A beautifully decorated wedding cake is part of every bride's dream wedding. However they can be expensive, as much as $10.00 per serving. That means your cake for 200 guests will cost $2,000.00. Wedding cakes don't have to break your budget.
The high season for weddings is Spring and Summer and the busiest day for weddings is Saturday. Choose to get married on another day, say Friday evening, or in the Fall and Winter and you'll save money overall, as well as on your wedding cake.
Choose a small tiered cake to cut and sheet cakes to serve to the guests. You'll have the tradition of the cake cutting ceremony without the expense of tiered cakes.
Another alternative is to serve cupcakes displayed on tiered serving trays. If you don't have the trays use a silver large round tray for the bottom. Support a second clear glass tray by balancing it on champagne glasses and a final smaller clear glass tray for the top tier. If you're worried about knocking over the display. Use a dab of hot blue on the bottom of each champagne glass to fasten it to the tray below. Decorate between the cupcakes with rose petals or small mini carnations, beautiful and cost effective.
Dee
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
3 more tips for a budget wedding
Tip number one. Determine what you truly want. You might think that a sit down formal dinner is the only alternative for your wedding but what you really want is to share a wonderful meal with friends and family. There are alternatives to that sit down dinner. A buffet is a great idea and cuts costs, or what about an elegant boxed lunch picnic? Or perhaps consider a selection of appetizers instead of a full meal.
Tip number two. Offer your guests the opportunity to help pay for your wedding as their wedding gift. Several of your friends could decide to pay for or supply the wine for your wedding. Others could participate in paying for the wedding cake, music, photographer, and so forth. This isn't as crass as asking for cash donations directly and it makes your guests feel they made more of a contribution to your happy day than just showing up.
Tip number three. Research, research, RESEARCH! There are many websites that provide information on low-cost weddings. Take the time to visit several of them. Chances are you will run across MANY great ideas that you may not have thought of on your own.
The websites don’t necessarily have to be geared specifically toward weddings. Even sites such as Better Homes & Gardens and Redbook often feature wedding related articles.
Follow these tips and you can have a beautiful wedding on a shoestring budget.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Cheap and Easy Ideas for Your Wedding Reception
Weddings on a Shoestring Budget: Cheap and Easy Ideas for Your Wedding Reception
Are you getting married, but find it necessary to stay within a certain budget? Don't worry; you can still have a wonderful wedding reception, without spending a great deal of money. It's probably easier than you think to have a fabulous wedding on a shoestring budget.
Weather permitting one of the least expensive ways to save money on your reception is to have it in your own backyard… or in a backyard you have 'borrowed' from a friend or family member. This option works best for small, intimate, receptions. In any case have an alternative rainy day location chosen. It could be the living room or first floor of your house. You may still need to rent a tarp or covering so your guests aren't wilting in the sun.
If your reception will be on a larger scale, consider having it at a local park. Pavilions can usually be rented at a very reasonable cost. Many parks have additional facilities such as beaches and play areas, as well. (This type of amenity will be appreciated by the younger guests, in attendance.) Send an advanced group to scout the area for papers, trash, and dog droppings. Folding chairs can be rented so your guests will be comfortable while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
If you plan on decorating with flowers, use those that are in season. Many grocery stores now have lovely floral departments. Talk with the floral manager to see what bouquets she or he is ordering that are in your color scheme. Reserve the bouquets by prepaying for them. A good size bouquet is usually around $10 to $12 that's far less expensive than an arrangement from the florist. Shop good will stores for glass vases. Use inexpensive candles as the main focal point and the flowers as more of an accent. Doing so will save you money.
(You can easily 'jazz up' inexpensive glass candle holders with ribbon and other small embellishments that match your color scheme. These candles can even be given away as wedding favors, at the end of the reception.)
Food doesn't have to be a huge expense, if you don't want it to be. Ask your closest friends and family members to bring a dish to pass. You will find that they are usually more than willing to do so.
Another option is to serve several different desserts and beverages, instead of a large meal. The desserts can be purchased from a bakery or your local grocery store. Ask a friend to cut the desserts into serving slices and then store until the wedding. Individual mini tarts, cookies, cupcakes, are other alternatives.
