Weddings are definitely not cheap, but there are definitely ways to save money. After all, it is probably more important to save some money for her future life together rather than spending the majority of it on your wedding. This guide is designed to give you helpful ideas on exactly how to save some money.

One of the easiest ways to save money is by printing your own wedding invitations. You will be able to find hundreds of different designs and layouts that you can easily use to create your own custom wedding invitations. If you would like to add a special touch to your final invitation, we recommend using colored card stock and other accessories easily found at craft stores to add a three dimensional effect to your invitations.

Besides the cost of food, the wedding dress tends to be one of the biggest expenses in most weddings. There are multiple ways to reduce the cost of the dress. One of the most classy ways is to use your mother’s wedding dress after having altered. If you want a brand-new dress, we recommend buying off the rack and looking for sales at bridal shops. if you don’t mind a used dress, you can always find them on eBay, classifieds, or even resell shops.

Another very expensive category in planning a wedding is the wedding photos. This does not have to be an expensive cost and we have a great alternative to professional photos. We recommend you contact your local universities photography department and present them with an opportunity for some of their students to practice their photography skills and get references. Also, we recommend you check with the students prior to be sure they have previous experience with wedding photography.

Music is another category of your wedding that does not need to cost you an arm and a leg. You have access to hundreds of thousands of songs that you can download online. With this type of access you can easily design a playlist that is perfect for your wedding. All you need to do now, is a rent a sound system to play it on and ask one of your friends or family to be in charge of playing the music that evening.

The location you choose to hold your wedding can have a large impact on the overall cost. It is wise to do some research a round your local area, as you may find many public sites may be free to book. Many counties have very beautiful public parks that are a great place for a wedding. Also, you can hold a wedding at a friends home if you have enough time to plan for it properly.

Timing will play a huge role when it comes to the overall cost of your wedding. You will definitely be able to save large sums of money by planning your wedding during the off-season. If you choose to get married between May and July you are just asking for much larger bills, as those are the most popular months. By choosing any other time, you should be able to negotiate with wedding vendors for much lower rates.

These tips should give you valuable insight on some ways to significantly reduce the costs of your wedding. Although we are sure there are more options available, these will give you a great place to start when trying to save money on your wedding day.

Many people don’t know the name of those “little figures at the top of a wedding cake”. They are called wedding cake toppers, and there are many varieties available in today’s market. The special wedding cake toppers trend was started off by the “traditional wedding cake toppers”, and we will explore their world in this article. As far as toppers for wedding cakes are concerned, these designs have stood the test of time. Here are four particular designs that we like:

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Pick #1) One of our favorites, the “Contentment” Calla Lily Porcelain Cake Topper is very traditional. It depicts the bride and groom on the “big day”, and the love that the couple has for each other is clearly depicted by the bride’s hand upon the groom’s face. Note the groom as he holds his new bride’s waist. The bride is elegantly dressed in a strapless wedding gown, and the groom is handsomely dressed in tux and tails. Complimenting the design is a handmade bouquet of calla lillies. The specifications of this traditional piece are:

a) The size of this topper is: 7″ x 3″

b) Wonderful hand-painted piece.

c) Handcrafted fine porcelain

d) Weighs 0.75 lbs.

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Item #2) In the “Ebony Enchantment” a beautiful princess has found her Prince Charming. Depicting an African-American couple, this traditional topper would make a beautiful addition to any wedding cake. The bride is elegantly dressed in a flowing white bridal gown (with “off the shoulder” ruffles, lace trim, and a flowing veil). To add a splash of color, note the beautiful pink bouquet and a few roses in the bride’s hair. To compliment the bride’s gown, the groom is handsomely dressed in a black tuxedo and bow-tie, complete with a pink boutonniere. A fairy tale couple…one that is the perfect compliment to any wedding cake. Here are more specifications:

a) Dimensions are: 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″

b) Painted by hand.

c) Handcrafted porcelain.

d) Weighs in at 0.55 lbs.

