Fun, gentle, warm.  These are the characteristics of Ashley and Alec.  I had the privilege to work with them on their eclectic and cultural wedding.  Upon first meeting with Ashley and Alec, I noticed immediately how well they complimented each other.  Alec, a chef at the amazing and gorgeous Fairmont Hotel in Seattle, and Ashley an accomplished pastry baker and employee of the Seattle Design Center, perfectly worked hand in hand to see their vision come to life.

The Seattle Design Center was the setting for their wedding and reception, and while this can be a massive undertaking to keep this venue feeling warm and intimate, Ashley did a beautiful job by bringing in draping and uplighting to set the mood.

As guests arrived, they were greeted into the room with little glimpses of the couples personalities and family history.  Ashley is Japanese, and wanted to incorporate a bit of Japanese wedding tradition into the day, so all1,001 cranes were hung from posts overlooking the ceremony and reception space.  Tables were pre-set with chef’s hats showing guests things to come.

With the ceremony, we took advantage of the Seattle Design Centers unique architecture and used the staircase behind the couple to line up the bridal party on, creating a really great look and ability for all guests to see what was going on.

The reception was fun, energetic and exciting as guests were treated to the island flavors of Marination Station’s food truck and catering.  There were definitely some Hawaiian influences featuring Spam musubi, and Spam mac ‘n cheese inside, while kalua pig tacos, and pork sliders featured out in the food truck.  I hadn’t had this type of food since I was a resident of Hawaii!!  Definitely brought back some memories!

Guests were then encouraged to use those chef’s hats and the crayons on the table to draw on or share a special message to the newlyweds creating a fun, interactive way to personalize their wedding day.

Ashley, showcasing her amazing pastry skills, managed to pull off baking every single dessert for her guests and even the cake pop display!  Alec was amazing by providing all the food for cocktail hour- talk about an over-achieving couple!

This was such a fun night with amazing families that were so warm and kind.  Ashley and Alec, you are blessed to have such loving people surround you, and I was blessed to be a part of that day!

~Rebecca

Thanks to all the fabulous vendors who helped make this day a success:

Venue: Seattle Design Center

Planner: New Creations Weddings

Photographer: Cory Parris Photography

Videographer: Good Times Productions

Bartending Staff: Shake Bartending

Drapes/Uplighting: Prop Gallery

Catering: Marination Station

Officiant: Annemarie Juhlian

(Florist was their Aunt, DJ/Emcee was a family friend, linens, tables, chairs courtesy of the SDC)

Ok, so am I the only planner who gets to work with amazingly gorgeous couples!?  I swear, every couple I work with is beautiful on the inside and the out, and Kyla and Christian are no exception!  One of the absolute sweetest couples you will ever meet, Kyla and Christian needed help planning their wedding on a budget.  Kyla, a law school student, and Christian, a salesperson for Dexknows.com and a volunteer firefighter, wanted to have a wonderful party surrounded by friends and family.  It was my job to help them find reasonably priced vendors and help their overall vision come to reality.

Through Kyla’s knowledge of Parsons Gardens, we were able to book the park at a steal of a price.  Super intimate, private, and amazingly beautiful, their was no need for additional decor.  Officiant Curtis Rhodes performed the ceremony, a friend of a friend of mine played her cello for their ceremony music, and family friends were their videographers.  Surrounded by friends and family, including Kyla’s son Cole (who was the ring bearer), they exchanged their vows under the beautiful trees.

Moving from the ceremony to the reception, the couple took off to go take photos around seattle, including that famous Kerry Park lookout with a stunning view of Seattle.  While they were out, I got a call saying the venue was on fire, yes, a fire and the whole building had to be evacuated.  I instructed the catering staff to move the cocktails and appetizers outside so at least guests would have something to eat upon arrival.  After further clarification, it turns out the restaurant below the Uptown Hideaway had a small electrical fire.  After the firemen inspected, we got the all clear to move back inside- right before Kyla and Christian got there!  Whew!

Flowers were kept inexpensive by using flowers from Costco floral, and I put the arrangements together the morning of.  Ben with Pyramid Catering did an awesome job creating a delicious buffet meal while being respectful of the couples budget.  The party was hopping all night thanks to one of Christians friends who also happened to be a DJ! 