Have the wedding of your dreams on a shoestring budget.
Are you getting married, but find it necessary to stay within a certain budget? Don't worry; you can still have a wonderful wedding reception, without spending a great deal of money. It's probably easier than you think to have a fabulous wedding on a shoestring budget.
Weather permitting one of the least expensive ways to save money on your reception is to have it in your own backyard… or in a backyard you have 'borrowed' from a friend or family member. This option works best for small, intimate, receptions. In any case have an alternative rainy day location chosen. It could be the living room or first floor of your house. You may still need to rent a tarp or covering so your guests aren't wilting in the sun.
If your reception will be on a larger scale, consider having it at a local park. Pavilions can usually be rented at a very reasonable cost. Many parks have additional facilities such as beaches and play areas, as well. (This type of amenity will be appreciated by the younger guests, in attendance.) Send an advanced group to scout the area for papers, trash, and dog droppings. Folding chairs can be rented so your guests will be comfortable while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
If you plan on decorating with flowers, use those that are in season. Many grocery stores now have lovely floral departments. Talk with the floral manager to see what bouquets she or he is ordering that are in your color scheme. Reserve the bouquets by prepaying for them. A good size bouquet is usually around $10 to $12 that's far less expensive than an arrangement from the florist. Shop good will stores for glass vases. Use inexpensive candles as the main focal point and the flowers as more of an accent. Doing so will save you money.
(You can easily 'jazz up' inexpensive glass candle holders with ribbon and other small embellishments that match your color scheme. These candles can even be given away as wedding favors, at the end of the reception.)
Food doesn't have to be a huge expense, if you don't want it to be. Ask your closest friends and family members to bring a dish to pass. You will find that they are usually more than willing to do so.
Another option is to serve several different desserts and beverages, instead of a large meal. The desserts can be purchased from a bakery or your local grocery store. Ask a friend to cut the desserts into serving slices and then store until the wedding. Individual mini tarts, cookies, cupcakes, are other alternatives.
Have the wedding of your dreams on a shoestring budget.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Black and white can be a challenge for flowers
Here are a couple of suggestions. Spray paint flower pots black then pop in a 4 inch plant with white flowers from the plant nursery. You might be able to get the nursery to order them for you. White flowers that should be available at a reasonable price include: gerbera daisy, geraniums, miniature roses, and petunias.
Another idea would be clear vases half filled with black marbles and one spray of white orchids. Or use round clear vases with a single floating white flower. Place the vase on a black charger plate (those plates that are bigger than a dinner plate and used under the dinner plate) place white votive candles around the vase on the charger plate.
Use black lace that you've bought at a discount fabric store - seconds are fine - nobody will notice a glitch in the pattern, as a runner for each table over a white table cloth. Place a simple bouquet of white airy flowers like mini carns, mini roses, baby's breath and green leaves in a clear vase on the runner.
Flowers don't naturally occur in black, but you can use floral spray which does come in black to 'paint' baby's breath. Then mix the black baby's breath in with real white flowers.
The challenge with black is that it can go gothic or Halloween fast.
Another idea would be clear vases half filled with black marbles and one spray of white orchids. Or use round clear vases with a single floating white flower. Place the vase on a black charger plate (those plates that are bigger than a dinner plate and used under the dinner plate) place white votive candles around the vase on the charger plate.
Use black lace that you've bought at a discount fabric store - seconds are fine - nobody will notice a glitch in the pattern, as a runner for each table over a white table cloth. Place a simple bouquet of white airy flowers like mini carns, mini roses, baby's breath and green leaves in a clear vase on the runner.
Flowers don't naturally occur in black, but you can use floral spray which does come in black to 'paint' baby's breath. Then mix the black baby's breath in with real white flowers.
The challenge with black is that it can go gothic or Halloween fast.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Mini meals are fun and tasty. Try these ideas at your wedding reception.
Guests love bite size snacks they can carry with them. Just about
everyone loves macaroni and cheese. You can make it special and
portable by hollowing out a small dinner roll and stuffing it with
mac and cheese. They won't even need a spoon.
