wedding Archives - American Greetings Blog

The first task of any savvy bride-to-be after the sparkly diamond has been placed on her finger is to figure out the wedding budget. If family members are helping with expenses, get together and discuss the amount being contributed and any expectations about how their contribution affects the guest list and other important details.

Once it’s been determined how much you have to work with, it’s time to decide how you want this money to be spent. Below you’ll find some great wedding budget tips from our wedding celebration experts to help you tie the knot in style without breaking the bank.

Head count counts! Undoubtedly the first thing to affect the bottom line of a wedding is the guest list, so keeping that manageable is a top priority. Start things off right by purchasing a 4-color pack of index cards and distributing one color to the each set of parents, plus one for you and one for the groom. Each party should return no more than their allotted number of index cards with the name and address of those they would like to invite. If they have additional entries, it offers the opportunity to revisit the budget/contribution question.\
Of ‘maids and men’: Along with guest head count, another item that affects your budget is the number of people in your bridal party. Each member means more flowers, gifts, as well as the expenses they incur between hosting events and purchasing attire. Keeping the bridal party small (even just one attendant each) has become very popular lately for these reasons and looks very chic.
Fall in love with your location: Selecting a location that already appeals to you esthetically means that you’ll save a ton in decorations. If the venue is typically out of your price range, inquire about discounts during off-season months (typically November-March) or non-traditional days of week such as Friday and Sunday.
Sample sales: Oftentimes you can find your designer dream dress at 40% off or more by shopping a wedding dress sample sale. Sure, some of them may require cleaning or fixing minor imperfections, but the cost savings will far outweigh what you’ll spend on making it picture perfect.
Make friends: Ask the coordinator at your wedding facility if there is a wedding the day before or after your big day. If so, speak with the bride to see if there are any decorations that you could collaborate on. You can also discuss wedding purchases you may need to make with friends getting married to see if you could benefit from purchasing items in bulk or reuse for both weddings. Remember that many wedding leftovers can be resold afterwards such as votives, vases, and linens.
Dreaming big: If you have something you’d really like to do that’s out of your budget, leave it on a “wish list” in case you come in under budget in other areas. It’ll keep you focused on the prize and more motivated to not overspend.

Focus on what will make the greatest impact on the overall feel of the wedding. If you’re considering a $3 favor, but don’t think you have the cash for specialty linens, consider that your favors can add up to $30 per table, which is the approximate cost of many beautiful linen choices that will make a beautiful statement in the room. There are many online budgeting tools (such as the calculator available on The Knot) to help you make these sorts of determinations and focus your money on the areas that are most important to you.

Happy wedding planning!

They say love is in the details, and certainly no life event is more detail oriented than a wedding. So how is it possible that, after carefully selecting the perfect wedding gift, to create a personalized gift presentation that will surely be noticed?

Enter the American Greetings gift wrap experts, whose knowledge of gift presentation details goes far beyond the traditional paper wrap and bow. They’ve agreed to share some of their favorite ways to present a gift in a beautiful way that befits the elegance of the occasion.

Here are their fun suggestions on how to wrap a wedding gift:

Take a hint from the invitation and wrap your present in the wedding theme. The gift table is usually in a prominent place in the reception, so matching the style and colors will definitely be noticed.
Use a special keepsake for the nametag. Personalized ornaments, a set of his/her luggage tags, and photo key chains all make memorable accents.
Adding a few natural items helps to add some personal flair and reflect the spirit of the season. Slip in a few spring or summer flowers, fall leaves, or glittering decorative snowflakes to gift bags or under ribbons. These items can really add pop to gift envelopes as well!
If you’re feeling particularly crafty, wrap your gift in two layers of contrasting wrapping papers. Use an X-ACTO knife to cut out a fun pattern in the upper layer of paper so that the lower layer shows through.
Embellish your gift wrap by stamping a design on solid-colored paper or stencil on their new monogram.
Layer ribbons of various widths for a customized, personalized look.
Present the gift in a beautiful keepsake gift box that they can reuse to save wedding mementoes and photos.
Think of themed gifts. Towels in a display box, wine glasses in a tablecloth, picnic supplies in a basket, stationery in a mailbox, coordinating photo albums and frames, and even a scrapbook starter set are all fabulous ways to make the memories of their special event live on for years to come!

Wedding budget tips

How to wrap a wedding gift (in style!)

Here are their fun suggestions on how to wrap a wedding gift: