For brides, making just a few changes can help save a few pennies and trim a few dollars off the cost without making a huge impact on how a wedding looks and feels.

1. Book your venue early. Some places will give discounts for couples who book their venues well in advance.

2. Plan your wedding off-season. June, September and July tend to be popular months for weddings. By having your wedding in off months, October through April, you may be able to save money on the place you hold your reception. Planning your wedding for a day other than Saturday can save you money as well.

3. Make your own invitations. Using simple word processing and desktop publishing software and nice paper, you can make your own invitations. The best benefit is that making your own helps you to create something one-of-a-kind.

4. Consider the church fellowship hall or your mom’s backyard. Many brides are taking advantage of free venues to save money. Finding a good, free location to hold your reception can save thousands.

5. Forego the photographer for the reception. Instead, place disposable cameras on the reception tables and let guests take pictures for you.

6. Ask your caterer about children’s plates. Some caterers will discount children’s plates by as much as 50 percent. If your reception is family-oriented and includes children, the savings could really be substantial.

7. Consider gown alternatives. If you’re not super-sentimental about your wedding dress, consider alternatives such as buying your gown from a thrift store, buying a plain dress and embellishing it yourself, or even having your dress custom-made. Many seamstresses can make a simple wedding dress for less than the cost of one from a wedding store.

8. Use family and friends to the best of their abilities. If members of your family or your friends have special talents — your sister can do calligraphy, your uncle is a florist, your soon-to-be brother in law is a DJ — ask them for their specialized help.

9. Buy bridesmaids dresses from stores other than a bridal salon. Many retail stores, such as Sears, or catalogue businesses, like Speigel, will sell cocktail dresses during the holiday season. Buy bridesmaids’ dresses after the holidays, when they go on sale.

10. Forego save-the-date cards. Instead, send electronic invitations, like Evite, months before the big day to let people know what you’re planning.

A wedding doesn’t have to be a black-tie affair, but with a little planning it can be the day of your dreams, for less.

Just remember, if you get married in blue jeans and serve bologna, you’re still married. And that, ultimately, is what’s most important.

All of the dress stress on top of everything else can take the blush out of any bride. How can anyone function successfully under this amount of pressure? Not to fret…Dr. B, with the help of wedding planner Nerissa Montemurro of Private Receptions, is here to ease your wedding worries!

Dr B’s Tips:

1. During any difficult time you must use what little energy you have left to actively de-stress. Stressful situations cause arousal. Kuznet’s Inverted-U Hypothesis teaches us that too much or too little arousal can decrease performance levels while completing a task. For most individuals, it is the moderate amount of stress that helps us perform at our peak. Remember this when shopping for a dress.

2. Take a time out from all things wedding. Give yourself one day to remove any talk of dresses, cakes, reception, and flowers out of your vocabulary. Store your bridal magazines and block your wedding update emails. Removing yourself from your wedding will put things into perspective, remove unnecessary emotion, increase your objective view of this day, and help you decide on the dress. It will also serve as a reminder that life went on before your wedding and will go on after your wedding no matter the outcome.
3. Remember what this day is really about. Although your wedding day is important, getting married has nothing to do with this one day or the dress. Getting married is really about the commitment you make to your partner, and the decision to build a life with your spouse. The wedding day is merely an arbitrary marker for this commitment. If your focus is funneled into only the wedding day you may be ignoring signs that you should not marry your partner, need to work on your relationship, or must strengthen the actual marriage.

4. If you look back on this day what will you remember? Whenever I need to make an important decision in my life or have hit a difficult period in my life, I always ask myself “When I am 90 years old what would I have wished I had done?” Asking this question has prompted me to move to California, write a book, jump in Lake Momar in my dress, and turn down a job in NYC. If ever perspective was important it is on your wedding day, so ask the question! I promise you the answer will not be the flowers, dress, or cake!

5. You must feel physically and emotionally comfortable in your dress. Your dress should allow you to dance all night and actually breathe! You also want a dress which makes you feel spectacular in your own skin. This is not the time to try something drastically different or experiment with a new look. You want to feel like the most beautiful version of you!

