Archive for the ‘Tips & Traditions’ Category
As everything wedding-related goes digital, more and more brides are turning to the internet for wedding tips and ideas. The amount of information and planning help you can find online is incredible. Today more and more brides are blogging about their experiences. You can cruise other bride’s blogs for new trends and ideas, or even create a blog of your own. Many blogs display unique items that brides have found, making them great places to gather ideas. A blog can also be a good way to organize your planning and show your friends and family your wedding vision. Check out some blogs that we recommend:
This site will help you plan your wedding using smart and fun ideas. Check out the “dress of the day,” destination weddings and photo galleries.
A look at amazing bridal events and items from feather gowns to fabulously decorated churches.
Etsy wedding is for anyone tired of customary chicken, Swarovski Crystals and freshwater pearls. Here you will find atypical finds for the eclectic bride.
Everything Green Weddings and More
This is a great spot to find green vendors as well as ideas for your eco-friendly wedding.
A hip and trendy blog for the Fashionista bride.
This colorful and entertaining blog offers profiles of backyard weddings, extreme budgeting, and uniquely colored wedding gowns.
Meet the bride that people have labeled as crazy, dragging her boyfriend into something he doesn’t want. Except, she’s not THAT bride!
A bride explains the design and execution of her own wedding. Inspiring for any unbrides—those who want a wedding that is both unconventional and unforgettable.
A group of brides offer planning advice, classifieds, resources and of course, blogs.
A blog about love, weddings and real life. The bride is a graphic designer and shows how wedding pictures can be edited.
Essence.com found the “Ultimate Bride on a Budget” from 2008. Her name is Tavon, and she planned what should have been a $25,000 wedding for $6,000. She not only jumped on sales, but made connections and reached out to her network—her wedding day makeup was a gift from a friend and the caterer was a friend of the groom and cooked and served the food for free. Tavon bought her dress secondhand and rented a fake cake with an edible layer at the bottom. She served her guests from a sheet cake. She bought her flowers from Costco and her invitations from Party City. Her bridal party helped her make her bouquet and the decorations for the reception (a fun bachelorette party idea, perhaps?). In the end, her wedding was truly a dream wedding, but also one she could afford.
Silk Flowers
Other brides have suggested using silk flowers, especially for winter weddings. Not only are these often cheaper, but they keep forever and can be sold to another bride after the wedding or used to decorate at another event you may put on.
Do Your Homework
The biggest money-saving advice for any couple is to plan ahead. Discuss your goals for the wedding and reception far in advance, set goals, and resolve to stick to them. You and your fiancé need to sit down well in advance and answer questions like “How much money are we willing to spend on a wedding? What aspects of the wedding are we willing to spend a little more money on and which are not as important to us?” The answers to these questions can help you save money as well as your sanity and the relationship.
Bridal Shows
As you enter into the planning stages, take the time to visit bridal shows. There are tons of prizes and giveaways at these events. You and your sweetheart could walk away with a fully paid for honeymoon to Hawaii or free catering. Bridal Shows also offer couples the opportunity to compare prices and discover what they really like. You don’t need to hire a wedding planner with all the resources out there to help you plan your own wedding.
Research Online
Purchasing dresses, flowers, jewelry, etc., can best be done online. Often, you can buy bridesmaid dresses wholesale for a fraction of the cost of in-store prices. When buying something in a store, don’t be hesitant to negotiate. Many vendors will offer bargains based on quantity and some will try to top other vendor’s prices.
Tradition is often the biggest reason people spend more than they want to on a wedding. So in order to cut down your costs, you might have to do away with certain traditions and make your own. Don’t send engagement announcements or save-the-date trinkets. Instead, send an email. Make a Facebook group. Most of your friends and family can get invites electronically, and for those few who can’t or don’t want to, you can send something by mail.
The wedding venue can often be the greatest cost a couple will face as they plan their wedding, but there are ways to avoid spending $15,000 on a ballroom. If you attend church, you may be able to use the building for both the ceremony and the reception. Most churches have a multi-function room in addition to a chapel and having the entire wedding in one venue can save a lot of money.
And the most important way to save money on your wedding is to use your network. Like Tavon, ask for wedding gifts that fulfill your wedding needs. Of course, make sure the people you ask to do your wedding are experienced. And if you’re particular about how a certain aspect of the wedding turns out, it might be worth paying to have it done the way you want. This goes back to setting your priorities for what’s important
by Charron Conley
We all remember Julia Roberts’ declaration in Steel Magnolias that her wedding colors would be “blush and bashful.” Today choosing a wedding color theme is a much more complicated task. Deciding on the perfect colors for your wedding is one of the first and most important jobs for a bride-to-be. There are many questions to take into consideration about shade choice. What mood do you want to create? Vibrant colors add drama, while soft colors evoke a more romantic atmosphere. What time of year will you marry? The season in which you marry can greatly influence your color scheme. Spring and summer colors themes tend to be lighter, while fall and winter colors are generally richer and darker. There are some tools that can help you determine how to answer the many questions that come with choosing colors. Here are some fun and easy ways to select the cornerstone for your décor.
