Thursday, June 18, 2009

Vogue's Budget Savvy Wedding Tips


I believe June officially kicks off wedding season, and this month's issue of Vogue has a great run down on how to make your nuptials personal, where to splurge and where to save, and generally good ideas for anyone planning (or paying for) a wedding. This is the perfect thing to tear out and add to the binder. The key to these events, regardless of how large or small, is to make it intimate and personal for everyone involved. Sorry to deflate your tires boys, but you are the last piece of the puzzle.

Click here to read about a couple who did it right!

1- The Planning: Be you own wedding planner by documenting things you love and creating a binder or journal. (Yes! The binder idea gets the gold star for the day!)

2- The Ring: Shoot for something simple. I have seen some of the most inventive and unique engagement ring/wedding band combinations, and let me tell you, bigger is not always better. Be unique and let your personality come through.

3- The Theme: Set a dress code (black and white, masquerade, trailer-trash, etc.) and let your guests become part of the backdrop. This cuts down on money spent on decor and will make for wonderful photographs (and is an easy way for guests from different sides of the aisle to start a conversation).

4- The Location: To avoid the insane cost of renting spaces for the ceremony and reception, find a friend or family member who has a fabulous house, second house, field, barn, whatever and ask if the ceremony or reception can be held there.

5- The Invitation: The internet is your best friend here. I love the site FineStationary.com. Face it, most of your invitations are going to get dumped in the garbage after your event so spend with caution.

6- The Registry: Not everyone has the same budget for wedding gifts so make sure you register for things on both ends of the price spectrum. And, if you have a destination wedding, your guests' presence should be your present.

7- The Dress: One need not spend thousands of dollars on a dress to wear once. J. Crew has lovely wedding dresses, consignment shops now feel super-luxe (a favorite is White Chicago), and you can always find an amazing dress in a shade of white. All you need is a good tailor to make a dress from any random place look amazing for your red carpet moment.

8- The "Something Borrowed": Anything can be borrowed---Mom's dress, the getaway car, Grandma's heirloom jewelry, vases for flowers, etc.

9- Decoration: Incorporate potted plants into the decor and have guests take them home to plant or pot. Doubles as decor and a nice party favor for guests....may be hard to get a rose bush on the plane, though.

10- The Bouquets & Flowers: Splurge on the bridal bouquet since it is in every pic, but save on the bridesmaids' bouquets by using petite arrangements with seasonal flowers. For centerpieces, long-lasting and seasonal are key. This way they can be used throughout the weekend, and they will still look fab.

11- Personal Touches: Ask a friend with great handwriting to do the placecards, a music buff to create a playlist for cocktail hour, your professional swing dancing cousin to perform during the reception, etc.

12- The Music: An iPod is key. The days of a DJ showing up with a bunch of records, CD's or anything in non-digital format are over. You can either make up playlists for cocktail hour, dinner, and the reception or kick yourself for paying someone to sit in front of a computer and start the "Generic Wedding Music" playlist.

13- The Menu: Sit down dinner is really the classiest way to go. Who wants to feel like they are at an all-you-can-eat buffet at the Golden Corral? Serve only one course: a main (and a meat-free alternative if needed) and do family-style sides for the table.

14- The Cake: If you are a baking maven you can always DIY the cake....or for those of us who are less inclined to tackle that, a fun idea is doing cupcakes in very sophisticated flavors and decoration.

15- The Send-Off: Be realistic...no one wants a CD of your favorite love songs. Treat them with baked goods for the morning after or a late-night snack box to nibble on when they get home or back to their hotel.

16- The Honeymoon: My first inclination is to use all the money you have saved and go on a completely memorable adventure, i.e. African Safari. It is really whatever floats your boat.

Spend your wedding having fun and creating memories...not worrying about how much you spend creating said memories.

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