How to Save Money on Wedding Flowers

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Have a Holiday Wedding

Holiday weddings are great options for couples trying to save on flowers. Most venues are decorated during the festive season and after Easter. They help you to save money you would have spent on expensive flower arrangements. You might even find both the church and reception venue decorated.

Use Non-Traditional Elements

Herbs, fruits, and vegetables can make beautiful, cheap bouquets and flower arrangements. If you want an expensive flower, buy only a few blossoms and bulk up the arrangement with beautiful, inexpensive greenery. You can also use single elements instead of whole arrangements. These are becoming increasingly popular nowadays. Some options include lavender, baby’s wreath, and wheat.

Choose Flowers that Are in Season

Sticking to locally grown flowers that are in season is cheaper than having your favorite blooms flown in. For instance, if you are getting married in December, don’t choose peony bouquets. Go for flowers like tulips, sweetpeas, and waxflowers. While your florist may be able to get out-of-season flowers for you, you will have to pay a premium. Florists will not charge you high prices for flowers they have easily sourced. Keep in mind that the flowers will depend on where you live. Do your research early to find out what you like.

For Wedding Flower Centerpiece Ideas see our post here:

Wedding centerpiece ideas for your big day!

Pick Your Own Flowers

You can pick your own wedding flowers if you have a limited budget. Ask for help from your family and friends to avoid getting overwhelmed. After you’ve collected the flowers, make unique bouquets and flower arrangements. It is important to note that if you want arrangements that look like they are from a magazine cover, you have to hire an expert.

There are many ways you can save on your wedding flowers and still have the wedding of your dreams.  Use these easy tips to minimize costs.

For more wedding ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

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.

Wedding Tips: Throwing A Fall Bridal Shower

Image Via: Intimate Weddings

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Keep Decorations Rustic:

Decorating for a fall shower should be a no-brainer. Nature offers plenty of Instgram-worthy inspiration. Scatter leaves for a theme that’s all about “falling in love” our arrange bushels of apples to crate an event that celebrates “picking” the perfect spouse. However, even if you don’t pick specific theme, rustic decorations will still provide a subtle seasonal touch. Create your centerpiece from pumpkins, use mason jars as glasses, or use hay bales to give other decorations height.

Image Via: Style Me Pretty

Serve Seasonal Favorites:

Since showers are an occasion for celebration, the food should be especially exciting. Forgo the standard finger sandwiches in favor of seasonal favorites that your guests – and bride – will truly love. Serve up a hearty lunch in the form of a make-your-own chili bar that features tons of toppings. Mix a sparkling apple cider cocktail that’s perfectly sweet and tart. For dessert, does it get any sweeter than pumpkin cookies?

Image Via: The Wedding Chix

Match Games To The Theme:

Bridal showers and silly games go hand-in-hand. But, instead of playing the same old games that show up at every event, why not take the time to tailor them to the theme? If you’re playing a wedding-themed bingo game, you could print of pages in the shape of a pumpkin. Those hosting a personalized version of the newlywed game can offer Halloween candy as prizes.

Image Via: The Perfect Palette

Embrace Homemade Favors:

When it comes to how to thank your guests, don’t be afraid to skip the store bought goodies and go for DIY favors. Not only will homemade favors fit in well with your rustic theme, but they also will add a special, personal touch to the whole affair. Remember, favors don’t have to be a big deal. It’s just something simple to show appreciation for your guests. Construct caramel apple kits like the ones above, bake off mixed nuts that have been tossed in pumpkin pie spice, or even pots some small mums. Your loved ones will notice the extra effort.

Image Via: Keep Life Whimsical

Throwing bridal showers shouldn’t be difficult. Keep in mind that they are meant be simple-yet-elegant affairs that offer a chance for the bride’s family and friends to celebrate her happiness. As for how to achieve that simplicity, go seasonal. Fall offers plenty of inspiration to help you throw an affordable shower that still looks top shelf. Don’t believe us? Check out our wedding tips before you plan your fall bridal shower and we guarantee you’ll be on board.

For more wedding ideas, check out Stagetecture’s archives.

 Summer Wedding Favor Ideas for your Guests

Image Via: Belle Chic

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Picture Frames and Personal Momentos

Picture frames are useful and charming at the same time. They are among the most versatile wedding favors. They make great placeholders as they show guests where to sit. You can include a photo of your engagement, a creative poem, or a thank-you note. Choose picture frames with unique summer embellishments like seashells, flowers, or bright hues. If you are having a summer beach theme, why not send your guests home with memories from the coastal life?

Image via: Flickr

Personalized Honey Jars

If you want to add a little flair to your wedding, give your guests honey jars. The favors can also double as unique reception décor. They are useful items your guests will use time and again. You can fill them with honey, your favorite candy, or wedding treats that match your wedding theme. Some stores sell honey jars with self-sticking labels you can customize.

Image via: Camille Styles

Stemless Wine Glasses

Give your guests stemless wine glasses to help them remember you every time they sip their favorite drink. Choose high-quality glasses made of crystal clear glass and apply your unique design. You can pick your favorite icon and one of your wedding theme colors and create a special message for the guests. You can also use the glasses to create a lovely centerpiece at the reception and fill them with colorful candy. Your guests will enjoy making toasts without worrying about broken stems or tipping glasses.

Image Via: Beau-Coup

Summer weddings are perfect. They are enhanced by the beautiful outdoors and the spectacular weather. If you want to have a memorable summer wedding, give your guests the above wedding favors. They are practical, useful and reflect the season. Additionally, your guests will know you had them in mind when you were choosing the favors.

Can you think of any other summer wedding favors to add to the collection?

How to Plan the Perfect Destination Wedding

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Plan ahead

The key to planning a successful destination wedding is to plan ahead-far ahead. Although, it has its perks, traveling to another land for wedding does require a lot of advance planning for the couple as well as guests. Consider booking your venue around 18 months before the big day. Also, make sure to send out ‘Save the Date’ cards with airport, hotel and other important information as early as possible so that your guests can plan their annual leave accordingly.

Location

Image via: Denver-weddings

While it’s important to pick a destination that’s romantic and meaningful to your relationship, it’s equally important to zero down on the location that is convenient for your guests. Factors like travel time and likely costs should be taken into consideration as there is no point inviting your loved ones to the blessed event if it’s going to be too expensive or difficult for them to get there.

Weather research

A romantic ceremony on a sandy beach can quickly turn sour when a hurricane shows up unannounced. So, to keep your guests from running for shelter, research thoroughly about weather patterns before booking anything. Also, make sure to purchase travel insurance.

Image via: Pinterest

Get local help

Planning a wedding in your home town can be stressful enough so don’t think that planning it in a foreign land will be any easier. Limited knowledge of the area and language barriers often turns to be real stumbling blocks for couples. So hire a professional wedding planner who will have the experience and resources to get the job done faster and with more assurance than any average bride.

Overall, when it comes to hosting an event away from home, it’s bound to seem a bit complicated. So follow these tips to simplify the process and have a destination wedding of your dreams.

For more wedding planning ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Setting up a wedding registry is very exciting. How many other times in life do you get to choose gifts that you want? However, the process of setting up the registry can be daunting. Use these wedding tips to help set up a registry that will be simple for your guests and incredibly satisfying for you and your love.

Wedding Tips: How to Pick your Registry Items

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Take an Inventory:

Go into this registry process with a good feel for what household items you already own. Take a few minutes to clean out those cupboards and decide what items are definitely still useful, could stand to be replace, or you’d like to add to your repertoire for the first time. This step is particularly key if you and your soon-to-be-spouse have never lived together before and are bringing double the amount of stuff into your shared home.

 Image Via: Macy’s

Keep Variety in Mind:

Odds are that there is a diverse group of people coming to your wedding. You’ll want to keep that diversity in mind when it comes time to set up your registry. Aim to register at three or four stores, so that your guests have options on where to do there shopping. A popular method is to go to one store for kitchenware, another for bedding, etc. Make sure that at least one of the places has an online registry option for people who are unable to physically travel to the store. Wherever you choose, be aware of the logistics surrounding the registry – how your guests will be able to access it and how long it will be active. Remember, conventional wisdom states that your guests have up to one year after your wedding to deliver their gift. 