The reception highlight was the announcement that Kyla and Christian were expecting!  What a great night for everyone!  It was a great wedding to be a part of and am so proud of all the accomplishments of this couple!

Blessings! Rebecca

Photos courtesy of Rachelle Erickson Photography

Mark it on your calendars!  It’s that time again for another Pottery Barn in-store event!  Join us for a Bridal Registry Party, Thursday, May 3rd from 6-8pm at the Bellevue Square location.  Invite your friends and family to enjoy an evening of decorating and entertaining demonstrations, plus personalized assistance with creating your gift registry.  Then head over to Williams-Sonoma for cooking and product demonstrations.

All registrants and one guest will receive 10% off purchases made at both stores!  Call the Bellevue Square location today to reserve your spot!                 425-451-0097

Guests who attend this event will also be treated to mouthwatering desserts presented by Carla of Honey Crumb Cake Studio, super talented wedding and boudoir session photographers Loren and Kim of Alante Photography, stunning floral arrangements by Anne of Floressence Floral Design, and of course, ME- New Creations Weddings- Pottery Barn Bellevue Square’s exclusively referred wedding planner who can help bring your vision for your wedding day to reality!

Can’t wait to see you there!

~Rebecca

Don’t forget to enter! We have wrapped up our six week series of Getting Married on a Budget and we are celebrating with a $75 Pottery Barn gift card giveaway courtesy of Seattle Wedding Planner Rebecca Grant!

The Getting Married on a Budget Series was a big hit and you can find all the articles here:

• Saving Money on Invitations
• Saving Money on Flowers
• Saving Money on Venues (Part 1)
• Saving Money on Venues (Part 2)
• Saving Money on Catering
• Saving Money on Photography

Now enter to win a $75 gift card from New Creations Weddings!
There are THREE ways to enter, leave a separate comment for EACH entry. 

1. REQUIRED ENTRY - Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite money-saving wedding tip or one thing you learned from the Get Married on a Budget Series.
2. Head over to Facebook and “like” New Creations Weddings. If you’re already a Facebook fan, leave a separate comment on this post saying you did this.
3. Head over to Facebook and “like” Queen Bee Coupons. If you’re already a Facebook fan, share the giveaway with your friends by posting it on your wall. Leave a separate comment on this post saying you did this.

Giveaway ends at 8 p.m. PST February 29, 2012.  One comment will be randomly selected using a plug-in that automatically picks a comment. Please make sure your email is entered correctly as that is how I will notify the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim the prize. After 48 hours another winner will be selected.

Giftcard is sponsored by New Creations Wedding Planning.

(Photo credit: Alante Photography, Seattle)

Welcome to our last week of how to plan a wedding on a budget! I can’t believe we made it to the end! Thanks for sticking with me, and I sincerely hope it has been as fun and educational for you to read as it has been for me to write.

Here’s what we have covered so far:

• Saving Money on Invitations
• Saving Money on Flowers
• Saving Money on Venues (Part 1)
• Saving Money on Venues (Part 2)
• Saving Money on Catering

This week, we’ll be tackling wedding photography -
Photography is often one of the most important vendors for your wedding day. Besides your wedding planner and videographer (if having one), your photographer is the only other vendor that will be with you from start to finish on your wedding day. It is imperative that you both get along with him or her. If either one of you is not comfortable with you wedding photographer, it will show through in your photos.

Negotiate - but be respectful! While most couples find the cost of wedding photographers outrageous, do keep in mind that what you are not seeing is countless hours of behind the scenes work. Photographers spend an untold amount of time on sifting through the just plain bad photos, editing and doing touch-ups to the good photos, then compiling them into a format that is easy for you to look through and choose your favorites. So when you are negotiating price, remember to be respectful that a lot of time and energy past the wedding day goes into your photos and that these are memories you will have forever.

That being said, there are a lot of ways to negotiate what you’re getting in your package. As with the theme with everything else we’ve talked about, have a budget in mind as to what you want to spend. Here is a great example of where you should actually share that number in your first meeting with your potential photographer. This will help them guide you to the packages and products that are right for you and will fit within your budget. If you’re budget only allows for 6 hours of wedding coverage, don’t be afraid to ask for that 7 hour at no additional charge. Some will say ‘no’, but some will say ‘yes.’

