For years I’ve been telling brides how to plan their dream weddings on any kind of budget. I do it for several reasons, and not only because I want brides to know that they can have a great wedding with budget wedding planning the right way to save money.   But that’s not the only reason I’m here to help brides out with budget wedding planning. I understand that planning a wedding is hard, and it should be one of the happiest days of your life. If you’re stressed out over your budget wedding planning and think you can’t afford anything for a nice wedding, I’m here to lift you out of that hopeless feeling as well. Budget wedding planning is possible – and not nearly as hard as you would think. I’m not going to advise you to take up glass blowing so that you can make 200 wedding favors by hand for each guests – that’s foolish. You see, when I was planning my own wedding, I learned a lot about budget wedding planning, and I didn’t learn it the easy way. I mean, nobody took me aside and showed me all the different ways to save money on my wedding, not enough money to make a difference anyway. My wedding vendors certainly weren’t interested in the fact that I was budget wedding planning, they’re out to make their own money. No, I had to learn budget wedding planning the hard way, and many things I didn’t learn about until after the wedding (and believe me – I’m still kicking myself now!). So here are some great tips for budget wedding planning that can really help you out that I can show you right now. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 20k, Brides, Budget Planning, Budget Wedding, Different Ways, Dream Weddings, Enough Money, Happiest Days Of Your Life, Lot, Many Things, planning a wedding, Planning Wedding, United States, Ways To Save Money, Wedding Budget, Wedding Favors, Wedding Planning, wedding vendors

I was shocked while in high school about the girls who already knew exactly what they wanted in their weddings, had their dress and cake picked out, and all that was lacking was the groom. While I’ll tell every bride that you need to plan your wedding, I’m not sure that it should really be done that early. If you’re in high school or college, then why not just enjoy where you are? But I digress. There are really a ton of great advantages that you have when you plan your wedding. Perhaps the best advantage is that you can really have your hands in it and you get to enjoy all those little planning details that you’d miss if somebody else was doing it all for you. Really, meeting with the caterer, picking out your wedding dress and even the little things like all those little wedding favors and trying samples of wedding cakes are part of the fun when you plan your wedding versus hiring someone to do it for you. But there are several great advantages when you plan your wedding. Here are more reasons why you should, and how to get started and plan your wedding.

Advantages When You Plan Your Wedding

Like I mentioned before, when you plan your wedding you get to have your hands in it, and have fun doing all those little wedding tasks that really make you feel like you’re a part of everything. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Amount Of Time, Blog, bride, Caterer, Decisions, Fun, Girls, Great Advantages, Money, Plan Wedding, plan your own wedding, plan your wedding, planning a wedding, Tight Budget, wedding cakes, wedding dress, Wedding Favors, Wedding Plan, wedding planner, wedding planners, weddings

One aspect of bride’s wedding planning which can be a problem is finding unique wedding favors. There are so many ideas, some of which you see done at every wedding, and others that just seem to be a flop and everyone leaves them on the tables rather than take them home. While you don’t want to kill your budget and a huge amount of money on your wedding favors, you also don’t want to rule them out completely. With all the research I’ve been doing on weddings lately, I’ve come across some pretty cool ideas for unique wedding favors. I feel like I’ve seen enough of them to write about that I can do a whole series. So if you are looking for some new and unique wedding favors that you just don’t see around very much, then here are some great ideas to help you get started.

Give them a Treat

One unique wedding favor that I saw, really loved and wished that I had done, was to give my wedding guests a real treat like this unique wedding favor. Here in Texas, Dr. Pepper rules when it comes to soda. Created in Waco, Texas, Dr. Pepper sodas are a favorite among the old and young alike. To go even a step further, the Dr. Pepper factor and bottling company also offers glass bottled Dr. Peppers made with the original imperial sugar cane instead of the syrups. It’s a wonderful thing. They are a little pricier than the cans, but the taste is totally worth it. You can either put them out on the tables, or on one central table for everyone to take one as they are leaving and enjoy at a later day. Trust me, you won’t have any leftovers of this unique wedding favor!!

