The (Price) Difference is in the Details

With all the tiny little details that go into wedding planning, it is important to keep your head on straight and try to prioritize. While you want this very special day to be as perfect as possible, you can make it great without emptying out your pockets. A great starting point to budgeting your wedding is to consider what is really important to you and what kind of atmosphere you want for your event.

Flowers:

• Use more greenery than flowers


• Embellish smaller flower arrangements with candles, lanterns, or fruit


• Stick with cheaper, in-season flowers


• Do not choose too many types of different flowers in your arrangements


• Fake flowers can cost half the price and look just as nice (and real!)


• Ask the venue that is holding your reception if they have a prop room. They may have fun and creative decor alternatives for you.

Food & Drink:

• Instead of a large meal, serve appetizers and hors d’oeuvres


• Serve comfort food instead of a gourmet meal


• Skip the champagne toast


• Don't over-do the number of stations at the cocktail hour


• Wine and beer is much cheaper than a full open bar


• For the cutting of the cake, choose an elegant but simple cake but serve from a sheet cake


• A slice of wedding cake for dessert will do for most guests, so don't stress about too many dessert options


• Cheaper cake alternatives include: decorative cupcakes, donuts, and cookies


• Ethnic meals are generally less expensive

Day, Time & Season:

• Go for an afternoon reception instead of an evening one (Plus, people tend to drink less during the day so this will most likely ultimately save you on alcohol as well)


• Rent out a vacation home for the day. It may be cheaper than a venue and if the property is nice or large enough, it could be a very creative way to accommodate your guests.


• Choose a different day of the week other than Saturday for your reception

The Guest List:
How many people do YOU really want there? One of the easiest and most effective ways to save a lot of money is to shorten the guest list. Don't fold under pressure from friends and relatives over who you should invite. Also, bigger tables mean less centerpieces and tablecloths, plus, big groups at tables encourages more mingling among your guests.

Photos & Videos:
Choosing a photographer and videographer from the same company can earn you discounts. You don't need to have the photographer or videographer there from the moment you wake up until the very last guest leaves. And while you may want to save some cash, amateur photographers may absolutely not be worth any cost. If there are entirely inexperienced and miss some huge moments, there is no way to redo. See if you can simply have the raw video for your wedding day. Work with friends and family to edit the footage yourself or have a student edit the film for you. Effects and editing can be very expensive.

Try and do-it-yourself!:
It couldn't hurt to get a little hands-on in preparing for your big day. Why spend the big bucks on name cards, invitations, favors, and decorations when you can get together with friends and family and work together to create a meaningful and personal touch to your wedding. There are so many DIY books and websites out there with very basic and brilliant DIY ideas and tips. Heading to dollar or craft stores and checking out post-holiday sales can also give you some great inspiration. If you are wary about your crafting abilities, check out some affordable decor alternatives to make your wedding look richer. Arranging colorful and modern looking vases, dishes, and platters give the higher-end illusion.

Always: Do the math:
Don't be fooled by the allure of a package deal. Do your math and figure out what deal would work best for you based on your needs and expectations. Remember that a buffet dinner may still cost a lot more than a multi-course, sit down meal. Also, just because a venue is cheap doesn't mean you'll save money. If a less expensive space is lacking necessary amenities, then rental costs could end up leaving you paying more.

Don't be afraid to negotiate prices or be honest with vendors about what you actually have to spend. While you do want to accommodate your guests, don't be hesitant about doing things the way you want to do them or sacrifice your tastes and desires to impress your guests.

-Sarah

DIY brides: cutest cupcake wrappers

Going cute and portable with your wedding treats? Check out this article with easy and clear directions on how to DIY cupcake wrappers, so adorable and fun!

[caption id="attachment_44" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="DIY cupcake wrappers"][/caption]

T.P. - The other white fabric.

You ever hear the old saying: "Don't wear what you wipe yourself with?"


Well, me neither and now I know why.





The winners of the Sixth Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest have been announced and their dresses are fantastic (in a 2-ply kind of way). I will admit that I would not want to be caught in the rain in one of these though.


Before getting your entries ready for next year, see how you stack up against the competition by checking out this year's winners: http://www.aisledash.com/2010/06/10/2010-toilet-paper-wedding-dress-contest-winners/



As eco-friendly as the TP dress might be, unless you're planning an outdoor wedding with Porta-Pottys and think you're gonna run out of roll, I'd skip it for a slightly more wedding appropriate material.



Also -- Want to seem extra bubbly on your wedding day? Check out this crazy bubble wrap dress: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1279113/The-bubble-wrap-bride-knew-exactly-wear-fiance-popped-question.html

Putting Your Face On: Makeup Tips for the Bride-to-be

While ensuring you are spending your special day with the right man should be your top priority on your big day, it is also very important to make sure you feel comfortable and confident. If you don't, in those moments you should be relaxing and enjoying what you've worked so hard to make so great will be filled with trips to the bathroom to touch up, tuck in, and reapply -- and who wants that?

