10 Cheap Wedding Ideas

Your wedding doesn't have to break the bank - you can still have a wonderful day without starting your married life in debt. Here are a few tips to help create a wedding on a tight budget.

- Firstly, be ruthless with that guest list. The more guests that you invite the more expensive your wedding will be. If you're worried about offending people, why not have a small, intimate ceremony and reception and have a party for your extended family afterwards.

- Getting married at your local registry office is the cheapest wedding venue. Registrars often charge travel expenses to attend a ceremony outside of the registry office.

- You don't have to hire a country house to have a wonderful reception party. Hiring a village or church hall can be very cost effective. And with a team of volunteers to put decorations up you can turn any hall into a venue with the wow factor.

- Make it a BYOB party - Bring Your Own Bottle!

- Bake your own wedding cake or cupcakes. Or buy fairy cakes from your local bakers and pile onto cake stands to create a beautiful piece of artwork.

- Have a BBQ, they are cheap to put on and always create a party atmosphere.

- If you're worried about the cost of food, hold an evening reception and state on the invitations 'guests are welcome to join us for a celebratory drink.' Go to your favourite bar and put whatever you can afford behind the bar.

- Visit your local flower market and put together your table centre pieces and bridesmaids bouquets. Ask a creative friend to assist. The amount you save might even pay for your own bouquet to be done professionally.

- Make use of eBay and other auction sites to pick up a bargain wedding dress. You should even be able to purchase the grooms suit at a bargain price.

- The more you can make yourself, the more you will save! It's fairly easy to make your ownwedding invitations and many other parts to your wedding. Get creative and have fun and you're sure to have the stunning 'big day' that you deserve.

Edward Janes is an expert in Wedding Stationery and all aspects of wedding decoration. He owns and runs a Verbena Stationery the online wedding shop where you will find all the latest trends in the wedding industry. Visit http://www.verbenastationery.co.uk to see the current list of fantastic wedding invitations. by Edward Janes

New Ideas For Wedding Favors in 2010

Finding new ideas for wedding favors may be challenging, as many popular favors are the tried and true. However, using new ideas can occur in different degrees. For instance you may want to include one new favor idea among several classics like place card holders or wedding box favors. Even these traditional favors can be revolutionized to feature new attractions.

Craft stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby can be a goldmine for finding materials to create your own wedding favors. Using your imagination, you can use just about anything to make a wedding favor. After all, these are gifts to your guests from you and your future spouse.

Beads and string can be fashioned in many different ways for several creations including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and key chains. Depending on your theme, you can even buy the appropriate beads like starfish or shells for a beach-themed wedding. These homemade goodies will be beautiful decorations for the reception tables as well as thoughtful wedding favors.

Using solid black or white matte frames, you can construct homemade photo frames to use as wedding favors. One way to make the frames classy is to write something like "John & Marie's Wedding Day" in glue and then sprinkle silver glitter over the wet letters. Allow time for the glue to dry, then shake the excess glitter and you have an elegant and inexpensive idea that will be sure to impress your crowd.

Other embellishments can also be used to decorate matte frames. Cut squares from decorative foil and make a checkerboard pattern for the border. Ribbons, beads, mirrors, letters, or stickers are all great choices for making creative wedding favor frames.

Cuts of wood from craft stores can be a blank canvas for new wedding ideas. Using spheres, rectangles, squares, or even letters, the wood can be painted in various patterns and designs. Organic and cheap, they will be sure to make a statement as art pieces for your guests.

Any good wedding party should have plenty of food. Bring along your own homemade treats to serve to everyone as wedding favors. Cupcakes, brownies, candy, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered cherries, cookies, and homemade snack mixes are dynamite ideas for your guests. Make them pop with colored sprinkles and vivid icing. Also consider placing them in fabric or colored netting complete with a tied piece of ribbon to hold the favor together.

For country or western themed weddings, a fun idea might be to give guests access to delicious roasted, shelled peanuts. Peanuts are nutritious and fun to eat. Send guests home with extra peanuts by giving them their own pails or bags full. Outdoor weddings are especially fun for peanuts because then you can throw the shells on the ground.

Samantha is a wedding specialist, emphasizing on wedding favors and decorations. Recent publications have gained some recognition on these topics. Samantha is the mother of one, and also a small business owner. She enjoys being a wedding consultant and makes it her goal to help couples to choose the best wedding favors for their weddings. by Samantha Crayton