British Couples Low Key Wedding Draws A Lot Of Interest

A British couple who wanted a low-key wedding got that and more. Catherine Webb and Mark Campbell decided to tie the knot in a low-key ceremony. They assured family and friends that it was not necessary to come to the wedding, the second for each of them. Instead, the couple, who planned to marry while on holiday in Barnstaple, Devon placed an advertisement in the local paper looking for two witnesses for their ceremony.

The response to the advert was overwhelming, especially after the North Devon Journal picked up the story. Within hours of its publication, the couple had dozens of volunteers, including a young brother-and-sister pair who stood in as a bridesmaid and a pageboy. A local Barnstaple florist donated a bridal bouquet and one of the volunteers organised a reception following the ceremony.

In all, fifteen locals attended the wedding and reception for the pair. As for the Campbells, they liked Barnstaple so much that the couple plans to move there.

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After Consideration California County Still Says We Dont To Civil Ceremonies

Ann Barnett, the county clerk of Kern County in California, decided in June to stop performing civil ceremonies for couples who take out a marriage license. The decision coincided with the California State Supreme Court’s ruling that California counties must issue “gender-free” marriage licenses.

Barnett says that Kern County is unprepared to deal with the cost, space and security requirements of conducting an increased number of civil ceremonies and opted to eliminate all civil ceremonies as a result. The County Board of Supervisors considered Barnett’s actions and after a vote, agreed to support Barnett’s decision to bow out of the wedding business.

Prior to Barnett’s decision, Kern County performed about 2,000 civil marriages per year, or an average of about eight ceremonies per day. Kern County is strongly conservative and most voters oppose homosexual weddings. Since state law only requires that the county issue marriage licenses, the county will comply with state law, but will not perform any civil unions for any couples, regardless of their gender.

Opponents argued that the refusal to perform civil weddings would negatively impact minority and low-income couples in the county. In November, California voters will consider a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union that exists only between one man and one woman. It is not clear whether passage of an amendment would nullify existing legal marriages that don’t conform to that definition, but it would prohibit such unions in the future. Barnett has not said whether the county would perform civil weddings again if the proposal passes.

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Cutting Costs Without Cutting Corners

With the average cost of a wedding spiraling out of control, brides are leaving no stone unturned in their search for cutting costs while still having a memorable and enjoyable wedding.

Wedding planner Mindy Weiss reports in her book The Wedding Book: The Big Book For Your Big Day on some of the best ways to reduce the cost of getting married and having the wedding you want.

The single largest expense for a traditional wedding is the food and drink costs, so tactics aimed at reducing the catering bill are going over well. First, reduce the number of guests on your guest list. If you wouldn’t invite a prospective guest to your home for dinner, then don’t invite them to your wedding. Acquaintances, work mates and far-flung relatives can run up your wedding costs quickly. Resist the temptation by trimming these folks from your guest list.

While you’re reducing your food costs, reduce the alcohol costs as well. If you want to go non-alcoholic, you can serve a variety of beverages for your guests. If you can’t do without a toast, let guest toast with whatever they’re drinking instead of popping the corks on expensive champagne. Also limit the bar to a few choice drinks and you’ll save a bundle.

Choosing a beautiful setting for your wedding will reduce your decoration costs. If a site is naturally pleasing, there’s little need to add decorations, flowers and other adornments.

Print your own invitations using do-it-yourself invitation kits, available through Kardella. You’ll save money on the printing costs, you can control the number on invitations you print, and the DIY kits look beautiful!

Finally, instead of splashing out on expensive table centerpieces, write notes to your guests instead. Include photographs of you and your spouse and let your guests know how much you appreciate their presence at your wedding.

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Brides Looking For Sparkle Add Fireworks To The Wedding Budget

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, their membership is being asked to produce more fireworks shows related to weddings, birthdays and other celebrations. Fireworks require the permission of the venue and a permit from local authorities. Provided that both are granted, brides can expect to spend about $1,000 per minute on a dedicated fireworks show.

To take advantage of the interest, some fireworks vendors are setting up display booths at bridal shows. For the vendors, weddings and other special events provide the opportunity for year-round revenues, whereas relatively few holiday and municipal displays take place each year. For brides, the cost of hosting a fireworks display can vary, depending upon the length of the show. Vendors say that even a five- or six-minute show can seem like a half-hour.

