Budgeting for Wedding Attendants

Virtually every wedding needs attendants. Unless you are being married by an Elvis impersonator in a Las Vegas wedding chapel on the spur of the moment you will want (or even need) some attendants. But along with that need comes the question of who is expected to pay for what?

Here is a quick outline of who is traditionally expected to pay for what:

The attendants cover the cost of:

• Clothing (i.e. Tux, Bridesmaids dress)
• Accessories
• Travel to the wedding
  

The couple getting married cover the cost of:

• Accommodations for the wedding party (hotel, rooms in relatives homes, etc.)
• Transportation to and from the ceremony (don’t let your wedding become the source of the next bridesmaid stranded at the reception venue horror story)
• Bridesmaid Gifts / Groomsmen Gifts
• Bouquets / Boutonnieres
  
  

Ultimately, remember this: While your attendants are providing you with a service of love, it is not a blank check. Show them the same love they are showing you by being a part of your wedding - respect their checkbook.

Consider their financial situation before hand and speak openly with them about the financial aspects when you ask them to be part of your bridal party. Give them all the information they need up front to make an informed decision about their ability to be a part of your wedding. This will give them a gracious way out if they just can't afford the cost - and almost all of us have been there at one time or another.

Of course, if you really want them to be a part of your wedding and your can afford to do so, you could always budget some or all of the attendant’s expenses into your budget… even if that means spending less on your wedding gown or flowers for your wedding.

Bonus Centerpiece Ideas for Wedding Receptions

As you play with your centerpiece ideas for your upcoming wedding celebration, consider these less traditional, and as a result, potentially more stunning displays.

• Glass Rock Gardens: Take a glass bowl of any size or shape that will fit your table (I would choose triangular, but square or round works fine as well) fill it with decorative rocks, add a small amount of water, and then plant a rich array of succulents (get them from your local nursery) for a dramatic centerpiece that will not be just like every other wedding reception centerpiece you have ever seen.

• Breakaway Centerpieces: Place a small mirror on the table and then place your wedding favors for each table in an eye pleasing arrangement on the mirror. With a little planning this can be very tasteful and has the added benefit of stretching your budget by taking care of both your centerpiece and your favors with the same money!
  
• Floating Citrus Candles: For a colorful variation on the floating candle theme have someone halve a variety of citrus fruits just in time to insert candles and float them in your water bowls on your reception tables. The look is as refreshing as a burst of fresh citrus right off the tree. But practice a few times. It looks simple, and it is, but you don’t want the person doing it learning by trial and error while your guests are waiting to be admitted.
  
• Balloon Artwork: No I am not talking about the balloon animals the clowns make at kiddy parties. A true artist can work wonders with balloons that will look spectacular and elegant.
  
• Mini Lanterns: Reminiscent of the romantic days of the horse and buggy these fashionable lanterns add style and character to a wedding reception table without interfering with your guests’ sight lines. Arrive and / or leave your reception in a formal horse drawn carriage and give mini lantern favors to help them remember the romance of your wedding.
  

Keep playing with your wedding reception centerpiece ideas. There is no such thing as right or wrong, only what display best achieves the look you desire within the framework of your own resources. Good luck!

Edible Centerpiece Displays

Here are some options that allow you to make a practical use of the centerpiece on your wedding reception tables while still being decorative. One benefit of edible centerpiece displays is the warm and engaging nature of food - it is just natural. People tend to relax and talk more around food.

So dig in. See if any of the edible centerpiece display options listed below sparks an idea for your wedding reception:

• Food Centerpiece: Take a tip from your favorite restaurant. There is truly little more inviting than some comfort food to welcome you to your table. Have a basket of fresh baked bread placed on the table just before your guests enter, or place a cheese board with crackers and fresh fruit at the center of your table.
  
• Chilled Wine: For those who are serving wine at their wedding reception a tasteful wine bucket with a nice bottle of wine can make a centerpiece that is attractive and functional. If the cost of a wine bucket is too steep, use something along the lines of plastic ice cream buckets wrapped in waterproof decorative gift wrap to create your own. Complete your centerpiece by accenting it with wine themed wedding favors to help your loved ones remember your big day.
  
• Cookie Bouquets: Many bakeries can make large ‘cookies on a stick’ and decorate them in some pretty amazing ways. Some will even arrange them in a bouquet for your to place on your tables. This isn’t the most inexpensive way to go and it probably won’t fit an elegant reception, but it can be a lot of fun – and quite tasty!
  
• Tower of Truffles: For someone with a loved one who is a wizard in the kitchen this is a natural way to get them involved. A display of homemade truffles is a delightfully inviting centerpiece for a wedding reception – just don’t forget to supply decorative favor packaging for your guests to take a few home to enjoy afterwards!
  

There are so many more possibilities. Perhaps I’ll add more later. Play with it. Mix and match. There is no right or wrong when it comes to centerpiece ideas for your reception tables, only what works within the framework of the theme and style you are trying to achieve for your wedding.

Again, I say it... Play with it. Recreate your reception in your dining room months before the wedding. This will give you an opportunity to play with your centerpiece ideas in plenty of time to be sure it will give you the look you intend.

