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All photos and ideas from Martha Stewart Weddings.

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Escort-Card Posies: All you need are fabric flowers, map pins, and glue to bring your seating assignments into bloom. Would look great with little multicolored fall leaves, too!  Click here for the  How-To!

Blossoming Backdrop: A string of white lights, vellum and card stock, hole punches, and glue!  Click here for the How-To!

Paper Links:Vellum and double sided tape make paper chains chic! Mix-n-match colors to get the perfect look. Click here for the How-To (as if you really need it!)

Wooden Seating Cards: Paper-thin wood veneer, craft punches, and calligraphy pens make these distintive place cards! Get the How-To Here!

Flower Girl Cardigan: Sequins and fabric glue make it fun!  Works wonders for all sorts of other things too, including shoes, sashes, bouquets, headbands, and favors.

Poster Guest Book: Instead of having your loved ones write messages in a book, put out a poster on which they can sign their names. You can download the editable (and free!) clip art here, send the file to a printer, and it’s done! Or put together your own poster using stencils, paint, ribbon, and anything else you fancy! Get the How-To here!

Seasonal Fruit Favor: You’ll need fruit, tissue paper, and rubber stamps for this one! For personalized stamps, have an office-supply store make a rubber stamp with your names, wedding date, and  illustration. Get the How-To here!

Harvest Wedding Centerpieces: The beauty of these is that they can be made weeks in advance!  Wheat, grains, and other dried grasses (available at crafts stores), tied with a luxurious satin bow. Get the how-to here!

Mini Candied Apples: For these dainty nibbles, embellish candied apples with a paper leaf. You’ll need a leaf-shaped craft punch, glue, and short skewers. You can hand-write, stamp, or print “Enjoy” on each leaf. Get the Candy Apple recipe here!

Flower Girl Basket: For this charming look, get yourself a pretty basket, some cotton fabric, silk ribbon, and leaves. You can order pressed leaves if you don’t have any real ones in your area! Get the how-to here!

Fall Wedding Boutonnieres: Incorporate the shades and symbols of autumn into festive boutonnieres. Get the How-to here!

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Fans & Parasols

Summer months and tropical climates are ideal for weddings, but when the sun is beating down upon you, wouldn’t a nice fan or parasol come in handy? wedding favors to save the day! Try hand fans made from colored silk or classic sandalwood fans, which can even be personalized! Or, for an inexpensive way to keep your guests cool, consider wedding parasols made from light weight paper and available in just about every color!

Eco-friendly Favors

Just because it’s your day doesn’t mean you need to be thoughtless of others! I love the idea of eco-friendly favors, which remind your guests to safeguard our planet.  Earth-friendly gifts may contain organic ingredients, incorporate recycled components, renewable resources, or biodegradable papers. They are a wonderful way to thank your guests for sharing in your wedding, while making a difference in the world.

Edible Favors

Who doesn’t like going home with a treat? There are so many choices you’ll fee like a kid in a candy store again! Hershey chocolates, personalized cookies, mints in pretty little tins, honey pots, lemonade mix, mini gumball slot machines… This way, the party doesn’t end when the guests leave!

Practical Favors

Looking for clever wedding favors that earn their keep? Give your guests a thank-you gift that they can actually use, such as kitchen accessories, pens, coasters, luxurious bath items, bottle stoppers, luggage tags, bookmarks, salt-n-pepper shakers, compact mirrors, and more… all designed with a “wedding” spin. Check out all these great, practical favors at affordable prices!

Hundreds more beautiful, affordable wedding favors at American Bridal.com… “Where Smart Brides & Grooms Shop & Save on Wedding Favors!”

You can also embellish the table runners/place mats by gluing ribbons or other trimming along the sides of the wrapping paper. Scrap-booking papers, while smaller, also provide lots of colorful decorating options, such as place-mats, table numbers, and gift wrap!

photo: Country Living

Here are some photos of how it’s done!

Preston Bailey’s Blog via Divas and Weddings

Martha Stewart Weddings

Real Simple

Home Stories A to Z

Katek via The Savvy Event

Lollipop Event & Design via Details Events

Martha Stewart Weddings

Style Me Pretty

More Wrapping Paper and Scrapbooking Paper ideas!

coasters/votive mats: The Cooke Family

backdrops: Pepper via Parties and Pretties

Place mats and Table Numbers: Martha Stewart Weddings

candle wrappers: Grace Designs

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Here are some new ways of using this old classic.

invitations from Brides.com

decor ideas from the knot

table settings from Brides.com

Bride & Groom style from Brides.com

cakes from the knot

bridesmaids photos from the knot

Programs and favors from the knot

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.

sequin pump: Unbeatable Sale, hair accessory: I am Fashion, Sequin Clutch Bag: Glitzy-n-Glamorous

Dresses, Shoes, & Accessories:

Flower girl cardigan and shoes: Martha Stewart Wedding

Vintage Style Sequin Rose Hair Corsage: Is Elegant

Gold sequin pump: Unbeatable Sale

Gold Sequin Encrusted Clutch Bag: Glitzy-n-Glamorous

(How awesome would these shoes and clutch be together? I say, very!)

