There are plenty of wholesale stores who will sell silk flowers at a greatly discounted price.  Working with silk flowers is easy and can be done by almost anyone.  My mother put together all the bouquets, boutonnières, and corsages for both my weddings.  She had no professional training.  She simply had a bunch of flowers [...]

As far as flowers and plants as decorations are concerned, this can be a great enhancement to your ceremony.  Many churches already have floral adornments on their altars.  If you get married around the time of a church celebration, you may be able to buy a few flowers and take advantage of those that are [...]

We’ve covered the floral decorations for a church wedding, but what else do you need to decorate the sanctuary.  Because you’re on a budget, remember that less is more.  Most wedding ceremonies are short and sweet, so why spend a majority of your money decorating a place where people are most likely only going to [...]

Music for your wedding ceremony could consist of live or recorded performances.  For pre-wedding music, make a CD of songs that are meaningful to you as a couple.  You can also use this CD for the processional and recessional marches. Do you know someone who plays the piano or guitar?  Ask them to play for [...]

Pictures are priceless, and you want to be sure you have plenty of good pictures of your special day.  Unfortunately, if you’re on budget, professional photographers can eat up most of your money.  While they are definitely worth the price, they’re not always feasible for people who need to save some money. So how can [...]

Your wedding reception is where your guests will spend the most time.  As we’ve said before, you should count on spending at least 40 percent of your budget on the reception.  This includes the food, decorations, drinks, music, etc.  But a beautiful reception doesn’t have to break the bank.  Once again, count on your friends [...]

Some brides don’t like the idea of giving gifts to her guests, but we think it’s a nice gesture as a thank you for attending your special day.  These favors can be elegant, fun, or practical.  We prefer the practical.  Here are some great suggestions for fun and unique wedding favors. Divinity fudge makes delicious [...]

Food can take a huge chunk out of your wedding budget. It’s often difficult to figure out what’s acceptable as it is an area in which expert’s (etiquette or otherwise) opinions vary widely. It can also be difficult to choose what type of food to serve at your reception…especially when you consider all of the [...]

Your cake is the centerpiece of the reception. It is a scrumptious dessert as well as part of a tradition- the beautiful or messy cutting-of-the-cake. Look at lots of different ideas before you decide what you want. Visit bakeries and peruse bridal magazines. You might also find inspiration at a toy store, in china patterns [...]

The question of whether or not to serve alcohol at your wedding is one that can cause dissension in the ranks of family.  We’ll address that in a moment. Plan to have on hand coffee.  You can borrow a large coffee dispenser from the local church, or your reception hall will probably have one on [...]