Here are three cheap wedding ideas to cut your wedding expenses dramatically:

1. HUNT FOR BRIDAL BARGAINS

Weddings are big business and there are many wedding vendors out there all wanting your business. ?So where do you start? ?

Well there are many ways to find wedding decorations, cakes, flowers and invitations at very competitive prices, if you just know where to look.?If it is difficult for you to find cheap wedding ideas and items locally, then the internet provides a wonderful resource to search for bargains.

Websites such as eBay, Etsy and wedding forums are a great place to look for cheap deals or exchange ideas with fellow brides. Many brides all over the country as well as overseas, now use bridal forums to swap ideas and share wedding costs. In fact, some brides with weddings on the same weekend buddied?up and shared the costs of furniture hire, lighting, decorations, catering equipment and much more. This is a great way to cut your costs by?half?our costs and still have the wedding theme and decorations you dreamed about.

Another alternative is to ask for help from family and friends. ?Maybe you know someone who sings or plays a musical instrument. Perhaps a friend's mother or sister is a florist or cake decorator. In addition, you probably know someone who is a great cook or who owns a catering business. if you think about your network of family, friends and work associates, you'll be amazed how many people you know or can contact directly for a good deal.

2. BUY PRE-LOVED WEDDING GOWNS

Choosing a stylish and beautiful wedding gown is still achievable even if you need to be mindful of your budget. If you have your heart set on a designer wedding gown, then there are still ways you can achieve your vision without using up your entire wedding budget.?

Wedding gowns are an important element to every wedding and their prices can vary from a few hundred dollars right through to designer gowns in the tens of thousands. So it is no surprise when you start shopping for your wedding gown, how easy it is to become overwhelmed with the variety of styles and pricing options on offer.

Chances are you will end up wanting a gown that costs more than you budgeted for. However, if you plan for this problem ahead of time and have some alternatives in mind, it will help you avoid the temptation of buying a dress way beyond your means. ?

Start by searching online bridal websites for pre-loved wedding dresses. They are a great way to find the designer gown of your dreams for only a fraction of the regular price. Only you have to know your secret, because it will be almost impossible to tell the gown?was worn?before.?In addition, most of these bridal sites allow you to post an ad for the ideal type of gown you are looking for. ?Other brides and wedding gown suppliers can then respond to your ad with suitable offers.

3. DITCH THE BIG CEREMONY

Many couples are now ditching the big ceremony and choosing a civil ceremony instead. Venues such as City Hall or alternative locations without the need for religious elements, are increasingly becoming a popular way to tie the knot?easily without the expense.?

Another cheap wedding option is to get hitched Las Vegas style! ?Las Vegas has always been a cheap, fun and unique way to get married. There are plenty of pretty, fascinating and even quirky wedding chapels to choose from - all of them set up to make your wedding ceremony quick and easy, yet still romantic.

You can easily cut down your wedding costs by half when you look for alternative options. A little imagination plus networking with friends will provide you with cheap wedding ideas that still make for a fantastic wedding day.?

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Black, the hue of class and also taste. Gold, the hue of success, prosperity and intelligence. Put them together with each other and you will have a strong combination to commence your married life. However why printable wedding stationery? Keep reading for precisely how utilizing printable black and gold wedding invites appropriately signifies making use of your money carefully with elegance and style.

Why Printable Wedding Stationery: If you are the least bit computer literate and possess a good printer, you owe it to yourself to find out more about printable wedding invitations. The cost savings are usually great and also the freedom you have to produce and improve the text of your invites is never-ending. In addition, you could obtain unique styles, better quality cardstock, and combine possibilities that allow you to personalize your invites without worrying about the pricey custom styles. To locate on the web organizations simply Google these keywords and phrases: printable wedding invitations; printable wedding stationery sets; DIY wedding invitation sets and let the fun begin.

