Tuesday, October 27, 2009

More great ideas for wedding planning on a budget

In these tough economic times, we are all looking for new ways to tighten our belt” and weddings are no exception!! As special and unique and precious as they are to us, they do cost MONEY! Therefore, I have some new fresh ideas on ways to plan that special event without selling off the family farm!! I found a great article from the www.denverchannel.com website that lists 18 tips on planning weddings within a fixed budget.

Here are a few of them:

1. Plan ahead – it takes time to find deals and in turn save money. Do your research, shop and compare.

2. Instead of a full, seat-down dinner, host a late morning or early afternoon ceremony followed by a lunch reception or a cocktail party.

3. Host weddings on “off peak” days, like Thursday, Friday or Sunday.

4. Ask for discounts, or added value. If you are hosting your wedding at a resort see if they will offer you a complimentary hotel suite upgrade on the night of your wedding, or a complimentary couples massage.

5. If you are going to do a dinner, opt for a buffet, rather than seated serving.

6. Get creative on your ceremony and reception locations. Public parks, state parks, museums and state or privately owned locations often have great rates.

7. Host a beer & wine bar instead of liqour. Give each table a bottle of wine, then guests can pay for additional alcoholic beverages. To read the whole article, go to http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money

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Great Inexpensive Wedding Centerpiece Ideas that you can really use!!

Always remember that coming up with great wedding centerpieces should be first and foremost, fun!! When planning your table arrangements, make sure that each table has a centerpiece. You certainly don’t want the tables to be plain, dull, or boring! Depending upon your price range and budget, you can invent creative and memorable wedding centerpieces! Also, as a budget is usually a fixed amount, you may want to consider using more of the budget on other items such as the facility and entertainment!

A great place to check out bargains is at the local dollar store. Most communities have at least one if not more. And of course, you can always check out other places to buy on line. You may also have hobby stores available such as Hobby Lobby to offer more comparisons.

This article will provide a few inexpensive wedding centerpiece ideas for you. It is also a good idea to check with relatives, family, and friends as this is obviously a common experience to us all.

Balloons

Balloon are a great idea for inexpensive centerpieces. You can purchase balloons, ribbon, and then rent a helium tank. After you fill them, make sure to attach a weight to each one so they stay put and don’t float away. You can also scatter confetti or rose petals around the centerpieces.

Candles

There are many, many ideas for inexpensive centerpieces using candles. You can use a simple flower arrangement and put a candle in the center. Make sure to choose the candle size so that it is appropriate to the size of the centerpiece. Typical candles can be pillar or votive types. They come in many different sizes and colors

You can also use floater candles where you would place them in small drinking glasses. Fill up the glasses with water and place the candle inside. Using shorter glasses makes it easier to light. A good tip is to have a long-handled Bic type lighter available as it makes quick work and saves on the fingertips!

There are lots of great ideas for inexpensive centerpieces. Just take your time, look at all your options, and see which ones appeal to you. When you decide on choices, always compare relative to your overall budget! Even if you find an idea that you really like and at first blush appears too expensive, you might be able to use a less expensive material to bring the cost down and still use the idea. Above all, have fun with it and take your time! This is a time of great blessing in your life, so you should savor it and enjoy it!!

Mirrors

Mirrors are very creative indeed! There are a number of ideas for inexpensive centerpieces that center around the use of mirrors. One idea would be to take a mirror and place a candle in a glass holder on top of it. The candle or the holder can match the colors of your wedding theme if you can find a matching color.

Once again, scattering confetti on the mirror adds to the delight! You can also place a single rose in a tall, thin vase when placed in the center of a mirror can look quite stunning. Using realistic silk flowers is much better and less expensive than the real thing.

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More wedding centerpiece ideas…

To those of you who are wondering whether or not candles should be part of your wedding centerpiece ideas, here is an interesting article that I came across yesterday. It was a survey commissioned by the National Candle Association (yes, there really is a Candle Association). This group states that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of women polled indicated that candles were present at the most recent wedding they attended.

A partial finding of the survey includes:

  • Nearly half (43 percent) of women indicated candles were lit by the bride or groom during the ceremony.
  • While 37 percent of women said candles were lit on the altar during the ceremony, 6 percent indicated candles were lit down the aisle for decor.

For more details go to: http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2009/02/19/lifestyles/hz_standspeak.20090219.e.pg21.hz00bt_candles_s1.2308707_fea.txt

In a small departure from speaking about wedding centerpiece ideas, another interesting article I found was about giving wedding favors to your special guests who helped celebrate your precious wedding day. The ideas for wedding favors are endless, but here are a few that I thought were very interesting and different. And who doesn’t want something unique to give for a long-lasting remembrance??

How about…

  • Go seasonal. Give a gift in the spirit of the season. For February, do Valentine’s chocolates, sunscreen or beach balls for a summer affairs, or plastic pumpkins filled with candy corn for autumn weddings.
  • Donate to charity. Make a donation to charity. Make a donation to your favorite organization in honor of your marriage. Print up a card or note to tell guests about your good deed. (now THAT is really different!!)
  • Watch it bloom. Small plants or tree saplings potted in antique or pretty pots are sure to last long after your wedding day. Other ideas are flower bulbs, packets of seeds, a simple rose or a flower lei at each place setting. Your florist can also design centerpieces that break apart so each guest can take home a flower bouquet or small plant.

For more great ideas, go to: http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2009/02/19/lifestyles/hz_standspeak.20090219.e.pg5.hz00bt_creatingfavors_s1.2307229_fea.txt

Let’s keep the fresh ideas flowing! Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event and pre-planning to make it spectacular is what we should be doing!!

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