Picking a song to have your first dance as husband and wife may not be the easiest task. Not every couple has a song that they can call ‘their song.’ You may not even have a song that means something to both of you. Take some of these helpful tips to begin in the process of picking a first dance song from the millions of songs that are out there.

I first suggest to think of what type of personality you both have as a couple. What do others see you like as a couple? Personality is very important when it comes to picking a song. This can help you narrow down the many different categories to choose from. Do you want to stick to the safe & classic side or do you want to be unique and crazy with your first dance? These are definite questions that any couple can begin with when choosing a song to enter into a new life together.

Soft But Romantic

If you are looking for a romantic love song that has a smooth & slow rhythm, these may be good options for you:

• Robin Thicke – “Angel”
• KC & Jojo – “All My Life”
• Lou Reed – “Perfect Day”
• Celine Deon – “All the Way
• Bryan Adams – “Everything I Do”

Fun But Loving

These songs may be for couples that have a more fun & outgoing personality, and of course, for the bride to show off her beautiful wedding gown. These songs are definitely good starters to help get some people onto the dance floor after an exciting first dance!

• The Jackson Five – “Especially for Me”
• Plain White T’s – “1234”
• Vanessa Carlton – “A Thousand Miles”
• The Beatles – “All My Loving”
• Lionel Richie – “Angel

Oldies But Goodies

You can never go wrong with a classic oldies song in any situation. These are common songs that will always stick with all of us in many moments of our lives!

• Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get it On”
• Frank Sinatra – “The Way You Look Tonight”
• Etta James – “At Last”
• Seal – “Kiss From a Rose”
• Billy Joel – “Just the Way You Are”

The first dance that a couple shares as newly pronounced husband and wife should be a meaningful experience for both. The first dance captures a very special moment for you both as well as an endearing experience for your guests. This should be on your wedding planning check-off list as something you should both decide on together. Whether you go with the traditional route or try something new, it’ll be a moment that everyone at your wedding will remember.

-Blogger for the Groom

Image 1 via: Bride O Rama
Image 2 via: Wedding Professionals
Image 3 via: AAcreation Photography
Image 4 via: Cultural Explosion

An important part for many couples during their wedding is getting a special message from their guests.  Being the center of attention the whole day, the couple’s time is limited with their guests and, other than the occasional “thanks for coming”, it is hard to get any quality time in with the important people who have come to share your special day.  A guest book is a great way to capture these special memories and thoughts!

Engagement Guest Book

Many photographers offer the option of adding in a guest book to your package.  Using your engagement photo shoot pictures, the photographer can create a fun way to display those pictures, as well as invite guests to share a special message.  Each page can have a picture of the couple with plenty of room for writing.  Often, pages have a question at the top for guests to write about, such as “Share your favorite memory of us” or “Tell us how to keep the romance alive”.

Polaroid Guest Book

Like the idea of having pictures of your guests in a guest book?  A Polaroid guest book is perfect for this! Set up a station with a Polaroid camera and have extra film under the table.  Leave directions on how to take a picture and instruct guests to glue the picture in the guestbook and leave you a special message.  This can also work perfectly if you have a photo booth for guests at the wedding. By the end of the night, you have great memories of all the guests in a fun and creative book!

Scrapbook

Creating a guest book that looks more like a scrapbook from your wedding can be easy and fun for guests.  Set up a station with plenty of pens, different colored papers, glue sticks, cute cut-outs, questions you’d like them to answer and then instruct guests to take it back to their table and work on it.  Have the DJ remind guests periodically to go back to the scrapbook and glue in their little piece of art.  Get creative, you can use anything you want and it gives guests something to work on while they are waiting for the grand entrance!

Autographed Picture

A more modern option to the traditional guestbook is enlarging a picture of the couple and putting a large border around it for guests to sign.  A favorite engagement picture of the bride and groom makes for a beautiful display piece for the seating-card table and guests can leave a little message along the outside of the picture or frame, creating the perfect to-go memory for the couple.

The best place for a guest book station would be near the seating cards since all guests must check where they are sitting.  Although guest books are very standard at weddings and most guests know what to do, it may be a good idea to assign a trustworthy bridal party member to look after the guestbook table.  They can help work the camera, pass out materials, answer questions, encourage guests to take pictures and sign the book.  Don’t be scared to get creative and unique with the guest book, it will be a great memory for years to come of the amazing people who came to celebrate your special day!

- Been-there blogger

image 1 via fairytaleweddinginfo.com

image 2 via marthastewartweddings.com

image 3 via weddingbee.com

image 4 via brendasweddingblog.com

Summer wedding season is in full swing! Blue skies, lush green scenery, and of course the gorgeous weather! While summer is undeniably a beautiful time to get married, keep in mind that outdoor ceremonies and receptions that take place in direct sunlight can be very uncomfortable for guests. Providing your guests with one (or more) of these simple gifts can keep them happy and focused on your special day. These gifts can double as wedding favors and make great DIY projects.

