Honeymooners

While not every couple splurges on the honeymoon, or even take one, it can end up being very expensive if you do. Not only are you taking a week or two off work, your spending thousands on a vacation, right after you paid for a wedding.

Some couples may be lucky enough to have their honeymoons given to them as a gift from family members, however not everyone is that lucky. If you're one of those people, here's a fun, exciting idea!

Don't book anything, other than the time off work. the night before the wedding or the morning after, go on Groupon, Team Buy, Deal Find, Sell- Off Vacations, or expedia and choose a last minute vacaction based on what's available. Then just pack your bag and leave! This way, it's much cheaper, it's exciting and thrilling (unless you're an A type personality) and you won't be able to obsess or over plan it. You can sit back, relax and just go which ever way the wind blows!

On average these deals are up to 80% off and you can find beautiful places all over the world, for any personality. There's always plenty of warm beach destinations, and if that's not for you there's usually an European destination as well! A few weeks ago there was an offer on Groupon for a week long trip to Ireland, meals, travel and hotel included for $1500! Do some research and you'll save a ton!

Another option is to host a jack and jill and put all your earning in the honeymoon fund and don't dip into under any circumstances!

Center of attention...

The one thing I will never understand about some brides is why they would ever fuss over a centerpiece. Some brides go crazy for them - they always want bigger, brighter and better. They can end up costing thousands of dollars (especially if they're real flowers) and are completely pointless. The only thing they're good for are the juvenile games like musical chairs that are played in order to get rid of them. And then some poor sap gets stuck lugging the thing home and ends up with a massive vase sitting in their house for the next 10 years collecting dust because it's too big to actually use.

Well if you're smart and you're not 'that' bride, one of the following suggestions make work for you!

1. Use free, natural resources such as twigs, greenery, water, pine cones and acorns

2. Use dollar store floating candles

3. For a Christmas wedding, cranberries!














4. Candy! That way everyone gets some and you can have it match your colours

5. Bulk dried fruits and veggies!

No matter what you have at your disposal I am sure there is something beautiful you can do with it!

Intimate weddings

If you want the extravagant, classy, upscale wedding, why not have it with just fewer people? An intimate wedding with only 60-80 could be absolutely lovely. There's a few mansions in NOTL that have been turned into bed and breakfasts that will accommodate up to 80 people in the grand ball rooms or library.

The Grand Victorian Bed and Breakfast is an example of such a place.

The Grand Victorian Bed and Breakfast, NOTL

Another option for an intimate upscale wedding would be one of the vintage inns in town - The Prince of Wales, Queen's Landing or The Pillar & Post.

They have off-season wedding packages that are only $99 per guest - an amazing deal for a hotel that high on the scale.

The Prince of Wales Hotel in Winter

The Queen's Landing Hotel

The Pillar and Post entrance at Christmas

A Niagara-on-the-Lake wedding continued...

Queenston Heights Entrance

If you've ever been to Niagara, you know that it's nickname should be the floral capital of Canada. Having hundreds of greenhouses, florists, horticultural programs and gardens in the region makes it extremely easy to find the flowers you want at a reduced cost. However, still keep in mind that whatever is in season will still be the least amount of money.

Queen's Royal Park, NOTL

Photography? Easy. Find a friend that has an SLR camera and enjoys taking photographs and ask them to be your photographer. All of the places I named in the previous blog entry (for example, Fort Mississauga, Queens Royal Beach, Queenston Heights) would be great locations for wedding pictures... and they're free public areas!

Hair and make up? Niagara College has full hair dressing, esthetician and cosmetology programs that offer full salon and spa services to the public at very low costs. They do a great job, but it takes longer than it usually would, so just schedule extra time!

National Historic Site, Fort Mississauga

Here are links to the price lists:

Hair salon - http://www.niagaracollege.ca/hairsalon/ ($20 up-dos!)
Spa - http://www.niagarawaters.ca/

Food and wine? Niagara College also offers programs in culinary skills and wine and beer making. This also means that they sell their products! The wine is excellent and can be purchased by the case and I believe the restaurant caters.

Winery - http://www.nctwinery.ca/
Restaurant - http://www.niagaracollege.ca/content/Benchmark/BenchmarkHome.aspx

Niagara College NOTL Campus

Take a step back in time...

Yes, I took this picture. That's how beautiful it actually is.

