Wedding Decorations: Creative Wedding Lighting Ideas

Wedding Lighting: Bring warmth with candles

Candlelight is a great way to bring magical warmth to any occasion. Place colorful votives all over the place for a welcoming glow. Also, line the aisle and vow area with well-made enclosed lanterns. Make sure to avoid low, open flames anywhere where guests may be.

We love these 68 candle centerpiece ideas from Martha Stewart Weddings.

DIY wedding ideas

How about some DIY lighting to give your wedding a custom look? For instance, monogram lighting is an interesting way to personalize your big day. Just put your names and wedding date in the lights and shine it behind the cake or head table for a beautiful backdrop. Alternatively, use uplighting to change the mood of the room and lend your reception a wow factor.

Take a look at these lighting design ideas from DIY Network.

Consider your wedding theme for lighting

Whether you are a rustic, country, or an elegant bride, make sure to choose the lighting that will complement your wedding theme. For instance for a vintage themed wedding, simple white or ivory chandeliers hung low would do the trick. Whereas, if yours is a rustic wedding, ribbons clustered together with festoon lights will help to create an atmosphere of fun and warmth.

Wedding Planning: Use the right color

Colored lighting is a great way to turn a plain venue into a beautiful, picturesque reception. But make sure to think outside your wedding palette when selecting colored lights. If you have used sage throughout the decor, stay away from green lighting or it might get too much of green. Consider colors that complement all skin tones such as soft pink or magenta.

Make lighting a part of your wedding decorations

When selecting the lighting, keep in mind that it not only contributes to the overall atmosphere, but also doubles up as a decor. For instance, a cluster of chic chandeliers apart from brightening the tables, also serve as an elegant overhang. So, there is no need to spend a lot of money on wedding flowers and other decorations when you can kill two birds with one stone!

When it comes to transforming an ordinary space into something extraordinary, illumination is everything. So, make sure to choose the right lighting that will carry out your personal style and create an unforgettable ambiance.

The cyclical nature of life ensures that it keeps turning for many generations. From your great grandparents to your mother, to your own future children and grandchildren, there are going to be many moments worth remembering and commemorating. Today, we’ve got better technology than ever to capture such moments, and so you want to make them count.

Wedding Planning: Simple Tips for the Perfect Wedding

Bridal Tips: Plan Ahead with these Helpful Tips

For generations, back your family have used wedding planning tips and advice to assure their big day was perfect. They spent weeks and months arranging for the ceremony—at least, that’s the case with most traditional weddings. If you come from a family where no such planning took place among the matriarchs, perhaps you should be the first to change the trend.

With no precedent for planning a traditional wedding, you might plan a quick event and jump ahead to focusing on where you will live and spend your available money on something practical, such as on updating the vanity bathroom sinks. While you should not overspend on a wedding, properly planning for your special day provides memories that far out live the sinks or anything you can purchase.

Wedding Events to Consider: Venue and Vendors

Your wedding planning can help your big day! Don’t forget these places to consider:

• Venue – Where will it be held? Park, church, backyard?
• Entertainment – will you have a band or DJ?
• Vendors involved in supporting the event
• Bridal and Wedding Party attire
• Wedding Flowers and Wedding Centerpieces

• Activities – Will you have events leading up to the wedding for guests to attend?
• Food – Do you have a theme? Will you host alcoholic beverages?
• Transportation – How will you and your wedding party get to the reception and the ceremony?

If you can book your venue a year in advance, do it. Generally, the further in advance, you can secure a venue, the better. The same goes for wedding DJs and entertainment like bands, as well as the officiant. The further in advance you can secure these people, the better.

Vendor bookings are going to range from a week to twelve months. You can book a limo last-minute—though it’s not the best idea. Flowers should probably be ordered a few weeks out.

Wedding Invitations: When Should you Send Them Out?

Wedding invitations should be sent two months or more before the event itself, and the stationary chosen long before that. Your photographer and videographer should be secured six months to a year before the event.

Wedding Planning: Choosing The Right Bridal Dresses

When it comes to clothes, your groom and groomsmen may want to “get special”, but they’ll probably be fine picking out a tuxedo that matches the theme of your dress and the dresses of your bridesmaids; so don’t worry too much about the men. But your hair stylist for the big event, and the dress you wear, are both items you should probably have taken care of at least six months before the event.

If you can take longer, that’s a good idea; because your bridesmaids are going to have their own ideas about what does and doesn’t look good. It may be wise to get the perspective of some additional friends and family.