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Item #3) Ah, the wedding kiss after the ceremony. The “First Kiss” Bride and Groom Cake topper depicts it. Here the happy couple is sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. This kiss will have you skipping and dancing on a cloud! The slender bodies of the bride and groom are positioned in a graceful embrace. Their hands, lips, and hearts, connect in incredible joy…ready to party and dance the night away. The bride is adorned in a stylish white strapless wedding gown and shoulder-length wedding veil. The groom is looking dapper in his black tuxedo. This traditional topper reflects the contemporary spirit of a new couple just starting their life of wedded bliss.

Features and facts are:

a) The material is poli-resin.

b) Standing 6″ tall.

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#4) The “Sweet Embrace” African-American Cake Topper shows the romantic African-American bride and groom in a loving embrace. Celebrating their first kiss as husband and wife, this happy couple is ready to dance the night away. The bride is wearing a stylish white strapless gown with a shoulder-length veil. The groom is wearing a dapper black tuxedo. They are both aptly dressed to reflect the contemporary spirit of the couple they represent. Here are some more facts and figures:

a) The contemporary design is made of poly-resin.

b) The model stands 6 ” tall.

We hope that this little tour of the traditional wedding cake topper has both informed and inspired you. If you would like more information on this, and other special wedding cake toppers , please visit us on our blog.

There are so many different options and choices available to us today. We can contact people by traditional phone, smart phone, regular cell phone, email, or regular mail. If we want to get somewhere we can drive a car, take a bus, ride a bike, or stroll along. Given all the options available to us today, it’s only natural that this variety should work its way into one of our most cherished traditions…that of the wedding cake. Selecting the flavor of the cake and the color of the icing is just getting started. You will need to take some time to choose the best wedding cake topper for your special cake. In this article we will be examining the world of the wedding cake, providing some background details on the tradition, and working on up to the selection process of the perfect topper for that very special wedding cake.

The wedding cake is often proudly and strategically placed during the wedding reception. Often towering way up into the heavens, it can compete with the bride as the “center of attention” on her big day. This delicious work of art establishes a focal point that the other aspects of the reception can revolve around. For those who prefer a flare for the dramatic, the wedding cake can be wheeled into the room at the end of the reception, providing a “grand entrance” for everyone to see. To many people this grand entrance will perhaps trigger memories of the bride who walked down the aisle earlier in the day.

For Starters

The wedding cake has certainly evolved over the years. It started off as a simple symbol of fertility, but has transformed itself into an artistic tradition that can have many different interpretations. For many ancient peoples wheat was a symbol of both fertility and a bountiful harvest. The Ancient Romans used to throw grains of wheat at the bride and groom in a “wish of fertility” to the new couple during their union. This custom evolved into bringing little cakes made from wheat to the wedding banquet. They would then crumble this cake over the head of the bride to wish them “many children”, and the guests would then eat the crumbs as a symbol of sharing in the couple’s good fortune.

Did you know that this “crumbling of the cake” over the bride’s head might have evolved into another wedding day tradition? Do you know what that tradition is? In order to shield the hapless bride from the shower that is to come, bridesmaids eventually draped a cloth over her head before the “crumbling tradition” took place. Many believe that this simple cloth evolved into the modern day wedding veil.

Welcome The Middle Ages

By the time the Middle Ages entered the scene, buns or sweet rolls had replaced the wheat cakes, but it was still very customary for wedding guests to bring these tasty treats to the wedding. They were placed in a huge pile between the bride and groom, and if the happy couple was able to kiss over this stack of wheat, it was believed that they would be blessed with many children during their marriage.

During the 17th century, many believe that the next step in the evolution of the traditional cake was performed by a French pastry chef. While in London on a trip he happened to observe this “cake piling” ceremony. When he returned to France he coated the stack of buns with some sugar, and thereby “cemented” the buns together into one very tasty art form. This was to become the first rendition of the tiered and frosted wedding cake. It was a forerunner of what was to come in the years ahead.

The Classic Style

Are you familiar with the classic style of the modern day wedding cake? You know, the one with the distinctive design of smaller tiers as the cake builds vertically? It is believed that this model was inspired by the spire of the 14th century Saint Bride’s church in London. How’s that for a bit of trivia for you?

