Get creative with your centerpieces without skimping

Wedding centerpieces are very important as it is the focal point in setting the right mood for the occasion. Choosing the right centerpiece to co-ordinate with the rest of the wedding decor may seem expensive. This need not be the case, as with a bit of creativity and right materials you can have elegant centerpieces without spending too much money.

1. The types of centerpieces you choose must harmonize well with the other wedding decor arrangements. The best types are still floral, candles or edible flower bouquets although you can have some unique, creative pieces on your tables. Your centerpieces must be based on the size of your tables.

2. One unique and cost effective centerpiece idea is to have your bridal bouquet and bridesmaids’ bouquets double up as centerpieces for some food tables. The mini bouquets of the female family members can also be used to enhance the reception table. Vases should be placed ahead of time in such a situation.

3. You can have your church ceremony flowers transported back to the reception area for re-using the arrangements in the reception.

4. Another idea could be to arrange your favors on the guests’ tables along with candles.

5. Candy buffet designed for guests is another popular trend. The candles are wrapped in small organza bags and stored inside the glass candy buffet jars. You can actually arrange these strategically on your guests’ tables as centerpieces. These edible favors can really do a good job of centerpieces as well as being sweet.

6. You can float candles and flowers in large bowls with some beads and fish gravel at the bottom. You could also arrange lots of colored candles in jars, photo frames of the bride and groom and mini favor boxes as centerpieces.

7. Try using uniform colored orchids placed in vases as centerpieces. These can be used on their own without other flowers and they spell chic and elegance all the way. Besides, orchids bloom for longer duration so this is good investment even after the reception is long over.

8. Arrange different sizes of pillar candles to create a rich and romantic feel. These can be scented or unscented but ensure that the burn time is sufficient through the reception. You can even have fruits, flowers and green plants arranged around these candles for a warmer look.

9. You can rent or buy topiaries which are generally meant for placing on the ground but you can find smaller ones for centerpieces. Have these wrapped around with white tulle and fastened with a bow, and create an ethereal centerpiece with some candles arranged near them.

Once you have assembled and created your centerpieces which are unique, creative and unforgettable, you can rest assured that your guests’ will get into the right mood of the setting. Take care that your centerpieces do not block out the view or inconvenience the guests. Ensure that they will still be able to hold conversations across the tables without being blocked out.

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About the author: Alia is a blogger by profession. She just came from the wedding of her close friends. Beside this she loves travelling and exploring new places. She recently shared an article on must visit honeymoon destinations.

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Book Your Wedding Reception in Your Hotel

Some couples are now choosing to hold their wedding reception in the hotel in which they will be spending their wedding night.   The benefits of this being, is that the couple will be checked into their honey moon suite early on in the day, and do not need to worry about missing the check in deadline after the reception.

Ideally, you should be able to negotiate a package deal which will include the reception venue and honeymoon suite.  Ensure that you get all early negotiations in writing, to avoid problems later on.

Wedding Venue Idea #6 The Botanical Gardens

Its picturesque setting and the sweet floral aroma in the air, makes the botanical gardens an ideal choice for many couples to hold their wedding ceremony and in many cases is quite inexpensive.

As getting married at the botanical gardens is always a popular choice, you will need to book well in advance. Most gardens request at least 3 months notice. Some gardens will only allow one couple per day and you may need to work around their schedules as some require special events to only take place outside the gardens official opening hours.

Questions To Ask
What time can my ceremony occur?
What is the fee?
Is the fee a flat rate or an hourly charge?
Are there any additional charges for a photography and video permit, or is this inclusive?
More Information
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
Botanic Garden Perth
Botanic Gardens of Adelaide
George Brown Darwin Botanical Gardens

7 Tips For Choosing a Wedding Reception Venue on a Budget

Are you looking for tips to reduce the cost of your reception venue? For many engaged couples planning a wedding, choosing the reception venue will be one of the biggest decisions that they will need to make, as for most couples the  wedding reception venue is also responsible for the biggest portion of their wedding budget.

If you are looking to hire a wedding venue on a budget, take a look at these  great budget conscious wedding  tips that may end up saving you money in your wedding planning budget.

1. Host an off-season wedding. Hotels and banquet halls generally charge higher rates during peak tourist season, as they know that their premise will be in more demand.

2. Getting married on any other night other than a Saturday night will generally ensure a cheaper rate.

3. Don’t mention the word ‘wedding’ when calling for initial quotes as this usually guarantees a mark-up, just casually ask for a quote on a party or an event.

4. Non-traditional locations are becoming more and more the norm. Leave no stone unturned in your search for a cost-efficient perfect venue. Many wineries organize tours of their vineyards and facilities. Always try to liaise with the manager of the venue as they can offer the best deals. Don’t be afraid to haggle.

5. To save additional costs provide your own table decor and centerpieces.

6. Get an itemized quote for the reception venue to ensure you know if there are any fees if the reception runs later than agreed. This may also help you to trim some areas of the reception that are an unnecessary cost.

7. Some venues offer cheaper rates if you book their reception hall just for the day. This would mean a morning, or early afternoon ceremony with your wedding reception to finish late afternoon/early evening.

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Consider Adequete Parking for your Wedding Guests

When choosing a wedding reception venue do take into consideration the parking.  Does the space allow for adequate parking for your invited wedding guests?  Find out the parking capacity beforehand.   If it is limited, the venue manager may suggest the best nearby parking facilities.  This information will be needed by your guests before the big day.