Look for an agency providing dresses which comprehends these details. Bridesmaids dresses by Azazie come with solid understanding of the entire matrimonial ceremony—including sound advice designed to help you make a choice; like the website’s admonishment to “Share your Wish List [with] your bridal party, your mom, and future mother-in-law to see what they think.”

Wedding Planning: An Occasion to Cherish

Doing things like these can save you and you bridal party much embarrassment on the big day. As Murphy’s law states, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. You want to diminish such possibilities as much as you can.

Provided you plan in advance and give attention to detail, you’ll be able to save yourself a lot of hassle later on, and have a wedding to rival the finest records in your family history.

For more wedding planning ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Round Up: Our Favorite Budget Wedding Planning Tips

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Consider Wedding Packages

Believe us or not, a wedding package can save you a lot of cash. As they include everything from venue and food to host and the decorations, they come out to be much affordable than buying individual items. Moreover, it will take away a lot of efforts that you need to put in when finding things for the venue. The best part? Wedding packages can be customized to your need and the theme.

Buy In-Season Flowers

Wedding flowers can easily run you up in thousands. To cut costs, make sure to order the ones that are in-season. Not only will it help you save money but will also be beneficial for the mother earth as blooms that are seasonal can be sourced locally helping to keep the transportation emissions low. Also, if your creativity allows, order loose stems and consider making the arrangements by yourself. Trust us; it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Alternatively, you can order flowers online at much cheaper prices instead of a traditional florist.

Trim Your Guest List

One of the easiest ways to cut your budget is by trimming your guest list. We agree that wedding is a celebration, but it’s also a very intimate moment. When budget is a concern, stick to a guest list that doesn’t go beyond immediate family and closet of friends. Not only will it help you save tons of cash, but you will also end up spending this meaningful day with those you value the most.

Choose an Off-season Date

Weddings can be celebrated at any time of the year, but if you plan your big day choose off-season wedding date the savings can be significant. During off-season the wedding vendors hunger for business. This provides couples an opportunity to negotiate better pricing and save significantly.

A budget wedding does not mean you have to skimp on style. All it requires is a little imagination, creativity, and of course cutting on those extras. Let us know what’s your take on planning a memorable evening without going overboard?

Fore more budget wedding tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Outdoor Wedding Reception Decoration Ideas

Image Via: Colin Cowie Weddings

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Decorating With Ribbons

There is something which is very feminine, dainty and festive about ribbons. The same can be said about weddings. Outdoor wedding reception decor gets a very elegant touch if you can incorporate ribbons cohesively in the decor. You can use ribbons to form walking aisles, you can hang the from trees and wrap them around reception chairs. Another great way to use ribbons is to hang them from a height and tie old bulbs at the ends to lend a vintage touch to your wedding.

Image Via: Festival Brides

Flavors Of The Sea

As we have discussed many times before, sea has a very soothing effect and balances the harsh summers perfectly. Sea elements bring about the same effect. If for some reason you can’t organize a beach wedding, you can always bring the sea to your outdoors via sea elements. Use shells lavishly, use flora that resembles sea life, add ribbons and frills in hues of blues, aquas and azures and see the magic happen. You can also bring to use green and aqua colored bottles and work out beautiful summer flower arrangements in them.

Image Via: Ruffled

Decorating With Streamers And Buntings

Streamers and buntings are the happiest forms of wedding decor, especially for an outdoor wedding. Summers too long for happiness, cheer and glee and hence this decor setup matches the mood and spirit that is required for a summer wedding. You can arrange for bamboo poles for the lack of trees and run streamers and buntings end to end. If you are lucky to have trees in your outdoor setup then buntings can form a very interesting zig-zag mesh. Buntings and streamers can also be used effectively on table edges and chair backs.

Image Via: Style Me Pretty

Mason Jar Magic

Mason jars carry a certain nostalgia with them. Weddings are nostalgic affairs too. You can arrange summer flowers in mason jars and hang them using ribbons or jute cords from tree branches. Mason jars can also adorn your reception table decor along with flowers arrangements or candles. You can even fill them up with sand and stones for a beach wedding feel.

Image Via: Wedding Chicks

Decorating With Tents

If the summers are too harsh around your wedding, you can use white breezy tents to keep the glare away. Tents will give an outdoor feel along with an indoor sheltered experience. Tents can be worked out in many interesting patterns and color combinations. Apart from white you may use pastel shades of yellow, blue, peach, green, etc. to create a protected environment.

Image Via: Weddings Romantique

An outdoor wedding reception party requires you to be careful on many fronts. Apart from the decor elements there are a few other aspects that need to be taken care of. For instance, if arrangements have already been made for an outdoor setup and its too hot without any breeze you might want to introduce outdoor fans. You might also have to cater for sun protection and bug protection. All in all, with everything working out as planned, your outdoor wedding reception can be the best one in town.

