More Money Savers!

We are always looking of ways to help our wedding budget and cut down the expenses of throwing a wedding. Here are a few more tips and there will be more to come...

1. Find people who provide services as a hobby. Most of us know someone who does photography, makes cakes, does alterations, etc. They will charge way less than a vendor, and would probably like to have a little side money.

2. Use your iPod for music instead of a DJ. Plus, you know that you won't get stuck to listening to a bunch of music you hate. Huge cost saver!

3. Don't bother with favors. There is no etiquette rule saying that you have to give out a favor. You provided a meal and a nice evening. That should be enough.

4. For a neat centerpiece, grow little pots of herbs. Plant them a couple of weeks before and by the time the wedding day comes they will look nice and lush. Plus, then your guests can take them home.

5. Instead of buying a bridal gown look at bridesmaid dresses. Many of them come in white or ivory and they can be fancy enough for a wedding gown. And they cost so much less!

Free Bridal Guide Magazine

 

Here is an offer to received two years of Bridal Guide magazine. It is for 12 issues, so 6 issues per year. I signed up without a hitch.

Free Bridal Guide Magazine

Photo Booth

Photo booths are all the rage right now. This pic is actually my best friend and her husband at a family wedding. I think some of the best wedding shots come from these booths. People being themselves, silly, happy and fun. And, they will be yours without the copyrights that the photographer has on their pictures. These can be uploaded, shared and printed.

There are two ways to have a photo booth at your wedding reception. You can rent one, or you can DIY and make one. I found tons of directions when I googled it. But, if you don't have the time or the camera, renting a booth is the way to go. I would say this is something I would budget in for my reception. So fun!

Invitations

A simple thing like a few pieces of paper can cost hundreds of dollars. Traditional wedding invitations used to come with a hand written address envelope, inner envelope, invitation, tissue paper, response card and sometimes an extra like a map or hotel info.... phew... that is a lot of paper. There are some great ways to create your own wedding invitations and save money and a few trees while you do it.

If you are a crafty person, you can always hand make wedding invitations. This can save you tons of money, but also cost you tons of time.

Next, if you want to make them, but are not super crafty, you can always design a card using a print shop or photo shop type of software. There is tons of clip art online, some free and some for a very small fee. Put them together and then send them to Snapfish or Vistaprint. Personalize invitations for a little time and a little money.

Speaking of Vistaprint, they have invitations starting at $1.00. Pre-designed and adorable. Here are a few samples.

 

    

Personalized Soda Pop

Here is a fun idea that I found. You can create your own soda pop for your reception. My Jones.com will let you choose from 6 different flavors, including cream soda and bubblegum and then you can put a personal photo on the bottle and a message. How fun! Here is my label:

Wedding Reception Video

I had an idea; how neat would it be to have a tribute to all of the married couples at your wedding? Ask all of the married couples to email you a picture from their wedding day. Then make a slide show with all of the images. You can play this all during the reception, if the site has a TV, if not, just bring a small portable DVD player and you can just place it on the guest book table or place card table. This will be a fun way to bring all your guest together and also see the different styles and wedding themes of the special people in your life.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

If you haven't heard yet, starting in June, Martha Stewart has teamed up with Sandals Resorts. You can have a Martha Stewart Wedding and any one of the 12 resorts. There are six themes to choose from and of course they are all beautiful, as we would expect from the Martha Stewart Weddings team. Once you have picked out your theme you can also customize your wedding even further, with bridesmaids dresses, favors, additional flower and more. I must admit that the Seaside Serenade is my favorite, but I'm all about that shade of blue right now. The weddings start around $3000 this does not include travel or your hotel stay. This is a great option for people who want destination wedding, without all the fuss of planning one. The packages include your choice of a wedding cake or cupcakes, bridal bouquet, centerpieces, favors and beautiful theme decorations, place settings, etc. They have really thought of every detail. Kudos to this idea!