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To help with the troubled economy - have family and friends join in the wedding fun. Have a "Get Together" to help make bouquets for bridesmaids, pew decorations, flower arrangements for centerpieces for receptions or birdseed/rose petal bags. This "party" is not only cost saving but loads of fun to have everyone you love to be together, laughing and sharing with you as they play a part of the Wedding of your Dreams.
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Shannon
R.
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With all the hustle and bustle on the big day, my advice would be to take some time to yourself. Take about 30-45 minutes to just regroup and relax alone with the bridesmaids, a hot cup of tea and an aroma therapy facial enjoying the moment and realizing in a few hours you are about to be the happiest girl/wife in the world. This can be done at a designated home the morning of the wedding. This moment can help you get those last minute jitters and bugs out and remain level headed. Cutting this cost can really save money than taking all your bridesmaids to a spa which can turn out to be very expensive. Every woman needs a moment where time stops and she can just exhale and hear her on heart beat. Hope this tip was very beneficial to all the women who really would like to just relax right before the big moment when you say' "I Do".
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Trinice
W.
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When trying on dresses, make sure that all your Bridesmaids go together. This way you can get the full visual effect of how things will look on your wedding day.It brings a great introduction as a group and breaks the ice for future planning. Takes pictures with a digital camera so that you have something to refer back to when making a decision.
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Lee M
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Keep your bridesmaid dresses simple and complementary; it will help your dress be the center of attention!
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Alfred Angelo
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If you have people (family, friends, etc.) who can help you out by making things such as your wedding cake, take them up on it!
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Heather
H.
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Your big day is all about you and your fiance. Keep it that way by incorporating something you two do together as your reception 'theme'. This can be a DIY that can save you money and be fun at the same time! Ex: My fiance and I love curling up on the couch with a glass of wine, so we are having a 'wine' theme. By saving all of our wine bottles (and asking family & friends to do the same), we are creating centerpieces that reflect us as a couple without the cost of renting or buying! We are saving the corks to use as escort card holders as well! Good luck! :0)
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Heather
M.
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DIY wedding invites cut cost on assembly.
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Marya
L.
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Remember to consider your bridesmaids' budgets. These are the most important women in your life - make sure they stay that way.
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Alfred Angelo
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Instead of hiring a DJ or band, opt for a free option: your i-Pod. When sending out invitations, have a line for invitees to list their favorite love and dance songs and compile the ultimate playlist. At the reception, you can either keep the i-Pod on shuffle or have an energetic friend/family member act as an impromptu DJ.
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Christine
C.
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Dress up your reception tables... Make your own table runners. Usually your local craft store has 40% off discount coupons in the local papers. Use these coupons to purchase fabric and have a seamstress or tailor make table runners. I have 20 tables plus a gift table, cake table as well as a head table and purchased the fabric for $79 and my seamstress sewed them for me for $50. This allowed me to make my centerpieces less extravagant which saved me TONS and the table runners added the perfect touch to bring in my wedding color scheme!
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Sarah
W.
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Pick up a few events working for a catering company. Not only will you be making extra money for the wedding, but you will often find great ideas for decorating or food choices. I was given a box of votive candles that the florist was just going to throw out. So, sometimes you can find a steal too!!!
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April
M.
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Flowers. Get them from a wholesale company yourself and save thousands of dollars. Look in the phone book under wholesale in the flower section.
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ELAINE
B.
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Make sure you include your fiance in the planning process so the wedding is a reflection of you both. Also remember that most guys don't care about every little detail. Narrow down your selections, show him a few photos and then ask for his help. If you put him on overload, he won't want to be involved at all!
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Megan
Q.
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I am a complete control freak. So to stay involved and in control as well as save money, I have decided to design my own centerpieces, using less flowers and purchasing all the supplies from discount places.
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Nicole
C.
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My fiancee and I wanted to have personalized gifts for everyone at our wedding. We wanted more than just a box of overpriced chocolates with our names on it. We decided on making a personalized CD with songs that are special to us. Songs that represent us as individuals and as a new couple. We even recorded on our voice on the CD to make it that much more personal! With a picture of us on the cover, we know this will be a hit. The best tip of all his how simple and inexpensive it is to make 200 personalized gifts yourself!
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Jaclyn M.
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Choose flowers that are in bloom close to your wedding date. These flowers will be easier to find and cheaper.
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Kady
M.
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Hire a film student to shoot your wedding video. They'll be much more cost effective & happy to get the experience/exposure and they'll be far more likely to shoot something that can be edited in a more modern style as opposed to a traditional videographer.
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Tara
D.
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Watch your eye makeup. You may want to arm one of your bridesmaids with an emergency makeup bag complete with travel mirror. This will be perfect for quick touch ups.
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Alfred Angelo
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This is YOUR wedding.
Throughout my planning process, I keep comparing my wedding to my future sister-in-law's wedding. Which is a HUGE mistake, not only was her budget more then twice what mine is, her style is completely different. I don't even like tiaras and princess castles!
Whenever I have a decision to make, I pick what I would get with money as no object and tone it down to the price range I can afford. You can find a beautiful wedding cake, dress, or flowers without the designer label and the price tag that goes with it.
It is easy to get caught up in the materialistic route and let the green-eyed monster lead the way. I know I wouldn't be happy on my day if I did things only to please or out-do others. As important as this day is, it is only a day. And it's your day, so make it about you!
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Suzie
D.
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Negotiate a room only package at a reception or banquet hall. Then you can shop around for catering services that will be much less expensive than those places usually charge.
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Sonya L.
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