Is This Singing Wedding Toast Gone Too Far?

This YouTube video of a singing wedding toast is almost a lavish hollywood production.  The groom is Lin-Manuel Miranda composer, lyricist and  Tony Award-nominated actor.  Miranda wrote and stared in the Broadway musical “In the Heights”.  He won the Tony Award as lyricist and called upon many talented friends for the production number.

This was a surprise gift for his wife Vanessa at their wedding reception:  “All of Vanessa’s close friends and family rehearsed for a month in secret, leading up to the reception. What we lack in polish, we hopefully make up for in joy and love. In any event, everyone in this video has one thing in common: We’d do anything to show Vanessa how much we love her.”

Enjoyable yes, but beyond the reach, of  course, of  do it yourself budget wedding party celebration market.  You  might enjoy the entertainment, however, as they sing, and I repeat — L’Chaim, L’Chaim to life!

Considering the economy I invite you to visit our <a href=”http://do-it-yourself-wedding-centerpiece.com”>DIY Wedding Centerpiece</a> site for some cheap, budget wedding centerpiece ideas.

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.

*****

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

Rosemont Show for Wedding, Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Party Planners

The Halloween, Costume and Party Show returns to Rosemont at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in February. Are you a party or event planner?  Does your business have anything to do with planning Bar Mitzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs, Baby Showers, Weddings, Anniversaries, or any type of events?  Don’t miss this show if it does.  Visit their website for information and registration.

We attended this show for many years and always find new and innovative ideas to take back to clients. There are many exhibitors and interesting seminars as well.

New Double Name Balloon Arch Spells Out Names in Letter Balloons

We got a call and delivered our first double name balloon arch spelled out in letters this past weekend. It was well received.

Jamie - Jason Spelled out in Letter a Balloon Arch

Follow the link for more picture of names in balloons or if you have trouble seeing the full width of this picture.

Practical Approach Article on Budget Weddings

Heidi Kurpiela posted a blog called Lessons Learned Between To-Do and “I Do” earlier today on The Stimulist. In it she described it as “…CliffsNotes version of what this one learned in the first six months of her engagement..”

She covers various topics on saving on your wedding including… handwriting invitation envelopes…breaking with tradition….and several other practical approaches to a budget wedding. 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 Planning a Marriage Just an Anxious Marathon, Beauty Pageant and Shopping Spree?

Wailin Wong wrote an article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday titled “Social Web engages brides in all stages of Planning”. Unfortunately, it is not yet in the paper’s archives so we cannot link to it.

The story is both sad and humorous. She said planning a marriage is “more like an anxiety-ridden hybrid of marathon, shopping spree and beauty pageant.” Then she thanks the Web for being there to help. Later she comments “..social media has injected some transparency and community into wedding planning.” The web brings “..together brides in the hunt for fair prices.”

She briefly covers message boards, brides developing bonds, anonymity, second thoughts, and other topics. We do hope she truly does not become another bridezilla.

The Budget Bride – 5 Money Saving Tips!

Panache Weddings and Events has this wonderful article on money saving tips. Its worth looking at…

“Just like so many of us these days, brides are on a serious BUDGET! And sticking to the budget is definitely a chore. As I meet with more and more brides there is one theme that is always the same. Brides are on a budget and they just don’t wanna sacrifice ANY part of the wedding that they have dreamed of. So, here is a little advice on how to cut costs without cutting out the style.”

They have hints on the reception, gown, centerpieces, printing, and photography.