Tradition is a wonderful thing, but there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun at the same time! Here are some great ideas for keeping wedding customs fresh!

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

All photos from Martha Stewart Wedding

Twist on Something Old: Here’s a great idea! An heirloom brooch takes on a new life when you attach it to a wide piece of ribbon and wearing it as a cuff!  (Brooch, General Whimsy)

Twist on Something New: Not everything needs to be tangible. Mark your special day with a fragrance you’ve never worn before. Do try it out though before the wedding to be sure you like it! (pictured: Hermes Poivre Samarcande)

Twist on Something Borrowed: For wedding-day memorabilia, brides traditionally look to their mothers and grandmothers. This time, let Dad or Grandpa have his moment by wrapping a bow tie around the base of your bouquet.

Twist on Something Blue: These shoes have all the classic bridal markings — white satin, decorative bow, peep toe — but the sole is a vivid aqua. (Pour La Victoire “Stella” shoes from Zappos.com)

A Twist on Centerpieces: Rather than an explosion of flowers, consider a sculptural arrangement of veneer figure eights. On this table they are interspersed with stemless wineglasses and tall taper candles.  (Design Your Wall white contact paper. Northern Sheer Veneer birch veneer. Riedel wineglasses.)

Twist on Wedding Favors: Rather than doling out chocolates and picture frames, some couples designate that portion of the budget to charity, and make a donation on behalf of their guests. Many nonprofits have programs in place to accept this kind of contribution, which gets you a tax write-off as well as a good deed. Then, you get printed cards to distribute to guests stating that a gift has been made. Another idea for an environmentally-friendly wedding is to give guests sappling from the Arbor Day Foundation to take home and plant.

Twist on a Guest Book: Rather than an album of well-wishes, how about turning on your computer to watch your guests in action! Reserve a corner of your wedding venue for a video photo booth: Set up a digital camcorder, leave a movie clapper and dry-erase pens for guests to write their names and messages, and let them talk a blue streak. For a seamless background, hang a large white piece of fabric or paper.

Twists on a Wedding Cake: In place of a towering frosted confection, you can serve just about anything that pleases you… cupcakes, candy bars, or something like this irresistible all-white dessert buffet. Lemon-cream sandwich cookies, Ricotta-filled pizzelles, Toasted-marshmallow milkshakes, coconut macaroons, Pavlovas with cream and white currants, Angel food roulade with salted caramel cream, Mini panna cotta tarts, Crossings calissons (800-209-6141), Mini rum Bundt cakes, Arnold’s Candies pillow mints (groovycandies.com) in Plastic Container City

A Twist on Throwing Rice: This ritual has roots in ancient Egypt, and symbolizes a life of prosperity. But who needs the mess? Guests can wave birch-veneer banners which they have personalized with all their good wishes and blessings.

Twist on the Decorated Getaway Car: Turn the tables on your guests!  Have valets decorate their cars during the reception. For example, you might surprise them with a memento tied to the rearview mirror, such as a card thanking them for coming, or a sachet of potpourri.

Check out Martha Stewart Weddings for more great ideas!

image: Message in a bottle

Here’s a super cute table number idea that was inspired by a restaurant that had something like it on their tables.  All you  need are some tin cans, paint, and a drill… Aren’t they cute? Inexpensive, recycled, and they double as candle holders, too!

Over at 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding, they’ve created vases using recycled wine bottles.  These were inspired, in part, by the transparent, subtle quality of glass and the muted variety of colors found in wine bottles. You can find the how to here! Aren’t they pretty?

Here’s a brilliant idea for a shabby chic garden wedding.  You can create lovely,one-of-a-kind napkins, table linens, and runners using vintage bedsheets!  Cheap, and best part: no sewing involved!  Simply cut them to size with pinking sheers. From A Backyard Wedding, via Intimate Weddings.

More ways of recycling cans… you can paint them or cover them with shiny contact paper, and use them to package edible wedding favors (get the how-to here!). Or you can just clean them thoroughly and leave as they are, tying some ribbon or raffia around the can and filling with flowers for a sweet centerpiece!

If you are truly eco-friendly, you can use your cans as planters, so that they plants can be taken home and re-planted in your (and your guests’) backyards. At Project Wedding, they used these can planters as both centerpieces and favors!

One popular wedding reception decor idea is using old furniture pieces like shuttered windows, antique dressers, and coffee tables as part of a display. Think about the area you want to set out place cards, a buffet table, or vintage photo booth. This white glass window display, trimmed with a little greenery, pulls off the trend magnificently.