Water Bottles

During most ceremonies, there is a water station set up for guests. Many guests do not want to get up in the middle of the ceremony and disturb the guests around them. Make your guests more comfortable by having water bottles served to them halfway through the ceremony. This can be done by a wait staff or by ushers or special guests. Personalize the water bottles with your name and date to make a great wedding favor!

Umbrellas/Parasols

This gift is very useful but on the pricier end, especially if you want to personalize it or get better quality products. These can be used through the ceremony or other outdoor events that may be in the sun such as cocktail hour or waiting for the Bharat. Parasols make a great wedding favor because they are very practical. Beware of leaving a container of parasols for guests to grab themselves, some guests like them so much they may take a couple extra leaving other guests without one!

Fans

Make this a DIY project by purchasing generic fans and having your bridesmaids come over and make personalized tags for each fan. Or you can put a picture and a date right on the fan. Many people include the program on the fan.

Keeping guests comfortable is always an important thing to keep in mind. Predicting the temperature and amount of sunlight your guests will be exposed to will direct you in picking out the perfect type of gift you can give your guests to help them enjoy your special day!

-Been There Bride Blogger

Image 1 via favorideas.com

Image 2 via destinationweddingfavors.com

Image 3 via americanbridal.com

The new year is right around the corner and so are new trends for 2011. Predictions say that this year’s weddings are going to return to vintage and classic styles, so you can throw out those 2010 wedding trends and fall into more elegant ideas.

Personalization

Weddings are becoming a lot more personalized. The weddings color and styles is being focused more on the bride and the groom’s personality. Themes are including the couple’s interests, hobbies, and passions. You’ll see more with the invitations that they are decorated with colors and designs that relate to the couple. Brides are also choosing different styles and colors for each bridesmaid that fits their style and personality. The matching hair do’s and bridesmaid’s dressing are now a part of the past. Weddings are becoming more unique in style and brighter and bolder in colors.

DIY Wedding Ideas

Do It Yourself wedding aspects are still huge when it comes to planning weddings. It’s definitely here to stay and it’s one of the biggest trends in 2011. This last year really took a hit on bride and groom’s budgets for their wedding and you saw a lot of tight budgets which didn’t allow people to have the exact wedding that they dreamed of. Now, you are seeing a small increase in wedding spending and hopefully more to come throughout the year. Couples are still finding great ways to save money by doing things on their own. They are personalizing their invitations their self or design name cards for their guests handmade.

Old-Style Photography

Photography is taking a vintage spin. Wedding albums are portraying a look back from the seventies. Draped textiles are being used as back rounds for photos with the bride and groom and even their guests. Having  a relaxed, simple setting is a huge trend for photography. Natural settings for your ceremony or reception is key for this upcoming years photos. Areas such as parks, backyards, and beaches are great for the simple, relaxed weddings and they are a big money saver as well.

Vintage Is In

Due to 2010’s financial issues you’ll see vintage making a huge come back. Brides are loving the vintage look and the theme is becoming more popular. Some brides are even wearing dresses back from their parents or family’s weddings. As a benefit, the vintage look is not only classy but it’s saving bride’s money. Brides can have the old school glamor with a modern twist while keeping inside their budget. Vintage is adding to the eco friendly side of weddings. In the upcoming year you will see more brides using recycled paper invites, LED lights, and food and flowers from local producers.

The year 2011 is starting to look like it’s going to be a great year already. With these new trends you’ll find ways to save more money with having unique styles and traditions added to your wedding.

-The Trendy Blogger

Image 1 via: Australia Entertains
Image 2 via: Lucero Photography
Image 3 via: Vintage Style Files

As a recent bride trying to stick to a budget I was able to cut some costs in a lot of “Do It Yourself” projects. Not only does it save you money, it also personalizes your wedding and makes it truly unique with your own special touches. I’m excited to share DIY ideas and projects with all of you to help make your wedding truly one of a kind.

-DIY Blogger

Finding ways to make the most of your buck doesn’t come easy when planning a wedding. One way you can cut costs is by Doing It Yourself (DIY). One area on which you can DIY for your wedding is putting together your favors yourself. Not only will it add a personal touch to your wedding but it will also be truly unique since you’ll be making them. You can also gather your friends and family together to help make the favors and host a Favor Making Party. Below are several ideas that can help you come up with easy, creative and inexpensive Wedding Favors.

Something Edible

If you love to bake, why not make your favorite cookie or brownie for each of your guests to take home. To make any favor look super fancy it’s all in the packaging!! So put a few of your special baked good in a colored paper bag and create a fancy label to seal the cookies closed. Another way to package your sweets is to box them up and tie them with a pretty ribbon. You can also include the recipe to your sweet treats in the packaging for your guests to try when they get home. You can add a stick to your sweet treats making it like a lollipop with a personalized message to your guests as a tag.

Something Natural

Another kind of favor you can give your guests is something more natural; seeds of Love, simply put some seedlings of your favorite flowering plant, tree, vegetable or herb in a small box or create a paper envelope to put them in. Your guests will have something they can watch grow and enjoy long after your wedding.

