Honeymoon in Rome

If you enjoy the hustle and bustle of New York and the ancient ruins of Greece, Rome is a great place for you to go on your honeymoon.

Rome can be expensive during June, July, and September, but if you visit during winter or spring you might be able to find a great deal.

Here are some images to inspire you.

Ceremony Rehearsal Bouquet

At the bridal shower there is a tradition of creating a bouquet from all the ribbons and bows. Let me show you how to create this bouquet.

1. Start by taking a sturdy paper plate and cut a small hole in the center of the plate.
2. Have one of your bridesmaids sit next to you when you are opening your presents and collect all the bows and ribbons.
3. Gather a thick amount of ribbon and pull it through the hole in the plate and tie a large knot on either side of the hole, this will lock in the handle.
4. Final step, stick on all the bows and extra ribbons to complete the bouquet.
5. Now you can use this bouquet at the ceremony rehearsal.

Wedding Music

Let me know about your favorite wedding music.

Here are my favorites:

Down the Aisle: Canon in D
First Dance: The Way You Look Tonight
Father/Daughter: Tim McGraw - My Little Girl
Mother/Son: I Hope You Dance

Honeymoon in Venice

During part of our honeymoon my husband and I visited Venice one of the most romantic places on earth. Although it can be expensive if you are planning to visit Italy on your honeymoon try to visit Venice for a night or two.

Here are some images to inspire your big vacation.

Money Saving Tips

Here are a few tips that I have used to cut down on a wedding budget:

1. Cut down the guest list.
2. Choose a cake without nuts or fruit (this will also help with allergies).
3. Put together your own favors.
4. Address your own invitations.
5. One step further, print your own invitations and programs.
6. Have your bridal shower at someone's house or in their backyard.
7. Choose simple inexpensive flowers for the bouquets.
8. Most tuxedo rental stores have deals so that the groom gets his tuxedo for nothing.
9. Have open bar for only the cocktail hour and not for the entire reception.
10. Usually the chicken option for the dinner at the reception is the cheapest way to go.
    

Honeymoon in Paris

My husband and I went to Paris during our honeymoon and had a wonderful time. I thought with the euro lessening in value I would try to inspire newlyweds to make Paris their destination as well. Enjoy these pictures and imagine the romance of France. I do recommend learning some French before going to Paris it will make your stay there much more enjoyable.

Tropical Flower Arrangements

Thinking about having your wedding during the summer? Do you love bright bold colors? Instead of choosing traditional flowers such, put together more tropical flowers for a fun and interesting look.

Bride’s Boutique – Keep the boutique simple Calla Lilies with their leaves still attached and maybe a white Rose here or there would be nice. If you do want to add color try adding two or three Asiatic Liles.

Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids – Combine mostly yellow Liles with a few Gingers. Remember for all of the boutiques to keep the stems exposed and tie a ribbon similar in color to the bridesmaid’s dresses.

Boutonnieres – For the groom’s boutonniere use a single Calla Lily with two small leaves. For the groomsmen’s boutonnieres use single yellow Lilies with leaves. For the father’s boutonnieres use white Roses.

Mother’s Boutiques– For the mother’s create smaller versions of the bridesmaid’s boutiques with only two to four flowers each.

Table Center Pieces – To create an interesting center pieces for the reception use either a shallow rectangle glass dish or other rimless shallow glass vase and float Lotus flowers and Gingers in water (if your wedding is a night include tea candles).

Save the Date

Sending out a save the date about a year to 9 months ahead of the wedding date is a great way to let people know that you're getting married and make sure that your guests that are traveling a distance have time to get travel plans in order.

Magnets - You can now create a Save-the-Date magnet to send to your guests with pretty much anything on it, including your personal photo(s). You sites such as www.newandblue.com, www.123print.com and www.magnetstreet.com. Your guests will not misplace these save the dates because they can stick them right on their fridge, I have about 5 on my fridge right now from weddings that I've been to and weddings that are in the future. If you have about 100 invites it will cost you about $200 - $300 dollars for these magnets depending on which magnet you choose.

Paper - If you choose to send a traditional paper save the date, skip the stationary store and go to staples, office depot or target for self printing kits. Save the dates tend to be casual, save your money for the more formal invitation.

Reception Sites

Choosing a reception site depends greatly on how many guests you will be having attend the wedding. The bigger the guest list gets the smaller the selection of reception venues. The majority of reception venues max out at about 200 to 250 people.

• Hotels/Function Halls - This type of venue is definitely the most popular for wedding receptions. There is usually a wedding coordinator that you can work, and a package that you can buy that has transportation, photography and menu selections. Remember to find out if you can bring in your own photographer, flowers, etc.. if you have certain people in mind. If you don't have tons of time on your hands and like what they offer in their packages this might be the way to go, but remember this convenience usually comes with a price.
• Country Clubs/Yacht Clubs - If you are a member or someone you know is a member of a country club you might want to look into this option. They usually do not carry packages so you have more room to save money. even though you may not think it, many private country clubs are less expensive than hotels because they only do about 1 to 2 weddings a month and don't make most of their revenue this way so they do not jack up the prices. The club will have different menus for you to choose from and allow you to bring in any photographer, videographer, etc. that you wish.
• Public Spaces - Indoor or outdoor public spaces are options that some people choose as reception venues, but I would not recommend this due to many issues you may run into with liability and you will not be able to serve any kind of alcohol because its a public space, so no champagne toast.
• Backyard Reception - Other than not having the site fee this option is just as expensive if not more because you have to rent all the chairs, tables, linens, tents, etc.. and have some one clean up when the whole thing is over. Unless this is something that you have dreamed about for all long time I would stay away from this option and I would definitely hire someone to take care of organizing things on the day of the wedding so that you and your mother are not running around getting things ready.
  
• Other Venues to Think About - Wineries, Barns, Mansions, Destination weddings (expensive), just let your imagination run wild.
  

Ceremony Sites

Where to get married?

There are thousands of places where you could get married. I will break them down for you and talk about how each of them will effect your budget.

• A religious setting (Church, Temple, etc.) - These venues tend to be the least expensive, its usually a couple hundred dollars for the priest or rabbi and whatever you want to spend on flowers.
  
• Outside (public space)- This is another relatively inexpensive venue although you do have to worry about the weather. In this scenario you still have to pay for the officiant, but you also have to add on the chair rental, the cost of renting or building an archway to stand under and any fee the city or town my have for you to use the space.
• Outside (private space, backyard, etc.) - This venue is similar to the public space except you can minus the fee from the city or town. This can be a very inexpensive and personal way to have your ceremony.
• At the Reception Site - If you are thinking about having your reception at a hotel, inn, country club or function site, you may want to look into having your ceremony at the same location. In this scenario you will not have to worry about renting chairs or an archway because these venues usually will have these items. You can save on transportation costs as well, since every thing will happen in the same location.
• Public Building - If you have a historic building near where you live with a beautiful space that would fit all of your guests, consider this as an option as well. It will create a one of a kind experience for the two of you and give your guests a nice change of pace as well. Costs wise this is the same as the outside public space, and also you may need to take out short term insurance for the event for a couple hundred dollars depending on the historic value of the building, check with the town or city.

Of course make sure that wherever you choose to get married, is beautiful to you. If it is beautiful to you then you will feel beautiful when you are there.