A6 www.havredailynews.com BEYOND THE BOUQUET Winter 2010 Wedding planning on a budget A s a b r i d e, o n c e yo u r the question and placed the perfect princess cut on your l e f t h a n d, t h e l a s t t h i n g you're thinking about is a budget. You've fantasized about your perfect day since childhood and money was never an object. But how are you going to afford that? While you don't want to sacrifice your dream wedding, you also don't want to d e m o l i s h y o u r s a v i n g s. Fortunately, you can still have your cake and eat it too, and without paying full price. Here are some expert tips to stay budget-friendly for your big day. Propose a budget: Discussing finances is never easy, but it's an essential conversation before planning your wedding. Traditionally, the bride's family provides a significant financial contribution, so find out what type of funding you might be receiving from this source. However, more and more couples are going it alone these days, so work with your fiance to establish a budget and decide how much each of you can afford to contribute. Decide together what's worth splurging on and where you can save. If a designer dress is a must, consider hiring a D.J. or a 10-piece band. Don't forget that communication is key — stay open, honest and committed to your budget. Commit to research: S i n c e yo u ' re p l a n n i n g your wedding on a budget, you might find that a wedding planner is an expense you can't afford. Instead of hiring outside help, make a list or find a wedding checklist of everything you need to purchase and arrange before your big day. Once you have established exactly what you want, research, research, research. Never buy an item or hire a vendor without doing your homework. Make sure to check out user reviews and read vendor profiles online. A great resource for researching vendors is OneWed.com where you can browse thousands of vendor ratings and reviews from brides across the country. The site has the largest local vendor database available so you can find the all of the services you need in your "I do" destination. Be a Cyber-bride: It's a little known fact t h a t eve r y t h i n g fo u n d i n brick and mortar stores can be bought online, often for less. Lucky for the budgeting bride, online couponing sites are available to provide coupon codes for a number of online merchants. Just go to Google and type in a retailer name and coupon code for a list of resources. Deals range from deep discounts to free shipping — saving you major cash. Think bridesmaids gifts, rehearsal dinner dress, thank-you notes, party favors, table decorations and much more. Spread the love: Once you've said "I do," cut the cake and tossed the bouquet, it's off to the honeymoon. And since everyone loves newlyweds, take advantage of your newly married status for vacation perks and fun freebies. Start by calling your hotel in advance and letting them know you'll be coming for your honeymoon — they might be motivated to upgrade your room or throw in a romantic surprise. Don't forget to share your good news at airline counters, restaurants and any other trip destinations. More often than not, you'll receive special treatment in the spirit of celebration and after p l a n n i n g a we d d i n g , yo u deserve it! More grooms commit to wedding planning not have grown up fantasizing about their "perfect wedding," but suddenly men are taking an uncharacteristic interest in everything matrimonial. Just look at the explosion of Web sites in recent years catering exclusively to bridegrooms and you know something's afoot. "We men pride ourselves on never having to a s k fo r d i r e c t i o n s, " Michael Arnot, who started www.GroomGroove. com in 2007, has said. "But if there's one time to do it, this is it." To those who think we're witnessing a seismic societal shift, however, please note: Yes, it may be heartening to see men reaching out for help on topics like how to pop the question and the art of gift registering. But the "directions" people like Arnot give grooms are very much from the male perspective. Wedding toasts? "No j o ke s a b o u t ex - g i r l friends," Groom Groove advises. Scheduling weddings around football season? "The majority of college and pro games take place during the day, so if you schedule an evening wedding you can p ro b a b l y wa tc h t h e majority of the game," counsels TheManRegistry. com. Though 1.2 million men get married every year, they seem to be especially uneducated about wedding jewelryincluding the engagement ring, his-and-her wedding bands, and gift ideas like platinum cuff links and watches for their groomsmen. The