Something Entertaining

One of my all time favorite favors to receive at a wedding is a personalized audio CD made by the couple. When you create your own CD, not only will your guests hear some of your favorite tunes, they’ll also get a chance to know you as a couple by the songs you choose. You can make a CD full of your favorite love songs, or fill it with songs that are meaningful to you and your fiancée, or have songs that you picked out to play during your reception. Personalize your favors even more by getting printable CDs and print your engagement pictures, or your personalized monogram onto the CD itself. Go even further and create an entire case to put it in, you can create a cover for a jewel case or put in a CD envelope and seal with a personalized label. I loved this idea so much this was our favor at our wedding last month!!!

I hope this gives you a few wedding favor ideas that are inexpensive, unique, creative and that you can DIY.

- DIY Blogger
Image 1 via: Its a Jamie Thing
Image 2 via: Favors by Serendipity
Image 3 via: Green Wedding
Image 4 via: Naziamorani

Planning a wedding can be a very hectic time, especially when your working on a tight budget. One aspect that can really help things move along is doing things on your own. It can help save money on the wedding, and will allow you to be more creative. Some of the top 10 wedding DIY’s (Do It Yourself) are DIY Invitations, Bouquets, Place-cards, and Centerpieces.

DIY Invitations

Hand making your wedding invitations can be a great thing for you as a couple to do together. You can both decide on a design or look for your invitation that you would both like. Each of you could add your own style to the invitation. Making your wedding invitations is easy and simple. It gives you the opportunity to design them any way you want. It also gives your guests something that reflects the two of you–giving them something special to remember your wedding by. You can use ribbons, gems, or even special paper cut outs to design the paper with. Don’t forget when making your invitations that they might take some time to make them. You don’t want to leave them until the last minute to throw them together.

DIY Bouquets

To make your own wedding bouquet there is a few things that you will need. Your going to need roses or flowers of your choice, which can be either your favorite flowers or maybe flowers that accent your wedding colors. You can go to a local or city flower mart, or even order beautiful fresh Spray Roses from Lola Blooms online -  shipped to you at wholesale price. Your also going to need flower cutters, ribbon, and pins to hold them together. Most likely, a more heavier flower like a rose would hold together better. Don’t forget to make sure that the flowers will hold. You don’t want to be walking down the aisle with your bouquet falling apart. You can go plain and simple with the bouquet or you can go all out. It all depends on your style and the colors of your wedding. It’s quite simple to do and only takes around 30 minutes to an hour. You could even make your own boutonnieres for the groomsmen.

DIY Placecards

Designing and making your own place cards can help save a lot of money. It may take up some of your time to make them but in the end it’s worth it. Place cards are a piece of a cake to do. All you need is a folded piece of paper or card. You can choose from either hand writing all the guest’s names or printing them onto the paper. Make sure to be careful when doing this. When you hand make them yourself it can be easy to write down the wrong table number or mix up the guest’s names. Making your place cards yourself show the guest that you care for them to be there. It can also add a personal touch to the occasion.

DIY Centerpieces

Doing it yourself centerpieces is a huge money saver. They are consider the most important element in decoration for a reception and what better way to set the mood than to put them together yourself. By using flowers that are in season you can save a lot more instead of paying for expensive flower arrangements.  If you choose to make center pieces with flowers in them, make sure that the flowers will last. An interesting idea for a center piece is dried flowers. You don’t have to stress about the flowers wilting or dying and its something unique that not many weddings have. There are lots of other ways to put together a gorgeous center pieces without even having to add flowers. You can use fruits or candles as an alternative.

DIY Programs

Do it yourself wedding programs are similar to the invitations. There’s so many things you can do with home made wedding programs. You can explain your ceremony, tell a story of the two of you, or give thanks. The programs are what guests take home as a souvenir so it should be something to resemble the two of you and your love. You can add a picture of the two of you with decorations that remind you of each other. Don’t forget to add in the names of the people in the ceremony on the programs or if you are deciding to have something in your wedding that’s unusual it may be good to include that as well. You will probably want to write your wedding programs in your own words and have your personality stand out in them. There a great way to make your guests feel more involved in the wedding and helps allow them understand what is happening in the ceremony.

DIY Decorations

Decorations are a huge aspect of any wedding. They are what give the wedding ceremony and reception a setting and mood for the guests. Decor allows you to let your mind run wild. Depending on the style of your wedding most couples want striking and romantic decorations. Just by hanging up lights and adding candles around the room can add to a romantic feel for your ceremony or reception. With theme weddings there’s many ways to decorate coordinating with the theme. For example, with a beach themed wedding you can have small bowls filled with sand, shells, and small candles. Even little things such a napkin rings can be designed hand made to add to the decoration of your wedding. When shopping for decor supplies, seasonal sales are helpful to save money.

DIY Favors

There are so many directions you can go in with wedding favors. Ideas such as cookies, rocks, CDs, and matches are easy to do yourself. To make sure your favors aren’t just forgotten and thrown away, make them cookies or candies for your guests to eat. Simple and easy, all you need to add on them is your names or the wedding date. Beach rocks are cute and creative to have as favors. Their not expensive and you can hand write on them yourself. CDs are also a simple favor. They can be easily made at home on your computer with a picture of the two of you on the front. A box of matches is an unique idea for a wedding favor. You can design them to any color or want and add any design or writing to them. They are different from the average wedding favors and that’s exactly what you want. You want your guests to leave your wedding with a memory.