Exquisite Black and Gold Mixtures: There are many methods to make use of black and gold in invitations. One example is, you could decide on a pocket folder layout invitation in which you have a black wallet folder with a gold insert in the center. You may use cream or ecru for the invitation shade then secure it together with gold or cream ribbons. You can develop a layered style invitation having a black backing layer, cream invite card and gold accent ribbon. Lots of people also use "gold" ink, you should be cautious because it could be hard to read. Use a metallic ink and get some great suggestions from a neighborhood printer. There are also several individual layer invitation cards with gold borders or gold adornment; combine these with black ink and black and gold laces and ribbons for a stunning, distinctive style that could fit any kind of spending budget wisely.

Unusual Black and Gold Embellishments: The charm of employing invitation sets is that you may customize and decorate them yourself. You may choose to utilize a black translucent envelope or put a gold liner in your envelope. You may select gold envelope closures to secure your invitations or black tassels. You can also make use of gold inserts with your black wallet folder or a black ribbon on your gold invite. Allow your imagination and your neighborhood hobby shop become your guide.

To get an elegant, refined wedding party employing black and gold can be a magnificent mixture. From a traditional cream invitation with gold edges and black ink to a black wallet folder plus a gold top layer and gold embellishments, your options are numerous. Select sensibly, preserving you bank balance while still demonstrating your taste and sophistication.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


For many brides, the item that most often gets scratched off the checklist is purchasing wedding insurance. Planning a wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion so why do we need to plan for a disaster? There are many reasons for purchasing wedding insurance (see below) and according to research done by Insurance company, Ecclesiastical, the top five claims for wedding insurance are:

"1. Damage to the wedding dress, jewelry, or outfits
2. Cancellation
3. Problems with the venue
4. Problems with suppliers, such as caterers and transportation
5. Damage to the photographs"

Purchasing wedding insurance is very important and something you will want to do early in the planning process. It's not pleasant to think about the possibility of something going wrong on the biggest day of your life but you do want to know that you'll be covered in worst-case scenarios.

Weather is unpredictable, transportation might not show up, businesses may go bust, wedding outfits are expensive, thieves never rest, double bookings can't be worked around, people get ill, people pass away, and worse, someone might blame the bride and groom for something that goes wrong (think a slip and trip that leads into a hospital visit).

Work closely with your wedding planner or insurance broker to find a plan most suitable to your wedding requirements and budget. The wedding insurance can protect you in a legal lawsuit and it can also provide cover for dissatisfaction with vendors and cover in the event that a guest(s) gets hurt. The cost spent on wedding insurance is minuscule in comparison to the time and money spent on your wedding. Having this peace of mind is extremely important and will help you relax and enjoy your wedding planning process and your wedding day to the fullest.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


It's that time in your life. Your big wedding day is just entering the planning stages and you've got a ton of work to do. Many things can easily get lost in the shuffle, including your attention to detail and demands for quality. Aside from the amazing wedding dress and flower arrangements that you envision for your wedding, there is another important item that you absolutely must spend some time on: your personalized stationery and invitations. Below are some key things that you will want to get right so that you can send the most fitting and unique wedding invitations possible for your special day:

Handmade Unique Wedding Stationery vs. Mass Produced

When ordering a mass produced wedding invitation you are often limited to the designs on hand. The companies that produce these stationery sets usually produce large quantities in advance and simply print your event information on them. This means there is often little flexibility in how your order can be customized (and changed altogether if need be).

Handmade invitations which are made to order by a designer allow you to be very specific about which design elements you can use such as paper stocks, ribbons and accents. These types of unique wedding invitations can also be changed and sampled until you have the right design for you. Be sure you are aware of this before you hit the "approved" button on a cookie cutter set of wedding stationery.

Paper Stock - The All Important Ingredient

If there is one thing you need to make sure of, make sure that the paper stock you are getting is of a very high, premium quality. These types of paper provide a very specific feel and quality when they are touched and handled. Flimsy or overly stiff card stock can make the wrong impression when opened and can torpedo your unique wedding invitation's quality very quickly.