Image Via: Wedding Channel

Balance is Key:

When you’re in the middle of registering for your gifts, it’s easy to get sidetracked by flashy, specialty use items. That waffle iron may sound like a must-have right now, but in all likelihood it will spend most of its time gathering dust in the back of your cabinet. Try to keep a level head amid all the options and stick mostly to items that you know will get a considerable amount of use, with a few just-for-fun picks mixed in.

Another registry detail that requires balance is price. You’ll want to have a sliding scale of price tags from crystal stemware to a sensible set of dishtowels. While your guests are so excited to help you celebrate your special day, they’ll appreciate being able to do so within their budget.

 Image via: Pinterest

Think Outside the Box:

What if you and your fiancé(e) are more established than the traditional engaged couple? If you don’t need new housewares, consider a nontraditional registry. There are online options that will let your guests give a monetary gift towards your honeymoon or a donation to your favorite charity. However, in addition to choosing to this method, you may one to offer at least one standard registry option for the traditionalists on your guest list.

Above everything else, the most important thing to consider when creating a registry is your happiness as a couple. After all, the two of you will be using these gifts for a very long time. But, by using wedding tips will ensure that your registry is a good fit for everyone involved.

For more wedding tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Having beautiful flowers at the wedding is traditionally essential. But they are very costly and can be a problem for any wedding’s budget. There are however a few things that can cut the cost of flower decorations, without cutting the overall appeal of the wedding. Here are some ways to save your money on wedding flowers.

Wedding Flowers: Saving Money in your Wedding Planning

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Choose Flowers that are in Season

Flowers are mostly seasonal dependent items. Although one can nowadays find anything at any time, buying out of season flowers can be a quite unbearable expense. The best way to find out what is seasonal is to consult your florist. He will be able to explain all alternatives to you and provide valuable information.

Use Non-Traditional Elements

It really has not to be always traditional flowers. There are so many beautiful items that can provide wonderful effects. Using fruits, branches, succulents or herbs can add fragrance and beauty to any wedding décor.

If using some expensive flowers is a dream that has to come true, try making arrangements that use only a few flowers as highlights, while the rest of the arrangement consists of beautiful greenery.

Image via: Ruffled

Also, using single blossom flowers in amazing vessels can keep the costs down, since you don’t pay only the flowers, but the work of the florist, also. Buy your vessels in bulk to save money. These vessels can be used later in your home, or give them away as favors.

Give Artificial Flowers a Chance

Artificial flowers can look beautiful and few would know the difference. Choose beautiful silk flowers that will last through time. Hanging fake flower arrangements from height over the tables or inside lanterns will make it near to impossible for others to know that they are in fact not real.

Image via: Etsy

Do Thorough Research on Wedding Flowers

Fancy main street florist may look fabulous, but your neighborhood florist can often make the same amazing job with less money. Research the prizes well and look also on the internet. You might find a great deal on there, especially if you’d pick premade flower arrangements.

Single flowers can be found with better prices if you buy them right from the source. Try to find flower farms near you that sell to the public.

Image via: Homedit

Wedding planning is not an easy task and glowers are a wonderful way to create a fresh and colorful ambience. However try not to overdo it, since you don’t want to take away the focus from the bride and groom.

After the wedding, think about donating the flowers to an institution to spread some cheer, like a nearby hospital or senior center.

For more wedding flower ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Do you have a challenge deciding on how to thank your guests with wedding favor ideas? Worry no more. There are a number of options that you can create and design for your own wedding. With do-it-yourself wedding favors, you can be sure that your guests will appreciate your efforts and the personal touch attached to them.

Creative Wedding Favor Ideas to Thank your Guests

Image via: MSLiving

Wedding favors depend primarily on your wedding theme or motif. This is basically something that your guests will remember you as a couple who exchanges vows on that day. More often than not, wedding favors are representations of the love you shared with your lifetime partner. To provide you with some options, here are a few creative wedding favor ideas:

Retro wedding favors:

If you’re planning to have a retro wedding theme, this wedding favor is a perfect option. You just need the capsule storage and fill them with lots of retro-colored goodies. This is an old-school item that your guests will definitely acknowledge. Then, complete the packaging with a monogrammed label with the retro color of your choice.