A similar idea was used by Candace and Jared, featured on Project Wedding:

Using an old window to display photos of loved ones gives a new meaning to the words “window frame”! Photo from Weddings by Color:

An old door is a rustic choice for posting seating cards(photos from Libby James and Wedding by Color:

Another good use for vintage doors- they’re too pretty not to do something with– is to set them up at entrance to the reception, like this whimsical garden themed wedding, where guests pass through, underneath a swarm of fluttering paper butterflies. Check out the other vintage furniture they used, including an old bed headboard and dresser. Photo from Lang Photographers via Ruffled.

If you are planning a waterside wedding or just want to bring the magic of summer into your wedding scheme, decorating your tables and venue will be a ton of fun (in the sun)! Aside from seashells and starfish, there are lots of ideas for a gorgeous, classy, and unique summer wedding.

Colors of the Sea

Let your wedding colors be influenced by the varying shades of the ocean. Blue, green, turquoise, and silver, accented with navy or sandy shades are perfect for a beach-themed wedding, lending your venue that elusive, mystical beauty of the sea.

images from weddings on the french riviera

Or take some inspiration from this silver and navy blue wedding:

Candlelight

Your celebration may begin during daylight hours, but we know you’ll be partying through the night! Light up the night with lots and lots of candles–the twinkling lights add romance and festivity. Put them on your tables, line your isles, and any other available surface!

Images: candles and sandcastles: Wedding blog via Chillipit, candles in seashells: perfect-wedding-day, candles, stones, and orchids:  cheap wedding centerpieces

Fun Touches

Follow the beach theme as far as you want to go with it! Place cards, wedding favors, guest books, and wedding cakes… there is endless space for creativity!

Images: fish centerpieces: wedding by color, cake from pinkcakebox on flickr, coasters from American bridal, seascape centerpieces from PicsDigger, message in a bottle place holders: Blushing Bridezilla

Dress Accordingly!

Whether or not you are actually getting married on the beach, your dress choice should be light and airy! Bring on fun accessories such as parasols, shades, and sunhats, for both the wedding party and the guests!

Images: bridesmaids with parasols from SMH.com, Sunhat from Clothing Coupons, bride & groom in sunglasses from luster studios

For a gorgeous array of photos depicting bridal bouquets in every shade of the rainbow, Martha Stewart Weddings has a gorgeous gallery! Here are a few samples of their featured bouquets, centerpieces, and boutonnieres from each color scheme.  You can the look you love, and discover the names of all those beautiful blooms, too!

Red Flowers

Click here for more red wedding flowers!

Yellow & Orange Flowers

Click here for more yellow & orange wedding flowers!

Green Flowers

Click here for more green wedding flowers!

Pink Flowers

Click here for more pink wedding flowers!

Blue Flowers

Click here for more blue wedding flowers!

Lavender Flowers

Click here for more lavender wedding flowers!

White Flowers

Click here for more white wedding flowers!

Save on Alcohol

• Instead of providing a full bar, serve a signature drink, such as punch or a favorite cocktail, instead of providing a full bar.  Another option is to limit alcoholic beverages to wine and beer, choices that will satisfy most of your guests.

• Rather than pouring Champagne all night long, serve just a single glass to each guest at the appropriate time to toast the bride and groom.

• Technically, Champagne is sparkling wine that’s from the Champagne region of France. But you can find plenty of substitutions that don’t come with the high price tag.  For example, Cava, the Spanish take on Champagne, or Prosecco, from Italy, which is smoother, sweeter, and a better fit for a small budget. Even French sparkling wine is cheaper; it’s made the same way but isn’t actually from Champagne.

• Buy your own wine wholesale. You may pay your caterer a corkage fee to pour it, but wine purchased through him can cost twice as much.

• Most merchants offer a 10 percent discount for buying wine by the case, and they’ll often increase that if you purchase several cases at once.

Save on your Wedding Cake

• Hire an outside baker to provide the wedding cake, if your caterer’s contract permits. You may have to pay a cake-cutting charge, but you will likely pay less overall.

• Want a tall cake but don’t want to pay full price? Have your baker make just enough to serve each guest one slice.  Additional tiers can be made of Styrofoam and iced to match the others.  No one will know!

• Alternatively, you can order two cakes for the reception: a small fancy one to be used for display, and a large sheet cake, which does not need to be elaborately decorated.   The bigger cake gets sliced and dished up in the kitchen.