The Color Wheel
A color wheel helps you choose coordinating colors. It is made out of three primary colors: red, blue and yellow, plus a blend of in-between colors. There are three different ways to use the color wheel to choose combinations.
Monochromatic Scheme
The monochromatic scheme uses many shades of a single color. Each bridesmaid could wear different shade of blue for her dress, and the bouquets include irises, lilies, and delphinium. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues.
Related Scheme
Consider having related tones; ones adjacent to each other on the color wheel. An example of this would be green bridesmaid’s dresses with blue sashes. Related colors may also include maroon and plum, pink and lavender, or lemon and sage. These colors make decorating a breeze.
Complementary Scheme
Complementary shades are located opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, lavender and pale yellow, or forest green and burgundy. If you really love one hue in particular, you might want to highlight it among neutrals. So, bridesmaid dresses might be cream with purple sashes, groomsmen might wear off-white tuxedos with purple boutonnieres, and bouquets might be stephanotis, white roses, and lavender sweet pea. Complementary colors are very popular choices for weddings because they add vibrancy and contrast. Examples include pale yellow and lilac, pink and mint green, or salmon and powder blue.
Flowers
Take a hue cue from your favorite flower. If you are planning to use specific flowers for your arrangements, coordinate your color scheme around them. Rich jewel-tones are very popular right now, including deep purple, bold blues, and vibrant reds and pinks.
Dahlias- Lush and stylish, dahlias are perfect fall blossoms since they come in autumnal tones like red, burgundy, orange and plum.
Roses- Roses are the most traditional wedding flower. A color scheme such as pink, red, brick and plum is very popular for summer and fall. A structured, densely packed and dome-shaped bouquet is a nice way to use this flower.
Orchids- Orchids speak the language of love and beauty and have throughout history. You can find orchids in color variations of white, yellow, orange, green, purple, pink and red.
Tulips- Many find the tulip to be the most popular wedding flower. A red tulip conveys “a declaration of love”, cream color tulip means “love forever” and a yellow tulip means “hopelessly in love.”
Calla Lilies- Beautiful, resilient, versatile, and full of meaning, calla lilies are among the most popular flowers for weddings. Although white is the most popular color, there are many other options including varying shades of pink, white with pink tips, green, burgundy, yellow and orange.
Season
Because people often choose flowers that are seasonal, the time of year in which you choose to marry can offer a good starting place for selecting colors. Wintry tones are deep and rich, such as burgundy, hunter green and midnight blue. You can accent these shades with sparkling gold, silver or metallic’s to add a festive touch. Fall hues are warm reds, oranges, and yellows. Spring and summer yield pastels and bright colors, respectively. This is certainly the right way to go if you are planning a seasonally themed wedding.
2009 Colors For Each Season
~ Burgundy, Dark Green, Navy Blue, Silver, Gold, Creams, Burnt Orange, Taupe, Brown and Plum.
~ Red, Silver, White, Cream, Burgundy, Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Purple, Plum and Gold.
~ Pink, Tangerine, Periwinkle, Fuchsia, Tiffany Blue, Lime, Yellow, Champagne Soft Violet.
~ Red, Yellow, Orange, Coral, Fuchsia, Hot Pink Blue, Light Aqua, Lime, Lilac and Lavender.
Setting
The setting of your wedding is a great way to help decide what colors to choose. What type the venue is it? A barn or lodge? A city museum? A garden or beach? A ballroom? What you chose will have a big say in the colors you use to decorate it. Look at the colors used in your venue’s carpeting, drapery and decorations. If the site has strong colors, you’ll need to select a color scheme that complements. If you already have your heart set on a certain color, you may need to select a more neutrally decorated site. If the location is outside the scenery can also help dictate color choice. For example, if you are having a beach wedding, you would want to choose colors that complement the color of the sand, sky, and ocean. These can be silver, bright tones of yellow, green, purple, pink, and red. Garden weddings already would already provide you with a dominantly green background, so you would probably want to opt for soft shades of blue, pink, purple, yellow, red, and orange.
Every detail of your wedding should reflect your favorites, from gown to shoes, flowers to food. By choosing a color scheme right from the start, your wedding decor will reflect your own personal taste and look beautiful in every detail. No matter what you choose for your wedding colors, remember that this is a detail that will stick out the most with your guests. It will be the center and focal point of flowers, dresses and decorations. So, be sure when you choose a color, you choose carefully and be sure it is something that compliments your wedding party and the atmosphere that you want to set for your wedding.
Photo Courtesy Chris Sharber Photography
