If you’re someone who doesn’t like to play by the rules, then DIY paper flowers will be ideal for you. You also won’t have to worry about wilting, watering or the fear of a guest knocking over an arrangement, not to mention the amount of money you’ll save!
1. Crepe paper bouquet
2. Paper flower initial
3. Tissue paper centrepiece
4. Paper flower backdrop
5. Paper flower crown
Images: Pinterest
Whether you’re opting for a low-key affair or a lavish celebration, a wedding is going to be costly – but who pays for the wedding?
WHAT TRADITION SAYS
1. The venue
When it comes to the venue – both the ceremony and the reception – the bride’s family is responsible for the cost. And this doesn’t just mean the venue hire. Budget for all decorations, food, musical accompaniments at the ceremony and the officiant’s fee.
2. The reception
If you’re the bride, your parents are probably breaking out in a sweat just thinking about the bill that’s coming their way. But the financial responsibility doesn’t rest solely on their shoulders. The groom’s side normally pays for the DJ and the booze – two important and often pricey aspects of any wedding.
3. The attire
Perhaps the most important detail for any bride, the dress also doesn’t come cheap. Butter up Mom and Dad, because they’ll be paying (you hope). But what about dresses for your bridesmaids? Buying their attire is not expected, but it’s a nice gesture. The groom covers the cost of his suit and can choose whether to pay for his groomsmen’s get-up or not. If you’re asking them to buy their own, make sure it’s not expensive!
4. The small details
It may seem as though most of the big expenses are for the bride’s parents to cover. However, there are a few smaller but no less important details for the groom’s account too. The most obvious are the bridal bouquets, corsages for the mother-of-the-bride and boutonnières for the groomsmen.
5. The rings
It only makes sense that the groom pays for his bride’s wedding band and she does the same for him. If you’re on a tight budget, look at more affordable metals or simply forgo wedding bands altogether.
6. The honeymoon
It’s something newlyweds really look forward to, whether it’s an island getaway or a local adventure – and it’s for the groom to plan and pay for! Some couples ask guests to make a contribution to a honeymoon fund rather than buy gifts.
WHAT WE SAY
If you choose to buck tradition, split the budget according to who can afford what. Here are some ideas:
1. Chip in as a couple
If you have money saved, what better way to spend it than on your wedding? Most of the guests attending will be your friends, so consider covering the music and bar tab, which you know they’ll get the most enjoyment from.
2. Draw up a budget
Sit down with all parties involved to discuss splitting the costs equally – it may just be a win-win for everyone.
3. Pay for your own wedding dress
Especially if your parents are paying for most of the wedding. You can find ways to cut costs in this department, from buying off the rack or on sale to asking friends or family who are talented seamstresses to help design your gown.
4. Ask the groom’s family to cover the venue hire
With the cost of decorations, food and staff, the reception can be a financial sting for the bride’s parents.
Classic black dress shoes aren’t your only footwear option. Here are 5 wedding shoes for men to suit any attire. Keep things fresh by opting for a shoe in brown or grey instead of classic black.
1. BROGUES
A low-heeled shoe with sturdy leather uppers and perforated and serrated edges. These come in a variety of styles but the most popular is the semi-brogue, which features a decorative toecap.
2. LOAFERS
A slip-on shoe that often sports a tassel or leather strap across its upper (it’s then known as a penny loafer).
3. ANKLE BOOTS
Widely worn by both men and women, ankle boot styles range from shoe boots, which skim the ankle, to Chelsea boots, which fit closely around the ankle, and even boots that cover the lower part of the calf.
4. SANDALS
Open footwear with straps over the instep and sometimes also around the ankle. Not to be confused with the flip-flop, which is best reserved for other less formal occasions.
5. MONKS
Also called monk-straps, these dress shoes sport a buckle and strap instead of laces and can be found with cap toes, as brogues, and in both suede and leather.
Images: Pinterest
Signature cocktails don’t necessarily have to be something invented from scratch. It can simply be one delicious drink for you to serve your guests all night long, with a few personal touches and add-ons, of course.
