Win a Wedding Gown from Bonny Bridal

I am finding quite a few amazing giveaways to share with everyone! It's pretty exciting! Having a wedding costs A LOT of money! Saving here and there by entering and winning giveaways and contests allows you to put money in other areas - like a few extra honeymoon days!!! So, today I posted about the Etsy Wedding Diva $1000 Giveaway and now here is another amazing contest: the wedding gown of your choice from the Fall 2011 Collection by Bonny Bridal!

This contest is pretty easy to enter too! Just "like" Bonny Bridal on Facebook and then share your love story (must be 300 words). Anyone can enter this too - not just the bride! So, if you have a best friend or sister getting married you could SURPRISE her with the dress of her choice! Entry is through the month of April and then a live voting round will choose the ultimate winner. 

I am loving all these giveaways....and stay tuned because it's a new month - which means it's a new giveaway here on my blog too! I will be announcing it soon!!!

Cake pops are popping up all over!

Last week, I arrived back in Southern California from a trip to the Mexican Riviera. My first stop: Starbucks! To my utter surprise and delight, cake pops! Seriously? Oh yes. 

The plan was hatched to unveil these babies as part of their 40th year celebration! There is a cute little story on Starbucks blog where they talk about cake pops. I absolutely love the honesty about how hard these little babies are to make - I have tried and failed many times! So, if you haven't seen these in stores yet, here is the deal: 

You get three flavors:

Birthday – Vanilla cake and icing, dipped in pink chocolate and fun white sprinkles.
Rocky Road - Chocolate cake and icing dipped in dark chocolate, rolled in mini marshmallows and roasted almonds.
Tiramisu – Vanilla cake and Starbucks® coffee icing, dipped in mocha chocolate and topped with a chocolate coffee bean.

I have personally tried the Rocky Road and Tiramisu. The Birthday Cake must be the most popular! It is always GONE by the time I make it into my Starbucks! My favorite of the two, hands down: Rocky Road (but, it's my favorite ice cream, too!). The Tiramisu, they say, is made from Vanilla cake but, it's a flavored cake - not just vanilla. It was a little on the sweet side for me. All three pops are under 200 calories and they are just enough to have your cake and eat it too! 

Of course, my brain went straight to the price! I have seen some bakeries selling cake pops for $3.00 each! Starbucks has them priced at $1.50 each, 2 for $2.50 or 6 for $7.50. My thought was that cake pops are now affordable for wedding showers or even dessert stations at weddings! I have yet to ask my local store if you ordered even more if you could get a better price....but, it couldn't hurt to ask right? Even if the answer was no, the lowest price would be $1.25 each and I think that is pretty affordable! Have you tried them? What was your favorite flavor?

The Costco Connection

Do you think it's far fetched that Costco would jump into the wedding business? I am not that surprised - when it comes to throwing a big party I know that Costco is on my list to shop at. I will admit to even checking out the engagement rings while shopping at my local Costco - they have some pretty amazing rings!! This Princess Cut 1.5 carat ring is $3299.99

The Association for Wedding Professionals, says that a couple in the United States will spend $19,581 (between $14,686 and $24,476) for their wedding, not including the cost for a honeymoon or an engagement ring. If you are already married you probably already know that. Costs for a wedding add up - quick! So, Costco put out a call to their members and got (according to their article) hundreds of emails and letters about how brides and grooms used Costco services to save on their wedding. One bride even found her groom there (he worked there! haha). Other people sited their invitation prices. Their website states you save 25% off retail prices but, I still think you could get away with doing your own invites for less! 

You have to have flowers too...and Costco has you covered on that! They have money saving packages! Prices include shipping (but you have to add sales tax!)

40 Piece Wedding Collection fir $749.00 includes:

• 1 Bridal bouquet
• 1 Maid of Honor bouquet
• 4 Brides Maid bouquets
• 1 Toss Away bouquet
• 2 Mothers petite hand-tie
• 12 Corsages
• 12 Attendant boutonnieres
• 6 Centerpieces  (vases not included)
• 10 Rose Petal buds

20 Piece Wedding Collection ranges from $349.99 - $429.99 includes: 

• 1 Bridal bouquet
• 2 Brides Maid bouquets
• 1 Toss Away bouquet
• 6 Corsages
• 6 Attendant boutonnieres
• 3 Centerpieces  (vases not included)
• 1 Rose Petal bud   

9 Piece Wedding Collection for $229.99 includes:

• 1 Bridal bouquet
• 2 Brides Maid bouquets
• 2 Corsages
• 4 Attendant boutonnieres 

And what would a wedding be without a bridal gown? Costco also sells wedding gowns via 

Kirstie Kelly. I have never seen or even heard of one these special events being held at my local Costco....but if you have or if you have been to one LEAVE A COMMENT! I want to know how it went! Special events are held at Costco locations - complete with:



• A private, salon-style fitting area with three-way mirrors and experienced bridal consultants
• Six exclusive styles of gowns in sizes ranging from 2 to 24
• Samples of each dress to try on, with multiple sizes per sample
• Limited selection: Only 108 gowns will be available at each Special Event
• This is a cash-and-carry purchase; buy it when you see it
• Fingertip- and cathedral-style veils will be available
• Appointments are recommended; go to Costco.com and search “wedding dress.”
• Savings start at 40 percent of retail



Check Costco's event schedule to see if this might be your perfect fit! This wouldn't be my cup of tea for a wedding but, I have to admit, I do see the cost savings on using Costco for some wedding things! What are your thoughts?