A Great Starting Point
The best way to begin planning your wedding day makeup is to consider the look you are going for. Light and neutral? Bold and sexy? Colorful and fun? Think about what will match your dress, your bridesmaids, the season of your wedding and your personality. Instead of just thumbing through magazines for ideas, get hands on! Take a trip to a department store and check out some new colors and styles to get some ideas. Most department stores will let you sample their products and even apply them for you and give you pointers for free.



Avoid Surprises
Whether you are having a professional apply your makeup or you are doing it yourself, always, always, always do a test run prior to your wedding day. This way you will have some idea of what you do (or don't) want to look like as well as how much time you should budget for applying your makeup the day of your wedding. Make sure when you are checking out the results of your test run that you are looking at yourself in natural lighting, as that will give you the best idea of what you will look like the day of your wedding. Another very important reason to test run is that you need to be aware of how these products will interact with your skin type and be certain that they won’t cause any irritation or allergic reactions.

Drink Plenty of Water
This is the most helpful, and most forgotten beauty tip.  Drinking plenty of water (and not sugary soda or alcohol) the month before will keep your skin fresh and flexible, and will flush blemish-causing toxins from the skin.  You’ll want to cut back on fatty foods or food high in sodium as these will take away from the skin’s natural flexibility and make it appear saggy and tired.

Other Important Things to Remember:

• Waterproof, Waterproof, Waterproof
  

Elements like heat and humidity as well as sweat (and maybe even some tears) will cause unsightly runs in your makeup. Airbrush makeup tends to stay on longer and withstand the elements better than regular makeup.

• Too much tanning can be disastrous
  

Don't overdo your UV time or you may find you look a little more striking in your photos than you bargained for. If you go for a spray tan do a test run first. Sample out a shade before you get bold and get a spray tan too soon before you wedding. Spray tans take time to fade, making it complicated to undo a bad spray tan in time.

• Order is Important
  

Hair should be done before makeup. Dress should be done last.

• Lighter & Brighter
  

Lighter eyeshadow shades tend to being out your eyes more. Brighter lip colors tend to bring out our lips more.

• Don't play with any breakouts you get!
  

It's tempting, but most likely to make the problem worse.

About A Week Before the Wedding:

• Exfoliate your skin, and go without makeup for a few days to allow your pores to breathe


• Don't take the risk of trying new or experimental facial treatments


• Fine-tune those brows. They add more depth to your face and eyes than you may think

Finally, be confident in yourself. You and your hubby will be the center of attention, looking fabulous, and mugging for a barrage of flashing photographer bulbs. So make it count, smile, and enjoy your new life.

Now go put your face on!

-Sarah

A Match Made in Heaven

Choosing the Best Outdoor Wedding for You: Part 1

Any outdoor wedding has pros and cons to consider, but with some simple planning it can be an event that makes a lasting impact.

Before you seal the deal, take a moment to consider what your outdoor venue options are and how they fit with your big day dreams. You can be sure that any outdoor wedding will be charming and unique, particularly because of the creative opportunities available to you. In choosing an outdoor venue, imagine as though you have a blank slate, in which you can choose for yourself how to arrange almost every element of your gathering with the added bonus of being really fun and attractive.

The Mountaineer

Mountainous and heavily wooded areas look great in anything: fall leaves, wintry snow, spring flowers, and luscious summer greens.

This location may be too secluded for the comfort of a variety of guests. While the views may be breath taking for you, your guests may be winded by the time they get up a hilly and uneven terrain and difficult commute.

Shore to Please

You have the right to go casual. At a beach wedding, you can toss away high heels and stuffy suits without turning heads. You can even let loose and have a fun nautical or tropical theme for your wedding with tiki lights, seashells, and hibiscus flowers.

If you are a bad hair day type, remember that the salty air and wind in your face can create a frizzy hair, sticky skin situation. Also, unless you are willing to invest in a private portion of a beach, you will have to contend with beach-goers interrupting your ceremony. During peak summer seasons, consider that guests that are commuting may be troubled by high volumes of traffic. Also, the sun can get pretty oppressive if it's too close to the middle of the day.

City Slickers

For the most part, if you are looking to tie the knot in a location near a major city, you can rest assured that it will be an accessible location for many of your guests. You can consider a rooftop or reserve space in a variety of outdoor venues.

The downside? City weddings can get costly very quickly. Budgeting for a city wedding can be difficult, but well worth it. The upside though, is that city venues offer a variety of atmospheres and themes and can usually have much of the materials you’ll need in-house.

Garden, Park, or Field Party

Like mountains, most park-like settings  can look good in any season. Your photos will come out beautiful no matter what. You also have the option of going formal or casual in a park, field, or garden setting.

Many parks, gardens, and fields are public areas -- so you can never be too confident that your affair will go undisturbed and uninterrupted. Unless it is a private park, there is not much you can do about it. However, such atmospheres can be offered as an alternative to an indoor setting at country clubs and event halls, giving you the convenient option to dart indoors and proceed as usual in case of inclement weather.