THE CLASSIC MOJITO
Mojitos are perfect as a simple starter and are an easy choice with its neutral flavours of mint, lime and gin. Spice things up by adding your favourites herbs and spices, or serve a fruity option.
RED WINE SANGRIA
A little sweet and the perfect summer drink, sangria is a delicious option that is affordable to serve as well. Make it before the time with your and your partner’s favourite summer fruits, a dry red and some fresh fruit juice.
MARGARITAS
This classy drink is another easy (and super affordable) option to have. Grab some tequila, lime, oranges and water and mix it up for a fun, summery cocktail. Even better? Set out a bunch of yummy ingredients to create a margarita-making station for your guests.
FRENCH 75
If you want to keep things really simple but still fun, opt for your usual quality champagne and add a dash of gin, lemon juice and sugar. You can also add some fruits and herbs to garnish, depending on whether you are going for a winter or summer theme. We love taking inspiration from a Bellini by adding a teaspoon of fresh fruit puree to the bottom of each glass. Guests who prefer a sweet drink will appreciate this touch.
WATERMELON PUNCH BOWLS
Having a punch bowl at your wedding says that you are a fun and laid-back couple who enjoy the summertime. First, choose your spirit. We recommend something with a more neutral flavour, like vodka or can. Add watermelon pieces, water, mint, lime and watermelon puree and you have a delicious and refreshing beverage for your guests!
A HOT IRISH COFFEE
For an autumn or winter wedding, a delicious and warm cocktail is an excellent way to treat your guests. If you want to make the Irish Coffee sweeter, replace the whiskey with Kahlua, or serve each to give your guests the option. If it’s really cold, Kahlua hot choccie goes down really well too!
Images: Pinterest
Having your wedding day accompanied by your absolute besties as your bridesmaids, all matching and looking gorgeous, is an absolute dream. However, this can be quite a challenging task.
Your bridesmaids may not like your choice of dress, style, colour or overall idea towards what they will wear on the day, and if you’re someone who wants everyone to be happy and satisfied, this can cause serious complications and even some drama.
With an open mind and these simple tips, finding the perfect bridesmaids dresses that everyone will love will be much easier.
1. CUT OUT SAME-STYLE DRESSES
Unless your bridesmaids all look identical, the same style of dress will fit each woman differently, and may not be suitable or flattering for every body type. This is where styles like the infinity dress come in, where one dress with the same material and colour can be worn in multiple ways to suit each woman’s body. Try to be more open with finding different styles for each bridesmaid.
2. MAKE COLOUR THE COMMON THEME
If you’ve decided that your bridesmaids can wear different style dresses, make sure they stick to a very specific colour palette that suits you and your wedding theme. Even though the dresses may not be identical, your bridesmaids will still appear co-ordinated and will be comfortable in their favoured style of dress.
3. SET A GUIDELINE
Apart from simply having a common colour scheme, ensure that your bridesmaids know the boundaries of what you want for their appearance on the day. Try to use your wedding dress at a starting point, and model the bridesmaids dresses after it. Decide whether you want classy or glamorous, short or long dresses, what season you are getting married in, and how conservative they will need to be.
4. STAY IN TOUCH
Stay up to date with your bridesmaids’ dress-hunting, and, if you can, try to go with them to be a part of the decision process. Staying in contact will also show your interest and concern for your bridesmaids, as it is an important day for them too. Make a WhatsApp group and regularly ask for images. This may become frustrating, but it will be worth it to ensure that you are part of the decision-making process.
5. REMEMBER, YOU ARE THE BRIDE
Above everything else, remember that you are the bride and it is your special day. If you cannot come to an agreement with one of your bridesmaids and it is causing you more stress, it is not selfish to cut someone out. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you and your partner have decided for the wedding.
Image: Unsplash
Flowers (and more recently, a flower theme) have been a part of wedding ceremonies for as long as we can remember. It is believed that in certain European countries women would carry bouquets to mask the scent of not having bathed for a few months.
Nowadays, florals are a huge part of the decor and, of course, the bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets. Typically, florals fit into your specific wedding theme or colour palette, or your entire theme can revolve around your flowers and other natural elements.
So how should you choose your floral arrangements? We have 7 easy steps to help you create the floral setting you’ve always dreamed of.