DIY Bridal Veil

Wedding veils can cost you up to $100 to $300. Making your own can cost you only $25 which saves you a whole lot. The great thing about making your own is you can choose everything you want. It will look exactly the way you want it to. The materials you need to make a veil is fabric, thread, a comb, and trims. You can choose fabric from tulle, organza, chiffon, silk, etc. The thread on your veil should match the color of the fabric. The trim on your veil can be anywhere from crystal beads to ribbon. You can even decide yourself on how long you want your veil to be. No one wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a small rectangular piece of fabric so do it yourself and create your perfect veil!

DIY Bridal Bags

There’s no use in going out and spending money on bridal bags when there so easy to make. Bridal tote bags are perfect for giving to your bridesmaids. They are bags that come in different sizes that are used from beach bags to purses. You can put a personal message, name of the bridesmaid, or date of your wedding on each bag. It makes a great gift to your bridesmaids. It also adds a personal touch to each bag and lets them know that you appreciate their help through out your wedding. You can even make one for yourself! They’re cute for “bride” bags or “just married”.

DIY Cake Topper

Cake toppers couldn’t be easier to put together! A cake topper could be anything from a picture of the two of you to two little plastic dolls. There’s always that traditional bride and groom cake topper. Mix it up and add something to make your cake stand out. You could hand make two little dolls that look like you to add to the top of your cake. It adds personality to your cake and it’s unique and different. You could also use ideas such as bows with wire around them. You can slip pearls or beads onto the wire to hide it and they look like you went out and spent hundreds of dollars just on a cake topper. Even just adding your initials is an easy and cute way to decorate your wedding cake.

Its your wedding, do it the way you want! By doing things yourself you can save a handful of money and have fun while doing it. They can leave your guests with a lasting memory and it adds both your personalities to your wedding day. Don’t forget to not leave any do it yourself item until the last minute. Some can take some time and remember to stick with the theme and color of your wedding.

Image 1 via  Dan & Briana

Image 2 via SJB Wedding & Events

Image 3 via Intimate Weddings

Image 4 via Wedding on a Dime

Image 5 via Intimate Weddings

Image 6 via Intimate Weddings

Image 7 via Melia Spring Weddings

Image 8 via I wan A Gown

Image 9 via Advantage Bridal

Image 10 via Vintage Indie

Today’s guest blogger is Jeff Kear, who is the co-owner of two sites providing online wedding planning software for engaged couples and wedding consultants – My Wedding Workbook and My Wedding Workbook Pro.

In this highly digitized era, it’s no longer odd to do a fair amount of your wedding planning via the Web; in fact, it’s commonplace. Brides have been announcing their engagements on Facebook, sharing tips with other brides via forums, fishing for ideas on various websites for a few years now, and these methods are only picking up momentum. With every passing month, there are more wedding-focused websites, more online tools, more blogger brides, and it will continue to build up.

I myself just got married in November and must admit that I relied heavily on the Internet for my wedding planning (I even sent out e-invitations instead of paper ones so as to make our wedding a bit more green). So, for those brides new to the wild and wonderful world of web-influenced weddings (couldn’t resist the alliteration), here are a few tips as you dive into this digital arena of bridal bits and bytes.

Do: Look for ideas on blogs and other wedding websites

The bridal blogosphere is simply bursting with tons of great been-there-done-that advice and insights, and you’d be remiss not to check it out. On blogs as well as more familiar bridal websites, you can get some great ideas about color schemes; bridal fashion and wedding gowns; wedding decor and centerpieces; do-it-yourself projects; wedding photography (and photographers); and so much more.

Don’t: Get overwhelmed by all that’s out there

There’s so much wedding information online that I hear from many brides that they actually stop checking out blogs and bridal sites simply because they are overwhelmed by all the choices available. I feel that this can be said for pretty much any topic or subject online; if you try and devour too much of it too fast, you end up getting sick of it all. This is true with food, booze and even weddings. So find a handful of sites that seem to speak to you and offer ideas that are up your alley, and surf the Web in moderation. Another go

od idea is to sign up at a bookmarking site like delicious.com and bookmark all the pages and sites that hold valuable information that you would like to consult at a later date. Also another good idea from my wife … create a file or folder on your computer where you can store images (JPGs, TIFs and the like) that you can either print out and show to vendors or send to them electronically (as in “see this really cool bridal bouquet I found online; I want something like that but in pink”).

Do: Sign up for tools and resources

Right now the Internet is certainly the place where “free” is king, and engaged couples have a wide variety of choices when it comes to free wedding planning tools and resources (as well as those that you pay for). There are free wedding worksheets and calculators, free planning tools (personal plug here … on our wedding website we offer some really helpful free wedding software tools to engaged couples), free educational e-newsletters, free forums, free wedding websites … the list goes on and on. What I would recommend is to first do a rundown of what tools or resources would help you in your wedding planning and then go to the Internet to find products and services that can meet your needs. You may actually have to end up paying for a few things (for instance, some of the free websites are pretty limited in what you get), but in the end they may be what you really want.

