Can you tell the Difference?

Can you tell the difference between the affordable and deluxe bouquets? Head on over to Brides.com to test yourself!  They’ll also give you some good tips on what affordable flowers you can use to replace similar, but more expensive, blooms.

For example, mass-produced spray roses ($.99/stem) instead of big garden roses ($4-$8/stem), dendrobium orchids instead of cymbidiums, anemones and tulips instead of fancy orchids and clematis. And to further cut costs, use more greenery to fill out the bouquet.

]]> http://www.bride.net/2010/bridal-bouquets-the-look-you-love-for-less/feed/ 0 http://www.bride.net/2009/affordable-ways-to-de-stress/ http://www.bride.net/2009/affordable-ways-to-de-stress/#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:40:06 +0000 dena http://www.bride.net/?p=1236 We don’t need to tell YOU how stressful planning a wedding can be.  If you are feeling, exhausted, overwhelmed, and stretched beyond your budget, you may be wondering how to loosen up without spending even more money.  A deep-tissue massage at the spa or dinner and a movie with your girlfriends might do the trick, but it will cost you! Here are some ideas from AllHealthcare, via Four White Mice to help you relax with an easy conscience. It’s good for you and your relationships, too!

feature image from Mind Body Partnerships Blog

Do Something You Loved Doing as a Kid

Do you ever long for those days when recess, pillow forts, and Saturday morning cartoons were your biggest pleasures?  Just because you’re all grown up now doesn’t mean you can’t still partake in the simple joys of childhood. Turn off your cell phone, disconnect from the internet, and act like a kid again!

Ride a bike to the park. Start a pick-up kickball game with your family or friends. Go to the beach and bring along your favorite book. Make a snowman in the wintertime. The possibilities (and your imagination) are endless.  Take along your own kids, or borrow a friend’s to really get into the spirit of things!

Cost: Free!

Volunteer Your Time or Expertise

One of the best feelings in the world is giving back to others.  Non-profit associations are always looking for more help, so even if you can only donate 5 hours a month, your time will be very much appreciated and well worth the effort. Volunteering can be something small – like reading a story to young cancer patients one day a month – or something bigger – like serving as a disaster relief nurse. No matter what you do, you can be content to know that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

(Extra bonus: Not only is volunteering incredibly fulfilling, it’s also a great resume builder. If you’re a recent grad or career changer, volunteering can give you valuable training and hands-on experience to jump start your career!)

Cost: Mostly free! (You may have to provide your own transportation and pack a lunch). Volunteering abroad may cost the price of airfare and lodging.

More Info: Check out AllHealthcare’s exclusive Guide to Volunteering. You can also Google “volunteer” and your town and state or visit Volunteer.gov, American Red Cross, Serve.gov, Volunteers of America, and Habitat for Humanity.

Stretch, Breathe and Meditate

It’s hard not to feel stressed and overworked by the hectic pace of our hyper-connected society.  Before you go into meltdown mode, hit pause, relax and take a breather.

Yoga is a great thing for some , but even some basic meditation, stretching and breathing techniques can work wonders for your stress relief. When you stress out, tension is stored in your body, causing pain and tightness, especially in your back and shoulders. Stretching will get your body loose and your circulation flowing in full force again.

To meditate, find or create a relaxing atmosphere, sit on level ground (use a cushion if you like), close your eyes, relax every muscle and breathe deeply with your abdomen, not your chest. Focus on each inhale and exhale to exclude other thoughts and quiet your mind.

Cost: Free
More Info: Google “how to meditate” or visit How-to-Meditate.org

Have a Really Good Laugh

It’s been scientifically proven that laughter is both preventive and therapeutic. It decreases your stress hormone levels and boosts healthy hormones, like endorphins, while strengthening your immune system. You even get a mini workout for your abs, diaphragm and your shoulders!

One good way to achieve this is to spend some quality time with your funniest friend. Not only will you laugh a lot, it will also take your mind off all the stressors in your life. Plus, the emotional bonding will boost your self-esteem and feeling of connectedness to others.

Laughter really is the best medicine, so call up your funniest friend and hang out. You can also rent your favorite comedy or watch re-runs of a funny show together. You’ll be glad you did.

Cost: Free

SLEEP

Nothing beats a good night’s rest.  Many working professionals bring their troubles home with them and that equals more stress for you and your loved ones. Why not sleep it off? Getting even 30 minutes of shut eye can help you relax and put your problems in perspective.