The cost of the displays doesn’t seem to deter some brides, who are looking for that special and unique touch for their wedding receptions. For some wedding planners, the venue that doesn’t permit fireworks can be a deal-breaker, and venues report being asked more frequently if they’re amenable to nighttime fireworks displays.

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Couple Ties A Star Wars themed Knot At Comic Convention

A couple from Yuma, Arizona in the United States took advantage of the annual Comic-Con event to stage a Star Wars-themed wedding. Thomas and Tenille Kuhlman married last year in a civil ceremony, but that didn’t stop the couple from going forward with their plans for a Mandelorian wedding. Mandelorians, of course, are a fictional warrior race that appears in the Star Wars movies.

The Star Wars fan club, of which the Kuhlmans are members, gathered at Comic-Con to see the couple wed, since many of the close-knit group of friends could not attend the ceremony last year.

The bride and groom were both dressed in armor designed to resemble the Mandelorian costumes worn in the movies. The guests also dressed the part, wearing armor, jet packs, boots, helmets, metal collars, dart launchers and other gear. A few Jedi knights and super heroes joined the crowd and Elvis was also spotted among the guests, who formed a “light sabre” arch as the couple moved toward the altar for the ceremony.

The couple exchanged vows in the wilting summer heat and then headed to a Mandelorian-themed reception with their guests.

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Four Couples Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversaries Together

Four couples who lived as neighbors in an apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Michigan – a college town just west of Detroit – reunited to celebrate 50 years of marriage to their respective spouses last week. The four couples all attended and graduated from the University of Michigan, and married within two months of each other.

The reunion was nothing new for the friends; they’ve remained close to each other since they were neighbors in 1958. Two of the couples still live in Ann Arbor, and another couple live in a suburb of Detroit, not far away. One pair moved back to their native New York State. Among the couples are four children and nineteen grandchildren, many of whom have become friends on their own.

The couples count each other among their many blessings and believe it is unusual to find so many couples celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries together, especially having remained so close throughout the years. They vow to gather again next year to celebrate their 51st anniversaries, although according to one of the women, “we’ll all be wearing bibs!”

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Man Showers The Latest Wedding Trend

Why should women have all the fun when it comes to getting married? Man showers – parties designed for men – are a growing trend among men who are getting married. Men are growing comfortable with attending couples’ showers with wives and girlfriends, so a “man shower” is a natural extension of that. Others think it has arisen from the increased role men are playing in wedding planning.

But don’t believe that a man shower is a substitute for a bachelor party. Instead, it’s just the opening act. Like wedding showers for the brides, guests bring gifts to the party that can help a groom set up or maintain a household. Some “man showers” are scheduled at the same time as the bridal shower, to give husbands, brothers, male family members and friends time to spend with each other. In some circles, the man showers extend to expectant fathers as well.

What about games, which are a mainstay of bridal showers? You’ll find games at man showers too. Guests may find themselves being judged on the manliness of their gift wrap, which may include duct tape, homemade containers and other “manly” adornments. Tools are popular gifts for man showers, and many home improvement centers are beginning to offer wedding registries.

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Sweden To Host Drive-In Wedding

Auto enthusiasts in Sweden will get a double dose of true love in July, when the country’s first “drive-in wedding” will be staged at a gathering of car lovers in Vasteras, in Central Sweden. The wedding, which 36 couples have already registered for, will be performed by about ten priests from the Church of Sweden.

Jerker Asterlund, one of the organisers of the event and a priest, said he was motivated to put the novel group wedding together because weddings are too commercialised and the Church of Sweden has no interest in promoting that. Instead Asterlund wants to promote a low cost, simple approach to tying the knot. He also wants to remind people that the Church of Sweden can be a part of celebration and happiness and is not limited to just crises and catastrophes. The mass wedding will take about seven minutes to complete and will feature a parade of classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s.

In addition to the parade, the mass wedding will feature a gospel choir and in keeping with the 1950’s and 60’s theme, one of the participating priests will sing Elvis tunes to entertain the attendees. The organisers have also erected a Las Vegas-style neon sign that reads “Get Married.”

