How To Be A Smart & Saavy Bride, Part 4

Cake!!

*Buy a smaller decorated cake for wedding photos, and have a plain sheet cake in the kitchen to serve guests. On average, twenty percent of guests don’t eat wedding cake.
*Choosing butter cream or cream cheese instead of expensive fondant is another way to save money on your cake.
Tiffani's tip: Many people are trying their talents by attending classes on how to make professional cakes. Ask family members and friends if they've attended classes like this -- maybe they'd be a great candidate to supply your cake!

How To Be A Smart & Saavy Bride, part 3

Flowers

* Having flowers flown in will raise your costs so only use only in season and readily available flowers.
* To get the best prices, order your flowers from an online wholesaler. Keep in mind, however, that you will be responsible for all of the preparation, trimming and storing them, as well as arranging the flowers the day of the wedding.
Tiffani's tip: Consider visiting your local farmer's market the day of the wedding to pick out large arrangements of flowers at an economically-friendly price!

How To Be A Smart & Saavy Bride, part 2

Invitations
* Save postage and additional paper cost on your wedding invitations by forgoing the inner envelope reply card and asking guests to reply online or by the telephone.
Avoid oversized or bulky invitations since this greatly increases your postage costs.
* Skip ordering the reception cards, have the reception information printed on the bottom of the invitation.
* Instead of paying extra for your invitations to arrive assembled, buy a few bottles of wine, gather friends and have an invitation assembly party! (Just don’t spill the wine on your invites by accident.)

Tiffani's tip: Use scrapbooking material such as stickers, ribbons, and other goodies to create your own invitations! This is a great idea if you are looking at a smaller guest list. Each card is unique, just like you. :)

The Smart & Saavy Bride, part 1

Featured above: Edd & Wendy's wedding (Arlington, WA)

I came across a helpful article from a website called BravoBride.com and wanted to share it with my blog readers. I am breaking this article down over five postings. Here's the first of five:

Wedding Attire


* Most of the big bridal shops have huge sales once a year, which are typically held at hotels or other venues like wedding shows. Look in your local paper or ask a wedding planner to find out what time of the year the sales are held.

* Think about looking in unconventional places to buy bridesmaids gowns. Go shopping for them during prom season and after New Years Eve at department stores or online. A bridesmaid's gown doesn't have to come from a bridal shop.

* Many menswear shops will let your groom rent his tuxedo for free or provide a discount if his groomsmen rent their tuxes there.

* Tiffani's tip: Try online auctions & sites including ebay & Craigslist. Most people who are re-selling their items have kept them in very good shape so that they can resell!

Marriage Paperwork

Many couples ask me about "the paperwork". When do you get it? Do you (meaning me, as the officiant) buy it? How long do we have before we can buy it? These are all very good questions to ask.

The marriage paperwork is a small, yet important, factor on wedding day. I like to say that without the marriage paperwork it's just a nice get together with friends or one big party. With that being said, the marriage paperwork places an important role after the I do's and before the reception gets underway.

A marriage license can be purchased anywhere in Washington state and can be used anywhere in Washington state. You also don't have to be a resident of Washington state to purchase paperwork. Each county has their own rules and regulations that they follow. What is consistent in each county is this: there is a three day wait period before you can use it (WA state law). You also have up to sixty days to be able to use the paperwork, once the waiting period has been met.

Something I offer to each of my couples is the option of having me file the completed paperwork. Regardless of what county you've purchased the paperwork in, I will see to it that the final paperwork is forwarded to the county of origin. This is part of each wedding package I offer. My thought is wouldn't it be nice to be able to go on your honeymoon without the added worry of turning in your paperwork?

For any paperwork purchased in Snohomish county, I hand deliver each document and also offer to pick up any certified copies of the marriage certificate at no additional charge. (The clerks at the Snohomish county auditor's office know me by name!) Just another service I offer to my couples.

I also answer any questions that my couples may have regarding name changes or what to do next, once the paperwork has been filed. For me, it's important to be able to finish my journey with my couples and giving them peace of mind that all i's are dotted and all t's are crossed.

So, rest assured, if I am serving as your officiant I will help you in the process from beginning to end, and sometimes even in the days after wedding day!

"Green" Weddings (or "enviornmentally-friendly")

I have heard of many couples looking to be more earth-friendly in their celebrations. I came across a great article about how couples can incorporate some very practical ideas while considering the environment in their celebration. Here's a summary:

Ceremony
1. Keep the ceremony small - limit the number of guests.
2. Choose a venue that uses environmentally responsible practices --- pesticide-free lawns, clean energy, etc. Look for a LEED-certified location.
3. Keep the location natural.
4. Choose an indoor venue that has lots of natural light.
5. Keep it local - less travel, and support your local economy!
6. Have the ceremony and reception in the same place or within walking distance of each other.


Reception
1. Set out recycle bins at the reception. Quick and easy -- all you need are a few pieces of paper to label "cans", "plastic" and "paper". Want to take it a step further? Offer an extra can and mark it "compost" for food scraps!
2. Choosing organic or locally grown -- they can provide environmentally-friendly options.
3. Put the "green" theme into your centerpieces. Table decor can take the form of small perenials or baby bushes that can later by planted by your guests. If you are looking for a vessel for the center of your table to hold sea shells or colorful rocks, consider vases made from recycled glass or a bamboo bowl, which are renewable. (There are many options if you want to give small trees, seeds, bulbs or plants.
4. Earth-friendly products and services are growing and often as simple as buying local. Supporting a local artist is much more earth friendly than having cheap trinkets shipped half way around the world. An easy wedding favor idea? Give something organic!

Dresses, Tuxedos & Accessories
1. Choose a vintage or used gown.
2. Choose a dress made from organic cotton, organic silk, hemp or hemp/silk blends.
3. Rent a dress.
4. Choose a dress that can be repurposed later (cocktail dress, etc.).
5. Donate the dress after the wedding.
6. Sell the dress afterwards through eBay or a consignment store.
7. Encourage bridesmaids to choose their own dress that they can reuse later.
8. Rent a tux.
9. Avoid leather shoes.
10. Buy jewelry made from recycled precious metals and stones. And don't forget the possibilities of transforming vintage pieces into radiantly recycled classics.


For more great ideas, visit http://greatgreenwedding.com/blog/.



Happy planning!

Monica & Josh (Everett, WA)

Monica & Josh are a couple that I served at the beginning of this year. Their wedding venue was at The Everett Events Center (now the Comcast Arena) in the large ballroom.

Monica & Josh were on a budget, as are most of couples today. They utilized many ideas which I consider to be smart & savvy. The first thing that they did was search for a venue which was during the off-season (a big money saving idea!). As a courtesy, the Everett Events Center upgraded their room for no additional cost. They had a larger ballroom available and gave them the option of using that space versus their original space.

Another budget-conscious move was to have the ceremony and the reception in the same location/room. Half of the room was dedicated to the ceremony and seating for their guests. (Later, this area would be converted to the dance floor.) The other half of the room had tables set for the reception that followed.

Finally, this couple stuck with a reasonable guest list. Many times, couples feel as though they need to have lengthy guest lists. Before you know it, the guest list is teetering past the 200 mark. My saying is that when you're planning a wedding you deal with both family politics and wedding politics. Feelings can be hurt. But, as with most things in life, be reasonable. Many couples are finding that they are also financing their own celebrations. A majority of the budget for a wedding goes towards food and beverage. With this being said, a reception with 100 people can really tap into your financial reservoir.

Overall, keep in mind that this day is all about you and your fiancee and the love you share. Have fun and make memories you'll smile back on in the years to come!