DIY Simple Yet Elegant Wedding Balloon Centerpiece Video

All you really need to make this budget wedding reception or rehearsal centerpiece is the following:

• a weight material covered in mylar paper,
• around four feet of tulle (in a theme color of your choice),
• three – 11 inch balloons filled with helium
• some curling ribbon
• scissors

We have other videos up on YouTube explaining how to make the weight, tie a balloon (using no clips) as well as curling ribbon.

Choosing a Wedding Theme That Won’t Cost You

When you hear about the average cost of a wedding these days, it can make you cringe. What if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, but you still want your family and friends to be a part of your special day? There are a number of things to consider, and one particular aspect that could really affect cost is the theme of the wedding. Having a theme is also a great opportunity to get creative and make the event a lot of fun.

Here are a few themes that will save you a considerable amount of money…

The nature lovers’ wedding

Photo credit: http://www.fourriversheritage.org/photos/Quiet%20waters%20park%20pavillion.jpg

Hold your wedding at a public park that has pavilions and restrooms. A lot of these parks are really beautiful. In Maryland (where I live), you can find several right on the water. It’s typically between $100-200 to rent the pavilion for the day, which is next to nothing compared to hotels and banquet halls. You can also have a lot of fun with the decorations. Instead of having typical flower centerpieces, you could incorporate sand, water, rocks, grasses and curly twigs or vines. You’ll also be lucky enough to have the beautiful landscape, so you don’t need to over-do it in terms of décor.

In this type of setting, a big fancy wedding cake might look out of place (lucky for you!), so you could do a variety of pies such as pumpkin, apple and pecan. You can also focus on one signature drink instead of having a full bar. For the nature setting, a spiked iced tea or apple cider would be perfect.

The wedding brunch

Photo credit: http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/kimfryewordpress.jpg

This type of theme allows you to shift from a fancy sit-down dinner to a more casual buffet of sandwiches, salads, soups, croissants, and other cost-effective types of food. With this theme, you would also be able to skip the hors d’oeuvres because it’s too a little too early for that. Dessert might consist of cookies and brownies.

You can also focus on mimosas or screwdrivers and opt out of the full bar, given the time of day. Your wedding ceremony would probably have to be around 11am, with the reception following around noon in order for this theme to be appropriate.

The dessert wedding

Photo credit: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2972969130_2b546536fc.jpg

This type of wedding can be very fun and still elegant, if executed correctly. This type of reception should follow a ceremony in the late evening. If people will be arriving to the reception earlier than 8pm, they will most likely be expecting dinner.

With this theme, you should offer a large variety of desserts– from chocolate covered strawberries to cookies, pies, cakes, & candies, you can really get creative and fun with this one. With this type of reception, you can also enlist the help of friends and make a lot of the desserts yourselves. Cookies, pies and cupcakes are the types of desserts that are ok for non-professionals to make, and can be done a day or two ahead of time. Candies like Hershey kisses, M&Ms, and Reese’s peanut butter cups don’t even require you to make anything- just throw them in a bowl! You can also limit the alcohol selection to something like champagne and Irish coffee.

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Kerry McCullough is the owner of Maryland Budget Wise Weddings, a website that helps brides on a budget to plan an affordable wedding in the Maryland area. After planning her own wedding a year and a half ago, Kerry realized how challenging it can be to create a memorable event that doesn’t break the bank. Her website features affordable local vendors, a budget calculator, tricks and tips, articles, local bridal shows, a timeline, and bride-to-bride advice. http://www.budgetwiseweddingmd.com.

For more general ideas on planning budget friendly weddings, visit her blog: http://www.budgetwisewedding.blogspot.com

Use Colors to Express Your Specific and Unique DIY Wedding Flowers and Accent Ideas

Tracey Smith’s blog on Thoughtfully Simple earlier today was titled Express Yourself with Color on Your Wedding Day

She began by writing: “Did you know that every color has a specific meaning or symbolism? Just like horoscopes, some people believe in these symbols and meanings and others do not. Whether you believe it or not, certain colors certainly do exude specific energies (red is hot, yellow is cheerful, etc) and the colors that you choose for your wedding theme can have a big impact on the overall success of your big day. Here is a closer look at what the specific meanings are behind the most popular wedding colors…”

For instance, she continued to explain:  “The color RED signifies passionate love….. The color PURPLE signifies magical, mysterious love…. The color YELLOW signifies happy and wise love.”

Read what these and other colors represent in the rest of the story.

Green Wedding for Real – Details and Hints

Patti Lew wrote an article titled “Real Greener Ever After Wedding: Farm Fresh Weddingfest” in yesterday’s SF Green Weddings Examiner.

She tells the story of a beautiful three day wedding fest in Connecticut’s Berkshire Mountains.