• Or, order a very plain (and moderately priced) cake, and make the focal point the cake topper. Vintage toppers and classic symbols can make a cake memorable.

• You don’t need a whole separate dessert course. Just present the wedding cake as dessert, with coffee and tea, to end the meal.

Save on Ingredients

• Have your caterer use local fruits and vegetables that are in season. They’re tastier, fresher, and more economical!

• Use expensive ingredients, such as lobster, in hors d’oeuvres rather than in a main course.

• How you serve dinner affects the price. Regular plate service and French service, in which guests are served by waiters from a platter at the table, are the most expensive. Family style, where diners help themselves from serving dishes brought to the table, is more economical.

Save on Flowers

• Many popular bridal flowers are available year-round, but some traditional ones — peonies and lilies of the valley, for example — can be expensive out of season. Consult with your florist about what flowers are in season and easy to obtain.

• Mix berries, pine cones (for winter), and other economical non-floral embellishments  to fill out bouquets and displays.

• You don’t need to deck every pew with flowers. Get the most bloom for your buck by asking your florist to design two lush altarpieces, which will direct everyone’s eyes exactly where you want them to be: on you and your groom.

• Make floral arrangements do double duty: If designed properly, your ceremony flowers can serve as centerpieces at the reception, or decorate the guest-book, seating-card, and favor tables. Place bridesmaids’ bouquets on the cake table.

Saving on Centerpieces

• Floating flowers: Instead of decorating tables with large arrangements, float a few flowers in shallow bowls or glass cylinders filled halfway with water.

• Economical flowers: Floral standbys like daisies and carnations are available year-round, are quite affordable, and when arranged en masse make delightful centerpieces and bouquets.

• Flowering bulbs: Flowers like amaryllis, narcissus, and hyacinth often cost less than regular flowers and are dramatic rising from a layer of stones set in clear containers.

• Fruits: Bowls or compotes filled with seasonal fruits from a farmer’s market can take the place of expensive floral presentations.

• Candles: A single pillar candle in a hurricane lantern is a wonderful centerpiece, as is a casual display of votive candles in the middle of a table.

• Vases: You’ll save money if your florist doesn’t have to supply vases for your centerpieces. if you have a collection of containers, such as jelly jars or milk jugs. Filled with flowers, just about any type of vessel will make pretty displays.

Save on Favors

• Use favors as place cards to save a bit on stationery costs. For seating cards, write guests’ names and table numbers on strips of paper, affix them to the favors, and set in order on a table near the entrance. For place cards, put favors with names attached at guests’ places.

• Handmade favors (especially edible ones like cookies or candies) and decorations are appealing and usually cost less than store-bought.

Save on the Season

• A winter date may come with lower fees, rather than scheduling in the summer, when rates are at their highest.

• Weddings scheduled during holidays or vacation times are more popular and therefor more expensive. To cut costs, plan your wedding during an uneventful season.

• Fridays and Sundays are generally less expensive than Saturdays for renting a venue.

• For a destination wedding, book a date that is not as popular for travel in the region.

Downsize

• Wedding Party: Try to keep the number of attendants as small as possible.  The larger the bridal party, the more you’ll spend on gifts and flowers.

• Transportation:  Use a personal car rather than a limousine to get to and from the reception.

• Wedding Highlights:  Hire a videographer to work just from the ceremony through the first dance rather than for the entire wedding.

• Photographer: There are many talented photographers who haven’t made a name for themselves yet, and their lack of fame can save you a fortune. If you fall hard for a photographer who’s in high demand, ask if she’ll refer you to a lower-priced colleague (just make sure you like his work before you commit).

• Location: If you are considering two locations, small towns are more economical than big cities! One bride moved her wedding from Brooklyn, New York to a beach town in Michigan, and watched catering quotes drop from $140 per head to $40 — a savings of $15,000!

• Guest List: To minimize the guest list, refrain from inviting children and coworkers. Include your friends’ significant others but not casual dates.

• Extras: A venue that comes with extras built in, like a wedding coordinator or an on-site ceremony location, means significant savings.

• Negotiate: Before signing a contract with your caterer, photographer, or florist, try to negotiate a lower yet still reasonable price.

• Celebrate in Public: The nicest wedding sites — parks, museums, public gardens — may be the most affordable.

• Music: For your reception, remember that a deejay can be less costly than a live band.  To avoid hiring two bands and paying two separate fees, ask if just a few pieces of the band can play during the ceremony and cocktail hour, as well as at the reception.