Be sure you’re comparing apples to apples
If you are interviewing more than one photographer (which you should), be sure that you are comparing like costs. While one photographer may charge less per hour, they may charge more for the album or photos you’d like to order than the other photographer you interviewed. Be sure to get pricing charts from every photographer you interview so you can really see your overall cost, and what will be the best option for you. If you will not be purchasing an album or photos, your best option would be to use the less per hour photographer.

Find a Newbie
Often times, there are extremely talented photographers out there who are just looking at building their portfolios. You can search Craigslist.com or even your local college for wedding photographers. You can find some amazing deals out there using this option! Do be smart however – ask to see the work they’ve already done and you will need to enter into a formal contract with this person. Even if they don’t generally use one, have them draft one up explaining the type of service you’re receiving, how many photographers will be there and for how long, when the photos will be ready, etc. This will protect you if for some reason they fall through on their end.

Another great option is to shop the local, smaller wedding shows. Here, you may find a wedding photographer who can’t afford to get into the larger shows, but is a legitimate business again, just trying to bulk up their portfolio. Use the same tips I talked about in the catering segment to approach a photographer at a wedding show (remember cash talks, go in on the slower day, etc.).

Do keep in mind when using a new wedding photographer, that they might take longer than someone who has been doing this for years. You will need to build in extra time for photos.

Opt for a disc of images rather than an album
One of the biggest trends right now, especially with the growing popularity of Snapfish.com and other similar sites, is to look for a photographer who will just give you the disc of images rather than getting the traditional wedding album. This is a HUGE cost cutting option for you as albums are one of the biggest expenses.

You can generally find a photographer who will do a maximum image edit of 200 images, but give you all the remaining images unedited. This gives you access to getting your favorites all touched up and nice, but still, if you want to send your friend a copy of the photo they were in, you still have access to that.

Be sure that the photographer who does this option gives you a copy of their copyright release. Otherwise you may be up a creek when going to professionally print off your photos.

I’d love to hear how you saved money on finding your wedding photographer or if you have any additional questions. Just pop on over to the New Creations Facebook page, ‘like’ me, and ask away!

Check back next week to enter to win a $75 Pottery Barn gift card from New Creations

This event goes from 6:30-8:30pm, and we will be featuring some of Seattle’s top wedding professionals who will be speaking about their speciality beginning at 7pm.  You will also have time to talk with these vendors in an intimate one-on-one setting while you’re browsing about Pottery Barn’s beautiful products.  Attendees will have the opportunity to register with Pottery Barn that evening as well.

Everyone in attendance will also have the opportunity to take advantage of a same-day use 10% off coupon for anything in the store!

Here are the amazing participating vendors:

• Pottery Barn Bellevue Square’s Bridal Registry
• Williams Sonoma Bellevue Square Bridal Registry
• New Creations Wedding Design and Coordination
• Paper Passionista- onsite wedding invitations
• Foodz Catering
• Bugsie Productions- a DJ/Emcee company
• Simply Sonja Photography
• Pinka Bella Cupckes
• Papyrus

We are looking forward to meeting you this Thursday!  Shop, talk, and sample your way to wedded bliss!

~Rebecca

New Creations Weddings

Cash talks
Okay, for those of you who know me, you know that I don’t believe in going into debt for your wedding day. One of the biggest hidden secrets on cost cutting tips for your wedding is to use the green! This is not something most venues generally advertise. You will need to ask for the cash discounts, but they’re out there, so don’t be afraid to go for it. Below are the main things you should ask for when using cash.

Ask for a discount because you’re not using a credit card. Right off the bat, you’ve just saved yourself the 3-4% credit card service fee.

Let them know that you only budgeted X amount of dollars for your venue, and that you can pay them in cash. Generally, they will come down to meet you. (Be realistic here, if the venue is over your budget by $10,000, no, they won’t meet you. But if you’re looking at a Friday or Sunday especially, and the venue is about $3,000-$4,000 out of reach, more than likely you will get it).

Hint: You can use ‘Cash Talks’ with almost any vendor to get a better deal!!

