Fine dining restaurants, golf clubs and hotels have always been the favorite venue choices of all times, but not this year anymore!  Now that we are bringing weddings back to basics, venue can be as close as your parents’ backyard!  Backyard and barn weddings are getting more popular as ever, because it creates a much more personal and intimate atmosphere for your guests.  When the ambiance can put your family and friends at ease, you can also go for a more casual menu selection which will save you a fortune, such as:  bite size finger food, home cook soul food and barbecue dinner.

For dessert, the traditional wedding cake was so outdated!  Go for ideas like cupcakes, candy station, macaroons tower, cream puffs tower, and ice cream sundae station.  Not only does it look pretty, colorful, and bring out the childhood of your guests,  it is a budget saver as well.  Given that each slice of wedding cake costs at least $5.50 and a fancy cupcake is only about $3.00, no wonder it has been such a huge hit in weddings and the trend is still going strong.

During this difficult economy, even though most couples will cut down the wedding budget, but it doesn’t mean you have to cut down the style and class.  It is the perfect time for you to let your creativity shine!  What are your ways of cutting costs in venue & food?

As I stroll along the street and breathe in the sweetness and dampness of the air, I started to notice flowers are starting to bloom.  Harsh cold winter is no longer with us, and Spring is here! 

For brides who are tying the knot during Springtime, I know quite a few of you would like to use pastel colors and lots of floral decorations to reflect the season.  However, by overdoing with the amount of floral arrangements might create a messy look; and most importantly, it will most probably break your bank account.

That is why I always recommend couples to look for an authentic venue which already has paintings and/or decorations, or choose  an outdoor venue which the surrounding natural landscape suddenly becomes the backdrop for the very beautiful special day.  By doing so, not only wedding expense is being cut down tremendously, guests will also be in awe how unique your wedding is!

For girls out there who are huge fans of the pastel color tones, I’ve created a color palette just for you today.  Enjoy!