engagement ring decision would seem to be of most concern to these grooms, given that 32 percent of them don't consult their intendeds before buying, according to T h e K n o t M a r ke t Intelligence Services. So what's a man to do? " Tr u s t y o u r f i r s t instinct," says jewelry and style expert Michael O'Connor. Because as it turns out, brides and grooms tend to prefer the same setting: platinum. A high-quality diamond engagement ring set in platinum can cost Havre Daily News/Nikki Carlson Justine Kapperud (from right) and Karlee Young lace up the as little as back of a wedding dress bride-to-be Billie Jo Norris modeled $1,650-platinum at the Fashion Show portion of the 2010 Bridal Fair at the wedding bands Holiday Village Mall Feb. 13. can run as low as $800-at even a posh jeweler like view: ly footed the bill. And De Beers. O'Connor says with the average wedding men are fans of bands er, just like a couple's costing approximately f r o m d e s i g n e r s l i ke love." $ 2 8 , 0 0 0 , a c c o rd i n g to Martin Flyer, Ritani and Of course, truth be www.Brides.com's 2009 Jeff Cooper. told, a lot of men's newAmerican Wedding Study, found interest in planning that could also explain volume over time," he their big day seems finanwhy Groom Groove urges explains. "Whereas gold cially motivated. Thirty men to embrace gift regwill wear more rapidly, percent of couples now istries: especially in pieces that pay for their own wed"Every item you put are worn every day like ding, a marked change on [them] instantly your wedding band." But from the days when a becomes free." And who brides, he says, tend to bride's family traditionaldoesn't like freebies? take a more romantic What will your wedding invitations say about you? Everything about your wedding, starting with your wedding invitations, should reflect your own personal style. Now, more than ever, couples are doing everything they can to make their wedding day uniquely personalized. You and your fiancé chose the location, theme and colors of your wedding based on your personal preferences. Since your wedding invitations are an introduction to your wedding, they should reflect your choices and ultimately your personalities and styles. It used to be that wedding invitations were always very traditional in their color a n d a p p e a r a n c e. Today, wedding invitations come in a vast array of exciting colors, styles, sizes and themes to reflect the creativity of modern wedding couples. Not to say traditional is out of date, but today your options are truly unlimited. There are choices based on seasons, hobbies, color combinations, themes, ceremony locations, ethnic backgrounds, flowers, etc. Your wedding invitations can have a modern contemporary look or they might feature photos of youngsters sharing tender moments. Your choices don’t end with the wedding invitation itself. There’s the font style and ink color. Again, there is an impressive selection of font styles to fit any type of wedding design. Just not quite as abundant as font styles, but there are still plenty to accommodate your chosen wedding colors. Here are some questions for you to consider when choosing your wedding invitation style: 1. In what type of setting are you getting married – church, formal, casual, outdoor, destination? 2. What is the color scheme of your wedding? 3. Is there an overall theme to your wedding? 4. Do you want to incorporate a specific ethnic or religious theme? 5. In what season will yo u r we d d i n g ta ke place? 6. What type of flowers are you having in your wedding? 7. Do you want to include your photo on your wedding invitations? 8. What is your wedding invitation budget? Another great idea for personalizing your wedding invitations is to include a favorite line of poetry, a beloved quotation, a particular Bible verse, or words from a special song. Many times the company who prints your invitations will also have a large selection of small verses to choose from. Just be sure your chosen wedding invitation style will have enough room for these extra lines of printing. Your wedding invitations should be both beautiful and uniquely personal, just like your wedding ceremony. With all of today’s gorgeous choices, you’re sure to find exactly what you desire. (This article was submitted by Sara Haese.) keep in mind you want to choose a style that your guests will find easy to read. The more script the style, the more difficult it usually is to read. Colored ink choices are Havre Daily News/Nikki Carlson A wedding cake by Angelic Creations pastry chef Angela Pratt is displayed during the 2010 Bridal Fair at the Holiday Village Mall Feb. 13.