Pros and cons of a private home
Private homes can often be some of the most beautiful and intimate weddings I’ve ever planned or attended, and I’m sure you can say the same. They offer that feeling of home, warmth, and familiarity that is so wonderful at weddings. There are definitely some hidden fees associated with having a wedding at home that should not be overlooked.

Bathrooms - Yup, first and foremost. Does the home have enough restrooms (or does the homeowner even want guests tromping through their home) to support your guest count? If not, you will need to consider bringing in some less than glamorous porta-potties. A really cost-saving company that I’ve used (and they’re nation-wide) is United Site Services. They have been a really great company to work with, and offer many options.

Lighting - If your wedding will be outdoors at the home, you will need some sort of lighting, especially if your party will go well into the evening. Consider using Christmas lights, outdoor lanterns, monkey lights, and candles to give adequate lighting to your event. Remember your guests (and photographer) want to see your first dance and cake cutting, so be sure to plan appropriately for time of day and to have enough light.

Catering - I think a great cost-cutting tip that fits great into an at-home wedding is to do a potluck style. If you don’t want to worry about someone always being available to help restock food, etc. there are some great companies out there that offer day-of services to help with the serving part of your wedding. One here locally is The Invisible Hostess. They will even clean up the guests dishes before the end of the reception, and have them ready to go when the guests are!

Shelter - If your guest count exceeds what you can accommodate inside, and need to move the party outdoors, you will need to be sure you are prepared for inclement weather. Especially here in Seattle our summers are unpredictable weather wise, and you need to have a back-up plan. Tent rentals are surprisingly expensive and need to be thought of as part of your budget. The average 100 person tent runs about $2,000. What you need to know here is that you have up until that tent is loaded onto the truck before you get charged for it. So if you make the decision that a tent will not be needed, call the company ASAP to cancel that order. You should however, pre-order it so it is available in case it’s needed

Public Parks
Using a public park is a HUGE cost saving location for your ceremony. Most parks around the Seattle area do require a park permit. Also, there are some around here that don’t allow professional photography (Bellevue Botanical Gardens for instance), so do your homework. But, finding a less used public park location can often be beautiful, private, and very inexpensive. Parsons Gardens up on Queen Ann is a beautiful little hidden gem tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Kerry Park (the more popular option). Most park rental fees range from $50-$150 depending on the location and time of year.

Use a venue that lets you bring in your own caterer
Finding a location that doesn’t lock you into a food and beverage minimum is a must to finding extra money in your budget. Negotiating with your own caterer on your menu selections, amount of food served, etc. will save you tremendous amounts of money. Remember, cash talks here too! Be sure you are aware of how much staff will be on-site, what the hours of service will be, and if there are any travel fees. Make sure you are aware of all costs up front (including taxes), so you know where to cut if you are over-budget. Many times you can cut extra linens, opt for paper plates, plastic cups, and disposable serve ware to cut significant costs on catering. Also be sure you are watching your food selections. Obviously, steak and salmon will run you more than prime rib and pasta, so choose your menu wisely, and don’t be afraid to ask your caterer for a more cost effective menu selection.

This segments us right into catering – which is our topic for next week! Check back next Wednesday for money-saving tips for catering.

Did you save big on a venue? What was your secret? What are some of your favorite Northwest venues? If you have specific venue questions – leave a comment here or head over to the New Creations Facebook page and ask Rebecca – she’d be happy to help!

(Photo credit: Jason Koenig)

We’re almost halfway through our six-week series on getting married on a budget, and this week we’re tackling a biggie – wedding venues.  In fact, it’s so big, and there’s so much information to share that we are devoting this week and next week to cover this important topic.

Your venue can often determine the size, style and feel of your wedding day. Whether it’s a hotel, a barn, or anything in-between, there are ways to cut costs when you begin looking for your perfect wedding venue.

Here are some tips and tricks to saving money for your venue on your wedding day:

Chose an off-peak wedding season
Obviously here in Seattle, we are fairly limited to the seasons if you want that full-sunshine, outdoor wedding. However, if you are willing to take a gamble, or look at having your entire wedding and reception indoors, you will get a lot more bang for your buck. Consider having your wedding from mid-September to mid-April. This is a general range where most venues would consider your wedding to beoff-peak. Because you are picking a date that is less popular than the masses, and the venue would rather book that day then lose any potential business, they offer you substantial discounts for booking.