FIRST THING’S FIRST
Decide on your budget and whether you want to go big or small. If florals fall into your theme, you’ll want to set aside a larger portion of your budget to them.
GET INSPIRED
Try to research designs or arrangements you want to see at your wedding, while still keeping an open mind and have at least two extra options. Pinterest is a great app for finding all the inspiration you need!
RESEARCH
While looking for inspiration, you should also start to familiarise yourself with the kinds of flowers you want to have at your wedding, whether they’re in season, and their basic information. It will really benefit you when you meet with a florist and you understand the terminology.
FIND A FLORIST
Before picking a florist, make sure you research their work and pricing to ensure that you go with someone whose style will match your desired theme. Also keep your options open here, and make several consultations with different florists to get a feel for what would suit you best.
BOUQUET
If you or your fiancé plan to carry a bouquet, make sure that this is your starting point, as it features as a big element on the day. You ideally want the bouquet to match the wedding dress, and can design your flower arrangements from there.
SCENTED
When picking your flowers, you also need to consider whether you want scented florals or not. The idea of a lovely sweet scent in the venue seems tempting, but it may affect some of the guests. When you send out your invitations, ask guests to let you know if they have any allergies so that you can avoid any unpleasant experiences on the day.
PLAY MATCHY
While not everything has to be perfectly coordinated, it is elegant to match your flowers to your wedding style. Whether it be formal, playful or mystical, flowers can really emphasize the atmosphere you want to have on your big day.
“A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” – Max Muller
You’ve had the big engagement and decided on a date – now it’s time to get down to the planning but your partner doesn’t seem keen on contributing. Wedding planning can be stressful enough without having a partner who is not interested in helping out, so we’ve put together these five tips to get your partner involved in planning your big day together.
1. FROM THE GET-GO
Make sure you are both discussing wedding options from the start. You don’t want to get ahead without your partner and leave them behind, only to want their input later on.
2. BE OPEN MINDED
Your partner may have some strange ideas, but try not to brush them off harshly, as you want them to continue making contributions. If you don’t like something, be gentle and explain why.
3. GET HANDS-ON
If there are certain areas that you know your partner will be interested in, such as the music, food or transport, then hand over those tasks, making sure you are both on the same page when it comes to what you want.
4. ASK FOR HELP
If you’re struggling to juggle all of the invitations, nagging family members and bookings, ask your partner if they can take on some of the tasks, or that you work on them together to ease the pressure.
5. JUST BE HONEST
Tell your partner that you want their input, after all, you both decided to have a wedding. Having open communication will help you to express how you feel as well as finding out what your partner wants.
Image: Unsplash
You’ve got each of your big day invitations signed, sealed, and ready to be delivered to the final destination in one pretty little piece — that’s the hope, at least! After spending a few months working on your stationery, you probably feel like you know everything there is to know about those paper products. But before you head to the post office to ship out your invitations, there are a few major thing you need to consider that may have never crossed your mind. So, without further ado, here are five things to do to make the most of your mailing.
1. Tissue paper inserts aren’t just for good looks. While placing tissue paper between the layers of your stationery suite can increase your costs, it also helps prevent the ink from smudging. If you chose to use a darker colored ink on your invitations or you went with thermography, your cards could rub together as they make their way through the mail. If it’s not too late, add a bit of tissue paper to ensure your pretty paper arrives in pristine shape.
Photo Credit: Esmeralda Franco Photography on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly
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2. Square invitations require more postage. Due to the abnormal shape, square envelopes require more postage to mail. While this isn’t a huge monetary difference (about 20 cents per card, depending on the size) you can easily cut a couple of extra dollars by opting for a regular ol’ rectangular envelope. If you’re looking for other ways to save on your invitations, opt for an RSVP postcard rather than a traditional mail-in response card, as the cost of a postcard stamp is less than a normal stamp.
Photo Credit: Ben Q Photography on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly
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3. Never lick the adhesive to close your envelopes. To avoid having one of your precious invites open en route, reinforce the closure method on your envelopes by using glue or some other super strong adhesive. Licking is not only hard on your mouth (the taste! paper cuts!), it also doesn’t guarantee the package will arrive in one piece. For a pretty touch, add a sticker or piece of washi tape, but don’t rely on these things as the main closure method. They can fall off or catch on other items during delivery.
