High Impact, Low Cost...Lighting makes a difference!

There are many details (read: things to spend money on) when you get married.  If you're trying to stay on a budget, one decor item you can make a big difference with and not break the bank is with lighting!  Lighting adds ambiance, color, design, etc...and usually doesn't take up too much space, either!  We were fortunate to have found a venue (Gallery J) who already had a lot of lighting in place already, but we did add some of our own.

Cafe Lights
These are a big nicer, in my opinion, than regular old twinkle lights.  These were already in place for us...score!

Cafe lights on the railing of the loft space. 

Twinkle Lights

These are less expensive than the above mentioned cafe lights.  You can find them anywhere, and you probably have some that you use for holiday decorating.  These were also already installed by our venue!

Twinkle lights on the lattice on either side and around doors.

Candles

The ultimate tool for upping the romance factor at any event.  Cheap and easy to come by in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and even fragrances, these are an awesome addition to any decor at your wedding!

Floating candles in vases with orchids surrounded our altar space.  Floral design by Flower No. 5.

Spotlight and Gobos

These, you'll definitely have to rent.  A spotlight is fairly cheap and easy to set up and operate.  Some DJs will have these already, but double check to be sure.  It's great for when you're doing your first dance, toasts, and other special moments (garter toss, cake cutting, etc). 

Gobos are these nifty little things that slide over a special light (again, must be rented, but not very expensive) that project an image or text onto a wall or floor.  These are a great way to personalize your wedding without spending a lot.  We rented the light and purchased a custom gobo with our names on it. 

Uplighting

This is a fantastic way to add color and serious drama to your event space!  We didn't use this at ours because, as you can see, our space had enough drama all on it's own!  However, if your using a 'blank canvas' sort of space, it can add a lot of color without a lot of fuss.

Photo from rdedj.com 

All photos, unless otherwise credited, are from Norman Yu Photography.  Event location (except for last photo) taken at Gallery J in Winter Springs, FL.

Stress-free Wedding Planning

All the little details matter.
Photo by Norman Yu Photography

Hi all!  As many of you know, planning your wedding can be very stressful due to the amount of work, decisions and money that goes into it!  As I near the end of my countdown, here are a few tips that have helped me along the way:

1.  Use a checklist

Whether you choose to use an online version or print one out, these tools are invaluable!  Personally, I'm using the knot.com checklist because it has everything broken down by when it needs to get done.  It really does help you to make sure you don't forget anything or leave anything to the last minute!

2.  Don't put things off

I know it seems like forever before you're walking down the aisle, but trust me...that time FLIES.  Aim to check off at least one item per week on your checklist to keep up with things.  Set reminders on your calendar for deadlines such as payments to your vendors and dress fittings.

3.  Decide on a theme early

The sooner you have an overall vision for your wedding, the less time it will take you to decide on other things.  For example...if you decided that your theme will be "Starry Night" after the VanGogh painting, you can rule out the butterfly motif on all your paper products.

4.  Keep your fiance in the loop

Most guys don't care about the wedding day...they just want to know when and where to show up.  However, it never hurts to let them know what's going on to avoid any problems later.  For me, I'd assumed that since we're a fairly non-traditional couple that we'd be doing our wedding pictures before the ceremony to save time.  When I talked to my fiance about our day-of schedule, he informed me that he actually didn't want us to see each other until we met at the aisle.  Big surprise!  So yes...make sure that you check in with him from time to time to make sure he gets what he wants out of the wedding...it's his wedding too!

5.  Take some time off from wedding talk

Yes, your wedding is a big deal and deserves your attention and hard work, but don't run yourself ragged.  This is a special time in your life and you should get to enjoy it.  If you're feeling really stressed out, take a break!  Enjoy coffee with your friends or a date night with your fiance...and DON'T talk about the wedding! Or just chill out on your own with a good book and a piece of chocolate!

It's always good to treat yourself!

Pretty Programs

Photo by Norman Yu Photography

As I mentioned in my last post, a great way to save on your wedding is to keep it simple with your paper products.  Even basic wedding programs can cost big bucks when you pay someone else to do them.  Let me be real with you for a minute...no one else gives a crap what your programs look like.  Seriously.  I'm sorry, I know, your heart is breaking and the image of fancy programs complete with ribbons and pearls and hand calligraphy are turning to mist before your eyes.  I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I had to be honest with you.

The fact of the matter is, once the wedding is over, most guests will throw those programs away and never think about them again...if they even remember to take them home at all.  The purpose of a program is to let your guests know the order of ceremony and maybe the who's who of your wedding party.  Anything else is extra.  Yes, it's nice to share your love story in 10 pages or less, but come ON people...most of them know your story and if they don't, it's ok...they know how it ends!

So.  Now that we've gotten over ourselves let's get down to business making the nicest possible programs for the least amount of money...because the less you spend on paper the more you can spend on that honeymoon you want!

First...to the paper aisle!!
I'd recommend something heavier than printer paper.  You want it to be stiff enough to hold it's own.  I would go with card stock, which comes in a variety of colors and finishes.  I chose a pearl finish ivory card stock...very classy looking.  50 sheets for $11.99 at my Office Depot.

Second...formatting
To make an inexpensive project look more professional, I chose to print my programs two to a page longways...so they're long and thin.  You can definitely do yours differently, but I thought these looked more modern.  Unless you're going for a more contemporary design, center your text.  Test out different fonts to make sure that they are legible and that they fit on the page.  I know the calligraphy-like fonts are pretty, but they're no go to you if no one can read them.  I'd also save anything super fancy for the headings and let the regular text be a little more structured.

Third...TEST PAGE!
I cannot stress this enough: print. a. test. page.  DO IT.  You would be really pissed if you hit print on 100 programs only to find out that it cut off a line at the bottom or the heading was just a smidge too low on the page.  Plus, this give you and extra opportunity to check spellings and such.  Trust me...it's better to triple check something than to have to do it over.

Fourth...when in doubt, get some help.
For some reason, my printer hates me.  It never cooperates with anything I try to print.  I took my program in to Office Depot on a flash drive, and the girls at the printing desk did the rest...they even put my full sheets into their handy dandy cutting contraption and sliced my programs for me...a much better job than I could have done myself.

The end result was lovely and exactly what I wanted.  In total I spent $23 and some change for 100 programs.  That included the cardstock, formatting fee, printing, and cutting.  If you're looking for something even more fancy, you are welcome to print on vellum and use ribbon to attach them to some cardstock or doll them up with stick on gems (Martha Stewart's line has some really pretty ones).  Bottom line...you don't have to spend big bucks to have something nice!