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Woman Married Eleven Times Gives Advice To Couples Thinking About Marriage

When it comes to marriage, Bonnie Ashley has it down. In fact, lately she’s been giving advice to people who are considering a walk down the aisle. Few people in the world are better prepared to give advice about marriage than Ashley. She’s married (and divorced) eleven times.

Ashley, 53, has written a book called Ex-Husband In Freezer about her experiences with marriage. Her best advice: Don’t jump into marriage. She should know. Ashley married two of her ex-husbands three times each.

Ashley has been married eleven times to seven different men. She married her first husband to escape her father, whom Ashley describes as a domineering, dictatorial minister, and things went downhill from there. Among the first ten years of her marriages, Ashley also had a long-standing affair with a man she truly wanted to be with.

She’s currently unmarried, having made peace with herself after divorce number three from Husband Number Seven. Her book was written with the understanding that none of their real names would be used. One of her ex-husbands pitched in to edit the manuscript, which Ashley self-published.

Ashley has no children and receives no alimony from any of her husbands. She works as a real estate agent in Delaware, in the United States, and since publishing her book, has been in high demand for radio and television interviews. She’s also in talks to bring the book to the big screen.

Ashley says that she hopes her book helps people to avoid the same mistake she’s made when it comes to marriage. She advises people to wait to marry, and take time to get to know their prospective spouses before talking about marriage. According to Ashley, “Live with people if you have to, and try on the shoe before you buy it.”

Ashley says she is not in a relationship right now, after passing on the opportunity to take on Husband Number Eight. She says she’s just learning how to enjoy life being single.

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Episcopal Diocese In California Urges Couples To Marry Outside The Church

Bishop Marc Handley Andrus has urged members of the Episcopal Diocese of California to instruct its followers to marry in a civil ceremony and have their unions blessed by the Episcopal Church. Andrus is following a model used heavily in European countries, but not in the United States.

Andrus is finding support among California clergy who are being pressured by shifting legal and social opinions about who can be married. California recently lifted a ban on same-sex weddings, which the Episcopal Church does not recognize.

Some pastors feel that they are being placed in the middle of a political statement. Pastors work as agents of the state to perform wedding ceremonies that are recognized as legal marriages. They are concerned that the ruling on same-sex weddings may lead to a circumstance where a pastor may be put at odds with his or her beliefs, or may require them to perform same-sex weddings as a civil function if they also perform traditional religious marriages according to the dictates of their religious beliefs.

Other pastors see another reason for exiting the wedding business. According to the Conde Nast American Wedding Study conducted in 2006, nearly half of all weddings in the United States take place in a church, synagogue or other house of worship. Pastors privately complain, however, that many couples choose to marry in their churches, but rarely return after the ceremony.

To date, the Episcopal Diocese of California is the only diocese recommending this approach to marriage in the US.

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Choosing A Wedding Ring

Wedding rings can be traditional or completely unique, but exercise care when choosing a wedding band. Most wedding and engagement rings are made from a gold alloy, but other metals like silver, palladium, platinum, titanium and tungsten are also gaining in popularity.

Pure gold is too soft for daily wear. Typically, gold is mixed with other metals like nickel to give it strength without losing the traditional gold colour. Wedding bands are most often made with 18K gold, which has substantially more strength and will stand up to the rigors of daily wear. Consult with a jeweller about the nickel content of a wedding ring. Some people develop an allergy to metals like nickel, and the higher the nickel content, the more likely a sensitive wearer is to react to the ring.

Do not choose a wedding ring made from different material than your engagement ring. If possible, buy the wedding and engagement rings from the same jeweller at the same time. Different metals may react with each other, and since the rings will be in daily contact, one ring can wear the other down. If the rings are made from the same materials, they are less likely to damage each other when they’re worn together.

If your wedding or engagement ring contains a precious gem, spend the extra money to get a six- or eight-prong setting. The setting should be of the same or harder material as the ring. With a six- or eight-prong setting, a lost prong will not cause the stone to fall out. A broken four-prong setting almost guarantees that the gem will be lost.

