Wedding Savings Ideas for Brides

A Neat Idea...

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:25:00 +0000

Have you thought about how to differentiate your wedding from others? What about releasing butterflies? If you do choose to implement this idea; it will be fantastic and breathtaking on your wedding day!

Here are a few tips how to pull it off:

1) Contact someone in charge of the butterflies order as early as three months in advance. Statistics show that butterfly farmers take about four to five weeks to raise your butterflies for your butterfly release. So you want to be sure that you receive the butterflies on time.

2) Monarchs butterflies are an excellent choice! They are the most popular and recognized butterfly for releases. Monarchs are lovely butterflies with vivid orange and black wings that span 3-3/8 to 4-7/8 inches. When Monarch butterflies are released, they soar and glide through the air, dipping and landing to drink nectar, and investigate bouquets and colorful dresses.

3) Release conditions: Release your butterflies only on a warm sunny day. DO NOT release the butterflies if it is cold, at night, or when it is raining. They will not be able to fly properly. Also. you must release butterflies when the temperatures are at least 60 degrees or warmer.

4) Shipping Information: Butterflies are usually shipped in individual envelopes that are packed into insulated boxes with an ice pack. The farmer does this to protect the butterflies; not to hurt them. Remember that the farmer has no control of what happens to the butterflies once they are shipped. As soon as the butterf. The farmer will at times includes extra butterflies just in case any of the butterflies die.

What about hair and makeup on YOUR big day?

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:46:00 +0000

The first trick is to hire one person or company that does both hair and makeup. You can expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $100 for hair and $30 to $85 for makeup. Try to do makeup the same time with the other bridesmaid, etc. The reason is that the more women you have that need these services, the cheaper the cost per person. It works out in your favor. Also, if you are going to put hair in your hair, buy it yourself. If you leave this up to the hair stylist it'll cost more.

An important fact that all of you brides should grasp is….if you have sensitive skin, please do not go for a facial the week before your wedding. You don't want pimples to have a party on your face on your special day, do you?

Also, attempt to find a makeup and hair vendor that will do a trial a few months before the wedding. It gives you time to work out any areas you are not happy with and makes the wedding day process much quicker.

Lastly, please get your nails done and make sure the groom's hands are also manicured. Force him to get one if you have to. Who wants ugly nails in your wedding pictures? More than likely you’ll be getting a picture or two that shows your hands and the wedding bands.

Wedding Brides Disease

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:02:00 +0000

There is a typical disease that brides may get when their wedding day is approaching. Below is a brief description of possible symptoms that you may feel but fear not; there is a cure!

1st Symptom - around 3 months before your wedding, you'll begin to second-guess your decisions. You may get cold-feet.
2nd Symptom - You'll get scared and have crazy thoughts in your head about what you can do to make your wedding better or more unique.
3rd Symptom - You'll ask friends, family, co-workers, and anyone that will listen to you and hear your ranting, about what they think of your new ideas.
4th Symptom – This is probably the most dangerous…you make a few phone calls and start up-grading a few of your packages. Beware of this symptom!

Are you ready for the CURE?

It’s simple…..

The Cure - stick to your original budget that you worked so hard for. As the wedding draws near, your emotions take over…ignore them. Like I said before, vendors will look at any opportunity that they can to take over if your emotions kick in. Believe me, vendors are well aware of the disease. That's why every contract allows for you to upgrade a package at any time but there are rarely loopholes for downgrading. So set your goals and hold fast to them!

Destination Wedding Tips…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:26:00 +0000

You girls deserve the best...you should have your cake and eat it too in other words! You may ask yourself what is she talking about. Okay...I am talking about destination weddings. They may be a bit pricy depending on the amount of people that you invite. But if you have the budget, and by all means you want to do it, go right ahead ladies! No one should EVER stop you from living your dreams. Jin actually wants to have a very small destination wedding with her close family and friends. She did not confirm it as yet but it is something that she is pondering. So I have a few tips for the brides that desire a destination wedding.