After spending the last 2 days in my favourite place in the world, I had the urge to write about it. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a wonderfully beautiful place. It is located in southern Ontario just 20 minutes from the world famous Niagara Falls. It's my personal favourite because it is a historic, quaint little town that resembles one you would have found in Britain over a hundred years ago. Not only that, it was also named "Canada's Prettiest Town" and holds the "best Sunday afternoon drive" as named by Winston Churchill in 1944.

Queenston Heights Battlefield and Brock's Monument

It is steeped with rich history, as it holds a long list of firsts for Canada. It was the country's first capital, it holds the country's first museum and masonic lodge, it was home to Canada's first newspaper and among many other things, the main site of the War of 1812. Walking down the main street you feel as though you've stepped back in time as the church bells ring, horse and carriage's clip clop down the road and all of the buildings are circa 1800s.

What does all this have to do with weddings? A lot. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a premier wedding destination for thousands of people every year. However, this does not come cheap. Having lived in the town for 4 years, over the next little while I am going to show you ways you can have a magical Niagara-on-the-Lake wedding for much less than you would expect.

NOTL Historical Society and Museum

To start I am going to reinforce the date. Prices drop dramatically in the town's off-season, as the tourists have all gone home and the local seniors find it too cold to step outside. Local businesses are desperate for revenue, and thus will strive to make your dream wedding in your budget. This holds especially true for the hotels, bed and breakfasts (which there are over 200 of), and the many, many wineries.

Famous artist, Trisha Romance's art gallery

While those locations are what you normally would think of for a wedding in town, have you ever thought where else a wedding could be held? There's a wonderful museum with a large space, old mansions that can be rented out, a gazebo on the waterfront and beach, two War of 1812 forts that have hosted weddings, an old apothecary, open vineyards, Niagara College's beautiful campus on the escarpment with a gourmet restaurant and winery on site, and while this town's library is quite modern, other similar towns may have a historic one perfect for weddings.

Place Settings

In keeping with the idea of a lovely fall wedding, how about gourd place settings!? They're super cute, colourful and easy.

All you need to do is find a local farm or road stand and buy a bunch of them a couple weeks before the wedding (the later the better - unless you're going to shellac them), clean them off and tie ribbons with your guests names on them.

Another fun idea is to paint them your wedding colours or simple golds and silvers.

There are ways to preserve them so they'll last a long while, but I would only recommend doing that if you have extra time of your hands or very few guests.

You could also use items like pinecones, apples and other fruit, however it can start to seem cheap - especially if the pinecones still have dirt on them. Yuck.

The apple of his eye - DIY FAVORS!

Fall is that yummy time of year when everything local is ripe for the pickin' and we start packing away for the winter. What's one of the most common fruits this time of year? Apples, of course! Why not make your own wedding favors  - caramel apples!

Who better than to show you how to do it!? Paula Deen of course. While Paula uses caramel, nuts, chocolate, etc for decorating the apples remember you can use anything you want. White and dark chocolate would be cute for bride and groom apples or even sprinkles in your wedding colours!

Click on the video to see how it's done - and don't blame me if you end up craving one.

Her Royal Highness

As you may have heard last year, when Kate Middleton married Prince William she applied her own makeup for her wedding day. She looked absolutely stunning, as always. You can too, without the extra cost of $100+ and the fear of looking like a the Joker.

I've posted a video below that demonstrates the techniques that Kate used for her wedding make up. Obviously, if you're going to do this you'll want to do a few trials with different colours before the wedding and use different foundations to see how your skin reacts.

The video is only 10 minutes long and can teach you some really lovely techniques. Enjoy!

Pinterest

If you haven't already become addicted, Pinterest.com is a social network that allows you "pin" ideas, pictures, quotes, etc that you like onto online "boards". It's a great tool for keeping track of the things you find online that you don't necessarily need at the moment or don't have time to look over at that time. It has taken the wedding industry by storm.

Women all over the world that are engaged, or in long term relationships, or don't have a significant other whatsoever but love weddings and the idea of planning one have taken to Pinterest to plan their weddings.

It is an exceptional tool for DIY ideas, ways to save money, company reviews (is that cake really worth $2000?), engagement photo poses without the fancy photographer and how to plan a wedding in general.  It is a lot of fun and is extremely addictive - I'm warning you now.

The statistics down the side of the page are an example of what you might find on Pinterest. Great advice and very helpful.

Something new?

Asides from the ring, the next big thing for the bride is the dress. While yes, every woman wants the "ouh" and "ahh" experience when she walks out of the dressing room for the first time in a beautiful white gown, not every one can afford that experience. I have a solution for you.