Give them a “Sause”

No, I did not spell sauce wrong. I’m talking about a particular bar-b-que sauce that is popular here in Texas. There is a great BBQ place here in Texas called Rudy’s. Their restaurants are always located in gas stations, and have some of the best meats and sides that you’ll find anywhere. I had them cater our wedding, and it was excellent. One thing that they are known for is the BBQ “Sause”. Their original sauce is like any other – a little peppery, while their ‘Sissy Sause” is a little lighter on the pepper and still just as popular. A unique wedding favor that I thought of, but because of budget reasons was unable to do was to give a small bottle of sauce to each guest.

Unique wedding favors are everywhere if you can just open your eyes and use a little bit of creativity. There are so many different possibilites for unique wedding favors that going through all of them would just be impossible. These unique wedding favors are Texas favorites, and may not work for your wedding and what you have planned. But I wrote them in with the hopes that my description would jog your memory a little and make you think of something that is a favorite in your particular area.

Tags: unique wedding favors, Wedding Favors

As I’ve stated in previous articles, fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Only in fall will you see beautiful foliage, and the many other things that go along with the fall season. While most people choose the warmer spring and summer seasons for their weddings, some people still choose to have fall weddings, celebrating the fall colors and more temperate temperatures. Fall has some of the most beautiful colors, dark oranges, greens and browns. If are planning a fall wedding, you may have everything you need from colors to foods and everything in between, but wedding favors are always another matter. You’ll need to have wedding favors which go along with your fall wedding, and here are some great ideas.

The Smells of Fall

One of the great things about the fall season are are the many smells and scenes of fall. You can easily bring these smells into your wedding reception, as well as incorporate them into your wedding favors. Visit any candle shop and pick out your favorite fall scent. Mine happens to be pumpkin spice, to me, it just isn’t fall without that scent. Pick up enough small candles for each guest, tie ribbons around each candle or place each one in an organza bag, and place one at each place setting. If you like, you can also buy small candle holders for each guest as well and forgo wrapping each candle individually, the choice is yours.

Using Gourds

Another aspect of fall that makes the season stand out so, are pumpkins and other gourds. While many are great just as decorations, pumpkins can be used for both. Another great idea for an original wedding favor is to purchase miniature pumpkins and place one at each place setting so that each of your guests can decorate their homes with a little bit of fall as well.

Famous Fall Treats

A favorite treat in the fall season are candied apples, and it is also something that you can make easily in your home. Buy bags of apples and caramel, and make a party out of it. Invite some friends over to help, and be sure to bring plenty of other goodies to put on the apples, such as nuts or chocolate sauce. Then you can all make them together and decorate each one differently. Wrap them each individually and they will last for some time.

If you need more help planning your fall wedding, then check out my other articles, Decorating for a Fall Wedding, and Choosing Your Wedding Colors for more ideas. And as always, if you ever have any questions or would like something covered that isn’t covered in this article, then please just comment and let me know!

Tags: fall wedding favors, Wedding Favors

If you are looking for that perfect wedding favor for your guests that wont break the budget, then you might also want to consider bookmark wedding favors. Bookmark wedding favors are a great inexpensive wedding favor that you can make yourself, and it’s something that your guests will use for years to come. Not many wedding favors offer that! Many people today believe that wedding favors are unnecessary and a thing of the past In my opinion, making your guests feel welcome and finding a way to thank them for their time and presence will never go out of style. So, if you are looking for help on how to make this great inexpensive wedding favor, then you’ve come to the right place.

Design a Layout

The design most couples use for their bookmark wedding favors is to have their names and wedding date on one side of the book mark, and on the other side either a picture of them, Bible verse, or poem that means something to them. Then, if you have a logo or some other design which relates to your wedding, be sure to add that as well. For example, if you are having a cowboy wedding then add cowboy hats to your bookmark design. Be creative, and have it match your wedding theme.

