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Please forgive the broken tabs and ripped pages as we work to make this blog a little better! All About Weddings will be going through a little makeover these next couple weeks so as my college roommate would say, keep your fork; the best is yet to come!

Tissue Flower Mania

Thanks to our friendly neighborhood pinterest, tissue paper has seen more than just birthdays and holidays this year. If you want a fun but elegant diy project for your wedding then tissue paper flowers are the way to go. 

There are so many different types and styles of tissue flowers that you will be sure to find something that sparks your interest. Whether it's flower balls, centerpieces, or even the bouquets, these flowers make a great addition to any wedding. 

Pinterest is filled with tutorials for every kind of flower so carve out some time, get your computer, grab some tissue paper and scissors and get to it! 

  

Do's and Don'ts for a Holiday Wedding

            If you’ve been into Hobby Lobby in the last, oh 3 months, you’ll see that Christmas is slowly sneaking up on us. Granted, the wonderful HobLob is a little quick on the draw when it comes to the holiday but it did get me thinking. Christmas is at this very second 103 days, 4 hours, 26 minutes, and 10 seconds away. That means that any holiday weddings are within 100 days (give or take a day or two). That’s soon in wedding world! You’re preliminary to-do check list should have a lot crossed of by now.

            One of the great things about holiday weddings is the decorations. Everyone loves Christmas decorations. Even if they say they don’t, in their heart of hearts they secretly do,

i.e. The Grinch. Why waste all those glittering bulbs and crystals? Throw them in a vase, wrap some lights around ‘em and voila- you’ve got yourself some wedding decorations.

           

            There are two different ways you can use Christmas decorations at your wedding- the classy way, and the trashy way. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to see Santa at your wedding. I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, or how much you love him, Santa is not invited to your wedding.

Another thing to watch out for is overdoing it. Even though it’s during the holiday season, this is still a wedding. You want it to look up-scale and elegant so keep it simple.

Here are a few Do's and Don'ts to think about when planning a holiday wedding:

Do show a pop or red

      

Don't go all red

Don't use ornaments as favors

Do use ornaments as name cards 

Don't be too Christmasy 

Do use Christmas bulbs in your decorating

Don't do plaid red bridesmaid dresses

Do have an adorable red flower girl dress

Don't go crazy on the Christmas cake

Do use winter themes on your cake

Don't do Santa!

Do use greenery with candles for a warm winter feel. 

10 ways to save when planning your wedding.

1.      Set a detailed budget for your entire wedding. You must must must have an actual number – if you don’t, you will end up spending more. Once you have that number, create categories and start divvying up the cash (i.e. decorations, flowers, dress, gifts, ect). Think through every aspect of your wedding so you don’t forget anything. Little things like thank you notes, hairspray, and guest book pens can easily slip past even the most budget conscious bride. Write everything down. The biggest lie a bride will tell herself is “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember.”

2.      Always be prepared. Ok so this one’s a Boy Scout motto but it still applies! Whenever you’re out picking up milk or socks or whatever, always take time to peruse the clearance isle. You never know when the perfect vase or tablecloth will drop in price.

3.      Have an IDEA for decorations. Know the overall look you would like to have with your decorations but don’t get hung up on specifics. If you are only looking for a certain vase (and you need 30 of them), you will most likely end up spending more money than you would prefer. Sometimes a simple change in brand or shape can help you save.

4.      Make your own invitation. For those of you who aren’t super crafty, this may seem like a lot; it’s not. Stores like Michaels, Target, Hobby Lobby, and even Wal-Mart have packets for printing your own invitations. You’ve looked into these you say? And they’re expensive you say? Refer back to #2- always be prepared! It’s true, sometimes these packets can be up to $50 a piece. And when you need 5 or 6 packets, that’s not so cheap. However, if you take to time to scout out the stores, you’ll see that those packets go on sale frequently- sometimes up to 90% off. Or, if you’re really confident, skip the prepackaged invitations and simply design it yourself on your computer. There are also a lot of websites that all you need to do is type out your information and they will print everything for you.