Don’t: Give them your “real” email address

When you sign up for anything free online, there is usually a hidden cost in all that fine print, and the hidden cost is often your privacy. In exchange for free tools and resources, many sites require you to opt-in to receive email solicitations and e-newsletters from them and vendors (and some will even send vendors your contact information). Sometimes all this is worth using the tools (and sometimes it is also worth getting the e-mail blasts because they have useful info and discounts on stuff), but make sure you know what you’re getting into first. When you do decide to sign up at your selected sites, first go to Gmail or Hotmail or some other free email service and create a special email for your wedding. This way, when your wedding is over and you no longer want to receive e-mails from wedding sites, you can either shut down your wedding-specific email or ignore it.

Do: Shop around online for bargains

Take it from a guy who loves to shop and bargain hunt … the Internet is a fabulous place to browse for hard-to-find items and comparison shop for prices. If you are buying most of your wedding items (such as invitations, decorations, etc.), you should compare items online and get a sense of the prices before you really plunk down money on anything.

Don’t: Buy it unless you know what you’re getting
…and don’t get too impulsive

The one problem with buying items on the Internet is that you often don’t know the quality or condition of a good before you pay, and although most sites are honest and reasonable about returns, it’s still a time-consuming hassle to ship stuff back. The Web is great for buying CDs and books because you pretty much know what you’re getting and what to expect. But when it comes to glass centerpieces made in China and shipped from the Philippines by slow boat, you don’t have the opportunity to really inspect the merchandise before you buy. So I would recommend finding some items online that your local retailers carry and inspecting them personally. An added note: My wife just reminded me that, when she was shopping online for our wedding, a few times she bought a wedding item only to find something better a week later. Granted, if you’re buying stuff on eBay, it might not be around tomorrow, but her advice was to spend more time shopping and browsing until you’re pretty sure that you’ve found what you want.

Do: Get ideas for vendors on the web

The main people who will be responsible for the final outcome of your wedding are of course you and your mate, but after that comes your vendors, and they can either make your life so much easier or a living hell. So picking the right ones is pretty important, and browsing around online is a good way to start collecting some names. Dozens and dozens of sites have wedding vendor directories that you can run through, and here you can more easily evaluate more visual vendors like photographers (because you can view their work on their sites and get a feel for their craft). However, for venues, caterers and other vendors for whom you can’t get a good feel for via pixels, you will certainly need to pay a visit and see their goods and talents in the flesh.

Don’t: Take online vendor recommendations as the final word

Many online vendor directories have ratings systems, and although these may be helpful to some extent, you should always, always look to friends, family and local word-of-mouth for the final say when it comes to vendor recommendations. Put it this way … would you trust spending $10K on a venue just going by the word of “Mary J. from Denver” who said in her online blurb that she absolutely loved the place? I’m a pretty trusting person, but it would take a lot more than Mary J.’s brief praise to plop down that kind of cash.

Planning Elegance would like to thank Jeff Kear from My Wedding Workbook for submitting these very helpful Do’s and Don’ts that can aid any bride – especially going into 2010!

Invitation cards, live bands, wedding favors , food and beverages, bridal gowns…the list goes one and on and this can make a wedding very pricey these days. People tend to think that a wedding shouldn’t be beautiful if the amount spend on it isn’t a lot. But, this is not usually the case. They are missing the point that spending wisely is the key to make a wonderful wedding. You need to be resourceful and creativity to make your wedding unique yet affordable.

DIY Wedding Related Cards

Your wedding can look very expensive and gorgeous if you’re willing to devote yourself to researching and preparing for it. For instance, DIY your wedding invitations, menu cards, escort cards and wedding favor packaging. Instead of paying a big chunk of money to have someone to do your wedding related cards, you may ask your friends for help or try to utilize the software programs that available in the market without breaking the bank. Then, finish those cards with colored cardboard, ribbon, glitter, etc.

Floral and Non-floral Decor

To decorate your wedding ceremony and reception, choose flowers that are in season and blend them in with non-floral arrangements like lanterns, vases and candles. If you are planning to use fresh flowers, use them in a more economical way by swapping out costly flowers to cloth, silk, ribbon flowers or using fewer types of flowers.

Single-Page Invitations

Another way to save money on your wedding is to use single-page wedding invitation cards or postcard as both postage rates cost less than the rate for stamping envelopes. You can also have your guests RSVP online or over the phone.

Say no to Saturday Weddings and Long Weekends

To save even more, try to avoid Saturday weddings and spring/summer weddings as they can easily cost you a fortune just to rent a reception or banquet hall. Vendors usually charge a hefty dollar amount when the weddings fall on peak season. On the other hand, they are more likely to give you a great discount on off-season weddings. If you are referred to vendors by friends, you even could get better deal out of it.

