Save Money on Your Wedding

Archive for the ‘Wedding Reception’ Category

So you’re tying the knot but have fallen short on the budget. Nothing comes quite as exciting as embarking on that amazing voyage called marriage with only you and your spouse to be as the main protagonists. Let’s face it, the grandest weddings in the biggest churches, with the most expensive gowns and suits, and inside the most expensive venue aren’t exactly the barometers for what is about to come. Sure, you’ll get a month’s worth of glamor and elegance, but what comes next wouldn’t necessarily be the same thing.


If you’re like me and you want to make sure that the marriage is not all about the wedding, then read on.


Go Traditional


Different nations have different traditions when it comes to wedding ceremonies, but one thing in common in all of the weddings I’ve witnessed is that all cultures have, at one point in time, valued traditional weddings more for their social value.


Instead of holding the wedding in a grand church or in a 5 star hotel, you could hold it in your own garden or home. That is, of course if you live in a place where there’s still lots of garden space.


If you don’t have your own house yet, you could ask close family whether they’d be willing to host the event. It wouldn’t hurt if your parents have a large garden. If they agree, make sure that you pay them and offer to clean up the mess afterwards. Most parents would be glad to accommodate their children’s wedding as long as it would not be boisterous and as long as they don’t have to do anything stressful.


Crowdsource Your Food


Okay, this is a little bit extreme but I’ve seen weddings using this approach when it comes to food. Some people have that knack when it comes to friends that they would gladly pitch in for a simple ceremony where everybody can contribute in their own little way to help out a friend. As the host, you could buy the ingredients and perhaps hire a knowledgeable and local caterer to cook up a delightful meal.


I’ll hazard a suggestion to cook the food yourself but that would just ruin your gown!


Gowns and Suits are for Your Grandparents


I can’t understand what the whole pomp and pageantry is all about. Weddings are meant to formalize the union of two people and not to bring yourself in debt. The last thing that newlyweds would want is to have to grapple with finances after the honeymoon.


If you’re holding a garden wedding, simple attires would do. For the groom, he could opt to wear a simple suit or a simple and white collared shirt with Khaki pants. Or, he could just borrow the suit worn by his father.


The same austerity measure applies for the bride. If she likes she could just opt to wear a simple floral dress or a white skirt.


At the end of the day, your imagination could do wonders for you and your spouse to be. Remember, it isn’t the wedding that’s going to mark you for the rest of your life. It’s the marriage and the company you will keep that comes after.

One cheap option for your ceremony and/or reception is to book it all at a bed and breakfast that offers an all inclusive wedding package. Many b&bs offer packages that include a site for the ceremony, as well as the reception; food; sometimes décor; often, photographs – all combined with one or two nights lodgings.

Many offer even more in their packages. Some offer witnesses if you want to elope! B&bs can often be cheaper than purchasing each of these pieces separately. The locations are always beautiful, as is inherent to a bed and breakfast. Plus, if you book well, you’ll already have a built in place for your guests to stay, and/or will already be at your honeymoon destination. Either way, these kinds of packages can save you lots of money.

Check the b&bs in your local area and in any places you were thinking of honeymooning. I did this for my wedding and came out with a beautiful ceremony and reception on the coast for under $4,000.00 total. Now, print your own invitations with a do-it-yourself kit and you’ll still have money left over for a down payment on a house, instead of being in debit for your wedding…

There are many ways to save money on your wedding.

1. When you send out invitations, ask guests to respond by email or telephone – this will save you money on stamps.

2. Check Consignment shops for wedding dresses. You can usually find one still in good condition. Some towns have a shop where you can rent a wedding dress, saving you hundreds of dollars.

3. For religious weddings, consider having your wedding near a major holiday. The church will already be decorated, saving you lots of money on flowers.

4. Ask your friends and family to be a special part of your wedding by helping you assemble favors and make invitations, centerpieces, and other homemade inexpensive touches. Ask them what they did to save money on their special day or check internet sites like DIY for ideas. One of them can easily get an officiants’ license online to save you an additional fee.