More Inexpensive Centerpiece Ideas for Your Wedding Reception Tables

Well, tomorrow became Monday but here we go, three more inexpensive centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception tables. Of course, don't hesitate to mix and match to fit your own needs and tastes. After all it is your wedding that you are celebrating so your decor should fit your tastes and style and budget, not your mother's and certainly, not mine. Of course, maybe your mother will be able to help you in the budget department, but depending on the circumstances it is sometimes better to stick with what you can afford... but that's a different blog. For today we stick to inexpensive centerpiece ideas.

• Monogrammed Candles: A wedding themed with monograms can choose a single monogrammed candle (3” x 4” or larger) surrounded by greenery, flowers, or placed on a mirror or accent fabric for a simple and economical centerpiece for your reception tables.
  
• Fresh Cut Flowers: You don’t have to be a florist to arrange a half dozen of your favorite flowers in a small vase. Have someone pick up flowers at a wholesaler, market, or from the farm itself and place them in a vase on each table with a dash of color or texture (fabric, sand, pine cones, babies breath, etc) on the table to tie into the rest of your wedding decor.
  
• Floating Candles: Grab a glass bowl, colored rocks or marbles to fill the bottom of the bowl, water to fill the bowl to the desired level, and add a trio of floating candles and you’ve got yourself a simple and potentially gorgeous centerpiece!

I will have more centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception tables soon, probably tomorrow. And the next batch I have for you are a little more non-traditional and therefore, more fun.

Centerpiece Ideas for Your Wedding Reception Table

The centerpiece for your wedding reception tables is a key ingredient in your overall wedding reception decor. After your focal point around which you will build the look that you are trying to achieve, the centerpieces on each individual table are perhaps the most significant decoration in a wedding reception because it is what your guests will see most often. Fortunately, with a little thought you can develop centerpieces for your wedding reception tables from the following ideas that will match your theme without necessarily costing an arm and a leg!

• Gel Candles: Table centerpieces do not have to be tall. No one wants to talk to someone across the table from them while trying to peer through an over sized centerpiece. For this reason a seasonally designed gel candle paired with a swath of fabric or a handful of sand to match the wedding colors and theme can create a simple, yet tasteful centerpiece while being quite inexpensive.
  
• Upside-Down Wine Glasses: Place three complimentary, yet different sized wine style glasses (feel free to use any variety including martini glasses, Champagne glasses, and / or wine flutes) upside down over flower blossoms which will be displayed under the bowl of the glass. Next place three appropriately sized candles on the upside down foot of each glass and light for an elegant display.
  
• Bridesmaids Bouquets: One common complaint during wedding receptions is that the bridesmaids bouquets get in the way. They no longer need them and certainly don't want to have to carry them around, but what do you do with them? An increasingly popular option is to use the bouquets as centerpieces in your reception. This might mean paying the florist to make more bridesmaids bouquets than you have bridesmaids, depending on the size of the wedding and the number of your attendants, but this will be somewhat offset by the fact that you are getting dual usage out of the money you spend on your bridesmaids bouquets.
  
• Potted Plants: Done well, this can be elegant. Again, for the most part you want to find small potted plants from your local nursery and re pot them into decorative ceramic pots. The exception to the height rule is this: If you can find elegant topiarys with a single stem or stalk holding the sculpted plant above sight lines at your table. This enables you to add a dramatic touch to your reception without interfering with your guest’s ability to talk to each other.
  
  After your reception, send your potted plant centerpieces home with your guests to save trying to figure out what to do with your centerpieces afterwards. There are always people who would love to take a potted plant home to add to their collection, making for a simple solution to your dilemma.
  
  On the other hand, you could choose small plants that you would like to have in your yard. In this case, make plans for family or some of your attendants to plant your live plant centerpieces on your property so you will have a living reminder of your big day and the vibrant life of true love.

Check back tommorrow for more Centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception table (of course, if you want you could always adapt them for your holiday centerpieces as well!)

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Brides and Bridesmaids

The engagement period is every bit as exciting for a young bride as Christmas morning is to young children. Why not combine the two and treat the young bride in your life with a stocking stuffer that will bring back the wonder of Christmas morning by forever cementing the two together? Get her a special brides T-shirt or tank top that she can enjoy in the months to come as she prepares for her big day. It's fun and easy, and she will love it.

Looking for something a little more exotic? If the bride in your life is planning on a tropical honeymoon relaxing on the beach, consider dropping a pair of barefoot sandals into her stocking! They're beautiful and stylish, yet will take up nearly no space at all in her luggage.

Due to popular demand, this next suggestion will not even ship until December 19th - so I almost left it out. But a December 19th shipping date should get it to most places in time for Christmas, and since it is so useful I have decided to include it... so here goes.

The legal process of changing your name can be so confusing. Not because it is difficult, but because there are so many places to notify. It's not just a matter of going down to the courthouse anymore. So it's useful to have something to help you get and stay organized so that every detail gets covered. That's what a Name Change Kit for Brides is all about.