Here are my 10 tips:

Take the help from a wedding planner (normally included w/ this type of wedding).
Hire transportation to take your wedding guests to and from the airport.
Take a trip to the location before the wedding (schedule venues, food 'tastings", etc.).
Check up on vendors that you have hired.
You can fly in your own photographer, decor designer, hair stylist (remember- you are in control).
Consult bridal party first to find out if they can afford to travel to the destination.
Don't get upset if some of your family members or closest friends can't make it (due to finances or conflicting schedules).
If the wedding is of a tropical climate, pick an appropriate wedding dress for the weather
Pack only those things that you need.
Make plans for someone who lives nearby your home to take the gifts home if your are spending your honeymoon as soon as the wedding is over.

Sending Invitations Timing

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:08:00 +0000

Some people may not want to send their invitation too far in advance because of the fear that people will forget their wedding. But I’m here to say that the farther in advance is better but there are limits…send them 2 months to 6 weeks in advance.

The first rationale behind this advice is that people are very slow to R.S.V.P. In this way, you’re not stressing when it comes close to the wedding day. You’ll have to give a final head count a week or two before the wedding. In this way, you’ll have enough time to finalize the amount with the caterer and the reception hall. Secondly, if you have relatives out of town, they have enough time to book their flights and set up staying arrangements for the time of the wedding. You should set yourself up to have as less stress as possible before the wedding day.

Download Wedding Songs for FREE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:10:00 +0000

You might be stressing about wedding music and don’t know what you want to be played. Perhaps you do not have many wedding CDs lying around. Don’t worry I stumbled across something that will be helpful. It is a site that lets you download wedding songs of different genres for free. Now you can have a choice and you and your fiancé can sit down and choose what you two would like to hear. Also, if your doing your engagement party without a DJ and want to play some love songs…here you go. You can listen to them and download them if you like. The site is: http://www.ez-tracks.com/Wedding.html.

Father/Daughter Dance Tip

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:53:00 +0000

On your wedding day most brides have a dance with their father. It is one of the most treasured traditions in a wedding. Be sure to select a song that shows a special bond with you and your father. You should take some time to come up with a wonderful song that shows how much you love your father. He feels as special on that day as you feel. He is seeing his daughter being married to someone else. Now he is not the man in your life anymore; your hubby is now.

Below is a list of some songs that most people use:

v ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole

v ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong

v ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations,

v ‘Butterfly Kisses’ by Bob Carlisle (my favorite)

v ‘Through the Years’ by Kenny Rogers

Limo Substitute….

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:14:00 +0000

Want to arrive at your wedding in posh and stylish way on a BUDGET? You do not have to sacrifice the glamor and you will still feel good about your style. You can rent a beautiful car and have someone responsible (meaning sober) drive you and your hubby to the ceremony and the reception. You will surely SAVE money here because there would be no need for a limo chauffeur. A friend can lend a hand and be the chauffeur for the night. This is a priceless gift to you and your groom on your special day!

Invitation Suggestion

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:15:00 +0000

When going to get your invitations made, even if you’re doing it yourself, you should triple check your wording (ex. date, address, time, etc.). A good idea is to take a person with you to double check it or even a third people to triple check the invitations before the last okay is made. I know that it would be horrible if the information on the invitations were wrong. That would just amount to spending more money to send a new batch out and you may begin to panic. I definitely wouldn’t want that to happen to Jin or me.

Don’t get carried away…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:59:00 +0000

I know that you are on a BUDGET so it’s wise not to get carried away with the guest list. If you’re catering, keep the reception limited to only close friends and family that will be happy to share this special day with you. Be sure to make it clear that seating will be limited to only those that are on the invitations and have RSVP. Also, if you want an adults only wedding, I’m almost positive that your genuine family members and friends will understand and make arrangements for their children. They will then come to your wedding and have a grand time with you and your groom to be.

2 Limos are better than 1

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:46:00 +0000

TWO limos are better than ONE!!! You may be saying “what” to yourself but I will explain why…Hiring two will more than likely save you money. Instead of hiring one limo and let it sit and wait at the church, especially for Catholic ceremony, hire two of them. One can drop you off at the church and then leave. Then the second one can pick you up and take you to the reception hall. In this way, excess money is not spent on having the driver sit outside and do nothing. Get your money’s worth!

