photo credit: Mike Miley

Honestly, even though the average wedding budget today, exceeds $20,000, what do you really have to have to get married? Well, first and foremost, you need the person who is going to marry you. Secondly, you need an Officiate. And last but not least, you need witnesses. Just that will get you married. But I’m sure, when you are dealing with a budget, that’s the last thing you want to hear. And probably another thing you don’t want to hear is that your guests really would love to have cheap personalized wedding favors.

First problem people have is that they have a pre-conceived idea of what they want and not what they can achieve with their budget. Don’t begin by making a list of all the items and pretty extras that you have to have. Start with the basics and then build from there.

Make a list of the people you absolutely “have” to invite. Bring it down to just your immediate family and close friends and relatives if you have to. And a very novel idea is to have two celebrations. Have one on the exact day of your wedding and another one as a house-warming, wedding party which someone can give you “after” your married. This is becoming very popular and everyone understands. More than likely, they’ve been in this same situation. And some people even do this for their Bridal Showers and they then give their guests bridal shower favors.

Another important idea is to read forums. The ideas that exist on them are endless. You’ll “talk” with people who are in the same financial situation and have amazing ideas to help you. Thousands of dollars can be saved with just a few money-saving ideas you get from making these new friends.

Lastly, decide what you can do yourself, or have friends do for you. For example, a friend, as a wedding gift, can be the photographer for the day. Another can be the videographer. Instead of a sit-down dinner, have a buffet or even hors d’oeuvres and desserts only. Borrow your wedding gown or even rent one. Use balloons instead of flowers and buy a “how to” book on how to make balloon arches, etc.

The saying, “where there’s a will, there’s a way” is very true. If you sit down with your future spouse, family and friends and explain the situation, everyone will help. Just remember, because you have a strict budget does not mean that you will not have a beautiful wedding. Some of the most touching, precious moments I can remember were at weddings which cost very little money. And anyway, what is more important is your new life ahead, not that one day. Learn to work with what you have and it will be beautiful.

photo credit: mpeterke

Here are some tips and advice to help the speech go well and be remembered positively by everyone..

Don’t go over the top.  The shorter it is the less time you have to say something silly, make a fool of yourself or have to remember a million little things. You need to be sincere and sound gracious then just say what you need to, that’s all you need to do. If you want to give a long heartfelt message that is fine but know that the longer it is the more people you will lose as their attention spans will lessen and they will begin drifting off losing the second half of whatever you have to say.

Write it on note cards.  You don’t need to have the whole speech with you but note cards will help you remember the main points and ensure you don’t get lost. Write some key points on note cards and have these with you so you can look at them right before your speech or refer to them as you speak if you need to.

Plan Early.  Your speech will be best done early at the reception such as after your first dance or just after the grand entrance. Anytime before or at the start of the meal so everyone will be paying attention and the welcome message still makes sense.

Use a Mirror to Practice.  If you know what you’re going to say ahead of time then practice so you can be as comfortable as possible. Stand in front of a mirror and talk to the mirror with a fake microphone in your hand like you will on your wedding day. If you are confident and relaxed then it will be easy to deliver a stunning speech.

photo credit: Torsten Mangner

Don’t list people’s names.  It is only normal that their will be special people to mention, from your life and for planning the wedding, it is right that you single them out. But listing person after person will become boring and repetitive, it will even make the mention less special for those mentioned. You aren’t Halle Berry thanking everyone from her dry cleaner to her dog groomer at the Oscars.

Speak slowly.  Don’t rush your speech too much because no one will be able to understand you. Slowing down your speech will help you think about what your saying next and ensure you are understood.

Read more about wedding toasts here or read our blog to help your wedding planning!

photo credit: supa_pedro

* The Drunk. During the wedding reception he makes a fool of himself, harassing guests, and worse gives a horrifying groomsman toast. Good you didn’t’ get married by the poolside; the drunk might have slipped and accidentally pushed you to the pool; wedding gown and all. What a calamity!

* The Fearless Groper. This obnoxious fool gets the itch when sloshed. No amount of polite explaining can sober him up so watch the guests file out if you can’t control him or throw him out. Well, he was charming during the wedding ritual until he got hold of his TLiquor Flask. So that was it.

* The Whiner. He does nothing but complain. You dread distributing the Gifts for Groomsmen lest you hear him carping about the identical Golf Gifts. Serves you well too for being too lazy to shop for personalized gifts.

* The Slob. You can’t stand his ragged pants, creased shirt, and messy hair. He picks his teeth with his fingers not caring if you’re there and he drops his cigarette butts everywhere. His sloppiness is grating on your nerves. It’s a good thing though he’s rooming with the groom or you’d really freak out.

* The Lousy Braggart. He does nothing butbroast about his new car and his dazzling broad. He makes sure too everybody hears how much he spent for his fiancee’s engagement ring and he keeps going on until your ears are sore. Makes you wonder what your groom saw in him.

