My boyfriend loves basketball. He plays it since he could walk and will always have immense love for the game. It works out because I happen to really like sports too.

So I know what I said about possibly not using favors. BUT… I came across these playing cards that might be perfect. I still have the fundamental issues though. They’re not re-usable, and they’ll probably be quickly disposed of.

They are cheap though. It looks like I can get 250 cards printed glossy, and in-color on both sides for around $60. Not bad right?

I asked him about and he loves the idea but has the same reservations as me. Just because they’re cute and cheap, does that necessarily mean we should get them? I don’t yet what we’d put on them. Right now we’re thinking me on one side and him on the other.

What do you think? Go or No Go?

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Technorati Tags: Budget, Cheap, Favor, Inexpensive, Reception

So, I recently found out about this place Forte Belanger. They do event catering in the Metro Detroit area. The food looks soooooo good. The problem is it looks likes one of those places where, if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it. I know this is supposed to be all about doing the wedding on a 12k budget but I can’t help but wonder if they could help me.

I mean, I don’t have to have the most exquisite meal on the menu. I’m willing to bet I’d be happy with the least expensive thing the menu. I just don’t know if even the least expensive thing will fit in our 12k budget.

The nice thing is, they don’t really go by a set menu. It looks like they’re willing to create a menu especially for the event at hand. Which is my only hope.

So, I’ll be calling them soon with my high hopes and low budget and I guess I’ll just wait to see what they say. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

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Technorati Tags: Budget, Catering, Dinner, Food, Inexpensive, Reception

So last time, I posted about the candlelit altar that I loved so much. Here’s how I plan to pull it off, let me know what you think. I found some directions from Nettleton Hollow that I hope to follow.

Votive holders, 4 for $1.29

Fine wire, $4.99 each

Tealight candles, 24 for $5.99

It’s possible I could attach the candles straight to the ceiling, but I’ll probably have some sort of large square hanging from the ceiling from which the candles will hang. I don’t know what that big square will be yet, but right now I’m thinking I could make it with a couple pieces of wood and wrap some leafy garland around it. Flowers would be nice (maybe some nice gardenias), but who know how much that would cost. Once I decide on the large square materials and construction, I’ll post an update.

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Cheap, Decor, DIY, Inexpensive

I was watching Get Married this morning and they were showing a quick montage of wedding images set to music. Most of the pictures passed without any reaction from me but I loved the candlelit altar as soon as I saw it. There was no credit associated with it and I could only get a picture by doing a screenshot. It looks like it could be easily replicated, even with my limited diy skills.

I love it because it’s elegant, dramatic and romantic all at once. My one concern is that it will still be light outside and it probably won’t have the same effect, especially if we end up with a ceremony site that has a lot of windows. I also like how it seems to perfectly frame the bride, groom and officiant. We’ll just have to be sure that we keep th open flames far enough away from us to avoid any fires.

I never really liked the arches with the ivy or flowers winding through it. I’d always had it in the back of my head that I wanted a defined altar space, but I didn’t know what I wanted it to look like. I think this just might work.

In the next post, I’ll outline my diy plan of attack. We’ll see if it comes in both cheap and elegant. Fingers crossed – it will.

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Cheap, Decor, DIY, Inexpensive, Inspiration

I’ve seen a few weddings receptions with candy bars – that’s the buffet not the individually wrapped nougat goodness . Anyway, April at Yahoo!Answers asked about how to pull one off at her wedding and of course I weighed in with my two cents. Below, I’ve posted both the question and answer.

Question:

How can we pull off an awesome candy buffet at our reception?

This is such a cute idea, especially if done tastefully. I’ve seen it done a couple times and the guests seemed to love it. You can find the candy in different shades of your wedding colors and store it in vases, mason jars or other clear containers.

Buy the candy at a bulk or penny candy store and remember you don’t have to get it all at the same place. There aren’t many of these penny candy stores left, but if you can find one in your area, you’ve hit a goldmine. I did find this site, Candy Warehouse (http://www.candywarehouse.com/ ). Their prices might not be as good as a local store, but it’s a good alternative.

It would be really nice if you could get metal candy scoopers too. I don’t know what these usually cost but I found some for about $2.50 each but you have to get at least 12. Depending on how many you need, I guess that’s not too bad.
http://www.favorfavor.com/page/FF/PROD/4…

There are also these plastic scoops, which cost about the same, but you can buy as few as you’d like.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Plastic-Ca…

It looks like there’s this rental company (and I guess others do it too), who will rent you all the supplies necessary and even bring the candy. Not a bad idea if you’re short on time and patience but it might end up costing you more than you need to spend.
http://detailseventrental.com/Wedding/Ca…

The last detail is the container your guests use to get their candy home. You can use plain white lunch bags, which are easily found at Target or Meijer and are very inexpensive.

I hope you find everything you need, and at a good price.
Good Luck!

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Technorati Tags: Cheap, Favor, Food, Inexpensive, Reception

Inspiration for today’s post comes from a recent post by Style Me Pretty titled Printing Your Own Wedding Invitations. I’m all about a beautiful invitation. It sets the tone for the entire wedding, especially if you don’t use the save the date cards.

And this is how I figure it: The only people keeping the invitation will be very close family. Even very close friends won’t keep our invitation especially if their inundated with others as well. So why spend a ridiculous amount of money?

That’s not to say I don’t want our invitations to look nice. In actuality I’m kind of a big fan of nicely designed paper products. I just don’t think we have to go broke on them. Look at it like this. Our wedding budget is 12k. I’ve heard of brides spending half or all of that on wedding invitations alone. Crazy, right?

So, I’ve checked out a few of the links provided by Style Me Pretty and this looks to be another case for the DIY girl in me. I can’t promise they’ll turn out perfect, but my pocket will be heavy with all the money we will have saved.

Here’s my one problem: I’m not very creative in the beginning of a project. I can tell you all day long what I don’t what, but it’s kinda hard for me to pin myself down and describe exactly what I do want from scratch. But never fear, I have a few designer friends who would be more than willing ( I hope! Fingers crossed!) to help me out with this part.

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Technorati Tags: Cheap, DIY, Idea, Inexpensive, Inspiration, Invitations

Look for opportunities to enter contests for free giveaways. Often blogs or companies hold contests to give away all kinds of things.

I’ve seen:

• Honeymoons
• Favors
• Flowers
• Photography
• Bridesmaid’s Gifts
• Bridal Gowns
• Shoes
• Headpiece

Here are a few running currently

• Wedding Stationery by Whitney English
• Gift Certificate to Invitation Consultant

Of course there’s probably only a slim chance that you’ll win, but some chance is always better than no chance at all. So take a few minutes and enter the two contests above. And keep your eyes peeled for others. They come up every day.

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Technorati Tags: Budget, Free, Inexpensive, Invitations