Making Sure It All Matches

A surefire BIG mistake is to have your unique wedding invitation made on one type of paper stock and have you envelope made with another (usually lower quality) paper. Don't laugh, it happens quite frequently. Any thorough designer is going to make sure that you have a matching set. If your unique wedding invitations are in fact handmade, this is usually never a problem. The same principle goes for your envelope seals, save the date cards, announcements and all other stationery items you will be sending out in conjunction with your wedding.

Quality Costs More, But It's Worth Its Weight In Gold

If you truly want to make a grand impression by sending unique wedding invitations, custom announcements and save the date cards, it is definitely worth it to spend the extra money. Weddings are not cheap and it can always be a challenge to cut costs where you need to. But since your wedding invitations are the types of keepsake's that many people will hold on to in order to remember your event, which do you think is going to leave the better lasting impression: multi-layered unique wedding invitations on Fabriano paper or standard 80lb card stock?

In The End, It's All About Satisfying YOU

It is safe to say that anyone getting married is going to want to have the perfect and most memorable wedding. There are many things to prepare, choose, keep track of and finalize before your big day is just right for you. It is important to make sure that your first contact with your guests and loved ones says the right thing about your event and how important it is to you. It is easy to do this with handmade unique wedding invitations.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Don't be afraid to ask questions. Questions are GOOD! The more questions you ask, the more involved you become, the more informed both you and your photographer are, the smoother the process will be.

I love it when I get 'fussy' brides. It means that I know exactly what they want, they feel assured I know what they want - the more demanding the bride before the day, the better I like it!

So here's my top ten questions to ask:

1 - Will you adjust your style to suit what I want?

Answer - within reason. Any professional photographer would rather pass a non-fitting client on to a more-suited colleague than try and be something they are not, just to keep a job. But flexibility is of course essential, too! Be sure before you meet that the photographer's style is what you are looking for - and if you change your mind whilst viewing more of their work, do not be afraid to say so. It saves everyone time!

2 - What is your method of working on the day?

Answer - there is no right answer to this, but your photographer should have a very clear and experienced idea of the layout of a wedding day, how they will cover each part, which parts they will control and which parts they will allow to flow around them. As long as they're not hesitating and fudging over what actually will happen, it is down to your judgement to decide whether their answer matches your wishes.

3 - What is your back up plan?

Ask for details - its easy to say 'oh, don't worry, I have it covered', but really, what will they do if they break their leg the day before your wedding? You need to believe they have genuine back up available. Working with other good local photographers also means they are respected professionally, which is a great testimonial in itself.

4 - How long does the photographer anticipate the family formals and the bridal formals will take?

Answer - Again, there is no right or wrong answer to this - just a matching of your own expectations. There is no point in hiring a photographer who takes the most beautiful bridal portrait images if it takes them over an hour of posing to get them, when you only want to leave your guests for 15 minutes. Equally, if those posed beautiful images are what you desire, don't choose a pure photojournalist photographer who will only take 5 minutes.

5 - How many weddings have you shot?

There are no guarantees of course, but do a job often enough and you can't help but learn it well. And how many as opposed to how long is a far better indicator - your photographer could have been a brilliant studio photographer for 20 years, but only shot 10 weddings in that time. Meaning they're a great photographer, but very inexperienced at wedding photography.

There is also the practice of 'second shooting' which is where photographers gain experience by tagging along at a wedding and assisting a 'main' photographer. It's a great way to create a fab portfolio of wedding images, but working your own wedding as a main photographer is an entirely different experience.

6 - Will there be a contract of the services to be provided?

Answer - should be an emphatic yes! You should require a contract from your photographer that details what services they will be providing, pricing, cancellation policy, delivery expectations etc. A contract is created for your protection, and for the wedding photographer's protection. Be wary of investing your cash in photographers that "don't usually bother with a formal contract."

7 - Do you have insurance?

