Weekly Wedding Planning Tips

Hello everyone! Right now I am on Spring Break (no work! yippee!) and I suddenly have alllll this extra time. I am seriously bored. When I am bored I start planning parties.

Right now I am planning a "Royal Treatment" Night for the Young Women and their moms. We will be doing facials made from ingredients found right at home...  it will be a chance for moms and daughters to "beautify" themselves and relax....thus they will be getting a "royal treatment...." We are trying to tie in a princess theme with it... still working on that one without it being too complicated.

Since I have some extra time on my hands, I am going to give you some wedding planning tips.... according to the Wedding Planning Gospel of Annie.

First of all, I want to say that I totally and completely believe that you can have a beautiful wedding on a tight budget. Sure, money helps, but there are many things you can do to cut back on costs and still have a wedding you love. Here are my tips:

1. Get married on a weekday! Prices for many reception centers are less expensive on Mon. - Thurs. nights because everyone wants to book the weekends. If you have family coming in from out of town this is a little bit harder to do... but it can save you a lot!

2. Read between the lines.  What do I mean by this? When you are looking at reception centers and you read a contract and see that big number at the bottom.... read the WHOLE contract and see what renting the venue includes. Are linens, silverware, dinnerware, floral arrangements, food, a wedding cake... etc. included in the price? Let me tell you now, it can be SUCH a pain renting your own linens, dinnerware, silverware... etc. and it can add up. Many people think "Oh, I'll just have it in my grandma's backyard" thinking they'll save money that way... but if you have to rent tables, chairs, and everything else, it can cost way more than renting a reception center (and it is a huge head ache). So, look around and make sure you compare prices with rental companies and venues to make sure you're really saving. Sometimes it really is less expensive to go with your own vendors.. but make sure you take the time to compare!

3. Have simple, fresh flower arrangements instead of large ones.  Some people opt for using artificial flowers for arrangements so they can use more for less. Totally understandable... and artificial ones last longer right? yes... they do... but there is just something so pretty and elegant about fresh flowers. They add brightness and a fresh feel to a reception (and they smell great). So, instead of getting rid of fresh flowers, do a small, simple arrangement with two or three fresh flowers. Or even ONE.

I love this example. You can find old, colored vases from antique stores in your wedding colors and use that for your flowers. 

So, there are my wedding planning tips for the day. Do what you will with them. I'm sorry if you totally disagree with them... please don't send me mean comments.