Tips For Wedding Style At Any Price

Every bride would love to have their dream wedding without thinking twice about the cost.  Of course, that isn’t realistic or practical,  so why not view turning your wedding day budget into a compromise, not a sacrifice.  There are many ways you can accomplish this.

1)  You can have a trusted seamstress make your dress from a bridal gown pattern.  Or if your seamstress is really talented, they can be inspired by a picture of a gown you love and duplicate the details you love about the gown.

2)  If you don’t have a seamstress you can turn to, how about renting a designer bridal gown for a fraction of the cost.  You can be wearing a stunning  bridal gown that costs thousands and rent  from $100.00 – $1,000.  You are just wearing the gown one night and no one will know the difference.  Google Bridal Gown Rentals in your area.

3) If you use thermography (a process where ink is laid onto paper)  instead of engraving your invitations  you can save about 40%.  Of course, these days you can make your own invitations and add beautiful ribbons and crystals to make them look very stylish and expensive.  There are websites that have beautiful choices for DIY invitations.

4)  If you must have live music, you don’t  need to have it all night.  Play CDs during cocktails and dinner and save the live music for dancing at the reception.  Do you live near a music academy?  Or a college that has a good music program?  This would be a great resource.  Make sure you audition the band and have it play different types of music to be sure they have your vision of what you’d like played.

5) You can make an elegant statement on a budget by using an inexpensive flower en masse.  Dahlias have a lush look and come in a ton of colors.  It’s a lot of presence without spending a lot of money.  Also, seasonal blooms can cut your flower bill in half.

6)  Don’t just use flowers for your centerpieces.  You can use a smaller centerpiece and add lots of candles to stretch your budget.  Often hotels have votive candles they give you to use.  At an affair we did recently in a hotel they provided beautiful chargers for the tables which gave the table an elegant look while filling in space.  They had them available in gold or silver. It never hurts to ask what they have available that you can use.

7)  Having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday evening can save you quite a bit also.

8)  Doing a wedding off season, like January or  February is another tip.  Ask the hotel or reception site what their off season rates are.

9)  Favors don’t have to be given per person.  It’s perfectly acceptable to give one favor per couple or family as a wonderful remembrance of your event.

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Wedding Cake: Tips and Advice

Your wedding cake is the focal point of your reception.  What is the vision for your wedding cake?  Things to think about are, how many guests will you  have, what is the overall design of your wedding?  Will it be formal, casual, beach themed, lots of bling?   How many tiers do you  like?  What colors are in your wedding?  What shape do you prefer?

Gone are the days when people thought a wedding cake was just there to look at and take pictures cutting it, but it really tasted awful.  Today, there are so many choices of filling, frosting, fondant and flavors of cake there is no reason why the cake shouldn’t taste as good as it looks.  In fact, as Branwin, a cake baker  says,  ”It should taste even better than it looks.  Otherwise it’s like wrapping a pet rock in beautiful wrapping paper and giving it to someone”.  Choose your bakery  3-6 months before your wedding as they get booked up way in advance.  Here are some helpful  tips as you think about your wedding cake:

1)  Choose your cake after you’ve chosen  your wedding dress and decided on the decor.  The cake should enhance the  overall look of your reception.  Make sure you do a tasting.  Bring the groom or  someone else whose opinion you value, to help you decide.

2)  Have pictures of what you like and what you don’t like with you when you visit the bakery.

3)  Bring samples of your fabrics with you.  Also helpful are pictures of your bouquet flowers and centerpieces so the baker can be inspired with the elements that make up your wedding. The cake designer can imitate the lace or trim on your gown, the colors in the dresses of the bridesmaids, something you loved on your invitation, etc.

4)  Since it’s the focal point of your celebration, make sure it’s prominently displayed.

5)  Confirm with your baker,  in writing the date, time and place where the cake is going to be delivered.  Get their cell number and make sure they have a number where someone can be reached at the venue.

Of course we are in an age of trying to save money while our event still has the special look we’ve dreamed about.  A money saving tips is once the guest list is compiled and you’ve determined how many guests you will have,  have your baker (or mom if she’s making your cake) make up  sheet cakes  that are  kept in the back and  used to serve your guests.  Your display cake can either be smaller to reduce the cost, or it can be a styrofoam cake decorated to your hearts content, with one layer being real for the cake cutting ceremony.

I love the simple, classic designs of these cakes.  I hope you enjoy looking at them.

What I love about the above brown cake with flowers is Wendy offers the beautiful, edible cherry blossoms or dogwood flowers for sale online so if you are having your cake made by a friend or relative, they can add these to the cake for a very professional look. There are other designs as well to choose from.

If you’d like to send your guests home with a piece of cake,  you can use individual cake boxes.

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