Victorian England has brought us many of today’s valued wedding traditions. For example, Queen Victoria herself is said to have had a cake that weighed in at 300 lbs. As confectioners and bakers became more daring and skillful, their creations became even more daring and elaborate. When England’s Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were married back in 1947, their wedding cake weighed in at a whopping 500 lbs, and was 9 feet tall.

The Version of Today

In today’s world the elaborate wedding cake is no longer reserved for the rich and famous. Every couple can share in the tradition of having a wedding cake added to their big day. The wedding cake specialists of today’s world have taken their art to towering heights (pardon the pun). Long gone are those bland days when you were limited to a white cake with white frosting. Although a white cake will probably always be the most popular due to its traditional meaning, today’s couple is limited only by the limits of their imagination (and budget) when it comes to their wedding cake.

Why White?

Why is white is the customary color of a wedding cake? Do you know? As the story goes, back in Victorian times the finer ingredients of a wedding cake were expensive and scarce and very hard to come by. If the cake had a white icing on the other hand, this revealed the fact that only the best (and most expensive) white sugar was being used in the baking process. Brown sugar was much more common at the time, and therefore much less expensive. So, logically speaking, the more white the cake, the richer the people who created the cake were.

Plan Ahead

One of the most important things that you can remember is to not leave your special cake till the last minute. Whether you choose the local baker, a talented family member, or a pastry chef who specializes in these tasty masterpieces, if you plan well in advance you will be able to navigate the hard waters of whatever obstacles might come your way. Some bakers require only a minimum notice, while many are booked far in advance. It’s a shame to have that perfect cake of your imagination be “cancelled” due to the fact you cannot allocate a baker’s time.

So, you have no idea who will be baking your wedding cake? If you don’t have a particular baker in mind just yet, you have a bit of homework ahead of you. Shop around and get some great recommendations from family and friends. Be sure to browse the internet and yellow pages as they are both valuable informational sources. If you happen to be surfing the web you may see that many bakers today are posting photos of some of their wedding cake masterpieces. As a sort of masterpiece cake gallery, they showcase what they are capable of creating. This will spike your imagination as to what you would like your own wedding cake to look like.

Don’t Forget Your Budget

Be sure to be mindful of your budget before you let your imagination get the best of you. You want your wedding day to be one of celebration, not the day that you started your journey into debt. Many people are surprised at the cost of a wedding cake these days. Keep in mind that you are asking an artisan to create a colorful masterpiece for you, and this can often be reflected in the price that he/she will be asking. The cost of labor is often the largest expense in the creation of a wedding cake, but also keep in mind the simple fact that fondant is more expensive than buttercream.

Have you thought about the staging of your masterpiece? Be sure to take the wedding cake stand into consideration during your planning phase. While some wedding cakes can be simply placed on flat boards (that will not be seen by the general public), others are elaborately displayed on beautiful stands for everyone to see. Keep in mind the simple fact that actual size of the table must be in proportion to the actual size of the cake. A table that is too small will make the cake look way too big, while a table that is too large will make it look like a mere cupcake. And before we forget, your cake table will need a beautiful covering (to compliment its strategic location at the wedding reception). Oh, and don’t forget the cake knife and cake server. There needs to be a place on the table for these two items as well.

Enter the Wedding Cake Topper

The wedding cake topper tops off your special wedding cake. The “wedding cake topper” is the simple name for the decoration or figure that sits atop a wedding cake. While it is true that some couples prefer to have the simple elegance of an unadorned cake, many prefer to have that final “crowning touch”, the wedding cake topper, added to the upper layer of the cake. Today the simple plastic “bride and groom” of yesteryear has more likely been replaced by the classic porcelain figurine of today.

Do you know all the various types of toppers that are available? Many and varied is the correct answer. Toppers can range from the classic poses to figurines depicting some of the potentially “humorous” aspects of the wedding ceremony. How about a bride dragging the hapless groom back to the wedding altar. Personalized wedding cake toppers are popular these days, while niche toppers such as a “marine marriage” have their followers as well.

In Conclusion

We have so much information to provide, but there is only so much detail that one can go into in a single web article. If you would like to learn more about wedding cakes (and wedding cake toppers) please come and visit us on our blog.