If you’re going to try to sleep off your stress, make sure you’ve got surroundings that promote good quality rest. A dark, cool, quiet room with few electronics is best (turn off the phones, blackberries, and laptops!). If you still feel too antsy to rest, try a cup of Valerian Root or chamomile tea. A warm bath can also help put you in a restful state of mind.

Cost: Free
More Info: National Sleep Foundation

Get in Touch with your Creative Side

Looking at art definitely has its calming effects, but it’s not always all about the finished product. You don’t have to be Picasso to get the health benefits of producing beautiful works of art either. People who make art as a hobby find that the process of self-expression through unwinding and creating art can be extremely soothing as well.  Art therapy is thus frequently used in hospitals, clinics and rehab facilities to promote physical, emotional and mental wellbeing via creative expression.

Artistic self-expression helps lessen anxiety, stress and depression, and promote self-awareness, self-esteem and insight into your life. You can pick up reasonably priced art supplies or art kits at any hobby store. Just set aside an art space, turn on some relaxing music and paint to your health!

Cost: $7 and up
More Info: Google “art store” or “hobby store” and your town and state. For more info on art therapy, read Mending the Heart–Calming the Mind With Art Therapy

Cook a Delicious Homemade Dinner

America’s “Fast Food Nation” has us plowing through processed, barely digestible microwave dinners and super-sized extra value meals. Not only is our physique suffering, our stress and anxiety levels are off the charts. Everything around us, even food, is moving way too fast.

Back up, slow down and consider taking the time to cook your next meal with simple items you already have in your fridge and cupboards.  The process of chopping, measuring, stirring and sautéing (and even washing the dishes afterward) can be incredibly therapeutic.

Check what ingredients you have in your kitchen, and look up a recipe (see below). Pick something simple that won’t stress you out! Let the culinary sensations overtake you, and then invite a friend (or fiance) over to enjoy your delicious meal and bask in the compliments!

Cost: Free!
More Info: Visit any of these websites to get recipes:
• Allrecipes.com
• Cookingbynumbers.com
• Bigoven.com
• Recipematcher.com
• Supercook.com

Get Outdoors, Go to the Park, Take a Hike

Let’s not forget to stop and smell the flowers!  Science has proven time and time again how the psychological benefits of nature can calm the brain and better your mood and concentration. Hospital patients recover faster when they have a view of trees and flowers from their window, and children with attention-deficit disorder exhibit less symptoms in a natural environment.

So get back to basics, and enjoy nature. Bring a blanket to the park and lie out, or go for a hike and take in the scenery. Bask in the sun, breathe in the fresh air, and appreciate all the colorful simplicity of the outdoors. Your brain’s health depends on it.

Cost: Mostly free (Some parks/hiking grounds may charge $3-5)
More Info: Check out this great great interactive park directory or just Google “hiking trail” or “park” and your town and state

Take a Bath with Candles and Aromatherapy

The recuperative and healing properties of water have many stress-relieving benefits and allow the body to fall into a deeper sleep. Submerging in a bath tub relieves your body from the constant pull of gravity, and heated water relaxes muscle tension, improving circulation, range of motion and energy flow.

Melt away your stress by creating a mini spa in your bathroom. Turn on soothing music, dim the lights, light candles and prepare fresh towels. The music will drown out household sounds that you may associate with everyday stressors, and relaxed lighting can go a long way when creating a peaceful mood.
Most importantly, make arrangements for your well-deserved uninterrupted solitude. Turn off your cell phone, log out of email and if you have roommates or family around, tell them to leave you alone for an hour or two. Be sure to prepare your bed beforehand so you have a nice, comfy space to crawl into after your bath.

Cost: $4 and up, depending on how many spa items you want to buy.
More Info: You can pick up high-end aromatherapy bubble bath soap, scented candles, skin-moisturizing oils, and exfoliating body scrubs on the cheap at your local T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross stores.

1. Rent bikes and go for a ride in the park or by the beach. Pack a picnic lunch or grab hotdogs at a nearby stand.

2. Grab your partner and go treasure hunting at local garage sales. If you go to the the ritziest neighborhood in your area, you up your chances of finding something special.

3. Go roller skating or ice skating. Treat yourself with ice cream or hot chocolate afterward, depending on the season.

4. Find a local farm to go fruit picking. When you’ve loaded up on all the apples or berries you can transport home, look up some recipes and get busy in the kitchen.