Answer - It may seem an insignificant thing now, but professional wedding photographers should have the proper insurance for their business. Insurance means that if anything hideous occurs, the photographer is insured to restage the photographs for you. It also protects the photographer against equipment theft, of course. But most importantly to you it provides liability protection in case Aunty Mildred trips over the photographer's bag and breaks her hip. If a wedding photographer does not have insurance, chances are that they are either new to the industry, or simply aren't taking their business seriously.

8 - How long do you work on the day?

Answer - again, no right or wrong answer, but one you need to weigh up in importance to you personally. Many photographers charge extra for the evening, some have strict hour limits, some will work on to their own discretion. It doesn't really matter, you just need to know in advance.

9 - What about the pictures?

Answer - When you ask to see a sample of wedding albums, makes sure you see a complete album of photographs from one wedding, rather than a collection of good pictures from a selection of weddings. Look carefully at the photos to check how shots are set up - can you see a selection of tidy, well organised group shots, and are all of the group positioned in the shot, or have people been missed off at the edges? Do the people in the photographs look relaxed, happy and comfortable? It is helpful to check not only the bride and groom but also the friends and relations in the photos.

10 - Would you feel happy owning your version of the pictures you are shown?

A question that only you can answer. If the answer is "yes" then you have probably found your perfect wedding photographer.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


The peacock wedding theme is a theme that a lot of couples would like to have for their own wedding, but are not sure if they can pull it off. Peacocks are exquisite creatures, their feathers displaying the most beautiful combination of colors. Having a peacock wedding theme means using a lot of teals, blues, greens, purples and violets. Adding a bit of gold or bronze makes the palette even more stunning. It is sure to be a visual delight for all of your wedding guests.

When most people think of peacocks, the word extravagance comes to mind. You want to make sure that the overall look and feel of your wedding matches whatever it is the peacock embodies. Using a bunch of vivid colors to an extreme can make your wedding appear tacky instead of classy. Therefore it is extremely important that you add just the right amount of color and use decorations that convey a sense of elegance.

There are so many wonderful things you can do with a peacock wedding theme. Let's start with the wedding invitations. Let everyone know what theme to expect for your wedding by printing the image of a peacock on your invitations. You can also choose to be a little more subtle by simply using peacock colors or attaching a faux peacock feather.

The bride does not necessarily have to walk down the aisle in a majestic teal, green and purple gown to make this theme come alive. She can always wear the traditional white wedding gown with fun and flirty embellishments or add an occasional pop of color using jewelry or other accessories. A feathered corset or ball gown would be fitting for this occasion. The bridesmaids dresses on the other hand can be as creative as you want it to be. Imagine short flowing dresses with tie-dyed hues of blue, green and purple or have each bridesmaid wear a different color variation of the same dress.

Flowers are another great way to enhance the mood of the peacock wedding theme. You need to pick out flowers in the richest most vibrant hues of blue and purple. The stem and leaves already adds a splash of green to the floral arrangement. Try using some lobelias, bachelor buttons, bluebells, lavender or violas in your bridal bouquet or table centerpiece.

With a peacock theme, even the wedding cake can turn into a piece of art. If you are willing to spend top dollar to have the most magnificent wedding cake, you can hire someone to try and recreate a peacock. Otherwise have some peacock feathers intricately decorated along the top and sides of the cake. Adding some gold or bronze trim along the edges will make the cake look even more exquisite. With so many beautiful colors to work with, you should be able to come up with endless ideas for the decor and wedding favors. A peacock theme is anything but dull, think of some fun ideas to use and just wait to mesmerize your guests.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Life insurance policies generally have your spouse as the beneficiary in case of death. Did you know-this does not change after a divorce. The beneficiary field, when you filled out that from did not speak of the relationship in the name field but you did enter a person's name which is still there on that form. So guess who gets your money at the end of your life! In America different states have different laws when it comes to things like this. Such complications are not uncommon and often cost the person involved some serious damage. Speak to your insurance agency and let them know that you have dissolved your marriage and that you need to clarify issues if any with your life insurance policy.

A. Speak to the agent

Life insurance is credited after divorce. Speak to your agent and let him or her know that you are now divorced. After all this is your hard earned money we are talking about so you should be sure of where and who is affected by it. You want your money to work for your benefit and nobody else's. If you need to get the name of your spouse out of the college see you need to take care of this issue immediately.

B. Protect the children

In some states the insurance policy automatically becomes invalid where there was proceeding has taken place. On the other hand the name can always be replaced or removed if you take care of it at the right time. For example you could take the spouse's name out and replace it with your child's name as the beneficiary. This is not very hard and can be taken care of in a matter of minutes. If your husband has been making your payments he could very well stop doing so after the divorce and imagine how this would affect your child in the long run. So make sure you are aware of the payment procedures and also that your child is the beneficiary. Some parents come to a mutual understanding that the child is the beneficiary, and so they continue having a common premium to which they both make payments. Some even set up a trust fund, and call the 'beneficiary' the 'trust name'.

C. Other Insurances

Life insurance is no doubt the most important insurance policy that you need to take care of. On the other hand there are many other Factors such as home insurance card insurance and insurance on other assets. When you were married you probably didn't even think twice about who would make these insurance payments month after month. But when you are separated you need to be aware of where you have taken the responsibility to make the payments. You need to stop payments on assets that have not come you're away after the divorce and realize where you do have to make payments. Take a day off to work this one out.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Do it yourself weddings can be just the answer to your dream wedding. You can have some very creative ideas and put them in motion. Experiment and practice getting the look you want long before your big day.

If you keep an open mind you will be amazed at what you can come up with. We have all gone to plays and musicals that had the neatest looking sets But if you actually looked at them they were done pretty inexpensively. You have a computer and a printer, put that to work. You can take photos and enlarge them. I have a program to make posters that I can print in pieces. I have used this for lots of things.

Imagine making a backdrop for your theme. Perhaps a beach backdrop then, put some sand and beach items in front of it. This could be the perfect photo spot. Perhaps some cut out animals that are standing up in front of a tropical forest backdrop. Maybe you have a young artist in the family that would love to draw something.

Paper and cardboard can become great treasures when they are used to make something come alive. Just as they do stages for the local theaters you can do your wedding.

Now, you can print your own wedding invitations to keep in the theme style. You want nice invitations. These are the first impression your guests will have. You can remember an invitation that made you think that it was going to be a grand event and then another that made you think it was going to be something thrown together to get by. Choose the one you want wisely!

Food can be made ahead of time. Perhaps a party of cutting vegetables and doing prep work for others to get ready for the next day. You know you can save a lot of money just by cutting your own relish trays. Roasters can be filled with some hearty meals. Ham is a great idea that can be done quickly. Maybe someone in the family has a meatloaf everyone loves. There may be some ideas of food to match your theme!

It is the planning and keeping an open mind for do it yourself weddings that make them a good idea.

You can have the wedding of your dreams with lots of creativity. Don't believe that an expensive wedding is always the best wedding. Many guests love the idea of a theme where they have the option to wear beach clothes, or attire for a hunting expedition. Do it yourself weddings can open the door to lots of fun and memories that put a smile on a lot of peoples faces. Your wedding can do all of that at an affordable price!

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Changing your mind at the altar may seem like something that only happens in the movies but don't forget that it isn't only the likes of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts that get to change their mind. The stress of organising a wedding can often make brides and grooms-to-be feel that they're in over their head. The important thing is to be true to yourself, but should you get cold feet at the eleventh hour remember that there could be serious financial implications as well as emotional ones.

Although insurers will reimburse your costs if the bride, groom or a close relative falls ill and the wedding is postponed or canceled - cold feet are quite a different matter. If one or both of the couple decide not to get married, then this would be classed as 'disinclination to marry' and is not covered under the policy.

