Budget Wedding Planning – Choose a Different Route

Did you know that the average wedding in the United States is slightly over 20k? That means that a whole bunch of weddings are much more expensive than that! Ouch. One thing I learned growing up is this – if you follow the same path as everybody else, then you should expect the same results. Profound isn’t it? But this concept can really help with budget wedding planning. Just because you know that all brides use this certain professional wedding photographer, or this popular wedding florist doesn’t mean that they’re the best that’s out there. In fact, it could mean that’s the last person you want to use because they’re going to charge you a premium for that tag of “professional” or “popular”. Not that I’m telling you to hire a hobo off the street to do your wedding photography. No way, but take a different route. Instead of choosing the professional wedding photographer, look for a photography student at a local college or even a photographer for your local newspaper instead. Great quality pictures from a “professional” without those staggering prices.

Beautiful Weddings with Budget Wedding Planning Prices

Some of my favorite weddings are weddings where I know the bride used  strategical budget wedding planning to create a beautiful wedding on a dime. There are dozens of great places in your wedding to shave a couple bucks, several hundred dollars and even thousands off of your wedding planning costs with some of the killer information that I’ve learned. I’ve said time and time again that if I had to plan my wedding all over again, how much fun it would be with all the new budget wedding planning stuff that I’ve learned. If you want to get some of that information for your own budget wedding planning to keep from kicking yourself later like I am right now, then click here to get in on the action.

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Budget Wedding Planning

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.I have friends who have hired wedding planners, made a couple of the larger decisions and then left everything else to a wedding planner – and she didn’t have nearly as much fun as I did because her wedding was much less personal to her than mine! But not only that, you can save a lot of money when you plan your wedding instead of hiring a wedding planner. Many wedding planners are pretty expensive – and if you’re on a tight budget it just doesn’t make sense. The savings that they’ll provide may not be anywhere near what you can do when you plan your own wedding.

How to Plan Your Wedding

Anybody who has been reading my blog for any amount of time knows that I think every bride should plan your wedding. But many times the task of planning a wedding can be overwhelming. So once you decide to take the plunge and plan your wedding, how do you even get started? It’s easy. First of all, sit down and decide how much money you have to spend on the event. Talk to family members on both sides of your family to see who wants to contribute what, or if you want to pay for the whole thing yourself. Then, create a budget of what you have and be sure to track every penny. Do your research and get the best prices for what you want in your wedding. But how can you get the best prices if you don’t know what the best prices are? Here’s a hint – they’re never the first price that your vendors toss out at you – and most of your vendors will be in the same ballpark if you try and get lots of quotes. So what’s a girl to do?

I’m here to help brides save money. I’ve planned my own wedding, I’ve been there. I didn’t know nearly as much about weddings and getting the best prices then as I do now, and quite honestly – there are things about my wedding that I would go back and change if I had the chance. But here is where you can learn from my own experience and wedding knowledge to plan your wedding for less – on any budget.

So don’t spend more than you have to – check this out for more information.

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Plan Your Wedding

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.

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Unique Wedding Favors

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!

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Fall Wedding Favors

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.

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Bookmark Wedding Favors

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!

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Cowboy Wedding Favor Ideas

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!

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Make Your Own Spring Wedding Favors

First, get your favorite recipe for gingerbread, and make several batches. To help reduce stress on you, it may be a good idea to ask some friends or family members to each make a batch of either gingerbread men or gingerbread women, and give them the cookie cutters you want them to use to make sure they are all alike and the same size. Be sure that once you have all of the cookies in hand that you will end up having an equal number of each to alternate them from place setting to place setting.

Then, go to the store to get lots candies and icings to decorate your cookies. You can either use your wedding colors to decorate the tiny men and women, or choose to make them all look like a miniature bride and groom with white icing and white candies. Use your imagination with this one. Throw a decorating party at your house with small snacks and hot chocolate or some other fun treat, and everyone can stay up late having fun spending time together and decorating yummy little cookies.