Go to the bridal salons, try on gowns, figure out what you want, what size you are, etc... then go on http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/. There are other pre-owned gown websites out there, however I like this one best. And here's the best part: most of the dresses are brand new with tags - at 60-85% off!

I'm quite taken by a Amelia Carrara dress (pictured below) that usually retails for $9000, give or take a few bucks. I found on this website a while back in my size, and for my tall height (which is rare to find anything in) for $2000! The only thing that held be back (other than not even having a boyfriend at the time) was not having the closet space to store it for God knows how many years.

It won't hurt to take a look... I don't think you'll be disappointed!

DJ? What DJ?

I just came across this great iPhone/iPod app... For $2 you can design and play your wedding playlist from your device - no DJ required! The app is called "My WeddingDJ".

It lets you make out an entire wedding "music plan" that includes multiple songs and playlists for everything. There's reccommended playlists such as pre-ceremony, bride's walk down the aisle, recessional, dinner, first dance, father-daughter dance, going away, etc... or you can make your own.

It fades, takes breaks when you enter them, and can even take requests! And the best part - it's guaranteed all of your favourites will be played!

The reviews for it are fantastic, and if used, it will save you hundreds of dollars. Now all you need is an MC!

Check it out in the iTunes store here:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/my-weddingdj/id383243064?mt=8

Save the date!

Most couples have the vision of their ideal wedding in their heads years before they get engaged or even meet their fiance. However, if you don't and you're open to ideas, the wedding "off-season" (November to April) is a great option. Not only is it significantly less money, it will be a heck of a lot easier on you. There's a 99.9% chance everything you want from the venue, the florist, the photographer, to the DJ will not only be available but also offer you reduced rates in order to secure your business.

Don't be discouraged if you're picturing a dreary, blah, cold setting. Winter weddings can be wonderfully romantic - if you do it right. Look into it; I promise you won't be disappointed.

Check out this video from the Vintage Hotels in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

http://vintage-hotels.com/winterweddings.htm

Tots

From my last post you're probably thinking "wow, she hates kids." Not true - just kids at weddings. But that's just me. I'm sure my view on the topic will change once I become a mother - but for now, no thank you.

I'm going to post a list of reasons why I believe children don't belong at weddings, as they can add a significant cost to the overall event and spoil your day.

1. As said in the last post, a plate for a child (depending on your venue) can cost about $70 - $90. They won't eat it. You have 5-10 kids in attendance, there goes about $600 in the garbage.

2. Children get bored very easily. Most cannot sit still for more than 2 minutes, they have no sense of when to speak with an indoor voice, and they're not ashamed to take a screaming fit in public. Now imagine this while you're in the middle of saying your vows or making your speech.

3. If you allow one child, everyone is going expect to bring theirs. Your wedding becomes a day care centre. The parents (or whoever gets stuck babysitting) don't have a good time and don't get to spend time with you and they end up leaving early. The midnight buffet you had prepared for 150 guests is now serving 120 guests.

4. A new trend that is emerging is for those with children to encourage the couple to have a babysitter/day care on site. Guess what! That's expensive. No thanks.

5. Lets face it - some venues and events are just not suitable for children. Sharp edges on tables, a very expensive white dress in the room, sharp knives for dinner, an abundance of alcohol, etc...

6. Kids pick their noses and everything else. Kids stick their fingers in everything: food, cake, the chocolate fountain, etc... and give random surprise hugs! Those hugs and formal wear don't mix.

7. Kids throw up. A lot.

8. If you have children in your wedding party, they are most likely very close to you, and that's fine. However it can be very difficult to get your wedding photos taken with a screaming 3 year old and a miserable, hungry 6 year old. It can end up taking hours to get a few good pictures.

9. Again, if you have kids in the wedding party, some people will expect you to pay for the flower girl's dress or the ring bearer's suit/tux. Don't forget you need to get them flowers and a thank you gift as well.

10. Do you really want to have to spend time and money coming up with activities and games for children? And parents, it's a night out! Don't you want to enjoy yourself and let loose for once?


Again, all of these reasons are MY opinions. I personally cringe at the thought of a child in attendance, but some people love the idea of little ones running around hyped up on cake. However, I do have a fair reason to think this way. When I was 7 I was a flower girl for the 3rd time in my aunt and uncle's wedding. At the altar I got really sick, pale ghostly white and had to wear a hot pink sweater for the rest of the day because I was so cold. Everyone was worried about me, I ruined the pictures and there was vomit. Enough said.

Invite Follow Up

Not only is making your own invitations a great way to save money, but wording them correctly can also be a great help down the road.