You never know, even if you are looking for that outdoor venue, you could be pleasantly surprised by lucking out and having a beautiful, warm, sunny day in the middle of April. It has happened.  

Pick any day but Saturday!
We are all very well aware that Saturday’s are the most popular days for weddings. So are venues. They significantly mark up the food and beverage minimums along with the room rental fee for Saturday weddings. Picking a nontraditional day such as a Friday or Sunday will save you a significant amount of money for your wedding. Venues tend to drop down their food and beverage minimums by at least 50% when picking an off-peak day. They drop it down even more if you can swing a mid-week wedding. ‘Destination’ wedding in the San Juan Islands anyone? Look at making it a vacation for your friends and family as well by planning a mid-week wedding and having everyone stay in a B&B for the week.

Again, consider what is most popular, and do the opposite. I cannot stress enough how much venues would just rather have the date booked than lose money by not having any event booked.

Consider having a morning wedding
Opting for a morning brunch instead of a formal evening dinner is another great option for keeping money in your pocket for your wedding day. Not only will the venue offer the room at a discounted rate, they will also more than likely not commit you to any food and beverage minimums, as your menu will generally be of lighter fare, therefore you don’t have to provide as much of it. The other great perk for having a morning wedding is you can get onto your honeymoon faster.   Generally speaking, morning weddings are much more casual, just have a smaller ceremony and reception with light brunch foods and great conversation. Dancing is generally not done. Allowing for a much shorter timeline allows you and your new husband to scoot out early and have the rest of the afternoon and evening together.

Pick a venue that fits your guest count
One of the common mistakes that many brides make is to fall in love with a venue that is way too large for their guest count. Keep your venue scaled to your head count. Paying for a larger venue than what is needed is a huge waste of money. The venue cannot rent out other parts of the building because technically it is just reserved for you. This creates a tremendous amount of wasted space and wasted money for square footage that was not used.

Choose a non-traditional venue
Take a look around your community and see what it may have to offer. Is there a community center or a park that may be able to accommodate the style and guest count of your wedding? Using a non-traditional venue is a great way to save money for your wedding. Look away from the popular hotel or country club weddings, as well as away from the big city. The outskirts offer some amazing venues on beautiful property at MUCH cheaper rates. Here in Washington, there are hundreds of beautiful venues located up north in Arlington, Snohomish, and down south in Des Moines, Sumner and Puyallup. Getting even 15-20 minutes away from the city will save you significantly in the pocket book.

Shop the wedding shows
One of the largest vendors to attend wedding shows are venues. They are hoping to capture your attention with their beautiful decor and amazing views. If you have your sights set on one of these venues that you know will be at the show, do not hesitate to ask for a same-day booking discount. Do play it smart. Attend on the less-popular day (typically a Sunday if the show goes over the weekend) and wait till the end of the show when minimal people are at this booth so they can’t overhear you negotiating. By this point, venues have seen thousands of brides, they’re tired, and looking to have something to show for their time and money spent at the show. Decide between you and your fiancé who is the better negotiator, and go for it! Be kind and respectful saying something like, “I love your venue, and my fiancé and I have been looking at having our wedding here for awhile, but it’s just a bit too far out of our price range.”  Then move into something like, “I would be willing to sign a contract today if you could drop the price by X amount of dollars.”  Have two or three venues that you are seriously interested in booking with, so if one says no, you won’t be devastated and give in. Instead you can just move onto the next venue. One is guaranteed to say yes.

Next week we will be covering these venue tips:

• Cash Talks!
• The Pro’s and Con’s of using a private home
• Benefits of bringing in your own caterer
• Cut your menu- Full meal vs Heavy Appetizers
• Saving money on your alcohol
• Looking at public parks

I’d love for you to let me know how you cut costs on your wedding venue or if you have any questions that I did not address here, please feel free to message me on my New Creations Wedding Coordination Facebook page.

-Rebecca

It’s week two of our six-week series on getting married on a budget and this week learn tips and tricks for saving money on your wedding flowers! (Last week: Saving Money on Invitations).