5. Instead of hiring a photographer, buy a bunch of disposable cameras for your guests to use. They simply take pictures of what they like and leave the finished rolls at your gift table. You usually get more personalized pictures this way since family and friends know you and it saves you hundreds of dollars.

When it comes to plan your dream wedding, you probably want to have every detail personalized to each of the guests. But it is expensive to plan a wedding and time consuming. There are many corners that can be cut to save your time and money.

For example, the table decor. You don’t need to spend a big part of your budget on your table decor. You can get the decorations are second hand stores and you can do all of them by yourself. There is no need for a wedding planner to work on the table decorations.

For example, you can cut costs down by 50% on napkins, table cloths, utensils, and candles by shop them yourself.

1. Buy napkins that match your wedding color

2. Use white table cloths that are elegant and match any color

3. Go for plastic utensils. You can buy nice looking ones at special wedding stores. If you prefer real ones, then rent or borrow them

4. Go to craft stores instead of wedding stores for your candles.

Plan ahead, and buy in advance can save you lots of money.

Article by Sean Saunders

Are you about to begin planning a wedding on a small budget? Then you should know that it’s a rough road ahead. Not only will have to sacrifice some of the things you want for your wedding, you’ll likely have to make cutbacks on some of the things you NEED. Luckily though, if you were to use some of these clever money saving ideas, planning a wedding on a small budget would not be nearly as problematic.

Money Saving Ideas for Planning a Wedding…

1.) Buy the decorations yourself instead of paying for a professional decorator. Why should you do this? Because a professional will charge you an arm & a leg for doing simple things that you could easily do for less than HALF the cost.

It’s true a professional will have more experience than you, but with a little guidance from online websites and wedding decoration guides, there is no reason you can’t decorate the wedding yourself and save a boat load of cash.

2.) Consider other options before heading straight to a caterer. Although easy & convenient, caterers are incredibly expensive and will take a humongous chunk out of your budget. If possible, prepare the food yourself or have a friend — whom is a decent cook — do it for you as their gift.

If preparing the food yourself is simply out of the question, then you can always save money by taking the buffet route instead. With a buffet, you can offer tasty, yet inexpensive food at a fraction of the price a sit-down dinner accompanied by servers.

These are just two of many great ideas that can help you to begin successfully planning a wedding on a small budget.

For the complete list of money saving tips & ideas for planning a wedding on a small budget, try visiting http://www.Dream-Weddings-on-a-Budget.com, one of the most popular and informative wedding planning websites on the web.

Article by Charles Pruett

With all of the enhanced consciousness about the health of our planet, and “going green”, have you considered Green wedding favors to accent your upcoming ceremony? The growing popularity of this trend has necessitated new and inventive favors almost as vast as your imagination.

And if you are seriously thinking about an earth-friendly alternative to more traditional wedding favors and/or wedding invitations, just keep in mind there are excellent choices to be made of invites from completely recycled paper.

So what about your favors? How can you come up with something original to suit such an earthy premise? Seedlings or some other petite plant as wedding favors would certainly make for a one-of-a-kind token of your love for Mother Earth, while symbolizing the newness and potential of your love union. An accompanying card as an invitation to plant these living favors would be a perfect touch to bring added significance to your most “budding” of days.

The important thing to remember in “going green” with your wedding favors and wedding invitations is to keep it as simple and organic as you possibly can.

One way you can get ideas and inspiration is to look not only at the already available eco-friendly items when shopping for ideas, but look at all that might appeal to you, and then think about ways you can either find a ‘green’ alternative that achieves the same effect, or you can solicit the help of friends or family in creating your own spin on established standards.

Information provided as a service by: http://www.BeautifulWeddingInvitations.com

Written By: Charles Pruett

By Gail Vince

Wedding centerpieces may not be considered important at some festivities however a wedding is a different story. You set the mood of the occasion by complimenting you and your partner’s personalities with carefully chosen embellishments.

Choosing the incorrect wedding centerpieces can make or break the decorations so careful consideration when selecting the embellishments is vital.

