We Tied the Knot . . . and It Didn't Cost a Lot!Trying to stick with a $1,000 wedding reception budget is a challenge. So I knew I had to be "extra creative" with reception refreshments so we didn't come across as cheap. I decided to have a pretzel bar.
Donut Wall Wedding CakeI recently went to a lovely wedding where they did a doughnut wall in lieu of a wedding cake. Each guest got to choose their doughnut of choice by pulling it off the wall. I thought it was really cute and fit in perfectly with their laid back reception.
Buy Liquor for the Wedding Over TimeMy niece had a wedding for 200 people last fall, with an open bar. My sister started buying the liquor a bottle or 2 per week until the big day came a year later. It hurt a lot less that way financially.
Cupcake Display for WeddingTo save money and have a prettier stand for the wedding "cupcakes" my sister-in-law and I came up with a great way to display them like a wedding cake, without the plastic tubes that cost so much!
Grocery Store Bakery Wedding CakesI made my daughter's wedding cake. It was a three-tier cake with sugar paste flowers that took three days of standing, baking, and decorating. When my son got married, I got smart.
Wedding Cupcake TreeMy friend was on a tight budget for her wedding, so she decided to have cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. My gift to her was this cupcake tree. The roses were leftovers from her bouquet, which she made, and the hydrangeas are from my garden.
Try S'mores at Your Next EventA "S'mores Bar" is a fun and inexpensive way to spruce up a backyard wedding reception. A table filled with different sized glass jars containing the s'mores ingredients look great and welcome fun.
Beverage Tips For WeddingsMy wedding tip is to provide complimentary beverages at a wedding, including alcohol. Beer and wine are fine; and if your budget allows, a full bar. The other point I'd like to stress is to have the beverages available as soon as the guests arrive. This way, everyone starts relaxing and having fun and there's less stress all the way around. The tackiest thing in the world is to expect your guests to pay for beverages at your wedding. They're your GUESTS (duh).
Nice, Simple Wedding CakeI made a cake for a good friend at work for her wedding. I wanted to make a nice cake, simple, cute and most important fast.
Saving Money on Your Wedding CakeWe saved money on the wedding cake because we ordered a very plain cake. It was only frosted with pearl frosting edging. Then we took left over live flowers that were not used in the wedding and decorated the cake.
Order Your Wedding Cake EarlyAll parents with daughters know just how expensive planning a wedding can be. There seems to be an endless list of expenses. One of the best tips I can share is to order your cake as early as possible. My daughter is getting married in June and we ordered her cake in January. This allowed us to pay the small deposit and then make small payments until the cake was paid for! Much easier than paying the lump sum all at once!
By Amy
