Cutting Costs Without Cutting Class

On July 2, 2012, I was featured as a guest blogger on Golden Financial Nuggets!
Thank you again, Rianka, for the amazing opportunity :)
Below is my post! Enjoy, lovebugs --

For many, there isn`t much not to love when it comes to weddings and all the fun details that come along with them! From seasons to color schemes, dresses to jewelry, flowers to décor, and food to cakes, the options are truly endless. But what about one of the most important details of all? Yes, it even rivals the coveted wedding gown. I`m talking about the WEDDING BUDGET! While not as fun as a cake tasting, as artsy as playing with invitations at your local craft store, or as shiny as shopping for wedding bands, it definitely should NOT be overlooked or taken lightly. Your budget establishes the framework for every point between your engagement and “I Do”, and should be regarded seriously as a point of reference prior to all financial decisions. Of course it`s tempting to want to throw it to the wayside or constantly increase the budget threshold as you plan, but

what are some ways you can maintain your budget by cutting costs without cutting class or coining yourself a “cheapskate”?

Consider my Top 10:

• Tip #1: When selecting florals, choose flowers that are IN SEASON.
They will be more readily available to your florist and minimize overhead costs related to shipping/flying the flowers in from other locations.

• Tip #2: Reuse and repurpose!
Consider using some or all of your bridesmaid bouquets as centerpieces for your reception! Flower balls are a great alternative to the traditional bouquet, and look beautiful as toppers on tall glass vases!

• Tip #3: Choose your wedding date and corresponding venues wisely!
Beware of choosing dates around federal Holidays and other popular times of year (i.e. Valentine`s Day, or Disney World in the winter months). Situations like these give venues more power to raise their prices, because they know they will get many competitive bids for their business! Aside from the cost-factor, being mindful of Holidays is also more courteous for your guests and wedding party.

• Tip #4: Consider marrying on a day other than Saturday!
Many venues host their big events on weekends (with Saturday being the heaviest day for event traffic), so marrying on a different day could give you more haggling power with your venue! They need your business on their lighter days.

• Tip #5: Make your venue work for you!
Does your ceremony or reception venue have candelabra, greenery, linens, or any on-site rental equipment? USE IT! Even if they charge you a nominal fee, it`s still probably cheaper than going through an event rental company or an external caterer. If you like the colors of your event spaces, consider choosing wedding colors that match or compliment.

• Tip #6: Be crafty with your cake.
A plain sheet cake from a local bakery is much cheaper than a tiered, elaborately-decorated cake from a cake decorator. Therefore, purchase a smaller pretty cake for your cake cutting (which is the main reason for having a cake in the first place), but have a sheet cake in the back ready to be cut and distributed to your guests! This way you have a pretty cake and another that tastes good to satiate your guests, and you have a few extra dollars in your pocket!

• Tip #7: Cut the favors.
If you`re purchasing favors just to say you had favors, forget it. If you`re purchasing favors that are symbolic to your wedding or to your lives as a couple, there are still a few alternatives. Consider using seed paper for table cards with your guests` names on them. After your wedding, they can plant their table card and watch it grow, thinking of you with every bloom! Another alternative is to ask guests to make donations, and write a check to a cause or charity on your wedding`s behalf.

• Tip #8: Save the money on your save the dates!
Consider electronic save the dates/Evite announcements and leave the snail mail pretty postage for your wedding invitations! Websites work well too for all of your wedding details and updates.
$0.44 x 150 guests = $66.00 SAVINGS :)

• Tip #9: Invitations – mail what you need.
Wedding invitations can get pricey quickly. Have you ever seen those box sets of invitations at your local craft store? Many of them come with ample inserts and extra decorations. All that stuff = added weight, which also = added postage! Just because the kit comes with 8978235 inserts, don`t feel obligated to try to find a use for every single one.

• Tip #10: Rethink your alcohol.
You don`t have to get rid of it entirely, but consider limiting your wine/liquor selections. An easy workaround for this is to work with your caterer to create a signature drink for your wedding day for your guests! Another option is to have a wedding and reception earlier in the day when heavy alcohol consumption isn`t as much of an expectation. The later in the day you host your reception, the heavier your food choices need to be, and the greater the expectation becomes that alcohol will be present.

Weddings can still be beautiful without putting you in debt. Instead of trying to outdo every couple who has married before you, consider focusing more on what your marriage is REALLY about – two soul mates proclaiming their love for one another and making the commitment to start a new life together as one.

Alana Mallory
Event Coordinator | Blogger | Owner, Sequin Soirees

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Sequin Soirees is now on Pinterest !

>> http://pinterest.com/sequinsoirees/

Formspring me !

>> http://www.formspring.me/SequinSoirees

& JOiN MY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE !

>> https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sequin-Soirees/145262928914846

♥

Eclectic Gift/Favor Ideas for Your Guests !

Are we really halfway through another month already ?! I honestly don`t know where time is going but I definitely won`t complain, because the 15th means I get to blog for you again :)

Lately, I`ve been hearing about lots of fun, non-traditional ideas for guest gifts/favors, and thought I`d share in hopes of getting your feedback ! So, let`s play !

*Unique Gift/Favor Ideas
for Wedding Guests*

* Do the right thing and GO GREEN !