Print your Bookmarks

Once you have your bookmarks designed, then you will need to print them up. You should be able to fit four bookmarks per page. Then, go to any office supply store and buy heavy duty card stock. You can buy some colored card stock to match the colors in your wedding, or just go with plain white. Plain white still turns out pretty, especially if you want to use a picture on one side. If you are not using a picture then I would suggest getting colored card stock, as it makes your book mark look less plain. You can either print them on a home computer, or take them by any printing shop to have them printed. Once they are printed, you can cut them yourself with scissors, but I recommend buying or borrowing a paper cutter to make them all uniform.

The Finishing Touches

Once you have all of your bookmarks printed up, then they will need to be laminated. You can either take them by a teacher supply store and pay per foot to have them laminated (it’s really not very much), or you can laminate them yourself with those self-stick laminating pages. Cut them out, and put a hole punch near the top of your bookmark. Then, buy some colored ribbon from any fabric store, and tie it off in the punched hole.

Everyone will love these bookmark wedding favors. It is a wedding favor that your guests will use for years to come. You’ll be surprised when you spot family and friends with your bookmark wedding favors in the future. These bookmark wedding favors are a great cheap wedding favor, they take almost no time to complete, you just can’t go wrong with these wedding favors.

Tags: bookmark wedding favors, cheap wedding favors, Wedding Favors

One popular wedding theme couples use are a lot today is cowboy weddings. Not only popular here in Texas, cowboy weddings are springing up all over the country. Cowboy apparel, western decorations, cowboy wedding vows, cowboy western music, and cowboy wedding favors are all regularly seen with cowboy western wedding themes. Wedding favors are typically one of the more difficult decisions to make in any wedding, cowboy themed or not. If you are planning a cowboy wedding and need some ideas for cowboy wedding favors, then you’ve come the the right place, here are some great ideas you can use for your cowboy wedding.

Trail Mix Wedding Favor

Trail mix is something you can either buy in bulk and separate out into individual portions, or make yourself. You’ll have to price it out, and depending on how what kinds of nuts, berries and candies you want in your trail mix, making it yourself could be much cheaper. Bandannas make for excellent containers for your trail mix. Tie them off with twine and add a tag with Love’s Happy Trails or other cute verse, and you’ve got a great cowboy wedding favor.

Beef Jerky Wedding Favor

Beef jerky is another popular choice for a cowboy wedding favor. Buying these from a store or meat market could prove rather expensive, but you can make beef jerky yourself pretty easily at home. There are lots of recipes for it on the Internet, and try a few out until you get a favorite. You can either wrap these in bandannas as well, or use zip lock baggies and then wrap in the bandannas to help keep the jerky fresh.

Cowboy Hat Wedding Favors

Look for deals on buying bulk cowboy hats. They can be straw hats, or even cowboy hats in different colors. Place one at each place setting if you are having tables, and place a card in each hat inviting each guest to wear their new hat to help you celebrate your wedding. If you are not having a dinner, then place them on a central table so that every guest will see that they are meant to take a hat for their own. This makes for some cute pictures!

Cowboy wedding themes are fun for the guests and everyone involved. They’re different, unique and your guests will remember the event for years to come. If you need extra help planning your cowboy wedding, then check out Cowboy Wedding Ideas for more ideas. Happy planning, and if you need more help choosing your cowboy wedding favors then just comment and let me know! Happy wedding planning!

Tags: cowboy wedding favors, unique wedding favors, Wedding Favors

For most people, there is no time of the year like spring. The first bit of sunshine and flowers following a long hard and sometimes depressing winter has a way of putting everyone into a great mood. Not suprisingly, this makes spring one of the most popular times of the year for weddings. I’m not sure of the statistics on this one, but it seems as if every year there are many many weddings on each and every weekend from March to May. Many brides with spring weddings incorporate everything about spring into their weddings. From spring colors, flowers, outdoor ceremonies, and in many cases, spring wedding favors to help their guests celebrate spring as well. So, if you’re racking your brain for new and unique ideas for spring wedding favors, then you’ve come to the right place! Here are some great ideas for spring wedding favors.