The following advice was offered at the end of the article for “Other Eco-conscious Couples

• “Definitely keep it fun and light. The decisions you make shouldn’t limit you.
• “Incorporate your friends because they want to be involved and it’s meaningful for them, too.
• “Don’t be afraid of what other people are going to say or expect of a wedding. We helped shift that idea and ultimately when people get there they’re totally grateful for that experience.
• “Don’t settle. You may have tough conversations with your families, but try to get them onboard and build consensus on building meaningful celebrations.
• “Go with what you are passionate about because you love it and people will love it, too. “

Read the rest of the article.

Recession Diary: DIY Wedding Way to Go

An interesting article appeared earlier today on UPI.com.  It talks about do it yourself weddings in times of recession.  I think it’s about getting back to roots….

“I’ve attended many a formal wedding but think the communal route we took for my daughter’s wedding is the way to go.

“The efforts of so many people made the celebration unbelievably joyous, electric and rollicking. The love in the room was palpable.

“With the exception of the officiating rabbi and my close friend’s string quartet at the ceremony, the wedding was completely non-professional. If all weddings were like this, the outrageously costly industrial wedding machine would come to a screeching halt.”

Read the rest of the article…

“A DIY Wedding with a Forest Theme” offers Great Guest Name Tags for the Handy!

I just picked up this post by Cristina in which the bride
commented:

DIY Wooden Name Cards

“I made these by renting a mitre saw from a tool rental facility to cut a eucalyptus branch one of the gardeners at Stern Grove gave to me from the mulch pile. I had my husband carry it up the stairs (it weighed nearly 100 pounds), fired it up, and had 90 cross-section disks in about 20 minutes. The dust gets everywhere despite the dust bag, so I put down a tarp to do this (we don’t have outdoor space) and wore a respirator mask. The disks that were cut a little too roughly I sanded down with my Dremel tool. I then printed the text for both sides onto clear inkjet labels and cut them out with a circle cutter. I stuck the labels in place and smoothed them down. Our florist brought a tray with moss in it for me to display them,” explains Lauren.

Read the rest of the article at intimate weddings.

DIY wedding is a creative, cash-conscious alternative

Jackie Burrell (Contra Costa Times) wrote an interesting story as reported by San Luis Obispo.com The Tribune.

These tips caught my eye

“- Do as much as you can yourself, but don’t do it solo. Host a bridesmaids and mothers’ party to assemble craft projects. Ask friends for help with photos, flowers, even the dessert buffet. Especially now, most people are delighted to make their wedding present a gift of time and expertise.

“- DIY is not always cheaper. Pick the most meaningful, budget-friendly projects and don’t overspend on craft tools you may never use again. If you’re looking for some esoteric piece of equipment, ask for advice on one of the DIY wedding forums, or call a local art studio. Some rent studio time and tools.”

Read the rest of the story, which includes tips on do it yourself flowers as well as some great resources.

DIY Weddings: It’s not difficult to create a cash-conscious alternative

A very interesting article about DIY weddings from the beginning appears in the Monterey County The Herald website. Jackie Burrell wrote it and quotes an early DIY bride who said: “the DIY movement was just in its infancy and pretty much for the micro-budget brides. It was all about saving money, finding the cheapest avenues to pull off a wedding.”

She was further quoted to say: “Martha Stewart’s approach to weddings and her stylish DIY projects were a turning point” and “Suddenly, DIY was chic. And the Internet’s exponentially expanding networks not only spread the word, they provided the expertise to make the movement successful.”

Jackie writes: Now DIY wedding blogs and discussion boards are popping up all over the Internet, and craft stores are responding to the trend. The DIY wedding aisles at Michaels (craft stores), for example, multiplied this year.

Read the rest of the story at the Website.

Is All This Buzz About Budget Weddings Merely A Rumor and Not Fact?

Maria Sciollo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette writes a contrary view of the trend towards budget weddings. She states: “Big fancy weddings are still being held, but local business owners involved in the state of matrimony said they were seeing a subtle downsizing.”

Several merchants’ views state the economic conditions are not affecting their business. Is Pittsburgh immune to the recession? Read more of the story Wedding-related businesses note subtle downsizing of big day
At post-gazette-now.

Brides angle for cheaper weddings

An interesting article written by Sue Stock appeared in The News and Observer on Thursday.

The article opened with the following:

“Brides are still saying “I do” in 2009, but they’re saying “I don’t” to lavish weddings.

“For many, spending $22,000 and up is unrealistic amid a recession. Some brides are taking the do-it-yourself route, making their own invitations, centerpieces and favors.

“They’re cutting out open bars and limousines. And they’re playing hardball with vendors, asking for additional discounts before signing contracts.”

It went on with many tips and suggestions to savings on your wedding budget. You might want to read the rest of the article if you are interested in cutting back on your upcoming wedding expenses.