-- I touched on this concept in June 2011 and am still as in love with the idea of seed paper as I was before . Plantable paper, often referred to as seed paper, is a paper made out of crushed seeds and organic plant matter . It is 100% sustainable and eco-friendly, and will sprout into an actual plant if you plant and water it ! Just like regular paper, seed paper is customizeable in many shapes, sizes, colors, and designs, and surely there is a design out there that is perfect for your wedding day ! A cute way to incorporate this into a favor is to print the guests` name cards on seed paper and give them a mini terra cotta pot . After your wedding, they can plant the name card in the pot, and VOILA -- beautiful flowers will grow, reminding them of your wedding day with each and every glance .

And on that note,
"Please be SEEDED !" ;)

* In honor of your wedding day, ask your guests to SHARE THE LOVE !

-- In lieu of encouraging your guests to purchase/bring wedding gifts, design a wedding with a cause and ask your guests to share in the effort . Still skeptical ?
Take a peek at my 2 suggestions below:

>> Select a charity that embodies a mission close to your heart, and ask guests to contribute a donation . Then, give the charity a large donation in the name of your wedding and guests ! There is SO much power in teamwork .

>> Ask your guests to contribute toward a goal of the two of you as newlyweds, such as solidifying a down payment on your first home !

>> Winter wedding around the Holidays ? Ask your guests to bring books/gifts suitable for children and donate them to a local children`s hospital or children`s charity !

* Use your WEDDiNG THEME/SETTiNG for inspiration !

>> Getting married outside on a warm, sunny day ? Give your guests customized parasols during the ceremony to protect them from the sun`s rays . When the ceremony ends, tell the guests they can keep em !

>> Beach wedding ? Give your guests customized flip flops to protect their high heels and fancy shoes from the sand !

>> Incorporate a signature drink into your reception and give your guests the romantic recipe that will have them falling in love with your wedding day with each sip they take !

* As a couple, make your guests a CD of your favorite musical tunes and selections !

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See you again on May 1st (:

Sequin Soirees is now on Pinterest !

>> http://pinterest.com/sequinsoirees/

Formspring me !

>> http://www.formspring.me/SequinSoirees

& JOiN MY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE !

>> https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sequin-Soirees/145262928914846

♥

Extra, Extra -- Read SEED All About It !

^^Photo from LarsLove Design
It probably comes as no surprise that in light of the more apparently recent effects of our tremendous human footprint on Mother Earth, both people and businesses alike are [finally] striving to be more sustainable and environmentally-friendly! Regardless of whether or not you aggressively support the “green” movement, I would like to share with you a newly-innovative technology that has completely captured my heart –

SEED PAPER ♥

Seed paper is a form of organic recycled paper that is made from crushed plant seed (most commonly wildflower) and is 100% sustainable! It comes in many colors, textures, designs, and dyes (just like regular paper), and can add a very creative element to your next event in a subtle (yet environmentally-conscious) way!

Ever since I first learned of seed paper two years ago in one of my undergraduate classes at Virginia Tech, I`ve had a couple of ideas that I`d LOVEEE to implement in my future events. Take a peek, & by all means, feel free to copy!

• Idea #1 : Use RSVP card inserts as an opportunity to incorporate seed paper in a way that will forever be reflective of the memories of your special day and the people who shared it with you!

RSVP card inserts are one of the many standard components that accompany every wedding invitation, and RSVP card inserts serve as useful tools to keep a grip (theoretically) on the number of guests that plan to attend your reception/event. The idea is for the recipients of your wedding invitations to read the invitation, check your wedding date against their personal social calendars, fill out the RSVP card insert, and mail it back to you (the bride and groom/hostess and host) to indicate whether or not they will be in attendance with you on your special day.

Therefore, why not print your RSVP inserts onto pretty seed paper, enclose them in your wedding invitations, mail them to all of your family and friends, and collect all responses that are mailed back to you, just as you would if they were printed on regular paper stock. At this point, you would hold on to the responses until you coordinated a table chart for the seating of your reception, and then you would throw the responses in the trash.

HOWEVER WITH SEED PAPER INSERTS, you can take them a few steps further by storing the responses in a cool/dark place until the weather permits, and then planting them in the yard of your first home as husband and wife!
Not only will the blooming seedlings make your yard look pretty, but every time you newlyweds look out your window and see the flowers, you will think back to your amazing wedding day and all of your closest loved ones that shared in your happiness.

• Idea #2 : Not planning a wedding for your next event? Try using seed paper for commemorative or more heavy events as a means of bonding and unity.

For a reunion or a memorial event, you could easily utilize the same concept (as Idea #1) though the idea of symbolic beautification. At the present, I`m actually brainstorming a reunion for my Sorority Sisters from my undergraduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where we could gather at Virginia Tech on the anniversary of our Chapter`s chartering; fill out seed paper inserts with our names, favorite undergraduate memories, and what joining the Sorority has done for each of us; and then planting the seed paper on campus as a service project symbolic of both our Chapter (Theta Phi) and our University-appreciation.

Still not convinced that seed paper is the next best thing?! Please click on the businesses below to check out these amazing vendors and their work:

o Botanical Paperworks --

o Of the Earth .


o Bloomin --

PS – To all my loves who received Christmas Cards from me last year, the cover contained a seed paper insert (: plant it and think of me! Mwahhh ♥