May 8, 2008

Waiter Wardrobe

Dress your waitstaff to reflect your reception location. Try white pants and sandals for a beachside affair or narrow ties and jeans for nightclub nuptials.

May 7, 2008

Nighttime Nuptials

For an evening wedding, dress the bridal party in black, the prime-time basic, paired with electric blue for an injection of energy.

May 6, 2008

Serve Slyly

Cut your cake costs by ordering a “fake” confection made of iced cardboard tiers except for the one tier you’ll slice during your cake-cutting ceremony. The slices served to guests can come from an inexpensive sheet cake surreptitiously cut in the kitchen.

May 5, 2008

Springtime Hues

Decorate a daytime wedding with yellow and orange, a high-def color combo that looks utterly happy.

May 2, 2008

Strategize Spatially

You can get by with fewer arrangements if you have some tall, lush ones placed in the center of the room. These will draw the eyes of the guests, so no one will notice that you didn’t decorate the site’s perimeter.

May 1, 2008

Atypical Toppers

Replace the traditional plastic bride and groom with bird ornaments, origami shapes or even a snow globe.

April 30, 2008

Keep It to One Card

If you can fit all your reception information on the wedding invitation, you’ll save on the materials and printing costs and possibly even the postage.

April 29, 2008

Second Nature

Are you a natural girl?  Go for organic fabrics, unfinished edges and floral embroidery to show off your laid-back style.

April 28, 2008

Unique Decorations

Handcrafted sugar-paste flowers and iced accents give a cake its resplendent appearance, but they also drive up the price because they’re labor intensive. Get an equally eye-catching version that’s not price prohibitive by decorating with fresh flowers, silk ribbon and faux pearls.

April 25, 2008

Double Duty

Give guests bold leather luggage name tags as favors that double as escort or place cards.

April 24, 2008

Tables with a Twist

Customize place settings by adding accents to the dishes and glassware supplied by your reception site. Affix a single colorful bloom to each napkin or place the plates atop gold chargers.

April 23, 2008

Favors with Flair

Think outside the picture frame and choose guest giveaways as clever and colorful as the rest of your day, like bright mini vases or palm-frond fans.

April 22, 2008

Go Gourmet

Costly ingredients give the impression of luxury at a fraction of the cost when used sparingly, in hors d’oeuvres (think lobster spring rolls and caviar-topped potato pancakes).

April 21, 2008

Make the Small Details Special

Customize your table numbers by having them correspond with special dates in your family’s life. For example, 1975 accompanied by a framed photo of your parents’ wedding.