Pink sequin shoes: ChicStories

… And Sequins for the guys too!

Pink sequined tie (to match the bride’s/bridesmaids’ pink shoes!) Twenga

Silver sequin bow tie: windy city novelties

Favors, Invitations, and More:

Candy favors rolled up in colorful tissue paper and sequins: Martha Stewart Weddings

Embellish invitations, place cards, and stationary with sequins. Give guests packets of sequins to throw instead of confetti or rice! Martha Stewart Weddings

Glam up your wedding venue with sequin garlands (This Next) and butterflies (wedding-favours.com- check out this site, the have the most gorgeous butterflies!)

Ring pillow: Martha Stewart Weddings

Sequined wedding cake (if you’re really into this theme!): SweetElement

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

If you’re a do-it-yourself bride, these look deliciously easy to put together, and the best part is how simple they’d be to stack in a box and transport to your wedding venue (no worries about smashing the cake on the way!). You can buy jars such as these from Amazon (found via Our Best Bites):

Slap on a sticker with your wedding monogram or message to your guests and you’ve got the perfect package! But what to fill your cute little jar with? Well, just about anything, really! Here are some ideas:

Cupcakes!

Photo, recipe, and tutorial from cakies, found via Elizabeth Ann Designs.

Cake!

These cakes are baked right in the jars! Transform your favorite cake into a deliciously-mini version of itself, such as these poppyseed cakes (Delicious Days), pumpkin spice cakes (Angry Chicken), and chocolate cakes (Instructables).  Yumm!

Pie!

Photos, recipes, and tutorial from Our Best Bites, via Elizabeth Ann Designs.

More pie and cobbler ideas and tips from Not Martha, who points out that you can make these in advance, freeze them, and then bake them on a later date so they’re fresh-out-of-the-oven:

And, even better than fruit pie, is chocolate! Here’s a yummy, super rich looking frozen mudpie from Lloyd and Lauren:

Cheesecake!

Photo from Gaia Restaurant via Celebrate Beautifully!

And a no-bake cheesecake tutorial from Lloyd and Lauren:

Pudding!

Any flavor would work, but here’s a pretty-looking banana dessert topped with meringue from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea: Recipes and Tales from a Southern Cook, via {It’s all a Matter of Design}

Candy!

For easy, sweet, and attractive favors in a jar, how about some colorful candies? Get some tiny, personalized vintage jars from American Bridal and fill with Jelly Beans (Wedding Moo) or chocolate lentils.

Drinks!

Not what first popped into my mind when I think of “dessert,” but these apple martinis in a jar look pretty and refreshing!

Feature image of trifle: blue moon charleston

1. Pick a picture of you and your groom, and use it on your save-the-date notice. Whether your send it by email or snail-mail, a personalized save-the-date won’t be forgotten.

2. That’s my menu! Instead of a place card at each place setting, have a printed menu that’s personalized with the guest’s name on top.

3. Fun with table names: Instead of plain old numbers, let each table express about yourself, for example your favorite cities, favorite authors, or favorite wines.

Geoff White Photography Blog

4. I’m a fan… For an outdoor summer wedding, hand out paper fans that are personalized with your names and wedding date.

5. I’ll drink to that! Celebrate your friends and family by offering a series of signature cocktails named after each of the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

6. Dance floor: When it comes time to hit the dance floor, have a gobo made with the bride and groom’s initials projected onto the dance floor.

7. Slide show: Set up a screen or computer monitor where you can show pictures of the wedding at the day-after brunch. (Even better, I’ve seen such a thing done at the wedding itself! At some point the photographer took a break and uploaded pictures for the guests to see at the wedding itself!)

8. Party favor: Have a CD made with images of your wedding available for your friends to take home as wedding favors at the end of the night.

9. Wedding music favor: Make a CD with the music played at your wedding, including the ceremony, reception, and party. Place a pile of CD’s on a table for guests to pick up as they depart. Or if you want to be sneaky about it, give the CD’s to your valet parkers to place in each car.

10. Personalized decorations: Instead of a traditional sign in book, have your guests write a message on ribbons that are then tied to the ceremony area. The ribbon can be collected and saved as a memento for years to come. (If you will be using a chuppah, a similar idea is to have each guest write a message and decorate a square of cloth. They will have to do this in advance– perhaps send it with their response card– and the squares can all be sewn together to create the chuppah.)

Read more: Brides.com

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.