Push Cakes by Meringue Bake Shop

I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to come out with these...and now I have found some worthy of sharing! I actually read about this new sweet indulgence about a year ago. I couldn't find any more information on them and the bakery I read about never promoted them. A friend of mine had a link to this local bakery on her Facebook page that I noticed the other day. I loved their logo and of course can not help checking out local sweet spots so, off to Meringue Bake Shop I went! They are based in Anaheim, California and the first thing to catch my eye... Push Cakes! There they were...these little tubes filled with yummy layers of cake and frosting! I made sure to ask if they could be shipped before sharing them with you and yep, they sure can be! These would be so cute to add to a dessert station! I predict they will be the up and coming thing (you heard it here, first!)

Can we talk about flavors? Oh for the love of cake! 

• Orange Crush* - Orange crush cake/Creamsicle buttercream
• Queen of Hearts* - Red Velvet cake/Cream Cheese buttercream
• Happy Birthday* - Vanilla confetti cake/Vanilla Confetti buttercream
• Birthday Cake - Vanilla cake/Chocolate buttercream/Sprinkles
• Sweet and Salty - Vanilla cake/Salted Caramel buttercream/Caramel
• AFCB - Yellow cake/Caramel/Peanuts/Chocolate buttercream
• Black & White* - Chocolate cake/Vanilla buttercream/Chocolate Flakes/Gold Glitter
• Tea Time* - Vanilla cake/Lemon buttercream/Sparkling sugar/Fresh berries in season (raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries)
• Groovy* - Vanilla rainbow cake/Frosting of your choice (not available in mini size)
• Fauxstess* - Chocolate cake/Creme/Chocolate buttercream
• Girls/Boys - Vanilla cake/Strawberry or Blue Raspberry buttercream/Sprinkles/Glitter 
• Spring Break - Vanilla cake/Graham cracker crust/Keylime buttercream
• Pink Lady* - Lemonade cake/Raspberry buttercream
• Campfire - Graham cracker cake/Chocolate buttercream/Toasted Marshmallows 
• Pina Colada - Pineapple cake/Coconut cream buttercream
• A Kid Again - Yellow cake/Cookie Dough/Peanut Butter buttercream 
• Southern Belle - Coconut cake/Coconut cream buttercream

I am going to hunt down Meringue Bake Shop in person and get my hands on some of these and I promise to report back! I just love that they are different and I know they are going to be all the rage! If you want to read more about them you can join PushCakes on Facebook and of course contact them regarding shipping! 

It's all about the Blue Box....

On my goodness! Here is a fun giveaway that just "popped" up....and guess what? It's called a Pop Up Giveaway! How cute! So, check this out...it's such a tease! How about some Love, Kisses (Norman Love Style) and something in a little Blue Box for Valentine’s Day??? 
Ummm...yeah FOR SURE!!! 

What’s in the little blue box??  Check here tomorrow!! Enter the giveaway on Thursday, February 10th (that's tomorrow, folks!). What do you have to do to enter....easy....

You’ll need to Subscribe to WED (for NearlyWeds) which is a new online magazine for brides. They just launched their carbon-neutral and socially connected magazine! It's kinda fun...the magazine has direct links into their little "Wed Town" society where brides can chat it up about their big day or about what they are reading in the magazine! 

Or...if you are a wedding vendor Subscribe to WedBiz Journal (for wedding vendors) and either LIKE them on Facebook or retweet this giveaway info tomorrow — so get ready!! I will be trying my luck for the little blue box (hey, I love them too).

BHLDN by Anthropologie - Launch date: Feb 14th

Be You. Be Loved.

That is the new tag line for BHLDN

I love it.

On the heels of JCrew debuting its bridal line, Anthropologie is now throwing their bridal veil into the ring! On February 14th, Anthropologie is debuting its new bridal line: BHLDN. Right now you can get just a little peek into what they will be offering on their website (hints of rich fabrics, lace, feathers). I know people do not like background music while surfing but, I found the background music to be soothing while watching the slideshow of teaser images! The song is called  "What are we waiting for" by the icelandic group Amiina. 

Don't expect your pocketbook not to get dinged....retail prices for the brand range from $1,000 to $4,000 for gowns and $200 to $600 for event dresses. Yowsa. Later in the year, BHLDN plans to offer decorations to round out their bridal collection and I am really looking forward to seeing what they have to offer! The plan is to carry everything from cake toppers and lanterns, to DIY-type items that are already made, as well as more aspirational items like candelabras and mouth-blown glassware! I can only imagine the beauty of these items! Just one more thing to look forward to on February 14th....

Pay It Forward Day

I got an email a couple of hours ago telling me it was National Pay It Forward Day...so I did a little research because this theme ties in perfectly with the giveaway I am doing this month!

I informally dubbed this giveaway my "pay it forward" giveaway...and guess what? It's starting to work out! People are signing up for the giveaway and telling friends about it...that is REALLY cool!! That, in itself is paying it forward, I think! So, I found the website for Pay It Forward Day - I wasn't aware there was a "national day". It looks like their annual date is April 28, 2011. Their website states though that "every day can be a pay it forward day" so, it looks like David Del Mundo has December 1st as his National Pay It Forward Day! He has 604,846 people attending today....err...make that 604,847! :) I agree....there doesn't have to be a "national" day to do a random act of kindness for another...we are presented with opportunities every day we wake up!  So, let's keep the chain going...