Wedding Rings $aving$

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:38:00 +0000

Wedding rings are an investment that will be worn by you and your future husband throughout your lifetime. Therefore, listen up! Be very careful where you purchase those rings. You should even make sure that the company is reputable and should even check them out on the Better Business Bureau to be on the safe side.

In addition, pay very close attention to the four “Cs” – Clarity, Color, Cut, and Carat Weight! You can see all 4 Cs at work on the on the table above.

Also, money can be saved by purchasing a “his/her package”. In addition, you can even use rings that were passed down for generations as your wedding band.

________________________________________________________
So after few complaints from Harry, here are some pictures of diamonds with "color"....

I want my PROOFS…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:40:00 +0000

A little secret on wedding scams is that wedding photographers tend to hold on to your proofs and negatives after your wedding. They do this because they make a gigantic profit when the bride orders extra prints of her wedding. It is so bad that photographers can mark up the price up to a whopping 500%. Do you want to be a victim of this messy trap? I think not! Therefore you MUST negotiate with the photographer upfront to get your proofs and negatives!

Make the vendors come to you…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:19:00 +0000

How about making the vendors come to you instead of going to them? I discovered that you can go to http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html and post an ad on what service that you are seeking. For example, you may be in need of a photographer. This actually works in your favor! You SHOULD also put the price that you are willing to spend and let the potential photographers that want your business compete against each other. You may actually spend less than you expected! You can also check out the work that these photographers have done before you even book them. There is nothing to lose here…only savings to gain by taking this step.

Set goals…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:45:00 +0000

Before going to a vendor, be very weary of their scams. You see the thing is that you have dreamed about your fantasy wedding since you were a little girl. So the vendors that sell wedding products and services already know this and use any way to take advantage of this. So this is where you can’t let your decisions be based on emotions. You will never save if you make emotional decision! This is what the vendors want; they want you to fall into their traps. So be sure to plan before you go. Set your spending goals in advance so that you don’t overstep your boundaries!

Bridal Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:41:00 +0000

Avoid saying, "I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!" There will be times when you are rushed into making decision as your wedding gets closer. There are few main steps you can keep track of and hopefully what I will be sharing with you can help...

Let's look at this on 12 month timeframe.

January - Congratulations, you are engaged and ready to plan your dreamy wedding
February - Reserve your ceremony and reception sites. Also, don't forget to book your caterer.
March - Book Photographer and Videographer
April - Order your bridal Gown. Remember it takes few, even several months for your gown to be ready for that "perfect" fit.
May - Book your Musicians or Entertainment.
June - Choose your florist and color motif
July - Find a baker
August - Order your invitations
September - Order bridesmaid's gowns
October - Book transportation and Mail your lovely invitations
November - RELAX!!!
December - It's your BIG DATE!!!!!!!

Wedding Dress Thoughts…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:21:00 +0000

After your wedding day in your beautiful dress, what can you do with it? We have three recommendations. You can…

1) You can sell it. If you actually bought it from Ebay, you know how easy it is to sell it back. You can sell it on Ebay (or some or manner like such) or even privately. The choice is yours!

2) You can give it away. Out of your kind heart you can give it away to for example, charity, and feel good about yourself.

3) You can preserve it.

WEDDING “PLANNER”…What did you say?

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:52:00 +0000

A word of advice…DO NOT hire a wedding planner!!! Can you have a beautiful wedding without a wedding planner? Of COURSE, you can. You can do it all by yourself! You are in charge; in control of everything at your dream wedding. You don’t have to hire someone that you don’t know to do it for you. You can do it. Plus wedding planners may steer you in the expensive direction because they get kickbacks for certain things, like booking a hall for you. You don’t need someone that doesn’t know you personally; you have your own best interest at heart. I say you go for it and plan your dream wedding. Everyone is capable and smart enough to plan their fantasy wedding. So what are you waiting for? I’m sure that your fiancé will support your decision some way or the other….

Engagement Party Tip…

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:46:00 +0000

Believe Jin and I…we didn’t forget about the engagement party! But we want to keep it smart. More energy and time should be spent on the wedding ceremony and reception. Therefore, we have a few suggestions about the engagement party.