What do they call those little statues or figures that sit on top of a wedding cake? Do you know? They are called ” Wedding Cake Toppers “, and they have become somewhat of a tradition in this world in which we live. There is an incredible variety of toppers on the consumer market today. Let’s spend a little while learning the story of the “topper”.

Let’s start off with a formal description. A wedding cake topper is a small statue, figure or model that sits on top of a wedding cake. Usually made out of plastic, it usually depicts the bride and groom in their formal wedding attire…taking their vows on that special day…

With the description out of the way, the history is next. We should mention right from the start that we don’t have exact records of the first topper. We do know that they date back to at least 100 years ago. One tradition tells us that the daughter of a baker was getting married, and asked her dad to do something to make the occasion memorable. He thought and thought and, being a baker, decided he would bake a special wedding cake. On top of this cake he would put a little figure depicting his daughter and her future husband. He intended that it depict the love that they shared for each other something that the whole world could see. On the day of the wedding he unveiled the cake, and his daughter was delighted. She was so delighted that the topper has been a tradition ever since (or so the story goes).

Perhaps just a story but it does foreshadow the prominence that cake toppers were about to take. Surely this humble baker didn’t realize what a tradition he was about to start? The world would never be the same again.

Elvis and Rock & Roll are iconic symbols of the 1950′s. But what about the wedding cake topper? They had their place as well since many, many young men were returning from years of war and starting to wed and raise families.

Into the modern age in which we live we see that toppers have continued in their popularity. They have “adjusted” with the times somewhat. For example, it is now possible to get wedding cake toppers depicting various ethnic races, and same sex toppers as well. A little cottage industry in humorous wedding toppers has taken off as well such as those depicting a bride holding her groom by the collar so that he can’t flee the scene of the wedding. Another humorous topper shows the bride dragging her future husband back to the altar. Some toppers depict the hobbies that the bride and groom enjoy.

There are many presents that can be given for wedding favours, after all the point of wedding favours is to show your guests that you are grateful for them coming to your wedding and expressing their support for your wedding. Therefore, you ought to really try to find wedding favors, that your guests will like.

Of course, the gift that most appeals to your guests, may not be one you would choose for yourself, but you are getting the wedding favours for your guests, not yourself. If you think about it, you should be able to come up with something that everyone will like and that you are proud to give. In order to help you get the job done, we will offer you a few tips below.

Love spoons are a prevalent souvenir at Welsh and other Celtic weddings. A love spoon was a wooden spoon carved by a love sick man for the woman he cherished. She would then either take or reject the love spoon, although she was not bound by the acceptance of the spoon. Miniature copies are often used as wedding favours. They can be carved with dates and names and symbols of love such as a hearts, bells, vines, key holes, anchors and knots.

Wedding favours can also be suitable to eat. There are a lot of choices available for couples who wish to give their guests some type of edible favour. You can have many items personalized these days. Some firms specialize in personalized presents, which can also be given as wedding favours. Some examples of edible, personalized wedding favours might be: chocolate bars, mints, biscuits or gourmet chocolates. The box or wrapper could bear your photo or / and your names and the date.

Small wedding cakes are another concept for edible wedding favours. Miniature wedding cakes have a short shelf life so they will have to carry a warning, which will probably be put on the packaging automatically, but it is worth checking.

A half / quarter or small bottle of wine or other drink would also be quite easy to arrange as wine bottle labels can be bought in any home brew shop.

Picture frames are frequent wedding favors. You could give a picture frame and follow it up with a photo of the beneficiary of the frame enjoying your wedding reception. This might be costly and tricky to set up as you will have to keep records of who has been photographed and who has not. It would be dreadful to miss someone out, would it not? You will probably also need a professional photographer or at least a dedicated amateur.

Wedding favours can be anything really, but I reckon that they are best if they are useful. We gave very atypical bottle-openers away at our wedding. They had a pattern of a couple getting married, our names and the date. They also had a magnet in them to collect the bottle top as it came off. I have seen dozens of our bottle-openers stuck on our friends’ fridges over the years and the wedding was three years ago.