Consider the wedding theme, the size your tables, color of your tablecloths, color of wedding attire and the venue’s décor.

Flowers are commonly chosen as wedding centerpieces for their variety, color, fragrance and ease of availability. Choosing flowers which are out of season can become costly and difficult to find. An alternative to using fresh flowers of your choice, you could use silk flowers on their own or mixed with fresh flowers.

The choice to use or not to use flowers is a personal one. The idea of using something other than flowers excites me because the imagination can really come into things. You can spend a lot of money on any kind of embellishments’ or by doing it yourself you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you have created this outstanding design and saved yourself a lot of money.

You don’t have to be a crafty person. Look through magazines, photos’ you have taken or family and friends have taken, website images or ask wedding venues if you can see a set up of a wedding that will be taking place if you are thinking of holding your reception at their venue. The latter could also be of benefit as you may be able to combine your ideas with that of a previous wedding party to reduce costs and time in setting up if you are holding your reception on the same day.

If you must have flowers a cheaper alternative but one which still adds elegance to your wedding reception, try the flamingo lily or birds of paradise. Place in a tall vase/glass and fill with white river rocks. Accentuate with white unscented pillar candles. The reason for using unscented candles at the table is that although scented candles emit a beautiful aroma, you may find this a bit overpowering and not want this whilst you and your guests are eating.

The use of fruits as wedding centerpieces can create a very attractive and affordable alternative. With a bit of creativity and imagination, you are able to make something wonderful out of fruit.

Place whole lemons’ in a vase combined with sunflowers. Use cut limes, sliced apples, whole grapes, berries or colored seeds…the list is endless. Tropical fruits, including pomegranates cut in half. Buy glass vases or containers for your centerpiece from markets, bargain shops or $2 stores. Use your imagination for a summer wedding!

By filling glasses with colored stones, water, rose buds or orchids and floating candles you are able to create a wonderful centerpiece. Alternatively, sand, shells and greenery create an effective display. Lavender, fruit, gum leaves – get those creative juices going – go green.

Collect (free) branches, leaves, pine cones, driftwood and spray with gold or silver metallic spray paint. Arrange in the center of the table with a few long lasting tea lights. Other alternatives are ivy, holly and rosemary. Dark table cloths really set this off. An eye catching arrangement!

Remember your guests. Try not make your centerpieces too bulky so guest have trouble talking to and seeing each other or that they take up large amounts of room on the table and then only allows very minimal room for placement of crockery and glassware.

Another extra to place on tables for guests is a disposable camera. This allows guests’ to take snapshots of other guests, or you and the bridal party. Photo’s that you would not normally have taken. One camera on each table is sufficient.

by: Matt Campbell

The following article can be copied but you must keep about the author section.

Common format of a wedding reception:

• Arrival of guests at hall
• Introduction of wedding party
• Introduction of bride and groom
• Blessing
• Meal
• Cake Cutting
• Toasts
• Bride & Groom’s First Dance
• Father & Daughter’s Dance
• Mother & Groom’s Dance
• Special Dances
• Bouquet and Garter Toss
• Dancing and Fun

Arrival of guests at reception site

Typically, a wedding lasts about 15 minutes. However, some guests do arrive early to the reception. Therefore, be sure all reception to-dos are complete by the start time of the wedding. Also, all wedding vendors should be wearing proper attire for early arriving and late staying guests. All tables should be set-up including cake table, entertainment’s table, sign-in table, food tables, and tables with chairs for all guests. If you have a seating arrangement, all seating lists should be at the reception with everyone’s name with where they are sitting.

Introduction of wedding party

This step is not mandatory, but it is nice for everyone to know who the wedding party is as many have not met before your wedding. Create a “Reception Planning Guide” and give this to your master of ceremonies prior to your wedding. This details, among other things, the order of entrance into the reception site with their names and titles. The order of entrance is as follows: parents of the bride, parents of the groom, ushers with bridesmaids, flower girl and ring bearer, special guests, best man, maid/matron of honor, bride and groom. In addition, review the pronunciations of the wedding party’s names with the master of ceremonies.