Image via: Real Simple

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Treat a regional delicacy

A hometown favorite delicacy will make your guests feel the warm welcome. It will also remind them about your wedding day whenever they have some at any time. For this wedding favor, you need to place them in a nice packaging like a gift box with a lace. The goodies should be wrapped in a way that will manifest your wedding motif.

Image via: Pinterest

Give a personalized flash drive

What better way to store memory than a flash drive. Consider this option seriously as this will not only provide a storage capacity for your guests to store their files, but to remember your wedding day as well. Unlike goodies that will be consumed in time, a flash drive can go a long way. To give it a personal touch, you can have your message attached in a string with paper. You can also engrave your message, if you want.

Image via: Katelyn James Photography

These are just a few creative wedding favor ideas that you can choose from. Enjoy your wedding day and make sure that everyone will remember the passion and love you have with your lifetime partner.

For more creative wedding favor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Planning a wedding can get overwhelming. After all, there are so many decisions to be made. However, the pressure is even more intense if you two are working under a tight budget. But don’t despair – with a little forethought and planning, it’s completely possible to throw a top-notch affair with out breaking the bank. Use these  wedding budget tips to help keep your finances on track.

 Budget Wedding Tips for a Memorable Event

Image Via: It’s a Bride’s Life

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Prioritize Costs:

When you sit down to start planning your wedding, it can be surprising how many small details go into putting together a wedding celebration – save the date cards, decorations for the venue, favors for the guests, transpiration. Combined, all of these expenses can add up to cost a pretty penny, but there’s no rule that says every wedding has to have them all. Sit down with your partner and make a list of the potential costs or find a pre-made list online. Then, sit down together and decide which areas are most important for you to spend on, whether it’s the perfect venue or an open bar for the reception. That way, as you start planning, you’ll be on the same page on when to splurge on big-ticket items and when to look for a steal.

Sign Up for Savings:

Nowadays, it seems like every store offers the chance to sign up for their online newsletter. However, once you sign up, those emails get ignored or lodged into the dark, dusty corners of your spam folder, which is unfortunate because those newsletters often offer secret savings through coupon codes. If you’re planning a wedding on a budget and have your heart set on specific items, sign up for the store’s mailing list. Then, pay attention to when sales come up. To keep your inbox from getting too crowded, consider dedicating a different email address to wedding-related messages.

Image via: One Fab Day

Call in Connections:

One of the easiest ways to save money on a wedding is to call in favors from family and friends. Your mom’s friend who’s been cutting your hair since you were four? She’d be happy to do your hair and makeup as a wedding present. Your cousin who just graduated from art school? He’ll jump at the chance to take your wedding photos and add them to his portfolio. Don’t just use your network either. Be open about the fact that your working under a tight budget and don’t be afraid to tell your family and friends what you’re looking you. You never know who has a friend of a friend who will be able to offer you services for a steal.

Image via: Style Me Pretty

Be Flexible for a Deal:

If you two have your hearts set on a particular item that’s out of your price range, see if you can get it at a discount by thinking a bit outside the box. If it’s a venue that you’re after, keep in mind that Saturday night is the most popular night to hold a wedding, so prices will be at a premium. However, the venue may be willing to cut you a deal if you rent the space out on a Sunday afternoon. Consider an off-season ceremony. Alternatively, see if they offer an all-in-one price to use the same area for the ceremony and reception. If a the designer dress that you’re after, consider buying a sample gown off the floor or looking online for a gown on sale from a few seasons ago. Whatever the item, don’t hesitate to ask the retailer about the ways in which they offer discounts.

Image Via: Pinerly 

Embrace DIY:

A large portion of the money spent on weddings goes toward labor costs. If you are not afraid of hard work, you can save by doing the some things on your own. Printers charge to assemble invitations, but you can cut down on costs by putting together the envelopes at home. Opt for centerpieces and wedding favors that can be put together far ahead of time. You could even invite family and friends over for an assembly party to help you get the work done fast. Just make sure to stick to a schedule, so that everything gets done with plenty of time to spare.

A small budget should not keep you from having the wedding that you’ve always dreamed about. If you plan ahead and make the most of your funds, it’s entirely possible to have an amazing affair. Use these budget wedding tips to help you get started. But, if you have a hot tip, feel free to share it in the comments. At Stagetecture, we love to hear what you have to say.

For more wedding budget tips on Stagetecture, click here.