Getting married is an unbelievably happy event that many people experience within their lifetime. To make it so memorable, a lot of time and energy goes into rendering it that way.

You need to have certain skills in order to pick out certain things, like where to have the reception after the ceremony, which gown to wear and what jewelry to wear with the gown. The newlyweds often get plenty of gifts before and after the wedding.

Even when the ceremony has reached a successful conclusion, this memorable occasion becomes an important part of a couple’s lifetime together. Married couples often exchange gifts to commemorate the anniversaries of this occasion.

Because most women, no matter what nationality they are, cherish receiving jewelry from their spouses, many husbands will give their wives diamonds or other gemstones on this auspicious occasion. Diamond rings are not the only gifts that are appropriate as wedding anniversary gifts. Bracelets, pendants, and diamond necklaces are also appreciated by the recipients.

Something you should definitely know before purchasing a diamond ring are the several aspects of the diamond’s quality, like cut, clarity, color and carat. These four things are what you need to know when purchasing these most precious of gemstones.

The cost of a diamond is directly proportional to its clarity, that is, the less flawed it is, the more expensive it will be. Some flaws are present in many diamonds, and these imperfections can often only be seen under magnification. VVS 1, which indicates a very, very slight flaw, is at the top of the clarity scale.

Next, the color is compared with other colored sets of diamonds, and diamonds without color are said to be some of the highest quality.

The shape of the diamond is otherwise known as cut. There will be many options when it comes to the type of cut you choose when you are in the market for a present to celebrate you and your beloved’s anniversary.

The final attribute is the carat, which is the weight of the diamond, and helps to determine the cost of the diamond. All of these attributes should be considered, in order to assess the stone’s value, when deciding to purchase your diamond.

With all the arrangements to be made before your nuptials, such as choosing the meal, deciding on the first dance and of course the all important dress, the favours for the tables are probably not a huge priority.

However having favours which are well chosen and reflect you as a couple can really make or break the wedding tables, but it can be tricky to think of something new and innovative, and it’s always a hard task choosing something that everyone will love. So here are my top 5 alternative wedding favours:

Flower seeds: Keep the love for your wedding growing, by giving your guests seeds to plant in their garden. Wrapped up in pretty organza bags with a heartfelt poem they make a unique gift, and if they are seeds to your favourite flower or plant then they will always be reminded of you once its grown.

Retro sweets: Sweets always appeal to everyone; men, women, children, aunt Gladys…. So keep your guests sweet with a pick n mix bag of retro sweets in a traditional stripy bag. Or go one better and have an actual pick n mix by the door so as they leave they can pick and package their own favour.

Candles: a scented tea light or votive makes a lasting gift, and is always a winner with the ladies. Colour co-ordinated to your wedding theme and in the same scent as any candles used during the festivities they make a great lasting reminder.

Silver charms: We’ve all seen the pocket sized pebble charms around, but have you ever considered them as wedding favours? The ones which are embossed with a word such as love or the image of a heart, are perfect for a loved filled occasion like a wedding and work particularly well for an intimate wedding where you are very close with all the guests.

Shot glasses: Shot glasses are the perfect favour for a more rock and roll wedding. Add a miniature bottle of your favourite tipple and you and your fellow party animals can have an alternative toast. Or your guests can take their engraved shot glasses home and pull them out at the next celebration.

Getting your Ex back is one of the most difficult episodes of your life. You go through so many emotions in a breakup and at times it feels like you may never get over it. It is a normal response to wish to get your ex back and you may be considering what you can do to get your ex back. Keeping this in mind we selected to write this article to show you what you can do to get them back.

After a relationship ends, it is crucial to look after yourself. Now the time is to have a look at your way of life and think about what you can do better your life. Make a point to look after your wellness and the way that you look. As insubstantial as this might appear, it will be amazing for your confidence and will help to gain your previous partners attention.

Many people get barely lazy while in a relationship. When people are in a relationship they frequently get too snug and don’t go to the gym as much as they could. It’s also common for people not to update their wardrobe as much as required.

You can seriously better your looks just by making some little changes. Watch what you eat and be sure exercise. By having a good diet and exercising often you will grow more interesting and you’ll feel more energetic. Whatever if you are male or female, this is a critical step.