5.      Plan an afternoon wedding. This one is going to save you a lot. Having and afternoon wedding means your guests will not be expecting and entire meal at the reception. This opens up a whole new realm of savings when it comes to food. Hors d’oeuvres and cake, candy buffet, popcorn bar, cup cakes, the possibilities are endless.

6.      Use flowers that are in season. I’m not saying to scrap you’re favorite flowers all together if they’re not in season. But using seasonal flowers as fillers can save a lot of money in the long run. After choosing what flowers you want, research the flowers that will be in season at the time of your wedding and dream away. You might even luck out and find your favorites will be at their cheapest on your wedding date. Also, if you use only one type of flower, you’ll save because you’re florist will only need to make one bulk order instead of multiple orders.

7.      Find the wedding dress sales. Research your local bridal salons and figure out when their sale dates are. Sample sales can save you up to 70% on a wedding gown, veil, and shoes. And don’t bypass the bigger bridal stores just because they’re bigger- larger companies can offer better discounts.

8.      Have and off peak wedding. If possible, plan a November, January, February (not the 14^th) or March wedding. When there’s less competition for dates, you have an advantage in price negotiations. Often times venues and vendors will reduce the price up to 30% during off peak times.

9.      Add the finishing touches to your cake yourself. Or have your personal assistant do it. The cost of a wedding cake is all about labor. The more sugar flowers and flowing lace fondant, the more expensive you’re cake is going to be. By ordering a simple cake and adding your own lace, satin, or flowers, you’ll definitely save. Or you could have a smaller more decadent cake for cutting and a sheet cake in the kitchen for serving.

10.  Serve signature cocktails. Depending on your beliefs and preferences, this may not even be an issue. But, if it is a part of your wedding, alcohol is where weddings tend to hemorrhage money. Most reception sites charge for every opened bottle, empty or not. Offer a limited bar, or a signature cocktail to cut down on cost. Or skip the drinks altogether and simply provide champagne for toasts. 

Revenge of the Carnation

            Carnations have been given a bad reputation over the last few years. I always classified them as the Wal-Mart of flowers. There was no rhyme or reason for my prejudice except that I always heard they were the cheap flowers. I’m not sure why that made a difference to me since my whole shopping life has been built around finding the cheapest deal!

            I wanted to write a piece on centerpieces but after researching (ahem, pinterest), I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful carnation arraignments. So I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to show another way to save money- go with carnations! Whether they’re splashed between roses or set apart to shine on their own, carnations are making a stunning comeback.

            

These boots were made for walkin'

Rustic weddings are all the buzz these days. Boots are such a fun idea for any wedding but especially fun when paired with lace.

Baby it's cold outside

Ok so it's not actually cold outside right now, in fact it's the exact opposite were I sit. But, the cold is coming! And so are a few more engagement rings. Fall seems to be one of the best times to get engagement pictures taken. You're not dropping from the heat, you have beautiful colors all around you, and you can pick pretty much any outfit. However, sometimes fall doesn't always work times wise.

But don't be discouraged if the best time for you and your special guy to have an engagement shoot is after the snow falls! This couple shows how beautiful a little snow can be.

He put a ring on it

From the moment you got engaged it’s been about the ring. You probably dreamt about it, imagined what it would be like to have that sparkling diamond on your finger, and just about hyperventilated when you finally received it.

 

After you have chosen a photographer, make sure they know you want a few fun shots of that ring (oh yeah, his can be in there too). I’m not talking about the classic hands in the flower shots – not that those are bad, just a little old school. You want to be able to see the details in that ring, no matter how big or small, this is your ring!

Most photographers will already know that this is a key shot they need to take, but just in case, make sure you let them know it’s important to you. Maybe it won’t be the picture you get printed on a 30x40 canvas but who knows, if it’s cool enough, maybe you will!