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.