically gives you 10% off wedding registry completion purchases if you come to the store within 90 days of your wedding.  Try to get 20% off – it’s possible!  This past weekend, for example, they had a semi-annual home sale where they gave 20% off “when you complete your gift registry any day of our home sale”.   In the fine print they say it lasts from July 23 – August 16^th,2009 (for Seattle stores).  Chances are if you ask nicely when the last home sale was or when the next one is and are they running their 20% special, you’ll be able to get it.

As with all other aspects of wedding planning it’s easy to spend money on wine.  My advice is to pick your budget and stick with it.  Purchasing wine in bulk will also bring the cost down.  Find out in advance if your reception space or caterer has a corkage fee.  If you can negotiate with them to allow you to choose and purchase the wine, you’ll be ahead of the game.  One final tip: When it comes to wine tasting, you like what you like, don’t worry about the “tasting notes” or what you should like.  Here are my recommendations:

L’Ecole No 41 is on Highway12 west of Walla Walla in the town of Lowden.  It’s hard to miss the former schoolhouse with its distinctive architecture.  I’d been curious about the label for a while (a watercolor by a Ryan, grade 3 I discovered), and decided to check them out.  The 2007 Columbia Valley Semillon is dry and refreshing and would be a perfect wine for your cocktail hour with cheeses and seafood.  At $15 a bottle it’s a great value.  You’re sure to find a deal on wine.com and other places if you shop around.  L’Ecole No 41 has a giant tasting list and a wide range of wines.  Surprisingly, I didn’t like any of the others as much as the Semillon, with the exception of the 2006 Pepper Bridge Vineyard Apogee, but at $49 a bottle it’s hardly a steal.

Continuing on into the town of Walla Walla be sure to check out Forgeron Cellars where Maria-Eve Gilla creates masterpieces.  Any bottle you find there is sure to be a hit on your big day. It’s difficult to choose a favorite but for price and uniqueness, I recommend the Walldeaux Smithie.  Forgeron calls it “bold and juicy with firm structure.”  It’s a fun, original and fantastic wine sure to delight. At $16 a bottle it’s easily half the price they could charge.  Forgeron’s 2006 Chardonnay ($25), 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30), and 2001 or 2005 Zinfandel ($30-$40) are all excellent.

For romance and really good wine tasting, but not necessarily wine purchasing on a wedding budget be sure to visit scenic Pepper Bridge Winery.  As an estate winery, it sets out to make ultra-premium wines.  At $55-$110 a bottle it might be best to get one for yourselves to toast with on your first anniversary.  The wines are swanky, plumy, smooth and sophisticated.  The mineral of the estate stamps its mark and the winemaker has highly entertaining descriptions of his wines including “pencil lead” and “pain grille” which makes for a fun wild goose hunt, attempting to track them down on your palate.  If you do splurge, I loved the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon $55.

Taking a break from the wineries, be sure to check out Walla Walla.  It has a classic main street, (which happened to win the 2001 Great American Main Street Award, lest you think I’m exaggerating.)  For old school breakfast, follow the Sunday church-goers to Popular Donuts (706 W Alder St) and enjoy a light and fluffy donut with a coffee for prices you haven’t seen since you were too short to see over the counter.  Top off the evening with an ice cream shake from the stuck-in-time Ice-Burg (616 W Birch St), just steer clear of the food.  As for dinner, I can’t vouch for Brasserie Four (4 E. Main Street) but it definitely had vibes.

Other Budget Options

Heading north of downtown Walla Walla you’ll find the Airport Wineries.  It’s just as it sounds, a bunch of wineries by the airport.  It’s a really unique setting that I loved seeing, especially the old military barracks.  There you’ll find small wineries just starting out among more well-known names like Dunham Cellars.  Be sure to stop by the incubator on Piper Ave.  It’s a complex funded in part by the state to help fledgling winemakers.  There are five buildings with five different wineries that have 6 years to “make it” before moving on to create a winery elsewhere.

On your way out of Walla Walla, if you still haven’t found that budget wine you were looking for stop by Columbia-Crest (Hwy 221, Columbia Crest Drive, Paterson, WA).  Their Grand Estates ($10-$12)  line is always dependable as is their Two Vines($6-$8).  I particularly recommend the Merlot.  If you purchase the wines you like there, they’ll arrange to have them shipped free of charge to their local office in Woodinville closer to the time of your wedding.

Here’s a toast to a fun trip and tasty wine!

Sarah in the KUOW Studio with Ross Reynolds

Today The Conversation with Ross Reynold’s had me in the studio to discuss planning a wedding during a recession.  They wanted to know tips on how to have a DIY wedding. 

Veuve du Vernay Brut, France  $8

Kriter Blanc de Blanc, France  $11

Bohigas Gran Reserva Cava, Spain  $16

Cara Mia Prosecco, Italy  $12

Veuve du Vernay Brut Rose, France  $8

Additionally, if you simply need help determining what wines will be best for your guests and perfect pairing options TLV offers consulting for $75/Hour.

Complimentary Creative Wedding Demos
February 21, 2009

All Paper Source Store Locations

We invite you to join us for an afternoon of complimentary demos, make-and-takes and inspiration for your big day!

11:30 am – Announcing the Big Day
12:45 pm – Inspired Invitations
2:00 pm – Tasteful Tabletop Décor
No matter what your style or budget, Paper Source can help you achieve a wedding invitation & stationery suite that reflects your sense of beauty, creativity and personal expression.

Whether you’re looking for classic whites, elegance with a twist, romantic flourishes, or a fresh modern look, we’ve got the materials and inspiration to help you do something creative for your big day!

bellevue

700 Bellevue Way NE, Ste 105
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-646-0100

I also found the prices quite high for Safeway.  Although the cake prices seemed ok, they weren’t all the much cheaper than one of my favorite bakeries in downtown Seattle known for their wedding cakes.  The flowers were also way overpriced.  The option for a boutonniere was $50?!  To be fair, the option for a bridal bouquet (usually fairly expensive) also started at $50.  If the boutonnieres truly are that expensive you’re better off going to a florist.  I also wish the floral area showed you the type and quantity of flowers that you get at each price level so you could see the value for your money rather than randomly marking what you want to spend on each bouquet.  I have the same complaint about the wines.  The site takes the headache out of calculating the number of bottles per guest at each event: cocktail hour, reception, rehearsal dinner and even bachelorette party!  However, if you choose $10, $20 or $70 wine per bottle it doesn’t give you and example of what you get in return.  It could be Chianti in a basket or Brunello and you wouldn’t have an idea of the quality.  I’m assuming all of those answers are solved by taking your budgeting results to the store.  

Bottomline: Do-It-Yourself brides are still better off doing the research themselves for quality and prices as Safeway doesn’t shed too much light on prices for their flowers and wine.  I recommend comparing a couple of different supermarkets if that’s all your budget allows.  But, if you need help with a budgeting tool give it a whirl.

For more information on Seattle Wedding Flowers visit: www.AvantBride.com