A Few Tips to help out the wedding wallet!

The most important thing to do first is to define your priorities. There are many things that you may consider indispensable for your wedding, and others that just may not be that important to you. Value those aspects that will make your wedding memorable and forget about those that you consider dispensable. The trick is to adjust the available budget to your priorities.

1.      Have the wedding during the week or during the Winter months, all costs relating to the reception site and services are cheaper.

2.      Limit your guest list to your closest friends and family; forget your cousin’s cousins!

3.      Do-it-yourself and make some or all of your own wedding essentials: invitations, wedding ring holder, wedding favors…

4.      Visit wedding fairs and exhibitions, where you may be able to find vendors offering great discounts.

5.      Don’t buy the groom’s suit or the bride’s dress at a bridal shop, look at other options or go for models from past collections.

6.      If you’re extremely disorganized, hiring a wedding planner may help you save a lot of money, seeing as a wedding planner will already have a list of vendor contacts, as well as discounts that may fit your budget.

7.      If you can have the reception at home instead of renting a location, the costs become much lower.

8.      Having a less formal reception, such as a brunch or buffet, instead of a formal seated meal, are less expensive options.

9.      Keep your floral arrangements simple and based on flowers that are in season.

10.    Ask family and friends with special talents to help you out with the wedding preparations: an aunt that makes great desserts, a cousin who is a DJ…

11.    Define your budget for the wedding and stick to it!

How to make the GRAND entrance

As tradition has it, after cocktail hour and once guests have been seated for lunch or dinner, the newlyweds make their grand entrance. Walking into the reception hall, hand in hand, to the sound of a great song and the applause of the guests is pretty common in most weddings. And while there is nothing wrong with this type of entrance, why not make it extra special? Here are 6 great ideas.

1. Dim the lights

If possible, meaning if the venue is properly equipped, make a Hollywood entrance under one beaming spotlight. Before the newlyweds enter the reception area, have someone dim the lights and, as the bride and groom walk, have a spotlight that gets brighter and brighter shining only on them. Don’t forget to choose a wonderful song for the occasion and have the spotlight follow you until you reach your seats, where you can seal that glamorous Hollywood entrance with a kiss.

2. Introduce your parents

Following your entrance into the reception hall and once at your seats, take a moment to introduce your parents to all the guests, thank them for all their help and support and, of course, make sure you let them know how much you love them. Besides being a great way to show your appreciation, you’ll definitely hit a chord with the guests and, as you know, the more emotional the wedding, the more special it becomes.

3. Use a theme

Together with a group of friends, plan a surprise for all the guests who are going to see you walk through the reception door. Be inspired by a specific theme and get all dressed up for a 1970s disco night or recreate the scene from a musical, for example. This requires rehearsing everything prior to the wedding, so that on the big day everything runs smoothly once you burst through the wedding reception door singing and dancing in all your glory.

4. Let the bridesmaids and groomsmen shine

If you decide to have bridesmaids and groomsmen at your wedding, than use them for a fun and creative entrance. Let them lead the way for the newlyweds with a short choreography danced to the sound of a great song; the bride and groom can enter and finish the dance. Great fun and totally unforgettable! Don’t forget to thank the bridesmaids and groomsmen for their moves and participation!

5. Ask the DJ or a friend to read a short introduction

Create a romantic entrance, with a touch of suspense. Prepare a short biography of your own personal love story (no more than 3 minutes) and before you enter the reception, dim the lights and have someone read it (preferably without being seen), accompanied by some background music. At the end, the newlyweds make their grand entrance to the sound of happy applause.

6. Paparazzi effect

Before you make your grand entrance, ask the DJ to instruct the guests to pick up the disposable cameras (preferably with flash) previously set up on all tables and to photograph your entrance just as if you were a celebrity couple in the eyes of the paparazzi. As soon as you walk into the reception area, you’ll have a ton of flashes illuminating your entrance.

Chat soon,

J