One note: tungsten carbide has been gaining in popularity as a wedding band material. It is sold as being virtually indestructible and scratch resistant. Think carefully before buying a tungsten carbide wedding ring. If your ring finger is broken, or your hand is injured and your ring finger swells, a tungsten carbide ring cannot be cut off, since it is harder than the cutters that most hospital emergency rooms use to remove metal jewellery.

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Bride-To-Be Is An Expert At Beating The Odds

Courtney Dempsey is a survivor. Four years ago, the now-33-year-old bride-to-be was told by doctors that she was suffering from terminal cancer and had less than one year to live. She had been diagnosed with late-stage melanoma and the prognosis was not good. Through aggressive treatment, she beat the odds and recovered, only to find that the cancer had returned. After a double mastectomy, Ms. Dempsey beat the odds again and recovered a second time.

During her recovery, she started dating Gary Courtney, 37. Gary moved in with Ms. Dempsey to help her recover and the pair became engaged. Ms. Dempsey and her fiancé entered a contest sponsored by the US-based Us Magazine. The grand prize is a USD$100,000 dream wedding.

Dempsey defied the odds yet again. She won the contest and will now enjoy the wedding of a lifetime. As Dempsey and her fiancé finalise the plans for their big day, she explains that she plans to take her husband’s last name – making her Courtney Courtney. “I love it,” she says. “I’m in sales, so no one will ever forget my name!”

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Surprise More Couples Opt For Surprise Weddings

A growing trend these days is the surprise wedding. Couples who don’t want to get tied up the planning process are opting instead to throw surprise weddings with family and friends. Couples usually use the ruse of an informal party, engagement party or shower, and surprise guests with a wedding instead.

The surprise wedding eschews the traditional planning, and is often a small, casual affair. It offers the couple a way to keep the wedding plan simple, while maximizing the use of holiday time, and minimizing the cost. Often, the bride and groom inform a few close friends. In other cases, everyone is in the dark.

Recently, celebrities including Julia Roberts, Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z, Steve Martin, Usher, Mariah Carey, and Seal and Heidi Klum have all opted for surprise weddings. While celebrities typically choose surprise weddings to throw off the paparazzi, ordinary couples are more interested in taking advantage of a particular time or event where many of their friends will be gathered anyway in order to reduce costs, or celebrate two events at once.

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Make The Most Of Your Wedding Budget

You’re planning a wedding but you can’t afford everything you want. Welcome to life! There are so many decisions to make and so little time in which to make them. When everything associated with weddings costs so much, how can you ensure that you get the wedding you want?

Wedding planners agree that the best way to save money on a wedding is to prioritize the areas in which you want to spend your money, and don’t be afraid to let some things slide. By breaking down your wedding into spending categories, you can quickly determine where you want to put your financial effort.

If having great food or entertainment at the reception is important, then you can adjust your spending in other areas to make sure you get the reception experience you want. On the other hand, if having a beautiful gown is at the top of your list, then spending less in another area that’s not as important to you can help you get the dress of your dreams.

Some experts counsel brides-to-be to choose the five most important elements of their wedding and let the rest go. This approach can help you remain focused on your spending priorities, and not get caught in the trap of spending a lot on things that don’t matter so much.

Areas in which brides can save the most include having the wedding on a day other than Saturday, and taking steps to control liquor and food costs. Brides can also have “off-season” weddings, when venues are easier to book and costs are lower.

Longer planning cycles give brides time to make better decisions, and spend less money in the process. Nothing inflates the cost of a wedding like having to make a hasty decision. With more time to plan, brides can research more options, take advantage of sales and get better pricing on goods and services.

Organization goes a long way toward cutting costs, too! Keep all of your wedding receipts, contracts and ideas bound together in a “wedding binder.” The binder should travel with you when making the rounds, so you can easily compare prices and services, and will be less tempted to sign on the dotted line without weighing other options.

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Couples Look For Wedding Savings To Quell Financial Jitters

Couples planning their weddings are now looking carefully at their finances before agreeing to spend thousands on their wedding plans. While the well-to-do have not curbed their appetites for extravagance, couples of more ordinary means are looking for ways to save on the cost of tying the knot.