Introduction of bride and groom

This is always the last of the introductions. Everyone should stand before the bride and groom enter. In addition, a special song can be arranged with the music entertainment and a special announcement made to punctuate a true grand entrance. Also, inform the master of ceremonies how you would like to be introduced: Mr. and Mrs. Smith or John and Jane Doe.

Blessing

This is another step that is not mandatory, but for the religious couples makes a nice setting. If you invite the person who performed the marriage ceremony to the reception, I would recommend having them conduct the blessing. If they are not able to attend, a parent or family friend is a good idea. Lastly, the master of ceremonies could give the meal blessing. Be sure to communicate with whomever is giving the blessing in advance so they are prepared to give a personal touch.

Meal

It’s time to eat! Bride and Groom, be sure to stop and take a moment to eat. This may be your only chance in the day. In addition, it is customary for the bride and groom to start the food line. Most guests know to wait until the bride and groom start the food line. So don’t be late!

Cake Cutting

This is the traditional bride and groom making the first cut on their wedding cake. Then, the bride feeds half of the piece of cake to the groom and the groom feeds the remaining half to the bride. The cutting of the cake is a ceremony intended to symbolize the caring and sharing for one another. Forks may be used as they make the image very attractive for the photographer. Forks may also minimize the possibility of someone being hurt with the more playful squashing that sometimes happens.

Toasts

The toast is when the bride and groom toast each other then interlock arms and drink. Immediately following, the best man and maid/matron of honor make toasts to the bridal couple. Be prepared for other family and friends to follow with their toasts too.

Bride & Groom’s First Dance

The Bride & Groom’s Dance is the first dance between a bride and groom as a married couple. The dance is also commonly known as the “First Dance”. The timing of the bride groom dance can vary in the evening based on your preferences. The first dance can be done immediately following the grand entrance with the wedding party circling the dance.

Father & Daughter’s Dance

The Father & Daughter’s Dance or the Father Bride Dance is the dance between the father(s) of the bride and the bride. Brides, if you have more than one father in your life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middle of the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do not have a father, a common substitute is a father figure or even your brother would make a very nice gesture.

Mother & Groom’s Dance

The Mother & Groom’s dance is the dance between the mother(s) of the groom and the groom. Grooms, if you have more than one mother in your life, one can tap the other on the shoulder in the middle of the dance so you can dance with both of them. If you do not have a mother, a common substitute is a mother figure or even your sister would make a very nice gesture.

Special Dances

There may be songs in your life that mean dear to your heart. You can ask the music entertainment to play these songs during the night or immediately following the formal dances. An example would be: If someone dear to you passed recently, you may ask the music entertainment to play Angels Among Us by Alabama.

Bouquet and Garter Toss

The traditional tossing of the bouquet is when the bride tosses the bridal bouquet to all single women in attendance. Immediately following the bouquet tossing, a chair is set in the middle of the dance floor. The chair is for the bride to sit and the groom to remove the bride’s garter from her leg. The traditional tossing of the garter is when the groom tosses the bride’s garter to all the single men in attendance. The people whom catch the garter and bouquet are said to be the next one to marry.

Dancing and Fun

This is what you pay the music entertainment to do…get people to dance and have a good time. Give the music entertainment music examples and limitations of what type of music you want but don’t give them a list of 100 songs they need to play.

About The Author

Matt Campbell is the owner and webmaster for Weddingmuseum.com. Weddingmuseum.com is a place to plan, book and rate your wedding day. You can email him at matt@weddingmuseum.com or visit www.WeddingMuseum.com.

by: Georgina Clatworthy

Your wedding breakfast is one of the most important parts of your day. However, deciding if a formal sit-down meal or a relaxed buffet is most appropriate can be a difficult choice. Here we look at the benefits of both options to help you decide which will work best for you.

