The Wedding Budget

Budgeting for a wedding can be extremely stressful.  He asked you to marry him.  You emphatically said yes, and then you went online or opened your first bridal mag and were agape at the $ signs floating across your field of vision.

Instead of panicking, remember that for all this wedding planning stuff, the arithmetic just drops out of trees and starts to make perfect sense when you patiently and methodically have a target in mind.

Only you can set your targets.  You know how much money you make and how much disposable cash you have to throw at this most fantastic party. So start there.  What do you think is reasonable, given your financial circumstances and work back from there.

Then pick a date.  There are 3 major pillars of any project and particularly for every wedding.  One is budget, two is time frame, and the other is details.  If you have a tight budget, consider giving yourself more time to plan, or make sure you go simple with the details.  If you want extravagant details and a bigger budget, give yourself more time to save up for the more complex stuff.  It's really that simple.

If none of these answers is satisfactory, decide on what the most important details are, and spend your money there.  The rest is something you're going to look for DIY inspiration on or will be what you drop from the overall vision.  Everything is achievable with a realistic approach to these three pillars.  And every wedding is beautiful, particularly if you balance it out with these pillars in mind.
Happy Planning!

Christmas Wedding Inspiration

So while I've always been a proponent of keeping your wedding separate from other annual holidays that people tend to fret over and bank vacation to extend for their own purposes, I've seen so many inspiring ideas this fall that would really make a budget conscious Christmas time wedding something rather spectacular.

Imagine centrepiece votive holders made from Candy Canes like this one, but with red and white candy canes!

Or even something more glamorous and still budget aware.  Very few things are as opulent, lacy and spectacular as plentiful baby's breath or lilly of the valley.  I love it!

For a quick, simple, elegant and unique spin on your bouquet, try using a bunch of pine cones or feathers with small christmas ornaments to make a real statement

Wear a dress that's suitable for this time of year and look absolutely regal and glorious in this number

For favours, give your guests the scents of Christmas with DIY clove orange pomanders

or better yet, do a small Christmas tree instead of a manzanita branch and hang guest favours and place cards from them in small stockings!

For chairs and pew bows, instead of using the typical pomanders and chair sashes, why not use small wreaths hanging on red ribbon.  These lacy wreaths on the back of a chivari chair would be stunning!

And there are so many wonderful designs for winter wedding cakes, it's impossible to choose just one.  Surf the web, dream big, and finding the right one is well, a piece of cake!

And while I'm way off venturing into new territory with this inspiration board, I keep coming back to making sure that your wedding is still your wedding.  Try to serve something other than turkey (though they will be plentiful and it will possibly be more budget friendly, and do something great with prime rib or chicken supreme.  And remember that the glitz of holiday lights is extremely romantic when it's all white lights.  So go crazy.  Light the place and create real ambience at your evening reception with all the twinkling little fairy lights your heart desires.  Remember to keep the theme of your lighting and your hall decor warm and cozy.  

In every case, steer clear of frosty the snowman and santa claus.  A wedding is always time to bring people together, and it's always time for fun.  But the difference between kitch and class needs to be absolutely intentional, and it needs to be done with class to work just so. 

Happy Planning!

Eco Chic DIY Bridal Bouquets

So a while back I wrote a DIY article on how to make your own Bridal Bouquet by recycling left over or first run DIY wedding invitations and excess card stock for LCI Papers.  I thought my readers would appreciate this useful, creative and awesome little way to green up your wedding day, and make something truly unique and memorable.

Talking about budget friendly, the whole thing can be made for less than $10!  Now where in the world can you get a wedding bouquet for $10?

Invitation Etiquette - 10 things no one else will tell you

Lots of people will provide you guidance on wording of your invites, and they will remind you to verify your date, time, addresses and spelling, but they won't tell you how to know if you're being tacky, or pushing the envelope.  I'm aiming to lay these out and make it simple.

1.  Never ask for money in lieu of gifts on your invitations.

2.  Be polite and courteous but clear about children in attendance to your ceremony or your reception.

3.  Let guests know whether the bar is cash only or open.

4.  Include maps - don't just assume they know how to use Googlemaps!

5.  Include hotel information and secure group rates for out of town guests to take advantage of.

6.  Send your invitations out at least 6 weeks in advance of a large event, and 4 weeks in advance of a smaller event.

7.  Include pre-stamped/pre-addressed return envelopes for your RSVP's if you're expecting them by mail, and double check that there are no spelling mistakes in your email address if you're asking for RSVP's by email!

8.  Number and log each invite so you can track how many RSVP's are outstanding, and know who to chase down for confirmation!
9.  Remember to leave room in your schedule so you can follow up on any missing RSVP's with time to spare prior to your big day.

10.  Acknowledge the person who is paying for the event by naming them in the invitation.  If the parents of the bride and groom are contributing to the budget for the wedding, then the wording on your invitations should state that "the bride and groom, together with their parents", OR "Mother and Father of Bride and Mother and Father of Groom" are inviting these guests to help them celebrate.