Where can you save the most? Typically, brides who reduce their guest lists also reduce their wedding budgets. Smaller weddings allow the bridal couple to spend more time with their guests while spending less money on the venue, food and liquor. If size matters, go with a larger guest list and a cocktail reception instead.

Popular advice making the rounds these days is to save on invitations. In the grand scheme of things, cutting the invitation budget won’t give much of a bump to your bottom line. These days, high-quality and custom invitations are available for less than ever before, and brides have hundreds of designs to choose from. A better bottom line boost comes from cutting down on the use of fresh flowers at weddings. Flowers can easily run into the thousands and last only a few days. Skip the flowers altogether, rent greenery or use silk arrangements instead.

Another great save? Use an elegant bridesmaid’s dress as a wedding dress. Bridesmaids dresses can often be special ordered in white, off-white, gold or silver. Even as a special order, you’ll still save a bundle on a beautiful dress for your wedding. Bridesmaids’ dresses can be bought “off-the-rack” in fabrics, styles and colours that are more flattering and less expensive. For a little flair, try going with complementary colours instead of matching ones, and let your bridesmaids pick out their own shoes.

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Price Of Gold Spurs Change To Arab Wedding Traditions

For most Arab brides, it’s inconceivable to marry without wearing a stunning collection of gold jewellery. Gold is a traditional part of the Arab wedding scene, and babies are often given gold as gifts.

Inflation and the high price of gold on the commodities market are eating into the Arab appetite for gold. Some jewellers report that their sales are down more than 70% from just three years ago.

Brides typically acquire gold jewellery as part of their shabka – a collection of gold finery that is purchased with money from the dowry she receives from the groom. At minimum, the shabka consists of a necklace, earrings and a bracelet, and often contains much more.

Lately, couples who plan to marry can’t afford gold jewellery because the price of gold is about AUD $1,100 per ounce, which substantially exceeds the average monthly income. From all indications, gold prices may even double from their current levels. To compensate, couples are skipping the shabka until gold prices come down.

Using another metal like silver is simply not an option for many traditionalists. Although the price of silver is much more affordable, it is considered a cheap metal and brides would rather borrow or rent gold jewellery for the ceremony than accept a silver shabka.

Privately, however, jewellery store owners report that silver sales have increased by as much as 60 percent since the price of gold soared. Store owners are being very careful to identify silver jewellery to prevent customers from mistaking it for white gold.

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Pakistan Cuts Down On Wedding Feasts

If you’re looking for a way to cut down on the cost of a wedding, consider having it in Pakistan. The government in Punjab has begun to enforce a law first enacted in the 1990’s that limits wedding receptions to a single entrée and a few “appropriate” side dishes, like rice. When originally passed, the law forbade food of any kind, but allowed wedding guests to celebrate with soft drinks and tea.

By tradition, Pakistani weddings span several days and may include hundreds of guests. Even the poorest families feel honour-bound to throw a lavish wedding, and many begin saving for a wedding day immediately after a child is born. Families can spend multiple years’ incomes on a lavish wedding for a child. As the cost of food rose in the country, the Pakistani government was moved to enact the legislation to give a break to poor families, without making them feel humiliated by not being able to meet social customs.

Until recently the law was not strictly enforced because it runs completely counter to tradition. Newspaper advertisements by the government warn families to observe the law. Families risk substantial fines for disobedience. The government has begun enforcement in Punjab, the country’s most populated state, and is encouraging everyone to report violations. While wedding planners profess to be delighted by the law, they say that enforcement will simply push the wedding feasts into private homes instead.

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Reducing The Cost Of A Wedding

Wedding costs occupy most brides’ minds. The cost of a traditional wedding is staggering, and most couples can’t accumulate the funds needed to pay for the event in the year or so they plan to be engaged. Engaged couples are coming up with some creative ways to reduce the overall cost of getting married.

According to the US-based National Association of Catering Executives, members report decreases in the overall spending on weddings. They’re currently seeing a 12% cancellation rate, primarily due to the worsening economy in the US. Caterers also report an increase in the number of Friday and Sunday weddings, and an increase in the number of afternoon ceremonies.