6. You need to create a signature look which is informed by your day-to-day wardrobe. Maybe your love for belts, color, or jewelry sets you apart from the rest every day as well as on this special day! Consider a colorful sash, vintage brooch, or elegant hairpin.

7. Remember you. This day and this dress are yours. Take your first step in assertiveness and boundary setting in your new life with your dress choice. Also remember what looks good in a magazine may not work for you. Ignore Tim Gunn’s mantra “Make it work” and just move on to something better.

8. No self-punishment! Remember you want to look you best on your wedding day not like some over-bleached, burnt, and starving version of yourself. Save the crash diets, body wraps, celery sticks, tanning beds, and spray tans for another time.

9. Break all the rules…even mine. You don’t have to wear white, you don’t have to wear a dress, you don’t even have to wear anything all, just as long as it makes you celebrate on, what I hope will be, the happiest day of your life.
Nerissa’s Know How:

10. I always suggest for a bride to go shopping by herself the first time around. Get a feel for what she likes without the approval or disapproval from family and friends. Once she has an idea of her top 2 or 3 styles and/or designers then narrow it down with the help of family and friends.

11. Brides need to understand the difference between a TV and the real live dressing room. Nine out of 10 times women try on too many dresses looking for the moment where they break into tears and say “this is the dress!” Nine out of 10 times that doesn’t happen. You could love 5, 10, 15, dresses you try on. Remember to work with the figure you have highlighting your strengths. Next remember the type of affair you are having and make sure the dress is suitable for the season, time of day, venue, and the overall environment.

12. Sometimes the dress you thought you’d never wear is the one you end up with. Be flexible when trying on different styles.

13. Be honest about your budget. If you don’t have one…get one. Everyone has a budget, and it’s best to shop within it. Saves you time, heartache, and debt.

Amalfi coast weddings are the most romantic way to get married in Italy. Brides who have Amalfi coast weddings get to enjoy the rich culture and history of Italy, stunning landscapes and romantic wedding venues. Often touted as the most beautiful stretch of shoreline in Italy.

The landscapes offer a rugged terrain, clinging cliff side roads, scenic beauty, and picturesque towns make for stunning Amalfi Coast wedding reception venues.

Idea 1: Sunset Bellinis on a Positano Hotel Terrace
Some of the world’s leading luxury hotels have large terraces that can accommodate a small wedding party of 10-20 people. If your Amalfi Coast wedding is taking place a little earlier in the day, then it is possible to have a sunset bellini reception with hot and cold canapes, overlooking the sea and the cliff side town of Positano. Following this stunning sunset reception you and your guests may have an intimate dinner at one of Positano’s amazing local restaurants.

Idea 2: A Wedding Banquet Overlooking the Sea
For larger wedding parties you many choose to host a banquet complete with a DJ, dancing and dinner following your Amalfi Coast wedding. Many hotels and restaurants have become accustomed to holding beautiful candlelight wedding receptions for Amalfi Coast wedding brides. Many of these restaurants offer breathtaking views of Positano,the sea and the village.

Idea 3: An Intimate Seaside Dinner with Guests
Following your sunset Amalfi Coast wedding, you and your guests can head down the labyrinth of streets to the seafront. There are a few small and charming restaurants directly on the beach in Positano that are elegant yet intimate and comfortable for a small wedding party. Guests can dine on a preset menu that you choose, with only the freshest local ingredients and fish directly from the sea just a few steps away. Following your dinner reception, you and your spouse can take a moonlit walk along the sea or even head to the local disco with your guests for drinks and dancing!

Idea 4: Impress Guests with a Romantic and Private Villa Reception
If you have a large number of guests attending your wedding then you may opt to rent a local villa. Many villas are found 1,000 ft above sea level and offer stunning views. They can be converted to offer a dinner reception inside or better yet, outdoors in a lemon tree filled garden. You can also hire a local DJ or musicians to entertain your guests while they dine on the fruits of the Amalfi Coast.