You also want to evaluate the wardrobe you have and the way you style your hair. You can significantly enhance your appearance just by switching your haircut or getting a few new pieces of clothing. Visit a well known famous hair salon with a great reputation and let them use their expertise. If you’re not up to date on what is in style, look through fashion magazines to find out about what is in style.

Next, ensure you don’t contact your ex! This step is so critical! Naturally you are going to have times when you would like to get in contact, but you are incredibly much more likely to win your ex back if you do not make contact with them for a minimum of a month. This implies not phoning, text messaging or emailing your ex.

Flowers can add style with traditional flair to your wedding floral centerpieces.

When you opt to create them yourself, you will ensure that your creation is one of a kind as well as a work of art that wedding guests will surely discuss throughout the years.

By choosing to do it yourself, it can save you a lot of money and let you have exactly what you want. You can have any flower in any color that you choose.

This can be great for people who do not want to go with traditional decorations, but they still want to include different customary items within their wedding.

You can check on the Internet for ideas. Their many places that can give you a step by step instructions to recreate designs you see on the web.

If are very creative, you can go a step further by looking at several business sites to give you ideas on how you can create your own masterpiece.

When you get ready to order, buy your items either wholesale or in bulk for the discount. There will be many items you will need to go through and being cost effective doing this project will help.

You can first look at specialty websites that only sell floral supplies.

When you order, don’t forget items like ribbons, baby’s breath and leaf filler. You should also look into floral foam, and even containers to put them in.

The little touches are what’s going to make them special. The extras are also what is going to make the centerpieces truly distinctive for you.

Producing a wedding floral centerpiece is a very rewarding experience. You will be able to provide something of you and the groom personally for your wedding.

Give yourself much time to work on your project and consider all the necessary items, such as silk flowers that will help you to save time before your wedding date.

Wedding receptions can cost ludicrous amounts of money. If you’re trying to have a beautiful event without spending more than it would cost to buy a fully loaded Lexus, you’ve probably already considered a variety of cost reducing schemes. You are also probably getting frustrated at the prospect of compromising the professional feel for the lower cost.

However, it’s all about finding the right balance. It’s not usually the best idea to buy the most costly items, and just as much a bad idea to purchase the cheapest items. What you need to do is find a happy medium. This can be a daunting task that can prove very difficult. Your reception needs to be high class. You don’t want to be using spare tires and dogs for decorations. It should give the impression that no expense was spared. The idea here is to have the nicest reception you can at the lowest overall cost to you.

Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one in this predicament. Countless others have had wedding receptions and there are surely a few tricks to find the best deals on wedding supplies. You might try asking for advice from someone you know who has been through this. Find out what they would and wouldn’t do again. The purpose here is to help you with one small aspect of your planning. However, there are lots of other ideas out there for your other needs so don’t forget to check them out!

The tip of the day: get yourself classy looking, disposable tableware.

There is a vast difference in price when you compare disposable tableware and fine china. Not only that, but there is also the tremendous waste of time and effort with washing china plates. Also consider the cost of any broken plates. This is especially important if you are considering renting your china. You might at first be against the idea of using disposable paper or plastic foam cups at what you want to be a high class wedding reception. However, it isn’t like that one bit. What you should do is head to a local party store, or check one out online. There you will see that there are a vast assortment of disposable wedding plates and disposable tableware to meet your needs.

A good idea when looking for disposable wedding tableware is to check out a local party supply, or wedding store. You should of course search online as well as some of the best prices are found there. If you are thinking you aren’t ready to check out a store, consider doing so for no other reason than to pick up some great ideas that can help you plan your reception or wedding.

With so many beautiful themes, colors and patterns it can become difficult to decide what to use. A classic choice is clear plastic tableware. This is one that just never goes out of style. You can be sure to find it in etched as well as classic clear. Many guests will mistake this for real clear china!

No matter if you choose a solid color to go with your theme, or perhaps a beautiful pattern, or a etched clear pattern, you will surely find yourself with extra money in your budget without sacrificing elegance or class. Select disposable wedding plates to have the fine dining experience of fine crystal without the associated costs.