Stuff cherry tomatoes with a mixture of one cup of cottage cheese
mixed with one quarter cup of Parmesan cheese.
For a variation stuff the tomatoes with chicken salad or tuna salad.
Chicken wings are fun and easy. Cut a chicken wing in three pieces.
Save the bony wing end for making chicken broth. Bake the wings at
350 degrees until done. Serve at room temperature with dipping
sauces. Mix equal parts honey, lime juice and mustard for a tangy
dip. Or try equal party ketchup and brown sugar for a BBQ like
sauce. Each guest gets their own little cup of dipping sauce.
Miniature hot dogs and buns are always a hit. Buy the little franks
and refrigerator biscuits. Cut the biscuits in half. Place one
little frank in the center and roll up. Bake as package directs.
Grill baby burgers and place in a cut dinner roll, top with a slice
of tomato, a lettuce leaf, and favorite condiments like mayonnaise,
ketchup, and mustard.
Keep portions tiny.
Salad to go. Wash endive leaves. Fill the broad end with a teaspoon
of your favorite prepared salad. Wash butter lettuce leaves,
selecting the smaller more pliable leaves. Spread out the lettuce
leaf and put a tablespoon of salad on the end nearest you. Roll the
leaf forward covering the salad. Tuck the ends of the leave under
as if you were rolling up a burrito.
Lightly fill celery stalk with cream cheese. Press dried cranberries or
raisins into the cheese. Cut into bite sized pieces. For a change use
flavored cream cheese.
Mini pizzas. Use refrigerator biscuits. Lightly flour a
board. Roll each biscuit flat doubling the size of the biscuit.
Place biscuits on cookie sheets. Spread with a teaspoon of tomato
sauce, pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce. An alternative is to use a
slice of fresh tomato. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake as package
directs.
A veggie platter and dip can be made special by using baby
vegetables. Carrots, summer squash, patty pan squash, string beans,
both yellow and green should be blanched by immersing in boiling
water for one minute and then in immediately in an ice bath. Add
snap pea pods, grape tomatoes, both red and yellow, and boiled baby
potatoes.
Mini tacos are fun and easy. Use the corn chips that are made for
dipping and have a bowl shape. Fill with a teaspoon of cooked taco
meat, a bit of refried beans and top with shredded cheese. Bake
until the cheese just melts.
Valentines Day is coming up fast but it's not too late to snag a few
party ideas for kids they're not just for children.
Dee Power
Weddings on a Shoestring Budget
http://www.weddingsonashoestringbudget.com
everyone loves macaroni and cheese. You can make it special and
portable by hollowing out a small dinner roll and stuffing it with
mac and cheese. They won't even need a spoon.
Stuff cherry tomatoes with a mixture of one cup of cottage cheese
mixed with one quarter cup of Parmesan cheese.
For a variation stuff the tomatoes with chicken salad or tuna salad.
Chicken wings are fun and easy. Cut a chicken wing in three pieces.
Save the bony wing end for making chicken broth. Bake the wings at
350 degrees until done. Serve at room temperature with dipping
sauces. Mix equal parts honey, lime juice and mustard for a tangy
dip. Or try equal party ketchup and brown sugar for a BBQ like
sauce. Each guest gets their own little cup of dipping sauce.
Miniature hot dogs and buns are always a hit. Buy the little franks
and refrigerator biscuits. Cut the biscuits in half. Place one
little frank in the center and roll up. Bake as package directs.
Grill baby burgers and place in a cut dinner roll, top with a slice
of tomato, a lettuce leaf, and favorite condiments like mayonnaise,
ketchup, and mustard.
Keep portions tiny.
Salad to go. Wash endive leaves. Fill the broad end with a teaspoon
of your favorite prepared salad. Wash butter lettuce leaves,
selecting the smaller more pliable leaves. Spread out the lettuce
leaf and put a tablespoon of salad on the end nearest you. Roll the
leaf forward covering the salad. Tuck the ends of the leave under
as if you were rolling up a burrito.
Lightly fill celery stalk with cream cheese. Press dried cranberries or
raisins into the cheese. Cut into bite sized pieces. For a change use
flavored cream cheese.