1. Flower Seed Packets

This is starting to become more and more popular each year. You can either buy your favorite flower seeds or even fruit and vegetable seeds relatively cheaply from any nursery. Either buy the individual packs, or buy the seeds in bulk and make cute containers for them yourself, such as baby food jars or other homemade envelopes. If you are buying in bulk, be sure to include a tag on the wedding favor letting your guests know what their seeds are, and any caring instructions they need to know. One cute idea I’ve seen is to buy many different flower, fruit and even vegetable packs, and give each table a different type of seed. Then, for each table, name the table the name of the seed they will receive. It worked out really well.

2. Flower Bulbs

Another great idea, though perhaps could be a bit expensive for larger weddings, is to purchase flower or other plant bulbs, and wrap cellophane around the bottom of each bulb. Then, place a bulb at each table setting, or back table if you’re not having a dinner. Then, just like the wedding favor above, create a tag for each bulb with the name of the plant, care instructions, and even a cute saying such as, “Watching our love grow”, or “Our love is blooming”. Cute idea, and those of us without a green thumb have more of a chance of growing the flowers.

3. Spring/Summer Packs

Another great idea for creating spring wedding favors is to give each guest a small pack with everything they’ll need for the spring and summer season. If you are crafty you can make your own bags, or buy special gift bags off of the internet. Then, you can fill it up with anything that you like, such as pairs of flip flops, sunglasses, beach towels, sunscreen, any number of things. Use your imagination, and be sure to vary some of the bags from table to table.

Personally spring is my favorite time of year, my husband and I were even married in the spring. I love the spring and everything about it. If you need more ideas for spring wedding favors, keep checking back for more information. Or, if you have a favorite spring wedding favor you’d like to share, please comment and keep us all updated!

Tags: seed packets, spring wedding favors, Wedding Favors

When I think of Christmas and the winter season, I’m remember when I was growing up, and every Christmas our family made loads of gingerbread men and women. We took them to parties, gave them out to classmates and friends, and took them with us to our grandmother’s house to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Gingerbread men are still a winter favorite, and it shouldn’t be any different when it comes to weddings. Gingerbread men can make great wedding favors if your wedding is in the winter season. They can be made before hand, and will stay soft and chewy if stored properly, what a great cheap wedding favor! Just like there are no identical snowflakes, the different ways to decorate gingerbread men are just as varied. But here are some great ideas for making, decorating and presentation ideas for your gingerbread men wedding favors.

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Tags: cheap wedding favors, christmas wedding favors, gingerbread men wedding favors, unique wedding favors, Wedding Favors

My sister is getting married in just a few short months, not long ago we were discussing wedding decorations. The colors she chose for her ceremony are pink and brown, and she was looking for ways to incorporate coffee beans into her centerpieces to add some brown color, as well as a great smell! I did some research on the subject, and came out with some great ideas using coffee beans to help decorate your tables. Using coffee beans in your wedding decorating is turning into a very classy choice for brides, and one to definitely consider. Not only will they be a beautiful choice for your wedding ceremony, they are also less costly than other fillers you can use. So, here are some great ideas you can use to incorporate coffee beans into your wedding decorations and centerpieces.

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Tags: coffee bean decorations, wedding decorations, Wedding Favors

With the rising costs of weddings every year, couples everywhere are trying to find ways to extend their budget while still planning a wedding and reception of their dreams. Many couples are starting to use other themes for their wedding receptions instead of serving a large dinner, or a cake and punch reception only, and the ideas are getting more and more creative. A dessert reception theme is starting to take off. You may have looked into it without knowing where to start or what to serve. Here are some of the most popular ideas for desserts in your dessert only reception. You can choose to implement only one of these ideas, or several for more variety so that everyone can have their ‘favorite’.

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Tags: beautiful wedding cake, chocolate fountain, dessert only reception, dessert reception, planning a wedding, rent a chocolate fountain, sugar free snacks, Wedding Cake, Wedding Favors, wedding receptions