5. The bookstore can be a great place to bond. Browse through the isles sharing your old favorite or the ones you couldn’t stand. Find a section that appeals to a hobby of each of yours, like art, sports, cooking, or gardening, and buy yourself a small gift.

6. Build something together! Been meaning to buy a small bookshelf for the bedroom? Why not put one together yourselves.

7. Go to a fair! Do all the appropriate things: share cotton candy, let him win you a prize, and ride the Ferris wheel until you get dizzy. Your inner children will have a ball!

8. Hauntedhouse.com has listings of spooky mansions in your area. Start off  by watching a scary movie before you go, and then spook yourselves silly at a “real” haunted house.

9. Play 20 Questions. Whether you’ve been together for three weeks or three years, there are probably things you don’t know about each other.  Make sure your questions are open-ended so you don’t get yes-or-no answers — and fire away.

10. Take a hike. Enjoy the weather, the scenery, and each other.

11. Take a class together at your local community school. You can find lot of options for 8-week classes, from cooking to karate.

12. Go to a museum–there are so many options! Art, science, natural history, cars, Ripley’s, miniature… and the best part is that almost all museums have one day a week where you can get in for free or for a small suggested donation.

13. Check the theater offerings at local colleges and high schools. They’ll often have a spring and a fall show, and it’s a great way to see a version of your favorite plays and musicals for a fraction of the cost.

14. Celebrate the first snow of winter with a day of sledding. Pick a hilly spot in your town, and if you can’t get ahold of real sleds, and use garbage can lids.

15. Stop at your local library and rent a few movies. Toss a coin to see whose pick you’ll watch first, and try not to roll your eyes or snore during each other’s choices.

Click here for all 50 Cheap Date Ideas!

Paper Source

This website deals in fine, handmade papers from around the world. Their spectacular selection is sold in a wide range of forms – large sheets, pre-cut and packaged letter sized sheets, envelopes and accessories. The palette includes colors developed by and exclusively manufactured for Paper Source.

Red Bumble Bee

For the bride who’s searched high and low for the perfect invitation, this site provide exquisite stationary design, high quality service, and great prices. You can choose from existing formats, or have something customized to truly celebrate you and your unique wedding style!

Printable Invitation Kits

These invitation kits are both luxurious and economical. You will find beautiful styles that range from classic to ultra trendy. You can order thee invitation kits and print them yourself!  You’ll get professional results even on a tight budget.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com has a selection of printable invitations from a variety of sellers.

Style on a Budget

As the name of the website suggests, Style on a Budget offers an enormous selection of materials and tools, tailored to your budget.  You can creat a custom DIY package, or schedlue a consultation with their custom design studio.

Invite Site

Modern and eco-friendly, many of these contemporary invitations are made from tree-free papers, handmade papers, fine European papers, and 100% postconsumer recycled papers. They believe “affordable” should never look cheap or “homemade”. Your wedding invitation kit comes with everything you need to produce modern, elegant invitations!

Formal Invitations.com

Here, you can find gorgous templates, luxurious papers, embelishments, for under $1.00! (If that’s not affordable, I don’t know what is!) Order heavyweight cards available in handmade petal paper, rich solids in the latest colors, modern and vintage prints or shimmering metallics. Then add keepsake embellishments to create chic, affordable invitations without having to sacrifice quality or style. Plus, you can find high quality invitations made from 100% recycled papers and tree-free recycled cotton.

Thanks to About.com Wedding for pointing us toward all these fantastic sites!

Please check out the comment section to see more great sites our readers recommend!! And, if you have another DIY invitation website, please add it to the list!

DIY brides can now take a stab at DIY wedding favors! American Bridal has everything you need, from bags & boxes, ribbons & bows, tags & stickers, candies & other edible goodies, charms, wraps, aroma beads, and more! You can also find wedding favors for under $1.00 each!

The NY Times also mentions a cool website called Bravo Brides. This is a fantastic forum for brides-to-be who want to save money by purchasing pre-owned stuff, and brides-who-were who want to get some money back on wedding items they no longer need. You can buy or sell anything wedding-related, from designer wedding gowns to groom’s attire, veils, shoes, jewelry, candles, isle runners, ring pillows, flower girl baskets, place card holders, cake toppers, centerpieces, wedding planning guides, party and shower items, and much more!