Photo Credit: Katelyn James Photography on Grey Likes Weddings via Lover.ly
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4. Always take your cards inside the post office. For extra peace of mind (and to avoid risking your invitations having to battle the elements), never drop them off in a street-side mailbox. If you hand them to a person at the post office directly, they are less likely to get damaged in transit, and you can ensure you’ve done everything correctly, from the postage to the writing of the addresses. This is an especially important step if you’re using vintage stamps — they can be tricky!
Photo Credit: Pat Moyer on Inspired By This via Lover.ly
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5. Ask the post office to hand cancel your stamps. Instead of letting the post office run the invites through a machine-operated sorting system (which marks the envelope with thick lines in the top right corner and may damage the envelope in the process) ,ask them to “hand cancel” your invitations. This means that they’ll use a special ink stamp to mark your invitation, and they’ll sort it by hand, reducing the risk of the damage. While some post offices refuse to do this, most are flexible if you pop in during a slow time.
We’ve all heard of or experienced getting cold feet before big, life-changing events, and it’s a relatively common occurrence when it comes to a few days before your wedding. You may feel that in your heart you are destined to be with your significant other, but still have those fears of taking the step towards marriage.
And it’s completely normal!
Pre-wedding stress after months of planning and organising is no cause for concern. You’re worried about things going wrong on the day, how you’ll look and also taking the steps to legally wed your partner – it can all be a bit overwhelming.
If you’re experiencing cold feet, here are a few tips to help you ease the stress.
1. GIRL TIME
Spend the night with your bridesmaids or some close girlfriends watching movies and pampering each other to take your mind off of any pre-wedding jitters.
2. RELAX
Enjoy a relaxing massage scheduled at your favourite spa for later in the evening the day before your wedding to help you unwind and sleep more easily.
3. MEMORIES
Look back at some old photographs of you and your partner to remember all the incredible times you have spent together, and all the amazing memories you have yet to make.
4. COMMUNICATE
You may not be spending the night with your future husband or wife, but if you really feel you need to, give them a call or message them to let them know how you’re feeling. They are probably feeling the same and you can talk it through with each other.
5. MEDITATE
If it works for you, put on some ocean songs or rainfall sounds and sit or lie down in a comfortable position while practising breathing exercises to clear your mind.
Image: Unsplashed
Whether you’re someone who likes to plan things down to the last detail or you just like to let things flow naturally, you should definitely try to write your own wedding vows. It will be so worth it!
We all wish it could be like the movies, where the bride or groom throws away the paper with all the notes they made and speak beautifully from their hearts, but it’s not that easy when it comes down to standing at the altar with all your family and friends watching.
So why not try a few of these tips in preparation for the big day and let your dream partner know exactly how you feel.
1. Jot down words describing how your significant other makes you feel.
2. Write down your favourite memory with your S/O, and tie it into how you knew you wanted to be together forever.
3. Think about all the qualities your partner has that you absolutely love, and write those down too.
4. Write down any promises you want to make to your S/O throughout the rest of your lives, but try to avoid cliches and keep things realistic.
5. Once you’ve gathered enough notes on your partner and your relationship, you can write your vows in a set format, or try to style it so that you are telling a story.
6. If you and your S/O are planning your vows together, try to set a tone and structure, but don’t worry about being formal. You want your feelings for each other to sound natural and not rehearsed.
7. While you may have endless amounts to say to your partner, you should try to keep it short and highlight the most important things you want to say to them.
8. Your vows are basically a public declaration of your love and promises to your S/O, so if you are struggling to find a way to structure your vows you can look for inspiration online, or even from movies (as long as it’s not too cheesy, unless you like that kinda thing).
9. Once you think you have written your vows the way you wish to say them (this can take you a number of tries), make a clean copy and practice them out loud.
10. If you want advice, and you aren’t worried about your partner knowing what you’ll say, you can even practice your vows with your partner to see if it works.
Image: @vsdartistry // Instagram