Save on Your Wedding Dress

• Look for a dress at sample sales, trunk shows, and outlets; you can sign up for some designers’ sample-sale listings online. Most wedding-dress designers allow you to sign up for news and updates.  Even if you dislike this type of spam, getting on their e-mail lists will keep you informed on time-sensitive info such as sample sales and trunk shows.

• Consider wearing your mother’s gown. The costs of cleaning and alterations will likely be far less than the cost of buying a new wedding dress.

Use your Friends

• Borrow accessories from family and friends instead of buying them.

• Ask talented friends or relatives to help with your wedding. An artistic friend, for instance, might design your stationery, or a baking enthusiast could make cupcakes or cookie favors.

Hope these tips are helpful! For the complete list, visit Martha Stewart Weddings: 65 Ways to Trim Your Budget.

Rustic homespun details

Outdoor weddings — on a farm, in a vineyard, or even in the backyard — are huge right now, and t’s really no wonder: An outdoor setting makes for a fun, laid-back vibe and the decor options are limitless. So what kinds of details are in store? Vintage vases filled with fresh-from-the-garden flowers, mismatched china in bright colors, and homemade wooden signs to direct guests. Even catering is in on the action with in-season ingredients paired with local wine.

• See photos from at-home real weddings
• Get hundreds of reception ideas

Jewel tones

Say good-bye to pale pastels and bright poppies. Rich gem colors like navy, plum, and amber are going to be hot. And instead of chocolate brown, look to a soft creme brulee hue, bronzes, coppers, and black. Yes, that’s right — black is back too. Yay!

• See hot color combos
• Search reception details by color

Patterns that pop

Gingham, checkered, polka-dotted, paisley, toile, damask — you name it, colorful patterns are in and in a big way. Add patterned overlays to your tables to instantly perk up the room… find an off-the-rack patterned dress for your bridesmaids… have your invitations and envelopes lined with colorful designs. The best part about this trend is that it lets you throw around a lot of different hues and still keep a cohesive look and feel.

• Get more decor ideas from our wedding style blog!

Ball gowns are back

The full A-line silhouette will make a huge resurgence down ceremony aisles this year. And you don’t have to have a ballroom wedding to pull it off either — the key is in the fabric. Find one with layers of airy tulle or even cotton for an outdoor spring or summer wedding; get a silk satin ball gown for a more formal wedding; or go for ultra-soft suede for a wintertime wedding.

• See hundreds of ball gowns
• Search 1,000+ dresses

Two-tiered wedding cakes

While cupcakes and dessert bars have been popular for the past few years, wedding cakes are making a comeback — but not in tall towers anymore. Now just two tiers is enough to make a statement! Order several small cakes and put them on each table as a centerpiece, or set up a table of tiny wedding cakes mixed with desserts, cookies, pies, and more. And vintage cake toppers are in too. Find one online at a site like Etsy.com, commission one from a local artist, or borrow your parents’ or grandparents’ to make your cake extra-memorable. And of course, you can always make your own!

• Search 1,500+ wedding cakes
• See 60+ dessert display photos

New centerpiece vessels

The classic floral vase has given way to mix-and-matched clusters of vintage pitchers, vases, jars, and galvanized buckets. Other ideas: apothecary jars with colorful rocks, sand, or even candy; uniquely shaped glass vases featuring fresh fruits like raspberries and blueberries; and mason jars loaded with fresh flowers like daisies and dahlias. To throw extra color or texture into the mix, line your flower-filled vases with patterned paper or even fabric. For a wintertime fete, get knit and sweater-like coverings to line your vases and complement a cozy decor.

• Get 800+ centerpiece ideas
• See our guide to wedding flowers

Chandeliers and creative lighting

Lighting designers are turning out impressive designs, projecting chandeliers, large trees, flowers, and even city skylines right onto the walls. When it comes to your space, hang chandeliers in different sizes, add colorful lamps and shades to the tables, line the room with strands of twinkling lights, and don’t skimp on the candles.

• Get lighting ideas from real weddings

The updated photo booth

Renting a photo booth has been growing in popularity over the past few years. The updated version? Entire photo sets with fabric backdrops and props. Set up a photo area at the reception that’s big enough for a group shot. Drape the background with fabric and add couches, chairs, and plenty of props (think easy-to-throw-on hats and scarves). You may be able to have your photographer or an assistant man the station, or ask a trusty friend to be on hand with a digital camera.

