Wedding Air Brush Make-Up and DIYing it

Most brides get their makeup done by a professional for the big day. I have always loved makeup and thought paying someone $80-$100 to do something I could do was just silly! I am also a advocate for cruelty free makeup and know most artist have all kinds of make up in their kit. I did not want to risk using something I do not believe in. 

Air brush makeup is the go-to for weddings since it looks so great in photographs and lasts long. I have always wanted one of these systems however the price kept me away. While doing research on air brush systems I started watching some YouTube beauty gurus. There are many YouTubers that show you how to apply the air brush makeup and review different systems. It seemed so easy! After watching numerous videos I came across two YouTubers that had coupon codes for the Belletto Studios Air Brush website. Going through the website I realized I could purchase the air brush system, do my makeup along with all my bridesmaids makeup for less then I would have to pay a professional! I also could not pass up the chance to have my very own air brush system and ordered it right away. 

I got the Ultimate- Skin secrets starter kit in my skin tone (4).

Since I plan on doing my bridesmaids makeup I also ordered a set (4) of foundations a shade darker and 2 foundations a shade lighter. All together with shipping I paid $149.83 for the system, 10 foundation shades, 1 blush and 1 green tone to cover redness. 

It came with in a few days and I was so excited to use it! I did watch the instructional DVD that came with the kit. The application was pretty easy however after applying it I felt as is you could see every pore and fine line on my face. My kit did not come with a primer and I did not think to purchase one. The second time I applied it ( I was a little heavy handed the first time) it looked much better however my pores were still showing. After doing even more research I realized that I was going to have to go ahead and purchase the primer. 

Belletto Studios is cruelty free and contains no parabens. 

Update: Belletto Studios was going to charge me $12 in shipping for the tiny bottle of primer that wouldn't even cost $2 to ship! I e-mailed them to see if I could bypass this since I did make a large purchase and I am still willing to pay for the primer its self. It has been a week and I have not heard back from them. Call me cheap but I am not going to pay $12 in shipping for a tiny bottle. I am now on the hunt for another water based air brush primer! 

Hampton Roads Venues for a Bride on a Budget

For a Bride on a Budget getting married in Hampton Roads is very possible! While looking for our venue I found many great venues that are  reasonably priced. 

The Yorktown Freight Shed 

Location: Yorktown Beach, VA

Price: $600- $1,000 

Website: http://www.yorkcounty.gov/freightshed/

This place is becoming THE place to get married in Hampton Roads! You can't beat the price. Its right on the York River and gorgeous. It includes tables and chairs (if you are planning on taking the chairs outside it is a $2 per chair rental fee) it also includes a 2000 sq ft tent with the rental fee during the months of April to October.  This place books almost 15 months in advance so if you are interested in this venue then hop on it! They have an availability calendar on their website along with a ton of FAQs and a furniture list. The down side to this venue is even though it says it can hold 100 people, it looks like it can only hold about 80 and according to many reviews this seems to be the case. 

Suffolk Planter Club

Location: Suffolk, VA

Price: Monday - Thursday: $125/per hour (resident) $200/ per hr (non-resident)

Friday - Sunday: $225/per  hour (resident) $300/per hour (non-resident)

Website: http://www.suffolkva.us/parks/rental-facilities

With a beautiful view of the Nansemond River, the Planter's Club is a great medium-sized venue. The facility includes a 2,500 square ft. banquet room with a raised stage and a wet bar, a fully equipped commercial kitchen and a 450ft open deck.  The facility has a maximum limit of 144 people.  Tables and chairs are included in the rental. It is available at a discount to Suffolk residents. 

I have a girlfriend that had her wedding here and she loved it. I also however did see some not so good reviews on the place. A few brides mentioned being double booked. 

Kiln Creek Golf Club

Location: Newport News, VA

Price: $500 to $ 4,000 depending on what you need/want

Website: http://www.kilncreekgolf.com/banquets-events/

The newly renovated Kiln Creek Golf Club and Resort could be the ideal place to host your wedding reception and ceremony. With a hotel, golf course, swimming and tennis facilities, and a restaurant, your guests are sure to be comfortable. This venue can hold up to 200 guests and have numerous price points depending on what you need. 

The Fred Heutte Center

Location: Norfolk, VA

Price: $300 to $400 per day

Website: http://www.genserva.com/fhcgarden/rental.htm

The photos of this place are so pretty! The grounds look amazing and a tent(s) are able to be put up at this venue. Keep in mind this building is ran by citizens of Norfolk and there are a lot of rules and regulations with this venue however you can't beat the price! 

Hunt Club Farm

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Price: $800- $2,000

Website: http://www.huntclubfarm.com/

Hunt Club Farm is a 23 acre family-owned farm nestled in the heart of Virginia Beach. At Hunt Club, they have a petting zoo! You and your guests will get to mingle with the animals and take pictures with them. This would be a great place for a rustic wedding.

