Cheap and Easy Ideas (tussie-mussie) for Your Wedding Reception

September 23rd, 2008 admin Posted in flowers |

By Dee Power

Are you getting married, but find it necessary to stay within a certain budget? Don’t worry; you can still have a wonderful wedding reception, without spending a great deal of money. It’s probably easier than you think to have a fabulous wedding on a shoestring budget.

Weather permitting one of the least expensive ways to save money on your reception is to have it in your own backyard: or in a backyard you have ‘borrowed’ from a friend or family member. This option works best for small, intimate, receptions. In any case have an alternative rainy day location chosen. It could be the living room or first floor of your house. You may still need to rent a tarp or covering so your guests aren’t wilting in the sun.

If your reception will be on a larger scale, consider having it at a local park. Pavilions can usually be rented at a very reasonable cost. Many parks have additional facilities such as beaches and play areas, as well. (This type of amenity will be appreciated by the younger guests, in attendance.) Send an advanced group to scout the area for papers, trash, and dog droppings. Folding chairs can be rented so your guests will be comfortable while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

If you plan on decorating with flowers, use those that are in season. Many grocery stores now have lovely floral departments. Talk with the floral manager to see what bouquets she or he is ordering that are in your color scheme. Reserve the bouquets by prepaying for them. A good size bouquet is usually around $10 to $12 that’s far less expensive than an arrangement from the florist. Shop good will stores for glass vases. Use inexpensive candles as the main focal point and the flowers as more of an accent. Doing so will save you money.

(You can easily ‘jazz up’ inexpensive glass candle holders with ribbon and other small embellishments that match your color scheme. These candles can even be given away as wedding favors, at the end of the reception.)

Food doesn’t have to be a huge expense, if you don’t want it to be. Ask your closest friends and family members to bring a dish to pass. You will find that they are usually more than willing to do so.

Another option is to serve several different desserts and beverages, instead of a large meal. The desserts can be purchased from a bakery or your local grocery store. Ask a friend to cut the desserts into serving slices and then store until the wedding. Individual mini tarts, cookies, cupcakes, are other alternatives.

Have the wedding of your dreams on a shoestring budget.

More tips in the free ebook, Weddings on a Shoestring Budget. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Read her wedding blog More wedding reception ideas

How to Save Money on Wedding Flowers
By Dee Power

One of the most important aspects of a beautiful wedding is the flowers. Depending on the bride’s final choice, they can be quite expensive. Fortunately, there are ways to save money on this expense and still create a lovely atmosphere. Here’s the answer to how to have your wedding on a shoestring budget and save money on wedding flowers.

One of the best ways to save money on flowers, for a wedding, is to choose those that are in season. It should be quite obvious that because they are readily available, the cost will be less. Seasonal flowers usually reflect the colors of the season as well. Pastels are spring, primary colors are summer, gold, red, and purple are fall, and red, and white are winter. Carnations, roses, chrysanthemums are available all year long at budget prices.

Flowers can be ordered online at near wholesale prices. Keep in mind most wholesalers sell the flowers in a tightly budded stage so allow a few days for the flowers to open in a warm and light area. The flowers have to be kept watered of course so find an assortment of buckets you can use.

Choosing an outdoor location will sometimes enable a couple to save money on flowers, for this joyous occasion. Depending on the specific location, natural flowers and foliage may well be an added perk. (Hint: many botanical gardens allow weddings to take place on their premises.)

Smaller weddings usually require less pomp and circumstance. A relatively compact location and fewer guests can mean the need for fewer flowers and other decorations.

Instead of cut flowers, use potted plants. Plants such as African violets and even cacti (for western themed weddings) can be dug up and potted, specifically for the occasion. Afterwards they can be used to decorate the home. If you’re planning a spring or summer wedding, consider buying flowering plants from a plant nursery. Or from a big box store like home depot. The choices and colors available are staggering.

Choose a bridal bouquet that is held together with ribbon, as opposed to being hand wired. This will save money because it is less time consuming to create. Another alternative is to choose an exotic bloom like orchids or calla lilies and carry just one stem or spray.

It is important to note that ALL flowers will cost more during the Valentine’s Day season and the week preceding Mother’s Day.

Another way to save money on wedding flowers is to use candles as a focal point. This is a good choice when more expensive flowers will be purchased: fewer flowers are needed. Ribbons and bows can be used to replace flowers as well.

Keep these ideas in mind and you’ll know how to save money on your wedding flowers.

More tips in the free ebook, Weddings on a Shoestring Budget. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Read her wedding blog More wedding reception ideas

Affordable Bridal Bouquet Ideas
By Roberto Garabelli

Bouquets can be very costly; in fact you may find yourself spending a large amount of your wedding budget on the bridal bouquet, as well as the brides maids bouquets. There is no doubt that wedding flowers are as necessary as they are beautiful, but you also have to keep an eye on your cost.

Some tips for bridal bouquet ideas that are also inexpensive include, the hand tied bouquet. These bouquets are beautiful, though they are only about half the price of many other bridal bouquets. With this type of bouquet, the flowers are arranged and then tied with floral tape, and frequently ribbon is attached and arranged so that it streams down past the hands. This is one of the bridal bouquet ideas that allow you the elegance of a flower arrangement, at only half of the cost.

For other bridal bouquet ideas that are inexpensive you may want to consider using the single stem rose, tied with ribbon. This is not only dramatic, but also elegant, and can actually work well with a formal themed wedding. You can often get these at a very reasonable price, as it involves fewer flowers, but if you would like more flowers in your bouquet you can increase it to two or three stem roses.

If you are looking for bridal bouquet ideas that dont skimp on the flowers, but are still inexpensive, you may want to consider sticking with flowers that are in season during the time of your wedding. You will likely be able to find flowers that are much less expensive this way, as they can be grown locally.

There are also many bridal bouquet ideas that make use of silk flowers, which can also be very inexpensive. You can have these professionally made, or buy the silk flowers and make them yourself. It is amazing how much money you can save by doing this, but if you really dont want to use all silk flowers for your wedding, you can always use a combination.

Silk flowers are really just as good-looking as real flowers, and they are much more durable. You can order them months ahead of time, and theyll look as fresh as the day they were made; plus you can have the more expensive bouquet arrangement when you use silk flowers for some of your bridal bouquet ideas.

If you look around at your options, you will be sure to find several inexpensive bridal bouquet ideas, and one of them are bound to work well for your needs.