Flowers are one of the most integral parts of your wedding day’s overall look and theme. Not only are flowers heavy hitters in the look of your wedding, but they can often bring a heavy hit to your wallet. According to Florist Tiffany Saul from offbeatbride.com, wedding florists generally work on a 3x markup.  Over 75% of florists use a 5x markup on wedding flowers – this means your costs can add up quick!

Here are some tips and tricks to save money on flowers for your big day:

Set a budget
If you are trying to plan a wedding on a budget, be sure you know how much money you have allocated for floral, and stick to it! Make your florist work within your budget. Don’t hesitate to ask what is a typical budget they work with before  you go in for an in-person interview. If you are looking at a florist online and they do beautiful work, but their average budget they work with is over $5,000, more than likely this is not your florist. Narrow it down to about three florists who you have called and who fit your flower budget and set up in-person appointments. At the appointment, ask to see their portfolios of actualweddings they’ve done, not a FTD floral book- this is not their work and don’t be fooled that it is.

Think local and in-season
Once you’ve found a florist who you get along well with, you’ve seen their work and fits within your budget, the next steps are to discuss your floral design with them. One of the biggest cost saving tips is to use as many locally grown flowers as possible. Ask your florist which blooms will be in season during your wedding month. If it’s a December wedding, you may be limited to using a mixture of berries and greens, which keeps it simple and beautiful! On the other hand, during your summer wedding, using locally grown hydrangeas, or garden roses might be the way to go.

Think big
Larger blooms (heads) will often get you more bang for your buck. Think about it, using tiny flowers, berries, and such is going to take a lot more stems to get a high visual impact. Larger headed flowers such as hydrangea’s, lilly’s, rhodies, sunflowers and peonies are going to give you that striking look of ‘a lot’ of flowers with using significantly less stems – therefore cutting down on your cost.  Also, think about using a good amount of ‘filler.’  This can often be found locally as well by using ferns, hydrangea leaves, etc.

Get to know your Farmers’ Market
In Seattle we are blessed in the spring and summer months to have some amazing farmers’ markets, not to mention Pike Place year round (although selection does vary). Often, if you are able to form a relationship with your local flower distributer through these markets, you can let them know you are getting married and would like them to provide your flowers. This will ensure not only getting a great deal on your flowers, but that they will order enough of them to cover your wedding in addition to their normal market business. Going the market route does not allow you much control over your color palette either, so if you are committed to having coral as your only flower color, this option may not be for you.

Do be aware however, that you will need to designate someone to go pick up your flowers for you, often on the same day as your wedding (as most farmers markets and weddings are on Saturdays). This does not leave you much room for error.

Markets are great options for the bride who likes that garden feel and who doesn’t stress over the details.

Use the big box wholesale stores and ask a friend
Did you know Costco and Sam’s Club actually offer wedding florals?  They do, and they’re a great deal!  I personally have just used Costco’s service, so I’ll speak just to that. Check out the Costco Floral website. Here you’ll find multiple packages that often include bulk stems (for your centerpieces), a bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets and all boutonnieres. The ‘standard’ package didn’t happen to work for my bride who had 4 bridesmaids and groomsmen.  She was able to call Costco and ask them if they would be willing to modify a few things to make the package fit her needs and they did at no additional charge!

Costco contracts out the items that need assembly such as the bouquet and the boutonniere’s. The rest are just shipped to you a few days prior to the wedding date. In my experience using them, when the bridal bouquet was delivered on wedding day, it was awful. I mean the white petals had brown all around the tops of them, and the size was very small. We were able to make a quick call to Costco’s emergency hotline, and ended up having the florist remake and deliver the new bouquet on time, and it looked MUCH better!

Because the centerpiece stems come in bulk, obviously you need to have someone arrange them. Ask a friend (who is not part of the wedding party) if they would be willing to help you arrange your wedding centerpieces. What we ended up doing for my bride was using river rocks and roses in a small, simple square vase.

This option is definitely for the bride who wants to keep it simple. The box box stores don’t offer a lot of variety, you’re pretty much limited to roses, lilies or hydrangea’s, but you definitely get a great deal! Most of their packages run about $400-$800. Great price! You can also find clear glass vases at a great rate on their website too!