Click here for more Summer Wedding Ideas on Stagetecture!

Essential Dos and Don’ts for Summer Weddings

Do – Wedding Tips to Consider

Wedding Reception Menu: Serve Light Food

Heat and heavy food don’t mix. Stick to the farm-to-table trend and go for a seasonal menu that includes local fresh produce and grilled entrees. Choose grilled fruit skewers and Gazpacho shooters for appetizers and tarts and fruit pies for dessert. You can also add festive touches like frozen cocktails and popsicles. Look to our food recipes category to search for recipes.

Summer Weddings: Provide Heat Relief

You and your better half may love the sun, but don’t assume all your guests do. Make sure you provide heat relief in one way or another. If your wedding is outdoors, offer some shade or portable air-conditioning systems. You can also have ushers pass out cold hand towels across the rows before the ceremony starts. Scattering decorative tubs or baskets filled with water bottles near the ceremony site is also a great idea.

Wedding Planning: Send Save-the-Dates

Most people vacation in summer especially families with school-going kids. You should therefore send save-the-dates early enough to ensure people mark their calendars early.

Don’t – Wedding Tips to Avoid

Summer Bride Tips: Overlook Sun Protection

Sunburn can give a whole new meaning to “the blushing bride.” Prior to getting dressed, apply sunscreen to areas of your body that will be exposed and tell your bridal party to do the same.

Summer brides should wear foundation and moisturizers with SPF. However, they should try them out beforehand to ensure they don’t cause allergies.

Forget to Keep your Wedding Guests Comfortable:

Arrange for citronella candles to ensure your guests aren’t disturbed by bugs as they eat or interact. Summer brings with it a lot of bugs that can get in the way of your celebrations. Talk to the person in charge of the venue in advance to ensure bugs won’t be a problem.

Summer wedding planning is fun and interesting. Keep these tips in mind and make your wedding stand out from all other summer weddings.

Let’s face it, weddings are expensive. From booking a venue to ordering a cake, they can cost a pretty penny. If you are a budget conscious couple, you are probably looking to save money wherever you can. Wedding invitations are no exception. In fact, they are a good place to cut costs as they can be incredibly expensive. See how you can get your dream invitations without breaking your bank.

Wedding Invitations: How to Save Money but still Keep Quality

Image via: whimsyb.com

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Printing techniques

An engraved invitation is always beautiful, not to mention expensive too. But there are alternatives that are equally attractive and less costly. Thermography gives the same desired look for much less money. For casual weddings, you can opt for offset or laser printing that costs less than half of labor-intensive techniques like engraving and letterpress.

Order extras

Before you place the order, figure out how many invitations you will need exactly. Make sure to round up for any errors or extras. If you end up needing additional invitations at the last minute, the stationer may charge you extra as rush fees.

Standard size

Image via: etsy.com

Stick to a standard size invitation. The bigger or heavier the invite is the pricier it is to mail. Non-standard shapes like squares or any other oddly shaped invitation will cost you much more in postage than standard ones.

Double up

Let your invitation serve a dual purpose. If possible, include your reception information on the wedding invitation itself. There is absolutely no need for a separate reception card, especially if your ceremony and reception is at the same location. A better and perfectly appropriate alternative is to write “dinner and dancing to follow” or “reception to follow” at the bottom of the invite.

Go online

While they may not be as traditional as mailed invitations, they can save you a lot of time and money. Consider printing just the basics in your physical invitations such as name, date, and location, and direct your guests to your personal wedding website. Use it to post all the additional information, and even request your guests to RSVP online.

Just because you are budget conscious, does not mean you have to settle for flimsy, tacky, or poorly made invitations. Use these tips and pair it up with your creativity for perfect, dream wedding invitations.

For more wedding ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Before you know it summertime will be a distant memory! Before summer slips away why not throw summer party inspired by all the bold beautiful colors of the season? Centerpieces made from gorgeous pinks, fuchsia, greens and blues, to gorgeous pairings of all the grandeur of summer. Take a look at these great ideas and let me know which one you’d love to use at your summer party this year?

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Bold Summer Color Centerpiece Ideas

Bright Pinks, Purples, and Oranges:

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Pairing Turquoise and Burnt Umber Orange

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Planning a Summer Party? Striking Hot Pink & Orange combo!

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Throw a summertime experience that is unforgettable…

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Summertime is all about fabulous color!

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Whether you are throwing a intimate get together or a huge end of summer bash, use these colorful ideas to infuse creativity into your party!

For more summertime party ideas on Stagetecture, click here.