• See photo and video basics

US honeymoons

This year, newlyweds will prove that you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find an amazing honeymoon spot. Many will be looking to book a honeymoon right here in the US. And there’s no shortage of domestic honeymoon-worthy options — from a romantic winery in Sonoma County, California, to a hot hotel in Miami, Florida, to a cozy lodge with a stunning view in Juneau, Alaska.

• See our top US honeymoon picks

Themed rehearsal dinners

Couples are getting more creative with their rehearsal dinners and making them extra-meaningful. Invite your guests to the local pizza and beer joint down the street where you shared your first date and rent out the back room. If he proposed over champagne and strawberries, serve them for dessert. Going to Mexico for your honeymoon? Have fajitas for dinner.

• Get rehearsal dinner basics

Tousled up-dos

Hairstyles will get a lift this year in the form of sweeping undone updos. Get a modern twist on a beehive hairstyle with a tousled look and added barrettes, or ask your hairstylist to give you a slightly undone, pulled-back chignon.

• See 150+ hairstyle photos

Navy is the new “something blue”

Light blue is cute, but the new sophisticated version of “something blue” is navy. Wear a pair of navy shoes for the reception, don a navy necklace or earrings, or wrap your bouquet in navy lace.

• See our navy accessories slideshow

Going-away dresses

The grand exit at the end of the night is coming back in style; more and more couples are skipping the post-wedding brunch and leaving straight for the honeymoon. An exit like this calls for a going-away outfit, like a blue dress and flats or another white dress with a higher hemline.

• See dramatic exit photos from real weddings

Bright eyes

Makeup artists say that more and more brides are asking to emphasize the eyes, keeping the look natural, dewy, and glowing. Try sheer pale eye shadows in peaches and gold, adding a few lash extensions to the middle of your lash line and using a little eyeliner in violet or dark gray.

• Get our top makeup tips

At-home workouts

Beyond the gym, brides are enhancing their workouts at home with yoga moves and virtual personal trainers, like Wii Fit and The 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.

Invitations: The first whiff of fall comes to your guests in the mail. Decorate Save-the-Date cards and invitations with vines, leaves, scroll work, and flourishes for ultimate autumn elegance.

A gold leaf seal on the envelope or a sprinkling of colorful silk leaves when they open the invitation is a pretty touch!

Decorating ideas: Glittering maple leaves will help give your reception a magical autumn look, whether displayed on a wall or as part of your centerpieces. A unity candle or bridal bouquet wrapped in gold satin ribbon is pretty and sophisticated, especially trimmed with bows and pearls. And what do you think about those precious flower girls scattering baskets of autumn leaves or dried flowers instead of rose petals?  This taupe rhinestone basket will be just the thing!

Centerpieces and Table Decor: A simple vase of flowers surrounded by red and gold flower petals becomes a lovely tribute to fall’s beauty.  To wake things up even more, use eye-popping table linens in orange or crimson. You can also engage the stunning contrast of dark green tablecloths and bright flowers and accessories. Incorporate maple leaf garlands, pumpkins, fruits, tree branches, and of course fall-colored flowers such as yellow sunflowers and red roses. If you want to go with a fall harvest theme, use baskets overflowing with flowers, fruits, gourds, pumpkins, and berries.

Bouquets and flowers: Speaking of flowers, there are so many glorious options to chose from! Gerbera daisies and roses in autumn colors, calla lilies, dahlias, sunflowers, mimosa, delphinium, gladioli, bouvardia, orchids, birds of paradise. Intertwine these flowers with fruits, berries, ivy, grasses or twigs and finish off with soft ribbons or metallic accessories for a look that’s unique and gorgeous!

Wedding cakes and cupcakes: For a final taste of fall sweetness, decorate your cake with colorful frosting, ribbons, and scroll work, adorned with candied flowers, leaves, acorns, and berries.

The French approach blends the inherent beauty of flowers, gathered simply from the garden, with the personal vision and passion of the floral artist.  It is this rapport between nature and artist that gives the French bouquet, whether rendered in the haute couture or garden style, a distinctive personality, flair, and emotional impact.  This season, be sure to look for inspiration from the garden and Farmers’ Markets, in historical styles, and from fashion, to create your own masterpieces in the French style.

Here are some tips and techniques for creating your own cutting-edge designs. Let yourself be inspired by these gorgeous, pastoral creations! The look will lend sophisticated charm to your autumn celebration.