Help yourselves… the benefits of having a buffet

What immediately comes to mind when thinking about a buffet is a scene of dozens of guests queuing around a room patiently waiting to reach the food. Bottlenecks of people all trying to get to the cocktail sausages & smoked salmon blitzes before they’re all gone & the vision of everyone perched on a chair trying to balance a plate on their knee & get to grips with a rather messy morsal of what was once a parmesan cracker stuffed with cream cheese! However, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can still combine the ease of a buffet with a sit-down, silver service affair, where guests can help themselves & then sit & eat in comfort at their tables.

Having a buffet will give the choice of a wide range of dishes meaning you can serve something which will appeal to all & guests can choose exactly what they want. If space & budget are an issue you can opt for a finger buffet or cocktail & canape party. This sounds rather glamorous but this type of buffet dispenses with the need for tables & chairs, meaning you can invite more guests. It is also less expensive than a formal sit-down meal.

Because at a buffet your guests help themselves you will require fewer waiting staff which will cut down on costs.

For a spring or summer wedding, a buffet is a great option, particularly if you combine it with a barbecue or a range of sliced cold cuts. You can create a fabulous visual impact with the lay out of your dishes meaning you can save money by not having lots of table decorations. You can also create cozy seating areas with large floor cushions or even sofas & coffee tables for your guests to relax on.

A buffet can also create a great atmosphere as it allows people to mingle with each other.

Places please… when to choose a formal sit down occasion

For a traditional wedding a seated dinner is a perfect option. A sit-down meal is good if your guests don’t all know each other & is a an opportunity for your to decide who sits where.

A formal silver service dinner allows you to control the menu & portion sizes & will help your budget.

You can avoid the queues associated with a buffet menu as your guests will be seated & relaxed before the food is served.

Your elderly guests will appreciate a sit-down meal where they can eat in comfort without having to juggle a plate & glass.

If you wanted to decorate your tables a formal meal will give you the opportunity to create beautiful centerpieces & cover your tables with lavish linens, creating an impressive reception room.

About The Author

Georgina Clatworthy is a dedicated full time writer who composes informative articles related to wedding favors and wedding. She is connected with http://www.1weddingsource.com, today’s leading wedding planning social networking planning site.

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The question most brides-to-be or couples getting married have is “How do I make wedding favors for cheap?” Before I begin to answer this question, I want to establish one thing. When using the word cheap, it doesn’t mean that you’re not giving it all you have. You’ve already spent a lot of money to make this day perfect. Therefore, here are some cheap or inexpensive ways to make wedding favors. Save yourself a little money, you could even use it on the honeymoon!!

Here are some really cool ideas to save money and get two things done at once:

• Flower Arrangements

Make a small flower arrangement for each table setting. This can serve as both a favor for your guest and decorations for the table. You can normally find little glass containers at Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store for pretty cheap. Add some of your favorite flower(s) or a flower of your favorite color. You can even make it seasonal depending on when your wedding is. Have fun! Be creative!

• Candles

I know, everybody suggests candles for wedding favors. But find your favorite shape or scent and give each of your guests a small candle. This will make it personal for your guest. It will tell your guest you wanted them there and make them feel special. Use tulle and/or ribbon to make it more festive!

• Small Frames – One of my favorites!

You can find small frames and make them place card holders. Each of your guest will have a frame to take home with them. If you don’t want to assign seating, put a special message or quote in each frame. Your guest will have a special way of remembering you!

• Wine Glass Markers

Make wine glass markers with some wire and beads. Then find a small box and wrap ribbon around it. You need one for each guest. It will also be helpful to keep each other’s wine glasses separate!

• Personalized CD of you and your fiancée’s favorite songs!

You can buy CD’s at Office Depot, Staples, Wal-Mart, etc… for cheap. Then decide on 10 or so songs to put on there. Burn them to the CD; attach a label or write on each one. You can buy “print-on” labels wherever you buy the CD’s. Then give each guest one! It’s a cool personal gift.

You can pull off your big day and save some money. Don’t make it look cheap either. Make and create your wedding favors for cheap!! You can do it!! Remember to have fun and be creative!!!

About The Author