Mini pizzas. Use refrigerator biscuits. Lightly flour a
board. Roll each biscuit flat doubling the size of the biscuit.
Place biscuits on cookie sheets. Spread with a teaspoon of tomato
sauce, pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce. An alternative is to use a
slice of fresh tomato. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake as package
directs.
A veggie platter and dip can be made special by using baby
vegetables. Carrots, summer squash, patty pan squash, string beans,
both yellow and green should be blanched by immersing in boiling
water for one minute and then in immediately in an ice bath. Add
snap pea pods, grape tomatoes, both red and yellow, and boiled baby
potatoes.
Mini tacos are fun and easy. Use the corn chips that are made for
dipping and have a bowl shape. Fill with a teaspoon of cooked taco
meat, a bit of refried beans and top with shredded cheese. Bake
until the cheese just melts.
Valentines Day is coming up fast but it's not too late to snag a few
party ideas for kids they're not just for children.
Dee Power
Weddings on a Shoestring Budget
http://www.weddingsonashoestringbudget.com
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas can help you save money on your wedding
Christmas is a great time to buy decorations for your wedding, even
if it takes place in March, or any other month for that matter. No
I'm not talking about using red and green garland to decorate the
cake table. What I am talking about is using decorations that don't
look like traditional Christmas items.
For example: I went to Pier One and found some adorable fish
themed Christmas tree ornaments. Each was a different fish shape,
about six inches across, with glitter and sequins. The colors were
dark blue, light blue, aqua and white. If I were having a beach
themed wedding these would make darling center pieces placed in a
fish bowl with salt in the bottom to mimic sand and a few shells.
That's how I used them in my bath room.
If you're planning a winter wedding perhaps you're thinking of a
wonderland theme. Snowflakes could be attached to silver spray
painted branches as centerpieces. Strung on fishing wire and hung
from the ceiling they look like they're floating gently down to
earth.
Christmas mini lights go on sale after Christmas and white lights
look very romantic. String them over arches. Use battery operated
lights to decorate the cake and gift tables. Please battery
operated lights in frosted glass vases. Intersperse them through
greenery.
You've probably noticed that colors other than red and green are
popular for Christmas. One year purple and pink were the must have
colors, another year blues from baby blue to navy were all the
rage. The popular colors show up in ribbons and bows as well as
tree decorations. Pick up wire edged ribbon now on sale if you can
find your wedding colors. Beautiful fluffy bows can take the
place of more pricey flower arrangements at the end of the church
pews on the aisles.
Candles are huge at Christmas. Votives, votive candles, tapers,
and pillar candles in white, off white, red, and of course green
are available at reasonable prices. Candles in a pretty votive
candle holder can be used as a wedding favor for your guests.
Good places to find decorations at great prices are drugstores and
big box stores. Unusual decoration can be found at import stores
and boutiques. Don't forget craft stores and of course shop online.
Look at Christmas decorations through new eyes and you just might
find that perfect accent for your wedding or favor for your guest.
Until next week.
Dee Power
Weddings on a Shoestring Budget
if it takes place in March, or any other month for that matter. No
I'm not talking about using red and green garland to decorate the
cake table. What I am talking about is using decorations that don't
look like traditional Christmas items.
For example: I went to Pier One and found some adorable fish
themed Christmas tree ornaments. Each was a different fish shape,
about six inches across, with glitter and sequins. The colors were
dark blue, light blue, aqua and white. If I were having a beach
themed wedding these would make darling center pieces placed in a
fish bowl with salt in the bottom to mimic sand and a few shells.
That's how I used them in my bath room.
If you're planning a winter wedding perhaps you're thinking of a
wonderland theme. Snowflakes could be attached to silver spray
painted branches as centerpieces. Strung on fishing wire and hung
from the ceiling they look like they're floating gently down to
earth.
Christmas mini lights go on sale after Christmas and white lights
look very romantic. String them over arches. Use battery operated
lights to decorate the cake and gift tables. Please battery
operated lights in frosted glass vases. Intersperse them through
greenery.
You've probably noticed that colors other than red and green are
popular for Christmas. One year purple and pink were the must have
colors, another year blues from baby blue to navy were all the
rage. The popular colors show up in ribbons and bows as well as
tree decorations. Pick up wire edged ribbon now on sale if you can
find your wedding colors. Beautiful fluffy bows can take the
place of more pricey flower arrangements at the end of the church
pews on the aisles.
Candles are huge at Christmas. Votives, votive candles, tapers,
and pillar candles in white, off white, red, and of course green
are available at reasonable prices. Candles in a pretty votive
candle holder can be used as a wedding favor for your guests.
Good places to find decorations at great prices are drugstores and
big box stores. Unusual decoration can be found at import stores
and boutiques. Don't forget craft stores and of course shop online.
Look at Christmas decorations through new eyes and you just might
find that perfect accent for your wedding or favor for your guest.
Until next week.
Dee Power
Weddings on a Shoestring Budget
Monday, October 20, 2008
Think small to save big
One of the major costs of a wedding is the reception. And food takes a huge chunk of the reception budget. A very clever way to save on costs is to think small. Bite sized is best.
A sit down dinner can run as much as $75 per person without the wine. That means a guest list of 150 is going to run a tab of close to $12,000. Instead of dinner consider a buffet of bite size appetizers, or even better those appetizers passed on trays by servers. People have a tendency to fill up a plate at a buffet wasting a good portion of the food or stuffing themselves. They're much less likely to chow down in front a wait person or clear off their tray.
It takes a good 15 minutes after you start to eat for your brain to tell your tummy that you're getting full. It takes longer to consume food if you have to wait for the server to come back with another portion.
Little appetizers are very fashionable right now. Served creatively and elegantly your guests won't even realize you're cutting back on costs. Here are a few suggestions:
3 tiny shrimp served on mini rye toasts, spread with cream cheese, garnished with a sprig of dill
Cherry tomatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese
A slice of rare roast beef with a dab of honey mustard sauce served in a pastry puff
Chicken drummetes, chicken wings with the meat pushed down to one end
Sushi - california rolls can be bought the day before.
Salad to go - tiny grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, diced cucumber, baby lettuces served in a small clear plastic 4 ounce cup
Mini burritos. Stuff the smallest size flour tortillas with your favorite burrito mixture, then cut in half.
A sit down dinner can run as much as $75 per person without the wine. That means a guest list of 150 is going to run a tab of close to $12,000. Instead of dinner consider a buffet of bite size appetizers, or even better those appetizers passed on trays by servers. People have a tendency to fill up a plate at a buffet wasting a good portion of the food or stuffing themselves. They're much less likely to chow down in front a wait person or clear off their tray.
It takes a good 15 minutes after you start to eat for your brain to tell your tummy that you're getting full. It takes longer to consume food if you have to wait for the server to come back with another portion.
Little appetizers are very fashionable right now. Served creatively and elegantly your guests won't even realize you're cutting back on costs. Here are a few suggestions:
3 tiny shrimp served on mini rye toasts, spread with cream cheese, garnished with a sprig of dill
Cherry tomatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese
A slice of rare roast beef with a dab of honey mustard sauce served in a pastry puff
Chicken drummetes, chicken wings with the meat pushed down to one end
Sushi - california rolls can be bought the day before.
Salad to go - tiny grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, diced cucumber, baby lettuces served in a small clear plastic 4 ounce cup
Mini burritos. Stuff the smallest size flour tortillas with your favorite burrito mixture, then cut in half.
Augment the mini appetizers with a lavish display of veggies and dip or a basket of crackers and cheeses.
Check out the freezer case of your grocery store for more appetizer ideas. Choose those that taste good at room temperature. It's easier to keep foods cold because you can serve them on a bed of ice, or place the serving plate on a bed of ice. Keeping hot foods hot is more of a challenge. Small servings of food have a tendency to cool off faster.
Garnish the serving plates with ruffled kale, a bed of butter lettuce, or thinly sliced citrus fruit. Garnishes don't get eaten (usually) and cost much less than the appetizer, yet they take up space on the plate and enhance the attractiveness of the food.
Dee
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