Here are some simple ways to make sure you don't find yourself backing out when all the stress of that big day gets to you:

Take time out together
Make sure you spend lots of quality time with your loved one. Although it's important to send out the invites and organise the table plan, you also need to relax. Increased stress around logistical arrangements could put unnecessary strain on your relationship. Taking time out can also allow you to talk about any worries you may have, before they get out of proportion.

Get friends and family to help
Wedding planning will be less demanding if you let your friends and family take off some of the pressure: get your Gran to research flower arrangements; ask your dad to look into cars; encourage the bridesmaids to pick their own dresses. Many hands make light work!

Keep control
Make sure your wedding day is how you want it to be, rather than bowing to family pressure or tradition. You are less likely to want to back out of an event that you and your partner have organised yourselves.

Remember why you're getting married
This is perhaps the most of important of all. If you do everything remembering it's for the love of your partner, then your wedding day can only be a success.

It is perhaps a bride or grooms worst nightmare to be jilted at the altar. Your wedding day should be the beginning of your new life together, so make sure you get off on the right foot.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()


Every year, thousands upon thousands of couples begin planning their weddings. While some of them don't worry one little bit about money & expenses, other couples look for any and every crackpot idea to save on the budget. The idea could be as simple as the bride wearing a second hand wedding dress or as involved as buying the decorations and coming up with all the wedding decoration ideas alone.

Does this sound at all like you and your soon to be husband, or wife? Well, if it does, you're definitely going to want to make use of these cheap wedding reception tips. They won't solve all your wedding expense problems, but they may stretch that small budget of yours far beyond it's limits.

Cheap Wedding Reception Tips...

1. Food is Food. You don't need caviar, Alaskan king crab, oysters, lobster, or even fillet-mignon wrapped in bacon in order for your guests to be content with the food. Serve simple items that are cheap and can be easily prepared. Not only will this enable you to offer more choices, it'll allow you to save even more on the budget too. As if that weren't enough, with a buffet style reception, you'll also be able to cut out the individual servers and their outrageous expense.

2. Leave Your Ego At the Door to Save on Decor. Ice sculptures, chocolate fountains, chandeliers, personalized & engraved silverware, as well as antique vases and paintings DO NOT make weddings more enjoyable. All these items do is inflate the budget and make it harder for you to pay for the things that actually matter.

Stick with simple and cheap wedding reception accessories if you want to save. Candles, ribbons, theme colored balloons, pictures & picture frames, decorative fruit bowls, theme colored table cloths & napkins, and anything else you can get cheap from a wholesale dealer or wedding supply store. These items generally won't strain the budget and you can get a whole heck of a lot for very, very little.

3. Boozing Means Loosing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with serving champagne, beer, or even wine at your wedding -- after all, it is a celebration. However, any type of hard liquor is a serious no-no. Not only can an open bar inflate your budget dramatically, it suggests that you don't really mind if guests get completed smashed. Remember, this is a celebration of love, it's not a college frat party.

Quick Tip: To drastically increase savings potential, buy all the drinks on your own (in bulk) and serve them yourself.

4. Less Means More. What does this mean? Simple, inviting less people equals more savings for you. This is a tip not only for creating a cheap wedding reception, but for creating an all around cheaper wedding. Less people means fewer invitations to prepare/order, less food to serve, fewer drinks to be drunk, a smaller reception hall, fewer decorations, as well as a much smaller cake.

A smaller "this" and fewer of "that" may not seem like a great money saving idea (right now), but that's only because you're not looking at the big picture. When all those savings are tallied and then combined as a whole, it's really quite astounding how much the savings come to by inviting fewer people.

Quick Note: You don't have to dwindle the guest list down to 10 people to create a cheap wedding reception. Honestly, you just have to be a bit more strict with the invitation list "policy". Don't invite every person you know or have had a conversation with. Be smart and stick to inviting friends, family, loved ones, and even a few co-workers that you actually like.

These 4 simple tips can help even the most budget sore couples create a fun, yet surprisingly cheap wedding reception.

Wedding 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()