It is so maddening you can’t toss these guys out of the house so you grin and bear them. It’s a good thing though that they’ll be leaving after the wedding reception. But what if there’s a freeloader lurking? That’s BIG trouble.
Is your sister tying the knot too? Better fill her in. She must quiz her groom about his groomsmen. If there’s a tip-off she will be meeting one of these wackos soon, encourage her to be candid about her fears. Her groom might have second thoughts then but that would be unlikely so prep her up to deal with these insufferable groomsmen.

The Best Damn Wedding Planner: The Must Have Guide For Anyone Planning A Wedding

Initially what this type of planner asks is about how much the couple wants to spend on their wedding. That figure includes everything except the rings, gown, honeymoon and your wedding favors. They also will ask how many guests will be at the reception. Be careful here. If you guarantee 150 guests and 120 show up, you’re still going to pay for 150 guests! And considering that up to 10% of guests don’t show up on your wedding day as it is, you are paying for lots of empty chairs!

When you get involved with an All Inclusive Wedding, there usually are several venues to choose from. More than likely you will visit each of them and then choose which one is the best for your particular wedding. Now you’re getting excited…but beware…this is when it begins.

After choosing the venue that you absolutely love and you start to make decisions with the wedding planner, the cost/product/venue breakdown is then sent to the future bride and groom. The budget is exactly figured to the amount the couple told the planner that they can spend, but there are usually some issues. This All Inclusive Wedding was to include everything but for the exceptions. Included was the cocktail hour, dinner, band, flowers, photography, videography, invitations, wedding favors, limos, etc. all for the budgeted amount and still it did not include any unique wedding favors.

The Artful Bride: Wedding Favors and Decorations: A Stylish Bride’s Guide to Simple, Handmade Wedding Crafts

Well, do you know what usually happens when the couple receives their specific breakdown? There are omissions everywhere. This is normally shocking, but now you are involved and don’t want to start again, so you speak to the planner and try to negotiate. How do you stop this from happening? When you are in the process of planning an All Inclusive Wedding, right from the beginning you have to have in writing what is included for the price you gave them. And yes, they are very good at making things fit your budget, but then you end up eliminating some things that are important to you. For example, there are only 3 members in the band, there is no appetizer at dinner, very slim amount of flowers, a Town Car not a limo, etc. I remember one wedding where they asked the planner to just throw in some cheap wedding favors and she wouldn’t even do that!

My advice to you, is to be very careful when using this type of planner. Better yet, work with someone you know, or do it yourself and get the aid of a planning consultant that will help you in areas such as buying products from you at wholesale. Unless cost is not a problem for you, you want to be very careful when you bump into this type of planner. Remember, don’t jump into anything too quickly. Search for the best deal with your budget and with those you want to work with. The term All Inclusive Wedding many times can mean nothing more than adding a middle man, which is going to cost you more money in the end.

Wedding are a very personal affair which are embossed on our intellect all our lives. Regarding this it becomes very significant that we if preferred go that extra mile in order to make our wedding as magical as we had always dreamed it to be. What makes a wedding really special are the astonishing moments which are emotionally involved with it and an integral part of the same is your wedding dress. However, a wedding dress is a considerable investment that can actually cost a fortune. Fortunately , there are several thoughts to find beautiful inexpensive wedding dresses too. This is a truly good idea as by spending less on your wedding dress, you give yourself even more spare money that you can use to buy other things for your wedding.

Advice On Wedding Dresses

There are some beautiful choices of bridesmaids dresses available in bridal shops that can serve just as well as a wedding dress. You can get one of these inexpensive dresses and use it as wedding dresses at a fraction of price, as an alternative of buying a brand new wedding gown. If you experience the design it a bit plain then you can surely go about and changing the model or getting in some accompaniments . For an inexpensive wedding dress you could even think are used wedding dresses. Shocked ? Well you need not be! This may not what you truly want to have for your wedding but you need to think hard as it can be a great money saving choice if you are on a tight budget. If you are finding it hard to find a wedding dress store near you, you could ask friends and family or do a search on Google. This will likely bring you a lot of places that sell cheap wedding dresses.

Satin Chiffon Prom Dress Gown Crystals Knee-Length

Once you are done selecting the dress for your self and your bridesmaid you might think the task done. But there is still the particular touch of purity that you can add to your wedding and that comes in the form of a flower girl. Totaling special touch of innocence to your wedding, A Flower Girl is usually a child attendant wearing a child-like dress who usually carries either a basket of petals to strew on the aisle or path before the Bride. It is therefore significant that you choose the right kind of flower girl dress and accessories to adorn the small child and make her look all the more lovely! A flower girl dress is usually a full satin gown with plenty of trimmings on it and it frequently comes with a frothy veil on her head. Clean lines and simple styles are more widespread and desired now a days than formal dresses.