Idea 5: Have a Magical Night in a Medieval Tower
Your wedding is sure to be a fairytale come true. So what better place to enjoy your reception following your Amalfi Coast wedding than in the Saracen tower. The Saracen tower is a truly unique place to hold your reception. These ancient medieval watch towers were built to warn of Turkish or Saracen pirates. Now, they boast an incredible panoramic sea view and are one of the most romantic places to hold your Amalfi Coast wedding reception in Italy. The restaurant itself only allows a maximum of 40 guests.

Choosing a venue to host your Amalfi Coast wedding reception is foolproof. Just decide what type of experience you would like to have, confirm your guest list and choose any of of these Amalfi Coast wedding reception ideas.

Finding new ideas for wedding favors may be challenging, as many popular favors are the tried and true. However, using new ideas can occur in different degrees. For instance you may want to include one new favor idea among several classics like place card holders or wedding box favors. Even these traditional favors can be revolutionized to feature new attractions.

Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby can be a goldmine for finding materials to create your own wedding favors. Using your imagination, you can use just about anything to make a wedding favor. After all, these are gifts to your guests from you and your future spouse.

Beads and string can be fashioned in many different ways for several creations including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and key chains. Depending on your theme, you can even buy the appropriate beads like starfish or shells for a beach-themed wedding. These homemade goodies will be beautiful decorations for the reception tables as well as thoughtful wedding favors.

Using solid black or white matte frames, you can construct homemade photo frames to use as wedding favors. One way to make the frames classy is to write something like “John & Marie’s Wedding Day” in glue and then sprinkle silver glitter over the wet letters. Allow time for the glue to dry, then shake the excess glitter and you have an elegant and inexpensive idea that will be sure to impress your crowd.

Other embellishments can also be used to decorate matte frames. Cut squares from decorative foil and make a checkerboard pattern for the border. Ribbons, beads, mirrors, letters, or stickers are all great choices for making creative wedding favor frames.

Cuts of wood from craft stores can be a blank canvas for new wedding ideas. Using spheres, rectangles, squares, or even letters, the wood can be painted in various patterns and designs. Organic and cheap, they will be sure to make a statement as art pieces for your guests.

Any good wedding party should have plenty of food. Bring along your own homemade treats to serve to everyone as wedding favors. Cupcakes, brownies, candy, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered cherries, cookies, and homemade snack mixes are dynamite ideas for your guests. Make them pop with colored sprinkles and vivid icing. Also consider placing them in fabric or colored netting complete with a tied piece of ribbon to hold the favor together.

For country or western themed weddings, a fun idea might be to give guests access to delicious roasted, shelled peanuts. Peanuts are nutritious and fun to eat. Send guests home with extra peanuts by giving them their own pails or bags full. Outdoor weddings are especially fun for peanuts because then you can throw the shells on the ground.

“Starting this weekend, there are at least 10 major bridal events scheduled in or around the state through March, so we want to offer a little advance advice,” Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr. said. “No matter if it’s small or large, casual or fancy, your wedding is an event that’s going to involve some out-of-the-ordinary expenses and purchases, and you’ve got to be well prepared. My first piece of advice if you’re going to a bridal fair, is to bring a notebook but leave your checkbook home. Take the time you need to gather information on lots of venues, photographers, florists, dresses and caterers. Don’t make any hasty decisions.”

However, says Farrell, as you move further into the planning process, the single most important thing you must do is carefully read all contracts and be sure you understand them before you sign.

“What are the cancellation policies and deadlines? How much of your deposit is non-refundable? What is the exchange or refund policy on your wedding dress? What is included in the catering cost? How much will it cost for the band to play an extra hour? You’ll want to be sure you understand all of these possibilities and contingencies,” Farrell said. “Get every detail in writing and be sure both you and the business agree on all points before signing a contract. Include exact descriptions, and add your own statement that you will not pay for services and expect a complete refund on any deposits if the company does not deliver exactly as specified in the contract.”

When booking photography, video or DJ services, you may want a particular person assigned to your wedding because you have seen their work and really like it. Make sure this individual’s name is specified on the contract.

Specify in writing the photos that absolutely must be taken — for example, your great aunt or your twin nephews. You’ll also want to provide some overall direction, such as how many candid photos you prefer versus formal photos. Give your DJ a list of songs to play. Agree in writing to a time frame in which you’ll receive and approve your proofs, and a price for a minimum number of prints you agree to purchase — aim low because you can always add more later.