Local Teachers/Students vs. Professionals

Hiring a professional band or DJ could be expensive. But, if you hire teachers or students from local schools and colleges, that could cut down half of your bill because they generally charge lesser than the professional.

Two events. One location.

Moreover, have your wedding ceremony and reception held at a same hotel to cut down all the unnecessary expenses such as limo fees. Most importantly, you may be able to get a better rate from the hotel. You can cut down food costs by going into cocktail hour right after the ceremony, so you don’t have to serve snacks after your ceremony. Instead of ordering additional hors’dourves, you can just have the waiter tray-pass your appetizers during the cocktail hour before dinner. Additionally, this can be more convenient for your guests.

Lastly, always plan early and stick to your budget, you could have a memorable yet expensive look wedding. The average bride goes 10-15% over her set budget, utilize these tips to help cut costs and stick to your budget.  Afterall…don’t forget that you need money for your honeymoon!

Image 1 via Recession Wedding

Image 2 via MagnetStreet.com

Planning an eco-friendly wedding is not as tough as you think it may be and the options for eco-friendly wedding goods have expanded. You will be surprised to find that there are so many options than you might have in your mind.

Eco-friendly Green Wedding Invitations

Use recycled paper, such as hemp or bamboo, to design/create your own wedding invitations. Keep your wedding invitation as simple as possible and try to use front and back of the card to fill up all the necessary information. Electronic mailings are the most earth friendly way when it comes to contacting your guests. This is also a great way to cut costs and save money on your wedding!

Eco-friendly Green Wedding Decor Elements

Candles: They are very energy efficient, especially soy candles (a renewable resource) as they can last longer and keep the air cleaner. Also, they could create a romantic and intimate atmosphere for your wedding.

Biodegradable balloons: Brighten up your wedding from a simple table centerpiece to a heart shape sculpture by using affordable and earth friendly biodegradable balloons.

Bamboo: It is one of the most sustainable materials on earth. It can be used as centerpieces and in decoration to create a natural yet contemporary atmosphere. Bamboo has a very trendy and beautiful look, so it could be the ideal thing for you wedding.

Flowers: Buy organic and locally grown flowers for your wedding. Choose flowers that are pesticide-free, this will ensure that they smell better on your wedding day as well. Double use the flowers for your reception from your ceremony. It saves you money and helps the environment.

Eco-friendly Green Wedding Cakes

There are many things you can do to “green-up” your wedding cake. You may bake your own cake by asking for help from your friends or relatives. If none of your friends or relatives are available to help, you can consider cupcakes and use biodegradable cupcake liners. Choose the edible decorations so that they won’t end up in the garbage. This will also save you tons of money instead of ordering a cake from a bakery and you won’t have as much wastage with cupcakes. Additionally, cupcakes are ery popular for weddings now-a-days.

Eco-friendly Green Wedding Favors

Wedding favors are small gifts that you (the bride and groom) give your guests something as a memento of your wedding. As for the green wedding favors, you may try your own flower seed favors in eco-friendly packaging. This is a very popular option today because its finished product (flowers) are something that your guests will remember for years, so it’s a practical gift too. Besides the seed packets, you may choose to bake a cake or some cookies by using a family recipe and package them in handmade paper with your recipe attached. Therefore, your guests would be able to make your treats whenever they feel like it and this would always keep them remember you as well, this adds a great personal touch to your wedding ceremony and is an ideal favor for smaller weddings.

Eco-friendly Green Wedding Gowns

Fabrics that are considered “eco-friendly” are soy, cotton, peace silk, hemp, and bamboo. For wedding gowns, organic cotton and hemp look beautiful and are popular choices for “green” wedding gowns. When it comes to choosing your wedding gown, instead of buying a new dress, you may go for a used gown that can save you money and contribute to saving the environment. Keep in mind that wedding gowns are usually only worn once, so it’s not like you’re buying some ratty old thing that would go to Good Will. You may also design your own gown by stitching up a couple used gowns.

One of the hottest wedding trends is going green. Many of the green trends involve DIY and saving tons of money, so if anything, try out some of these tips to save your wallet. Going green is simply beautiful, sheik, and gives you good karma. Have a happy green wedding!

Image 1 via Green Wedding Invitations

Image 2 via Sugar Lotus

DIY – Do It Yourself is becoming a very popular mantra in the wedding industry, particularly in our current economic situation.  Although we are a wedding planning company, we do encourage couples to DIY to save money if they have time to plan their own weddings.  Although professional vendors will be able to provide you with better quality work and more experience, if an aspect of your wedding isn’t as vital, try to cut some corners to save money.  Planning Elegance’s blog will provide you with a new tip each month to help you save some cash for your wedding.  June’s topic is DIY Wedding Pomanders.

Pomanders are usually used for aisle decor at a wedding.  They are generally round and soften up the look of the boring, straight aisle with a nice, inviting look.  They are usually hung on a stand every 2-3 rows of chairs that are set-up for the wedding ceremony.  This DIY decoration technique will help you make cost-effective aisle decor out of any color tissue paper you’d like.  The great thing about not using flowers is that you can make the pomanders as early before you’re wedding as you’d like!  That’s one thing to get out of your way before you walk down your beautiful aisle.