To reduce costs, brides are reducing everything from the size of the guest list to the size of the wedding party. By cutting down on the size of the wedding party, brides reduce the cost of gifts given to the honour attendants.

Brides are also trimming dress costs by buying used dresses, buying dresses online and substituting ivory-coloured bridesmaids dresses for the wedding dress. Limiting liquor costs by reducing the choices available at the bar is another favourite reduction.

Brides are also finding excellent savings by renting greenery from the local nursery instead of spending their money on floral arrangements for the wedding and reception. Overall, brides are reducing their expenses and looking for ways to trim their costs while still enjoying a traditional wedding and reception.

Ordering invitations online is a great way to reduce the cost of printing for wedding invitations. Kardella also offers a full line of do-it-yourself wedding invitation kits, low-cost traditional invitations, and custom designed invitations for those who want to splurge.

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Couples Choose Wedding Loans Despite Financial Advice

Some couples still choose to take a wedding loan, despite the double-digit interest rates that come with these loans. The average cost of a traditional wedding is hovering around $40,000, and the figure can be significantly higher in large cities.

Couples who are considering marriage should think twice about taking a loan to cover the cost of the wedding. In years past, the bride’s family paid for the wedding, but weddings were much simpler events. Couples who paid for their own weddings normally invited family members and a few close friends.

With larger ceremonies, couples have not only taken on the responsibility of planning the wedding, but also the responsibility of paying for the event. Paying for a large wedding sometimes flies in the face of sensible financial planning, but experts almost universally agree that borrowing to pay for a wedding is a bad idea. Aside from starting out married life in debt, couples can end up paying significantly more for their wedding ceremonies if they also pay high interest rates on top of the cost. If couples also have other debts, such as student loans, mortgage debts or credit card debts, paying for a wedding loan on top of these other obligations can seriously strain a couple’s finances.

As alternatives to paying for a large wedding, couples may consider eloping. This may be the most financially responsible alternative, especially if they take the money they would have spent on the wedding and reception, and invest it instead. Other couples who have their hearts set on a larger wedding may choose to delay marriage until they have amassed the needed capital to pay for the ceremony. A significant number of couples choose this route, although a recent study by ING Direct of UK couples showed that as many as 15 percent of engaged couples had indefinitely postponed their weddings due to costs.

A third alternative is to have a simple, small ceremony. By scaling down on the guest list, couples can reduce the largest expense associated with a wedding – food costs for the reception. Holding the wedding and reception on a Friday evening, or having a daytime ceremony and lunch reception can also significantly reduce costs.

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Simple Table Centrepieces That Add A Dash Of Fun

If you’re looking for ideas for simple table centerpieces, try these:

Add a small fishbowl or collection of fishbowls at the center of each table. Use gravel that’s coloured to match the theme of your wedding and see to it that the guests have an opportunity to take a fish home at the end of the evening. Don’t plan on having one fish per guest, but you’re likely to find at least one guest per table who will take your swimming centerpieces home. If you don’t like the idea of a live fish, float a tea candle in the fishbowl instead.

Leave a guest book and pens on each table and ask your guests to write congratulatory messages on the pages.

Put a centerpiece made of cupcakes, small desserts, cheescakes, a chocolate mini-buffet or similar sweets in the center of each table. Having a varied selection at each table will encourage the guests to mingle and may be a welcome before- or after-dinner treat.

Wrap different gifts for guests and put them at the centre of each table. Allow the guests to select a gift one at a time and open it. Other guests at the table who haven’t opened their gift yet can “steal” an opened gift and give an unwrapped one to the “victim” or open an unwrapped one instead. The last guest at the table has his or her pick of gifts, or could choose the remaining unopened gift.

A jigsaw puzzle at the center of the table may intrigue your guests and help break the ice. You can choose off the shelf puzzles or have special puzzles made from pictures of you and your intended. For fun, take one piece from each puzzle and put it at a different guest table. Guests from each table will have to look for their missing puzzle piece among the other guest tables.

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Saving Money On Your Wedding

Many couples dread the cost of a traditional wedding, and some couples put off getting married altogether because they fear the budget-busting ceremonies that are common today. Getting married doesn’t have to be expensive and a new movement is underway to reduce the cost and stress involved in planning a wedding.