After you’ve made all your choices based on careful attention to personal recommendations, price, quality, convenience and amenities, you’ll want your down-payments to be safe.

“Use a credit card for all deposit payments — where possible — and give the smallest possible deposit that you can,” Farrell said. “If something goes wrong, payments you made by a credit card can be disputed through the credit card company, but payments made by check or cash will be much harder to get back.”

It’s a good idea to book your wedding sooner rather than later, in order to get the widest choice. Also, if something does go wrong, you should have enough time to make alternate arrangements.

Once you have booked your hall, caterer, florist, photographer and other businesses, be sure to stay aware of how those specific businesses are doing.

“In good times and bad, there will always be companies that go out of business for a wide variety of reasons,” Farrell said. “If the caterer or photographer has a Web site or e-mail newsletter, sign on and check that the information there is up-to-date. Take an occasional ride by the reception hall or the florist shop on a weekend to see that it’s thriving. Stay informed about the companies you’re doing business with.”

DIY Wedding Favors
Do-it-yourself wedding favors these days are very popular because they are not only less expensive but they often makes creative wedding favors. You can find DIY favor kits at your local craft stores or you can shop online. You can make your own favor bags with sheer linens, add a finishing effect by hanging a homemade thank you tags. You can also use colorful ribbons and other cute embellishment if you like.

Unique Wedding Favors
For couples who have a unique taste and don’t want to go with common things, there are so many unique wedding favors that jives their on of a kind personality. Get bold and make your wedding stand out with unique and creative favor idea. You may consider these Bendable Comical Bride & Groom Magnets Wedding Favors, these bendable magnets depict whimsical figures of a bride or groom. These Bendable Comical Bride & Groom Magnets are the perfect practical wedding favors, flaunting an attraction that’s simply magnetic! Setting a happy tone for your bridal shower or wedding reception, these cheerful figures offer your guests your joyful thanks for being a part of your special day. After your wedding, these magnet wedding favors will happily hold up grocery lists, love notes, or candid photos from your reception!

You can also choose wedding favors according to your specific wedding theme. You can find themed wedding favors such as winter, summer, fall, Asian, Las Vegas, garden and so many more. Browse online to find endless selection of party favors for your wedding and shower. Lastly, you can also find discounted wedding souvenirs such as candle, soap, bubbles and key chains. To check on these affordable souvenirs, try to browse the clearance section of the store, because you can usually find discount wedding favors on that area.

People would like to send invitations to their relatives, friends and other peoples when they have selected a location for their wedding party. Selecting a location for your wedding is not too complicated. There are various alternatives available, as well as party rooms at restaurants, private homes, hotels, and many more. First of all check your budget and then choose the perfect location for your wedding party.

Make right decision for selecting a perfect date for your wedding event. Your friends are the main pride for you on your wedding party so you should try to choose a date according to their availability for your marriage party. This would help you preventing from the disappointment that your friends are not coming in your marriage due to their busy schedule. Be sure that long weekends may not be the perfect time to arrange your wedding party. To a certain extent frequently people go away and you may find it hard to plug your guest catalog with all of your unique friends.

For making your party distinctive and attractive you will have to be innovative with your party supplies. It will make your party memorable among your guests. There are also various websites which can get you ideas for unique party supplies. For your wedding party you need tasty foods, marquees, table and chairs, glass and glassware equipments and hiring these things within your budget is very hard. Don’t worry. Just search to internet and you can get various websites in which complete or individual equipment can be hired very easily. You have to do some homework like according to the number of your guests you have to order. Prices are mentioned with each product you need. So calculate the actual number of guests and then order them.

Finally, the main point is to confirm the service aspects of the party organizer. You have to check testimonials from the sites where their clients tell about the services the party planner provides. If you are looking locally to your area for a party planner then confirm everything about their services. Don’t hesitate to share your opinions about party planning with him. It will help the party planner to better understand your party needs. The best homework you can do arise the best and memorable party among all your wedding party guests.