If your wedding ceremony or reception venue is isolated from a taxi service and public transport, or is not the easiest location to get to consider hiring a mini bus to transport guests that may require help getting to your wedding.  For example, some popular wedding locations are situated amongst mountain backdrops. These venues may involve driving along steep mountain roads with no street lights. That’s fine during the day, however as night falls, not all guests will feel comfortable driving home.

Hiring a mini bus could be an ideal situation in that scenario. You could ask a relative if they wouldn’t mind being the driver, or you could hire a driver. Guests could either meet and the one pick up point, or be personally picked up by the driver.

Wedding Venue Ideas #2 University Grounds

When choosing a venue to hold your wedding ceremony or wedding reception consider a venue which holds sentimental significance. For example, if you are your partner met and dated in university, holding your wedding at the university grounds can be an ideal choose.

Many universities have affordable function rooms to rent and are situated amongst idyllic landmarks around the campus to take wedding photos. Some colleges offer specialised wedding packages that include catering, staff and entertainment, but if you prefer, you may just wish to hire the venue and provide the rest yourself to cut cost.

If you or your partner are alumni’s or current students of the university, inquire whether you may be entitled to a discount. If neither of you are, perhaps a member of your family are and are willing to secure the venue in their name.
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Wedding Venue Idea #3 The Community Centre

Community centres can be a cheap option for a reception venue, but bear in mind this may very well mean that you will have to source everything yourself and set it up and pack it up yourself. Find out if the centre has tables that you can loan, if not ring around rental places to see what you can find.

You will also need to organise caterers and decorations. For those brides who loves organising weddings and have real hands on approach in organising everything, , the community centre could very well be for you.

Remember, when booking in services and the venue don’t say it’s for a wedding, but rather a ‘family function.’ This will avoid wedding mark-ups. Once its all paid for, you could let slip to the community centre that it is for a wedding, as they may have some useful items in storage that you can use.

A community centre wedding takes lots of planning, so allow adequate time

Wedding Venue Idea #5 The Beach House

Are you planning on having your ceremony at the beach? If so, why not consider hiring out a beach house for the weekend. That way you can have the ceremony on the beach and the reception can be held a short distance away at the beach house.

There are many positives about this set-up. Firstly, the bride and her bridal party can spend the night at the beach house and have all the gowns and accessories ready for them the next morning. This eliminates the need for official wedding transport for the bridal party.

In the days leading to the wedding, (depending on your hire term) you can set up the reception, so that everything will be ready on the day of the wedding. As you will have the house exclusively for your own use during the hire term, you will have enough time to try out different reception set-ups until you find one that you like.

If there are a few days delay before you and your partner leave for your honeymoon, the beach house can also double as accommodation for you to stay in for your pre-honeymoon.

One of the other benefits of hiring out a beach house, is that if it rains, you have a back-up venue to hold the wedding ceremony.

There are some things that you do need to consider if you go down this road
-When choosing a beach house as a venue, you need to consider that the rental prices will be higher during the summer season and much more competitively priced throughout the rest of the year.

- Before signing any contracts make sure that you are aware of any additional fees, such as the insurance excess if damage is done to the property.

-Most short-term rental properties come fully furnished. If you are a little worried that guests might damage some expensive items put them away in a storage room.

-Take a photo of the way each room looks before moving any furniture so that you can leave the house exactly the way it was upon your departure.

-Delegate different rooms for different purposes such as the bridal party dress room. It is best to confine the guest area to the one entertainment area. This may mean that you need to block off or lock doors to other rooms.

-Make guest facilities such as the bathroom easily identifiable with signs.

As your wedding day draws to an end, the last thing that you would want to do is clean up the reception and pack everything up. Ask your maid of honour if she will organise a working bee amongst your bridal party, groomsmen and friends to pack everything up and take it out of the beach house. Alternatively, you could ask your friends to do this once you and your partner have left for your honeymoon. That way you can leave for your honeymoon all refreshed and stress-free and thankful for having such great family and friends.

Utilise Existing memberships

When sourcing reception venues, don’t forget to consider any existing memberships that you and your partner hold as this could amount to great discounts. The first thing to do is to think of any direct memberships that you hold such as to golf or sporting clubs as often these types of establishments usually offer their function room and catering services at a discounted rate for their members. Secondly, you need to find out what third-party discounts you are entitled to. Generally, memberships to most organisations not only give you direct benefits and discounts, but they also throw in discounts to organisations that they are affiliated with.

If you hold a membership to a road care organisation you may find out that you have discounts to accommodation around Australia that would be perfect for a honeymoon and discounts to car hire that could be very convenient when selecting your wedding transport.

So before you begin your wedding planning, grab your partner and a sheet of paper and have a good look at all your current discounts available to you. Write down any that may come in handy. Don’t forget to take note of the terms and condition and the expiry date. Some suggested places to look are
-Road/driving clubs
-Existing credit cards usually offer benefits
-Private health organisations usually offer member some discounts to affiliated business
-Union’s are great for offering members great discounts.
By compiling a list of potential vendors and their associated discounts, it will help you get a more concise shortlist of businesses who are going to help you plan your wedding.

Wedding Venue Idea #4: A family member’s home

Does a member of your family have a beautiful garden or home that would make an idyllic wedding venue? If so approach them politely and ask them if they wouldn’t mind loaning it to you for a few hours. Depending on how close you are, and the way things work in your family, they may expect a small fee. Most family members however, will be honoured and will share their home with you for free. It is a nice gesture to at least offer to reimburse the costs such as electricity for the night.

You can choose to either utilise just the garden, or utilise both inside the house and outdoors. Talk to the home owners first to make sure that you are exactly on the same page, as to what facilities of the home is going to be used and in what capacity.

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