First of all, instead of having it in a hall, have it at home or at a family member’s house. You can invite everyone and you don’t have to pay for the space. Also, instead of catering food, you can ask you friends and family members to make dishes for the engagement party. A family member can make the cake as well. Thirdly, you don’t need a DJ; you can use your stereo and play CDs on that. This will save you a few hundred buckaroos! Last but not least, this can be a perfect opportunity for something else….an announcement about your WEDDING! This can be an informal announcement and will let everyone know when the wedding is.

$electing your Perfect Month

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:05:00 +0000

Did you know that getting married during off-season can save you $$$? During my research, they said January, February, and March are the least popular months and June, July, August are pretty popular. If you don't mind a chilly wedding, it could save you some bucks...

Also getting married on Sunday versus Saturday is also cheaper... but Dev and I are both from Catholic families and we are more than likely to get married on a Saturday...

LIQUOR $AVING$

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:37:00 +0000

What about the thing that everyone loves at a wedding besides you and the groom…LIQUOR! If you choose to have your wedding at a reception hall, the cost of liquor is very expensive. So here’s a thought! How about speak to owner of the hall and get the breakdown of how much the liquor will cost for the night. Then you do your own math. You find out the price of liquor at a discount retailer. Calculate the price and match them apples to apples. If it is coming out cheaper with you buying the liquor yourself, by all means…Buy it yourself! You have a choice to opt out of the hall serving the liquor. You can purchase your own. Also, you can ask someone that you know to serve the liquor instead of an employee at the hall. In this way, you don’t have to pay extra for the staff member that will serve the liquor, and just maybe a friend will do it for free at the wedding.

Wedding Cake $aving$

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:00 +0000

If you haven’t checked out a catering bakery that make wedding cake as yet, your eyes will surely pop out its socket after seeing the prices of the cakes. We have a good idea! I know that someone in everyone’s family can bake and decorate a cake. You can pick out the design and buy all of the ingredients. That will save you plenty! Also, if you love to bake…this is your chance to shine. You can have fun and bake your own cake and feel proud of it! You can custom it as you like. Or if a family member or a friend bakes, they can make a cake for you free of charge. They can consider this as their wedding gift for you. Everyone is happy then. You saved money on the cake and the person is able to give you a memorable gift.

Another key advice is….instead of buying expensive ornaments and special tops to put on the top of the cake, decorate it with a few wild flowers. It will save you some money. Remember every dollar counts. Plus, the cake will look beautiful and unique at the same time.

Don’t PANIC Ladies!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:18:00 +0000

The secret to having a wedding on a budget is to stay on top of things. In other words, stay organized! If you leave this to the men…everything may go haywire! I’m sure you don’t want this to happen on your special day. Therefore, you can buy a planner of some sort from any store; these are relatively cheap. It will go a long way. You can keep track of payment dates, delivery dates, etc. If you don’t write down everything, there is a lot to remember. Trust us! Its better to have everything laid out so that you don’t have to play a guessing game. Remember this is your wedding, you are in control!

CREDIT CARDS…Read all about it!

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:06:00 +0000

This is an advice that will take you far…It goes hand in hand with the last entry on Writing Savings. When paying for any product or service for your wedding, use a CREDIT CARD! In this way, if a dispute arises, you can always call your credit card company and stop payment. With cash, it is very hard to get your money back even if you have a receipt. If you do get the cash back, it may even take months. So be sure to use your credit cards so that you have the upper hand! Don’t let anyone take the money that you work hard to earn!

IMPORTANT $AVING$...WRITING…WRITING….WRITING!

noreply@blogger.com (ChocoHuni: The Sweet Ceremony Specialists) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 18:08:00 +0000

Get EVERYTHING in writing! That will go a long way. I don’t think that anyone wants to give away money to strangers. I sure hope not! So you should get every product and/or service in writing that you’ve purchased! It can include, but not limited to:

The date purchased

Company name

Contact information

What is to be delivered and at what time

Payment method

Refund policy

Cancellation policy

What is to happen if the product/service delivery is not met

Also, be sure to read everything in every contract before signing. Or it will become a disaster! Always be smart and think on your toes. This is YOUR wedding and YOU are in charge! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! When you purchase a product or service, you are doing them a favor. Bottom line...YOU are entitled to what you pay for!