Once they are made, be sure to store them in an airtight container so they won’t become stale. For presentation, you could wrap each one in a small cellophane bag and tie it off with a white ribbon and decorated tag for each guest, though that requires quite a bit of work. Or, if you prefer, you can leave them all unwrapped and place one at each place setting, alternating between gingerbread man and gingerbread woman to be enjoyed as an after dinner snack.

Gingerbread men are great. They smell great, taste great, and depending on your skills at cookie decorating, beautiful. Seriously, gingerbread men are not difficult to decorate, and make great unique wedding favors. For more great ideas on Christmas wedding favors, check out my other articles: Make Your Own Apple Cider Wedding Favors, Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Wedding Favors, and Make Your Own Christmas Wedding Favors.

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Gingerbread Men Wedding Favors

1. Candles and Coffee Beans – This one is used most often, and is the easiest to incorporate. Simply fill the bottom of your glass candle holder with coffee beans, and place a candle of any color in the center to be lit. You can also use several tea light candles instead of a large candle to save you some money, and it adds romantic lighting.

2. Flowers and Coffee Beans – For your wedding flower decorations, fill the bottom of a glass vase with coffee beans, and place your flowers into the vase so that they are sitting in the coffee beans. You can use either real flowers or silk (silk won’t wilt due to lack of water)

3. Circle of Coffee Beans - I’ve seen this done, and it is very elegant. Create a large centerpiece on the table, and fill shot glasses with coffee beans, and place them around the main centerpiece on the table. Now, this can be a bit of an overkill if you are planning on your main centerpiece being candles and coffee beans, but it will look great if you are using flowers.

4. Coffee Wedding Favors - The choices are limitless when it comes to coffee wedding favors, and it will also add color to your table. Create small packs of chocolate covered coffee beans, or regular coffee beans of your favorite brew, with a tag called Romantic Brew, or Love is Brewing, or some other cute coffee quote.

Once you buy your coffee beans for your wedding decorations, be sure to store them in medium sized air tight bags to keep them fresh and smelling great.

Check out my other articles on Wedding Table Decorations, and Themed Table Centerpieces for more ideas to help you out!

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Using Coffee Beans as Wedding Decorations

1. Make a Cookie Table

Many bakeries, caterers, and even grocery stores can make large platters of assorted cookies at an affordable cost. You can either use the platters they come in, or arrange them yourself on the table using the decorations of your choice to dress up the table. An assortment of chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, snicker doodles, double chocolate, or a special favorite of yours will be sure to grab your guests attention.

2. Rent a Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate fountains are starting to be used more and more at receptions as they can be very beautiful, smell wonderful, and make a great dessert table! They rent relatively cheaply, and then include your favorites in large bowls around the fountain for guests to dip or have drizzled with chocolate. Some favorites include pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries and other fruits, Oreo cookies, graham crackers, and much more!

3 . Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Seriously, who doesn’t like an ice cream sundae? This usually works best with a caterer since they have the appliances to keep everything cold throughout your reception, but if you can find a way to do it yourself, more power to you! Start out with vanilla or chocolate ice cream and then have bowls set out of different things for your guests to add to their sundaes. Chocolate sauce, sprinkles, nuts, cherries, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and much more! Definitely a reception your guests will not soon forget!

4. Make a Candy Table

Making a candy table at your wedding reception is another idea growing in popularity. This is mainly because it can be doubly used as wedding favors. Put large bowls of your favorite kinds of candy on the table(be sure you have enough), along with little take home boxes and scoops in the candy for each guest to help themselves to their favorite and take home for later.

5. Wedding Cake

Duh. Seriously, you still want to have your wedding cake, and most everyone is going to want to try it. Have one of your dessert tables at your reception include both wedding cakes, and have someone slice up your cake so that each guest can come by and have a piece of your beautiful wedding cake.

Not everyone will be able to handle a reception with sugar only. Be sure to include some sugar free snacks and candy for anyone with diabetes. You will need something for your guests to drink, and the most popular refreshments for a dessert reception is coffee, tea, and of course, milk!

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Planning a Dessert Reception