Between "I WILL" And "I DO"...

What is the most important factor in a frugal wedding.

2011-02-23T11:07:00.002-06:00

After 20 plus years of working with brides, I have found a common thread among the brides who are able to stretch their budgets the best...You are going to be surprised...

In general there are two types of brides. There are brides who get married to have a party and there are brides who have a party because they are getting married. For the first group the party is the most important, for the second the marriage is most important. You would be surprised how many women fall in the first group, in the interest of honesty, I was one of them. I am not saying we don't love the groom, but for me I wanted to get married very badly and the wedding was more important than the marriage. So how does this all related to the frugal wedding commonality?

The bride who is all caught up in the party has her heart set on every obsessive detail of the event - it has to be glorious and beautiful and all that to speak to who she is, to show how special she is. The bride who has party to celebrate the marriage is caught up in the life to be after the party and the details are not as important to her - so long and things are nicely done and her guests have a great time and she gets some good pictures she is happy because it is the ever after that matters most. In other words, she is happy with white flowers, she doesn't have to have the most expensive variety of white oriental lilies -

Significantly less expensive

therefore she can have a much more frugal budget. Well designed flowers are beautiful regardless of the variety.

More expensive

So what does this mean to you? Find the man of your dreams, plan for a long life together, get a bunch of friends to come help you celebrate and find a talented designer who will make the most of you budget and leave the details up to her (or him) and enjoy the party!

the Perfect Bride

2011-01-29T10:57:00.000-06:00

As a vendor my idea of the perfect bride might be a little different then say the Grooms!

I had a bride in this week who was great...she had realistic expectations, was open to suggestions and not stuck on goofy ideas. You would be surprised at some of the things these women come in with!

But this is about how to stretch your budget...how does my perfect bride fit into this scenario? A large amount of my job is just being creative and thinking outside the box. A bride that comes in and says "my wedding colors are__________ and I love such and such style or want such and such theme" and "I am kind of on a budget and would like you to create designs that fit my style but don't blow my budget" allows me to be creative but frugal at the same time.

For Instance: I can create two bridal bouquets - same style, color, size and shape but different product - and the price for one is $55 and the other is $250. Big difference in price, minimal difference in look. One is carnations and one is mini callas.

Now don't get the vapors at the thought of carnations at YOUR wedding, let me explain. Many brides come in saying "I hate carnations", yet they have a tight budget and have a very specific color in mind - this really ties my hands. Carnations are really gaining in popularity because they are so cost effective and come in greater color variety then just about anything else. Add a little creativity and you might be changing your tune...

This is an excellent example of a well designed creative use of carnations from budgetdreamweddings.com, very fun, very now, very budget friendly. I understand that most brides have seen badly designed carnations for years and have an understandable aversion, but there are no bad flowers just bad designers.

Here is another example:

Pomander balls, popular for flower girls and aisle decor as will as many other applications. This one is from one of my weddings.

Check out his one from weddings.theknot.com using grapevine balls to get the similar effect but with much less product and labor. With simple budget friendly flowers on top are spaced around, this can be a real winner - still want the dazzle? Crystals and bling can be easily added, the ball could be painted to match your colors if natural is not your theme. There are many other options for a budget friendly pomander ball, just ask your designers to think outside the box.

So, all you brides out there, find a creative vendor, give them a theme and turn them lose to work for their money, once they get their creative juices flowing you might just fall in love with budget friendly design...and carnations! :)

Let me know what happens!

Avoiding Murphies law

2011-01-27T21:34:00.000-06:00

The first thing you have to accept when you are planning a wedding is that Murphy's Law rules at weddings!!!

Of course you can reduce his reign by doing due diligence...Like checking references. There are two types of references: The most common type is the client reference, this is the one most vendors give you – i.e. past brides, realize that a vendor would not give you an unhappy client as a reference. I have seen vendors, who are under investigation for how shabby their business practices are, but still manage to find a few clients they didn't cheat to give out as a reference. This means you are not getting an accurate representation of the qualities of that vendor. That is why the other type of reference is the better one. This is the industry reference, ask your vendor for their vendor references as well as ask other vendors you meet what they know about the ones you are considering. For example: Florists usually know who does a great or poor job with cakes, photographers know who does a great or poor job on flowers, and so on. You can always ask one vendor about another in their category, but I would think twice about hiring someone who is happy to trash talk their competition.

Now you have a list of references, Good - Check them!! Have a list of questions ready to ask. For past brides, consider questions like: "Were they on time?" "Did you feel that you got your full value?" "Was the quality what you expected?" "Did they meet all your expectations?" "Would you use them again?" For vendors: "How often have you worked with 'so and so'?" "Do you recommend them to your clients? Why or Why not?" "Is there anything I should be aware of in considering this vendor?" “What vendors do you recommend?”

Also Google your vendor and see what reviews or comments they have out there, check with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General’s Office.

Price is certainly important in choosing your vendors, but realize that it is actually NOT the most important point. But a reliable vendor, who will not disappoint you on this most important day of your life, IS the most important point.

Does all this guarantee that you will have the perfect vendors and therefore the perfect wedding? No, but it greatly reduces the chance of Murphy finding a foot hold at your wedding!

Stay tuned and we will go into more ways to keep Murphy at bay keep your budget in line.