Find a newbie
Ask around. More than likely someone in your family or circle of friends knows somebody who knows somebody who likes doing flowers, or just starting a new floral design business. This can be to your advantage big time! Not only will this person more than likely have a business license – which allows them access to wholesale houses – but their labor cost will be significantly less. When anyone is new in the industry, you’re just trying to get your portfolio built to have something to show future brides. That’s when you can swoop in and often negotiate pricing much more easily than with an established florist. You will probably have to be much more specific in what you’re looking for as well, as they may not quite yet be ready to ‘take your vision and run with it.’

Fake vs. real
This is a hard one for me to take on as I’ll admit, I am not a fan of fake flowers. However, at times they are an effective way to cut cost, and also allow you to pre-assemble your arrangements way before your wedding date. If you have an eye for design, and the skills and patience to do your own arrangements, this may be a great option for you. Be sure you have decided beforehand who you’d like to give the arrangements to when you’re done, otherwise you’re going to end up with a lot of fake flowers at your house.   Use coupons for your local craft stores to save on your flowers.

Do NOT DIY!
Okay, this is one of the very few areas where I will put my foot down and tell you you are not allowed to do your own wedding flowers!  Did you hear me?  You are not allowed!!     Ok, I know I’m probably coming across harsh, but as someone who has been in the biz for over six years now, I know that you will have plenty of things to worry about on your wedding day other then your wedding flowers. Hand it off to someone you trust. You will not have time to get ready, take photos, eat, be putting together your arrangements, delivering them, and set them up on your wedding day.

You are a bride, allow yourself to be a bride. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, so delegate and enjoyit. Let yourself take it all in and be able to have the time to process the emotion that will come on the day your life is going to change.

Let flowers be a gift
One of my favorite parts of begin a wedding planner is that generally I get to take home some leftover flowers. It always freshens up my home, smells amazing and reminds me of that couple well after the wedding. Why not offer that same feeling to your guests?  Some great ways to decide who takes home your centerpieces are to pre-designate one person at each table who will be taking them home. Maybe as a thank-you to your parents, or as a ‘in-memory’ to your Grandma who just lost her husband. Another way is to play a game during your reception.  There are many wedding games that you can find online.

Again, I’d love for you to let me know your moneysaving tips on how you cut costs on your wedding flowers or if you have any questions that I did not address here, please feel free to message me on my New Creations Wedding Coordination Facebook page.

How have you saved on flowers for a wedding? Check back next week to learn about saving money on wedding venues!

-Rebecca

Welcome to the first article of our six week series on getting married on a budget!  This week we will be covering the fine art of wedding invitations!

Besides shopping for the wedding dress, deciding on your date, and nailing down your venue(s), invitations are one of the first things within the planning process that should be started. As a general rule of thumb, wedding invitations should be mailed out no later than three (3) months prior to the wedding date. This is especially true if you have many guests traveling in from out of town.

There are many options for invitations – ranging from $1.50 a piece to substantially more. Depending on the size of your guest list this can add up fast. But as with most elements for your wedding – you have choices!

Before you begin, determine your budget + needs
Before you even think about design, consider what you will need within your invitation. What’s important to you and what isn’t – things like directions to your venue(s), local hotels close to your venue, fun activities for your guests to do while they’re in town, your RSVP card, and so on. Keep in mind, the more you add to your invitation, the more it will weigh, therefore driving up the cost of postage. Have a budget in mind and try to make your invitation work within that.

The FREE option – Wedding Websites
A more modern alternative to the traditional wedding invitation (and growing in popularity) are wedding websites. Some popular ones can be found on WeddingWire.com or Mywedding.com. These are very user friendly and allow you to share a lot of information to your guests very quickly, and best of all, they’re FREE! Within these sites you can download photos of you and your fiancé, update guests on where you’re registered, spread the save-the-dates, even down to giving your guests a timeline of the wedding day, and keeping track of RSVPs.

TRADITIONAL INVITATIONS
Now if you’re like me and prefer the traditional mailed invitation (there’s just something about opening up a card in the mail), there are ways to cut costs here. There are great DIY wedding invitation websites and I have personally used Cardsandpockets.com for my own wedding invitations and loved them! They offer live online chat options and are available by phone. There are about seven people in the main office, so if you tend to call in a lot (yours truly), you will more than likely get to know them by name, and they offer amazing one-on-one service. There are countless other invitation sites out there, so just do a Google search, and find the site that fits you best.