Bouquet végetal. Fruits and vegetables, always a key ingredient in the French bouquet, are especially au courant this season. At Catherine Muller’s design studio, we added a sprig of plaintain bananas, a single courgette (zucchini), and a ripe plum to a romantic bouquet of blue and purple hydrangea and pink garden roses.  Other ideas include surrounding a vase of elegant white lilies with fresh green beans and using large orange carrots to form the base of a striking bouquet of fuchsia phaleonopsis and pink mokara orchids.  Fruits and vegetables add color and substance to floral arrangements, making the “bouquet végetal” not only trés jolie, but cost-effective, too!

Marie Antoinette luxe. As enduring style icon and the archetype of luxe, Marie Antoinette reigns as the ultimate taste-maker, and her legacy continues to influence contemporary trends in French fashion, décor, and floral design.  At the Grand Palais, Marie Antoinette’s objets de luxe were celebrated in a special exhibit that generated rave reviews and renewed interest in her vision.  To achieve the look of romantic decadence and sumptuous opulence in your party décor this season, incorporate signature design elements such as boules de plume (feather balls), romantic flowers (Yves Piaget garden roses), and layers of posh fabrics (tulle, silk, taffeta).  Use rich color schemes (French blue and silver, Versailles pink and gold, royal purple and peridot green) to create a sense of unabashed, over-the-top, classic French style.

Fleur couture. In addition to deriving inspiration from history and nature, French florists are influenced by haute couture fashion, which creates incredible excitement and innovation in their designs. In my strolls through the Parisian fashion district, I noted how the new trends – structured, architectural shapes, strong, primary colors, exquisite hand-detailing (ruffles, layers, pleats), etc. will provide rich inspiration for nouvelle bouquets this season. To create the fleur couture style, use fashion-forward colors in chic monochromatic combinations, incorporate layers of textures (including a variety of natural materials), and add special flourishes and finishing touches (plaid ribbons, tweed wraps, jewel accents) fresh from the fashion runways.

]]> http://www.bride.net/2008/parisian-floral-trends-wedding-decor-and-bridal-bouquets/feed/ 1 http://www.bride.net/2008/a-classy-wedding-that-wont-put-you-in-debt/ http://www.bride.net/2008/a-classy-wedding-that-wont-put-you-in-debt/#comments Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:23:29 +0000 dena http://www.bride.net/?p=501 As the economy takes a downturn, many couples are looking for ways to scale back on a lavish wedding without sacrificing a special day. Wedding spending is expected to dip slightly this year, in contrast to the 48 percent growth documented from 1999 to 2006. How can you save smart and still host a classy wedding? There are so many ideas, here are just a few from the Eagle Tribune:

• Trim the guest list. Invite only the people you feel close to. “You really don’t need to invite everyone you know or have a party of 20 bridesmaids,” says Maria McBride, an editor at Brides magazine.

• Do-it-yourself invitations. “Paper is cheap and most people have a computer, word processing software and a decent printer already at home, which makes invitations an easy way to save some cash and be creative,” says the owner of DIYBride.com.

• Be your own DJ.Creating your own iPod playlist for the evening saves cash and makes sure you won’t hear the “Funky Chicken” for the third time.

• Make it a brunch or a cocktail party. If you want a cheaper menu, switch up the time of day or stick to finger food. (Note that a buffet isn’t always cheaper than a sit-down meal.)

   

   

• Raise the bar. An open bar is a big expense, even though most guests will stick to champagne and wine. Instead, create a specialty cocktail or two and choose a mid-level wine. Try to work out a deal to return any wine your guests don’t drink.

   

   

• Use simple flowers. Maria McBride, author of “Party Basics for New Nesters,” suggests spreading an affordable flower like daisies or babies breath everywhere, creating foliage-only centerpieces, or putting small plants into an affordable clay or glazed pot. Or make your own vase out of recycled tin cans or wine bottles.

   

   

• Create your own centerpieces. Candles or fruit can save money and look pretty in batches. “Mass out votives everywhere, cluster them in groups of 10 — it enhances the mood and it offers the most affordable bang for the buck,” McBride says.

   

   

• Think rustic. Decor that looks cheap in a hotel ballroom can be charming in a backyard, farm or vineyard. Just pick a spot that specializes in special events, or you’ll be saddled with unfortunate extras, like port-a-potties.

   

   

• Forget the favors. It may seem like a small expense, but even cheap trinkets add up when you have a lot of guests. Odds are, there will be no complaints if you skip the favor entirely. Who needs another place-card picture frame or heart-shaped soaps? (If you still want a favor, try something edible like homemade cookies baked by your bridesmaids!)