Supplies for DIY Pomander

Feel free to look around and get the best pricing for your DIY pomander supplies.  All of these supplies can be found at chain craft stores like Michael’s or Tall Mouse.  Feel free to check out your smaller, more local craft stores or 99 cent stores to see if they offer better pricing.  Another idea to to search online for these supplies, the online stores often waive a shipping and handling fee if you order a large amount of products.

• Colored tissue paper
• Styrofoam balls of your desired size
• Floral wire of your desired thickness
• Ribbon to match or contrast your tissue paper color
• Glitter or sparkle paint (optional)

Supplies that you probably already have around the house:

• Scissors
• Wire Cutters
• Hot Glue Gun

How to Make Your DIY Pomanders

1. GROUP: Separate all the tissue paper layers.  Group 4 tissues each, fold them in half, and paper clip them together.
2. TRACE: Use a template circle with a 3 inch diameter to trace circles onto the folded tissue paper.
3. CUT: Carefully cut the circles, have someone else help you hold them together as you’re cutting.  Then, use the wire cutter to cut the wire into 4 inch piece.
4. WIRE: Fold the pieces of wire in half and twist the bottom to leave the top like a sharp needle.  Keep extra pieces of wire aside.
5. “CARNATIONS”: One by one, carefully crinkle and place 4 tissue paper circles on each wire.  You will need about 30 of these for each pomander.
6. RIBBON: Cut a long piece a ribbon, twist a small piece of extra wire around the center of the ribbon.  Stick this wire end of the ribbon into a Styrofoam ball and enforce it with the hot glue gun.
7. TIE: Tie the ends of the long ribbon into a bow to create a hanging handle.
8. CREATE: Stick the “Carnations” into the Styrofoam ball one by one and enforce them with the hot glue gun.  Spread out the “Carnations” in the ball to give the pomander a nice, round and full look.

Now you have some beautiful DIY pomanders to hang in the aisle on your wedding day.  You can by any type of stands with hooks on the ends to hang the pomanders in the aisle way from any craft store as well.  Make sure that the hooks can stick into the grass to steadily hold the pomanders up straight.  Depending on what types of chairs you have, you may be able to hang the pomanders on the chairs like Mrs. Spring Roll did in the wedding picture below.

Compliments of Mrs. Spring Roll from Wedding Bee

DIY – Do It Yourself is becoming a very popular mantra in the wedding industry, particularly in our current economic situation.  Although we are a wedding planning company, we do encourage couples to DIY to save money if they have time to plan their own weddings.  Although professional vendors will be able to provide you with better quality work and more experience, if an aspect of your wedding isn’t as vital, try to cut some corners to save money.  Planning Elegance’s blog will provide you with a new tip each month to help you save some cash for your wedding.  March’s topic is DIY Wedding Invitations.

To print or not to print…that is the question!  Many brides will come across the dilemma of whether printing their own invitations is worth the effort or not.  If you have sufficient time before your wedding, then you will save tons of money by creating your own invitations.  Don’t forget that when you buy invitations from an outside vendor, you need to get matching envelopes, RSVPs, Thank-You Cards, and sometimes even programs from them, which can add up to shelling out big bucks.

You can purchase basic, fancy stationary from Target or Office Depot.  Find something that you like for your wedding and download a template from the stationary company’s website.  You can load this stationary into your printer, create some wording (who, what, where when, why…) for your wedding invitation on your computer, fold the invitations and RSVP cards, then stuff them into envelopes, address the envelopes, and mail them out.  It’s as easy as that!  Plus, if you get some extra hands the folding and stuffing envelopes will go so much faster and you’ll be ready to send out your wedding invitations in no time.

Many couples include a picture in their wedding invitations.  This is an easy way to save!  If you get a friend that enjoy photography or search Craigslist.com for a photographer that’s looking for unpaid models, you may be able to get your engagement photo shoot for free.  If your wedding photographer includes this in your package, you can either ask for print credit or ask to switch it out with another service or product that you need from them.  Whoever ends up shooting your engagement photos, ensure you get the rights to the pictures so that you can print them out at your leisure.  Take your files to Walgreens or Target to print them out and you can search for coupon codes online to save some money.

Another way to personalize your invitation and make it special is to add real flowers to it.  Grow some of your favorite flowers in your backyard or purchase day-old flowers from a grocery store.  Dry to flowers out in the sun, then flatten them in a phone book for a few days.  After this, the flowers will be extremely fragile, but can be glued to your invitation, or simple placed in the envelope you are sending them in.  This is a beautiful way to make yoru home-made invitations look beautiful without paying too much for flowers or labor.

Think about how much time and effort goes into creating DIY wedding invitations before you commit to sucha time consuming task.  Make sure that you have enough time before your wedding to make and mail out the invitations as well as get help from your bridesmaids, mom, or family to assemble, envelope, address, and send out the invitations.  Enjoy DIY Wedding Invitations and don’t forget DIY Save-The-Dates to save even more money on your wedding expenses.