• Minted.com
• The Knot Wedding Shop
• Snapfish

Shop around online, watch for coupon codes, FREE shipping
Take some time to shop around – both online and locally. Not only will this give you good ideas for design but it will help you find the best deal. If you’re ordering online sign up for the website e-newsletters so you can watch for free shipping or coupon code offers. You can always call or use online chat to ask for a bigger discount – can’t hurt to ask!

Don’t discount a local company that will make your invitations and let you come pick them up. This will save shipping costs. Ask to see last years invitation designs which might be discounted or check online for clearanced designs.

Your design – keep it simple to save
Once you’ve found the site you’re comfortable working with, the next step is to work on design. Be sure you stay consistent with your overall wedding theme, color palette and style. Working through online invitation sites allows you to search through thousands of pre-set templates. This can often be a bit overwhelming. Narrow down your search by entering a few boundaries. You can often enter in a cap of the price you want to spend, the size/style you want, and narrow it down even more by choosing your colors. From there, search through the templates and more than likely, you will find one that fits your criteria.

• Non-standard shapes such as a square will cost you more in postage than the traditional card size.
• Special die-cuts (special shaped paper) will substantially increase the price.
• Embellishments like bows, tissue, embossing and more will substantially increase in your price.
• Stick to black text if you can – adding additional colors means extra costs. Black is easy to read and always classic.
• Stick to an un-lined envelope, a standard shaped card, a set template, and minimal inserts for the best deal.

RSVP card – or not?
As far as invitation inserts are concerned, less is better. Often times you can get your RSVP cards included with your invitation order. A cost-cutting tip here is to order it in a postcard size. Put the recipients address, your return address and the postcard postage on one side, and the other have your wording for your RSVP. The cost difference between actually having your RSVP in an envelope versus just making it a postcard style is $0.29 cents versus your standard card cost of $0.44 cents – right there a savings of $0.15 cents per invitation!

If it were me, I would opt to communicate all my other information via my wedding website, except for directions to the venue. Often, out-of-towners will just bring the invitation with them while they are driving to your venue, and it it nice to have everything all in one place. This can be an at-home print project on regular paper, and either inserted, or glued to the back of your wedding invitation.

DIY invitations
Don’t discount making your own wedding invitations! These days there are so many different options – you can buy pre-made kits from Michaels or JoAnns (make sure and use your coupons!) – and you can dress them up with homemade embellishments. Or you can start from scratch and pick up supplies from a paper store like PaperZone (which by the way is going out of business and has some great discounts right now!).

Last minute checks:

• Proofread - Save yourself the time and money by making sure to proofread, proofread, proofread. Have at least three people read it over to just make sure. You don’t want to order your invitations and then find a glaring typo that requires you to re-order them.
• Confirm postage amount before mailing - Put an invitation together and bring it to the post office to confirm the necessary postage – before mailing them out – this keeps you from overpaying or ending up with them returned to sender.
• Double-check addresses - Also double-check your guest addresses, invitations that are returned to sender cost extra postage – plus they ruin the outside envelope and require another one.

Whatever you choose to do for your invitations – remember it’s just a small part of your big day.

Check back next Wednesday for money saving tips on flowers!

How did you save on wedding invitations? Do you have questions or suggestions about invitations? You can leave a comment on this post or contact Rebecca through her New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination Facebook page.

-Rebecca

                                                                  About Rebecca
Rebecca Grant is owner of New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination. She has been in the wedding business over six years now, beginning her career in Honolulu, Hawaii, then moving back home to Seattle and launching my business here in November 2009. She’s now one of Seattle’s premiere wedding planners. Because of her experience in Hawaii, her specialty is working with Asia-Pacific Brides; specifically, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiian and Samoan weddings, however, she also does work a good portion of the time with traditional Western couples.

Rebecca would love to help you with your invitations – whether it’s design, printing ideas or more. This past year she planned a wedding in 20 days only knowing the bride’s favorite colors were pink and green – and she designed the elegant invites pictured at the top of the page.