After a couple decide to tie the knot, the biggest commitment they make is the size of the guest list. This factor, moreso than any other, determines the overall cost of the wedding. If the planning cycle is short and the couple have little time to save, the best way to stay on budget is to limit the size of the guest list.

Limiting the list to close family and friends may enable the couple to have a small, intimate and happy event that doesn’t leave them in debt for years. Nearly 20 percent of couples today choose to take a loan to pay for wedding costs. Financial experts uniformly agree that starting out married life saddled with debt is not the way to go, especially if bride and groom already have their own debt to deal with.

Once trimming the guest list has been accomplished, the next biggest cost is reception food. Trimming the guest list will do much to keep the reception costs under control, but limiting the liquor or cutting it out completely will reduce your per-person costs further.

Morning and afternoon weddings can also save a great deal on the reception costs, as can moving the wedding from Saturday to Friday. Moving the location of the wedding from a reception hall to a private home can also help manage the reception costs.

The cost of the wedding dress can be substantial and can be minimized in a number of ways. Buying a regular dress or suit, or using a regular suit in place of a tuxedo, can significantly reduce the cost of wedding attire. Also, buying a used dress can also reduce your costs significantly. In some locations, brides can rent wedding dresses. For brides who don’t want to preserve their dresses for posterity, this can mean significant savings.

Do-it-yourself wedding invitation kits can also save money. Kardella has a full line of do-it-yourself wedding kits that look fantastic and can save on printing costs.

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Bride To Be Turns To Dad For Wedding Dress

A British bride-to-be couldn’t find the wedding dress of her dreams, so she turned to the only person she thought could help: dear old dad! Katrina Wardrop had seen her father’s handiwork when he made a wedding cape for his second wife. The 21-year-old asked her dad to design and make her wedding dress, a task he accepted.

The pair scouted for material for the dress and turned up some cream-coloured French chiffon. Dad bought a tailor’s dummy and set to work. The two-piece dress was done about a month before the wedding and was a perfect fit and a perfect hit. But dad wasn’t done once the dress was finished. He also decorated the couple’s wedding cake.

Katrina said she was looking for a “one-off” dress and that’s exactly what she got. Many guests commented on how beautiful the dress was. Incidentally, dad was nervous about letting the bride-to-be see the full ensemble together, so he let her try on the top and the skirt, but never at the same time. Katrina didn’t see the dress in its entirety until the day of the wedding. She also said that she was thrilled that she and her dad didn’t fall out once while the dress was under construction.

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Comparing Wedding Planning Software

Wedding planning Web sites are nothing new, but some brides prefer a more comprehensive (and private) method of planning their big event. TopTenReviews put together a list of the top ten wedding planning software packages in a head-to-head comparison.

Packages were ranked for their feature set, ease-of-use, ease of installation or setup and technical support. The median price for the top ten products was about USD$30, and all products were available for Windows XP. Some were also compatible with Windows Vista, and only one of the top ten products had a Macintosh version.

Most products offered a large feature set related to invitations and budget tracking. Most programs also helped with vendor tracking, and many included the ability to define task lists and create timelines.

The products were less thorough when it came to tracking wedding gifts, and only three of the top ten products included seating planners for the reception. Most products offered some form of reporting.

Overall, the reviewers went with iDo as the best overall wedding planning package, with Smart Wedding and Marziplanner coming in second and third respectively. You can read reviews of each product and view the comparisons at TopTenReviews.com

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Keeping A Lid On The Wedding Budget

For a bride-to-be who is planning a first wedding, the number of choices can seem overwhelming. Common sense often goes out the window when decisions that affect the wedding’s bottom line must be made. How can you plan a wedding, stay on budget and still have what you want?

In most cases, wedding planning is a complex negotiation. If the bride and groom alone are paying for the wedding, decisions are simplified, because the bride and groom have no one to answer to, other than themselves. Couples are usually more aware of the limits on their finances, so making money-related decisions isn’t so hard.

One strategy aimed at keeping the bottom line intact is for the bride and groom to plan the wedding jointly. Most men aren’t interested in colours and cocktail napkins, but this can sometimes work in a couple’s favour. By keeping a perspective on the most important thi