Williamsburg Community Building 

Location: Williamsburg, VA

Price: $500 - $1,000 (depending on tent rental)

Website: https://www.williamsburgva.gov/Index.aspx?page=233

The City of Williamsburg owns and manages the Community Building at 401 North Boundary Street. It can hold up to 150 people with tables and has a more elegant feel to it with nice wood flooring. The website has a PDF file that includes all the available furniture and pricing. 

These are just a few places that I researched and contacted. There are plenty more in the Hampton Roads area just keep an open mind! 

Full Review for Simply Bridal's "Try at Home" program

Simply Bridal is a US based company that sells discounted wedding and bridesmaid dresses.

Simply Bridal's slogan:

Quality, honesty and value: That’s what we offer at Simply Bridal. Experts make our wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses by hand, using only high-quality materials. We provide ethereal, classic and fashion-forward wedding gowns that will match your body and personality. We keep our prices at a discount, so that every bride can afford the wedding dress of her dreams

Being on a tight budget I ran into a lot of websites claiming to sell designer gowns at sometimes a quarter of the original price! I did some research and most of these companies are based out of China and are selling knock-offs. That might be OK for some people however I did not want to chance supporting a sweat shop in addition to getting a crappy dress. I also found horror story reviews for most of the sites. If you find a dress that is too good to be true that it probably is. Or so I thought, until I found Simply Bridal. The difference in this company is that they design their OWN dresses. They are not trying to sell knock-offs of high end dresses. They also make most (I say most because when I emailed the company they did tell me during "peak season" they sometimes have to out source to company in Shanghai to meet demand) gowns here in the US. They also have show rooms in LA and NYC that anyone can visit. Prices range from $80 to $700. Most bridal gowns in the $200 to $400 range.

I noticed they had a "try and home" program. With this program you get to pick 2 dresses for $19.95 (that included the shipping) and they will mail you the dresses to try on at home. You also receive a mailing label to return the dresses for free within 7 days. Oh yea AND the $19.95 then gets added to your account and you can use it towards the purchase of a gown. I thought how cool is that!?! The catch to this is that not all the dresses are available for the program however they did have quite a few to choose from. Another down side is you do not get to pick the size. You get to pick small (sizes 0- 12) or large (sizes 14-30). I ended up choosing 4 dresses. You are able to get more however the max credit they allow you that goes towards a full purchase of a dress is $39 . I also figured I didn't need more than 4 since I was still trying on dresses at boutiques in my area.

Please be aware their website it pretty glitchy. It reloads a lot on its own and it also is not the most user friendly thing. I also ended up getting charged $19.95 three times instead of two. This was quickly fixed after I called them.

The dresses arrived by Fed Ex in about 6 days. You must be home to sign for them, Fed Ex will not leave them at the door.

They included cute little cards in each box with how the program works and step by step instructions. 

The packages also had the return lables and receipts inside. 

The dresses came in vacuum sealed bags. Two of the four had dirt and animal hair inside them. It wasn't a huge amount but noticable. I have pets too so I know how it can be almost impossible to leave the house without a cat hair or two on your clothes so this didn't bother me too much. Now if it was my new dress I was buying then I would have been upset. 

You will need a vacuum with a hose to re-seal the bags when shipping them back. There is a little nozzle on each bag to help with this.

The dresses were very wrinkled and inside out. This was to be expected since they were vacuum sealed. They also had some marker written on them however the actual sizes were no where to be found. Just "small" or "large" hand written in the marker. 

Two of the gowns were so big I was swimming in them. One had to have been a size 00, I couldnt even get one leg in the dress. The fourth was about 2 sizes too small for me so I was able to put it on and gauge the cut and style of the dress I just couldn't zip it up all the way. 

So over all I think the program is pretty neat. I really liked being able to try the dresses on in the comfort of my own room. The quality seemed great especially since the dresses are so cheap! The sizes were a major issue for me though. Being able to pick the correct size might increase sales so I believe  they should correct this . I know the program is still in beta so its only available in the US. I am still not 100% sure if I am going to purchase my gown from Simply Bridal however I will not let my credit go to waste! They have veils and bridesmaid dresses too. 

What comes first? The Date or the Venue?

If you are a bride on a tight budget then you really can not afford to be picky. Venues can get really pricey but don't let that discourage you! Try looking for public parks or buildings owned by your (or surrounding) city and county. Local government owned properties usually dont hike up the prices for rentals since they don't really need to make a profit off of it. The same goes for public parks. A lot of public parks are great places for an eco-wedding since trees and plants are everywhere! Not much decorating needs to be done. The down side to these venues is picking a date. A lot of times they are booked up with other weddings or special functions. You might not be able to pick the date you hoped for. That being said it will make it easy for you to pick a date! Pick the month you would like and then BAM. Your date and venue has been set!  

Don't forget to use your connections! Think of everyone you know and where they live. Does Aunt Sally live on the water? Does Grandpa Joe live on a large farm? These family owned places are great for weddings and are free most of the time! Having it on a family/friend owned property may help if you are dead set on a date.