They also have listings for local vendors and wedding tips to help you save even more money on your wedding planning needs!

Why choose Bravo Brides? Here are their reasons!!

	We’re the premier one-stop resource for all your wedding needs
	You won’t find bicycles or fish tanks on BravoBride. Instead, we focus completely on pre-owned designer wedding dresses, jewelry, accessories, ceremony and reception items, wedding favors—everything you need for the perfect wedding. Here’s what some of our satisfied customers have to say about their experience with BravoBride.
	It’s easy to find exactly what you need on BravoBride
	With our advanced search features, you’ll find the items you need quickly so you can focus on more important things like deciding on the flavor for your wedding cake. Search for wedding dresses by style, size, designer, or price—to name just some of the options. If you see what you want but aren’t ready to buy, simply add the item to your ‘Favorites’ list to purchase later.
	BravoBride makes selling your items easy
	Listing items for sale and uploading your photos is very simple, there’s no technical knowledge required. We don’t charge any listing fees or commissions so you can sell your item at the best possible price. Your listing stays on the site for 18 months, giving your buyers plenty of time to find and purchase your items. You can upload up to eight images and make three image and text edits after your listing has been posted at no additional cost. It’s easy to track your sales and update your listings.
	We support the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign
	Did you know that heart disease affects more women than cancer? BravoBride is proud to donate a percentage of our proceeds to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign to reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke among women. You can read more about the Go Red for Women Campaign here.
	BravoBride is good for your budget—and for the planet.
	When you shop on BravoBride, you’re not just getting the wedding items you need at a great price. You’re also making the Earth-friendly choice to re-use and pass along. Just a little something extra to be happy about when you walk down the aisle!
	BravoBride offers a range of features no free site or auction site can match. For example:
	Featured Item placement Advanced search capability Multiple photos My Favorite Items section Recommend items to a friend

Simply desserts points out that some bakers charge by the “serving” for decorating fake tiers (about $2.50 per serving) so this can actually add a significant amount to the final cost of your cake. Explore all your options to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible!

Take a look at the two cakes below (I got this picture from the savvy event, via  Rachael Ray’s website)… One cost $250 while the other was $2500. The fake cake has a real bottom layer, and the top three layers are fake. The couple cuts from the bottom layer for pictures, then the cake is moved to the kitchen where the bottom is served in addition to a cheaper sheet cake. (One website I looked at pointed out that if you use an entire real cake, much of it gets wasted in the kitchen anyway, since it gets messy and falls apart while being cut.)

You can also create an entire fake cake, and serve sheet cake from the kitchen. If you want to do it yourself, you can find tips on faking a cake here at thrifty fun or party pop. They suggest using styrofoam “cakes” that you can find in craft stores, in all shapes and sizes.  Use a Royal Icing (egg white based icing) that dries hard to cover the styrofoam and decorate as you would a real cake.

Aside from fake cakes, there are other ways to cut costs on your wedding cake. A great source for ideas is big-wedding-tiny-budget. They point out that much of the cost of decorating wedding cakes comes from the labor involved: applying icing or fondant and creating intricate designs. Keeping your cake design simple can save you a bundle.

1. Add fresh or fake flower:

2. Add a Swiss dot pattern and simple piping:

3.Add a jeweled monogram cake topper (which could be a fun do-it-yourself project):

4. Create an elegant, textured look by applying “messy” icing:

Click here for more creative ways to save! Check out Ultimate Baker, Wilton.com or SugarCraft.com for all your DIY wedding cake supplies.

But if you think about it, how often is your flower girl actually going to wear her little princess gown? Once? Maybe again for a holiday or a party?  Either way, it seems silly to spend a lot of money on something that they’ll only wear once, especially when you can get a beautiful dress for less! Why spend $450 when you could spend $45? When my daughter was a flower girl at my brother’s wedding, we got a lovely light-yellow colored dress (sweater and shoes too!) from Target for under $30! There she is, pretty as a picture:

Flower Girl Dress for Less has dresses starting from $29:

Flower Girl Princess has some gorgeous dresses, the ones below are $39.99 and $54.99:

Target has something similar to that blue one (so cute!) for even less ($19.99). The white one is $22.99.

At The Perfect Pear, you can select a dress for your little girls, with a sash that matches your bridal party’s colors ($58):

There’s no need to compromise on style for the sake of your budget! Do your own search online and you’re sure to find the perfect flower girl dress!