Wedding horror stories about guests inviting their own guests are a dime a dozen. It can very quickly spin out of control with parades of teenager's boyfriends and girlfriends, children, and people you don't know. This obviously results in a much higher head count than expected, paying $120+ a plate for people you don't know, and paying up to $90 a plate for a child that isn't going to eat a quarter of the things on it. You will also have the people that beg for an invitation, make you jump through hoops for them, and then not show up.



There are 3 things you need to remember here:

1. Be firm. Don't let anyone force you into anything you don't want to do. If you allow one child, you'll have to allow everyone elses. Same goes for guests - if you allow your neighbours to bring their extended family, you're going to hear about it from everyone else. Stand your ground. Say no.

2. Spread information by word of mouth. Get your wedding party and family to help out. Everytime the wedding is mentioned, find a way to slip in that there is limited seating, it's getting out of control, it is not child friendly, you're paying for the wedding yourselves, etc... If anyone has a question, they will contact you. Hopefully.

3. Be very clear on your invites. Many claim that writing "adult reception" on the rsvp card or invitation is rude; personally, I don't care. There are people out there with 4-6 kids all under the age of 10 and they insist on going everywhere with every single one of them in tow.

If you don't want to use the word "adult" on the invite, have the RSVP card pre-filled out with the number of responses you are expecting. An example: "We are reserving 2 seats in your honor. __ of 2 will be in attendance".

Remember, it's your day and your money. Spend it the way you want.

DIY Invitations

Wedding invitations usually cost somewhere between $300-$500 for a wedding of 200 guests. While yes, they are important, no one is going to be thinking about the invitation while they're watching you walk down the aisle on daddy's arm.

Here's a great video I found showing how easy it is to make your invitations at low cost. Get your bridal party to work - this is what they're for!

Have fun!

First things first...

The ring.

Fellas: please, do not skimp on the ring. If you don't have enough money to buy the one you feel she is worthy of or the one she has her heart set on, don't buy one at all. Wait until you can afford it.

Ladies: do not settle for something you're not happy with on the promise "we'll get you a new one in a few years". It's not going to happen. You'll have the wedding to pay for, then the honeymoon, then real life starts with hundreds of dollars in monthly bills, then kids come, then their college education comes... needless to say you're not getting a new ring.

What will one day be my Birks ring...

Remember, this is something you'll be wearing every single day for the rest of your life. It's not a wedding dress that you wear once and never see again... it's every. single. day. You deserve butterflies in your tummy every time you look down at it.

Speaking of engagement rings... I was working on a marketing report today on Tiffany & Co. and their competitors. Wow, there's some expensive jewelry out there. Did you know that Wal-Mart has the highest dollar amount in jewelry sales in the US annually? A total of 3 billion dollars was spent in Wal-Mart store across the United States in 2008.That's compared to the 1.6 billion dollars that was spent at Tiffany & Co.

Also, did you know that De Beers came up with the idea that "a diamond is forever" in the 40s when sales were stagnant from the depression as a ploy to get people to purchase them? They also came out with the marketing scheme that claimed a man must spend a minimum 3 months salary on an engagement ring.

De Beers is famous for their clever ads...

...and the spoofs of them.

Good luck, boys.

Congratulations!

Are you newly engaged? Do you have a hunch you will be soon? Were you recently given the honour of being asked to be a bridesmaid (or groomsman)? Or, are you like me and just have a huge love for weddings and planning events in general?

If you're a 20-something in any of these situations then you've most likely wondered this question: "how on earth does someone plan and pay for a wedding along with student loan debt, car loan debt, rent/mortgage payments, insurance, etc...?" Well I find myself pondering this question a lot more often than I care to admit... (shh, don't tell my boyfriend!) I figure the day will come for me eventually - hopefully - so why not start researching cost-efficient ideas now?

I've been the flower girl, I've been the guest, I've been the bridesmaid, I've been the planner - weddings are expensive. Follow me as I investigate economical (not "cheap"!) ways to plan the classy, fairytale wedding of your dreams on a 20-something's budget.







A little bit about me:

I am a 24 year old Laurentian University bachelor of business administration student. I have graduated from Niagara College twice - from the 3 year advanced college diploma International Business program and from the graduate certificate Public Relations program. For the duration of the PR program I worked at Niagara College as the asisstant to the event planner. I also completed an internship at the Niagara Historical Society and Museum as the event planner for multiple events. I have planned and organized many private events over the last 8 years, including cosmetic "make-over" birthday parties at the Real Canadian Superstore and my highschool senior prom.