Image of DIY Wedding Stationary from Bride’s Treasures and image of pressed flower invitation from Elizabeth’s Flowers.

DIY – Do It Yourself is becoming a very popular mantra in the wedding industry, particularly in our current economic situation.  Although we are a wedding planning company, we do encourage couples to DIY to save money if they have time to plan their own weddings.  Although professional vendors will be able to provide you with better quality work, if an aspect of your wedding isn’t as vital, try to cut some corners to save money.  Planning Elegance’s blog will provide you with a new tip each month to help you save some cash for your wedding.  February’s topic is DIY Fruit Centerpieces.

These can be easy and fun!  Just remember that if you have many guests at your reception, you will need lots of help with these DIY Fruit Centerpieces.  Fruit centerpieces are one of the best DIY aspects for your wedding reception because you can save TONS of money by using fruits to limit the amount of flowers you have in your centerpieces or by eliminating flowers from your centerpieces all together.  Other advantages to DIY fruit centerpieces is that if you cut the fruit, they will emit natural fragrances into the room, so lemons and oranges are great for this!  Additionally these make summer and spring weddings look more natural and beautiful, it will give your guests a stronger sense of your outdoor or summery theme.  Best of all, you can go green with this!

The first thing you need to do is buy glass vases or containers for your centerpiece.  Now, don’t rush to Tall Mouse or any other craft store for these, because you will get drastically marked up pieces at craft stores.  Search your local downtown (like the markets in downtown Los Angeles that have EVERYTHING) for pieces that you can purchase at a wholesale price since you will be buying many pieces.  You can also try looking online, but beware of shipping costs for heavier pieces.  Next decide what type of fruit you want to fill the vase with, the most common are oranges and grapefruit, but you can go beyond that with anything that is colorful or has a beautiful shape like sliced apples, whole grapes, or pomegranate seeds…be creative!  Choose another filler like flowers or candles.  If you have time and the season is right, you shoud try to grow your own flowers to save tons ore money since flowers are one of the most expensive aspects of wedding decor.

Now think about your process.  Try to assemble the centerpieces the day before your wedding instead of on your wedding day, if possible.  Have your bridesmaids or cousins help you, you can also ask your wedding coordinator to handle this for you.  Make sure that you have multiple people in charge of setting up the centerpieces on your wedding day and that you have allocated them enough time to do so.  If you want to sprouse up these centerpieces, you can add a ribbon to tie around them, a few candles surrounding the piece, colored water to make a dramatic effect, or small lights under the pieces to make them stand out.  Whatever the case, be creative, have fun, and make sure not to stress yourself out.  If you try this for your own event, or have done it before, feel free to send us a picture at info@planningelegance.com.  Enjoy your naturally scented DIY centerpieces!

Image via

DIY – Do It Yourself is becoming a very popular mantra in the wedding industry, particularly in our current economic situation.  Although we are a wedding planning company, we do encourage couples to DIY to save money if they have time to plan their own weddings.  Although professional vendors will be able to provide you with better quality work, if an aspect of your wedding isn’t as important to you, try to cut some corners to save money.  Planning Elegance’s blog will provide you with a new tip each month to help you save some cash for your wedding.  January’s topic is DIY Save-The-Dates.

Generally, couples will send out save-the-dates to all their guests as soon as they decide on a wedding date.  Anything up to one year before the wedding is acceptable, make sure that you have time to gather addresses prior to ordering your save-the-dates.  Most people will order their invitations, save-the-dates, thank yous cards, and all their stationary items from the same company.  If you want to save money on your save-the-dates, here are some ideas from least to most expensive for DIY Save-The-Dates…

Stationary Cards

Cost: $0.52 each + printing + mailing

Target has some great stationary that you can use with your printer at home and create cards with their pre-made templates.  The majority of the templates come with envelopes that match the size and color os the stationary.  This is the easiest and quickest way to create Save-The-Dates for your wedding, so if you are planning your wedding in a tight window of time, this may be the best way to go for you.

Printable Magnets

Cost: $0.82 each + mailing

Save the Date Magnet.com have great templates for you to choose and personalize with or without pictures.  The variety of templates can match your personalities and likings with different fonts, colors, and pictures.  Magnets are great because sticking a reminder on the fridge will ensure that your guests cannot book a vacation or anything over your wedding date.  This is an ultra cost-saving way to have nice save-the-dates exactly how you want them!

Kodak Cards

Cost: $1.49 each + shipping & handling + mailing

You can go to the online Kodak Gallery and customize your save-the-date with their pre-designed templates.  They have a few templates and colors that you can choose from, then you upload a few pictures of you and your beau to create a personalized save-the-date card.  The cards have cute designs and are printed on great quality paper.  This is very easy and minimizes the work you have to put in to your save-the-dates.

Good luck on your DIY Save-The-Dates!  Just remember, don’t do TOO much yourself because you should enjoy your own wedding without worrying about things falling apart and being delivered on time.  Sometimes the best thing to do is allocating money to a wedding coordinator or decorator to ake a load off your back.  They will still do everything exactly the way you want it, but you can relax!