Choosing wedding favours is difficult at the best of times, the sheer variety on offer to suit almost every occasion, taste and colour scheme can seem overwhelming. Oh yes, and then there’s the new mother-in-law’s disturbing offer to “make” the wedding favours herself playing with your mind!

However there are some simple questions you can ask yourself to help you choose the right wedding favour for your biggest of big days:

Are the wedding favours part of a theme and/or colour scheme?

Answering yes will limit your choices but may make it easier to choose as a result. For instance, if you choose an ivory theme with calla lilies, ivory favours would look great especially if you introduce a contrasting colour, perhaps to match the bridesmaids dresses or a particular colour scheme present at the venue. Furthermore, you could make life even easier and opt for calla lily chocolate dragee flowers in ivory and you have a great ready-assembled favour to match your theme!

Are the wedding favours for you or your guests?

It seems like an obvious answer, but think about it. You want your wedding favours to say something about your day and give your guests something to remember your wedding by. In my experience, wedding favours which can be consumed or used on the day are always more popular than keepsake type favours which instantly accumulate dust in a drawer after the wedding. So give your guests a special surprise on the day just to add to their magical experience.

How much will you spend on wedding favours?

Wedding favours can cost as much or as little as you like, look to spend around two to three pounds (four to five dollars) for a great wedding favour. Remember to ask the supplier for samples and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount when making large orders. The worst they can say is “no” but if they say “yes” you can save yourself some money, which is no bad thing in the wedding planning process.

What makes a good wedding favour and what do my guests and I like?

In my experience confectionary, namely chocolate, wins every time. Chocolate looks goods, tastes great, everyone likes it and comes in a huge variety of colours and forms, for example, chocolate dragees are just perfect. Your guests can appreciate the effort and thought you have put into a well designed favour and can eat them as an after wedding breakfast treat.

Why bother with wedding favours?

Your guests expect them and besides it’s a tradition. Some may have travelled thousands of miles to be with you and spent precious time and money. This is your way to show how much they mean to you on your special day.

Tags: love, wedding, wedding favors

Probably the most money you will spend for a single day will be that for your wedding; the average cost of a wedding today is 20 to 25 hundred thousand dollars with an industry estimated at 25.3 billion dollars per year. It is understandable that many couples feel pressured into spending money they do not have but it really isn’t necessary; carried out properly, the majority of guests will not even realize they have attended a ‘cheap wedding‘. All you need is a few cost saving ideas to point you in the right direction; which should make for an exciting, memorable day without the financial pain.

Hand Me Down Bespoke Wedding Dresses

Fortunately there are several options available to help reduce this cost, including the option of a dress that has been worn before. The huge cost of a new wedding dress cannot always be justified these days; many bridal shops carry a large number of previously owned dresses that can be hired or bought for considerably less than new.

The Reception

It is easy for couples to get swept up in the excitement and spend a small fortune on the reception; statistics show that an average of 189 guests attend so when you are planning your cheap wedding, this is where most savings take place. Don’t invite everyone you know, in particular relatives you haven’t seen since you were a child; as far as the meal is concerned why not have a buffet instead of a full, waited on, three course meal.

Although it is nice to hold the wedding reception in a beautiful hotel, this can be another huge expense but alternatives exist; there are many clubs that would be perfectly suitable or even the home of a good friend or relative that is large enough.

Images of the Wedding

Photographers are expensive but there is generally no need to hire one for the whole day; why not have your friends and relatives take pictures during the reception. Although it may sound like an unusual idea, you always have the option to not use a professional photographer at all; there is no reason why the photos can’t be taken by your guests and you will find yourself saving many hundreds if not thousands, of dollars.

PC Produced Personalized Wedding Invites

Other areas where you can be assured of saving money is wedding invitations and other stationery; today’s home computers and printers are able to provide near professional results. Many people are now competent enough to produce near professional quality work; problems and errors can be corrected quickly without regular visits to the printers.

The Wedding Flowers

Cost cutting measures can also be found in the area of flowers and their arrangement; these can actually be purchased in large quantities from wholesalers or even from your own garden if you have the capacity. Many people have friends who are very capable cooks and love to bake so why not let them bake a two or three tier wedding cake; this can be made from sponge or even a chocolate cake which tends to be favorite amongst people these days.

The Transportation

Most people, when asked, feel proud if their car can be used as wedding transportation; it is surprising how impressive this can look when done properly.

Cheap weddings are possible without the wedding seeming it has been cost driven; the point is that guests enjoy the day!

Tags: Budget, cheap wedding

In this day and age, weddings are becoming more and more expensive and wedding cakes are no exception. However, it is possible to serve a beautiful cake while maintaining a budget.

One of the best ways to save money on wedding cakes is to consider a kitchen cake. This is a flat slab cake iced on top to match the wedding cake, but generally without piping, flowers etc. When the cake is cut and served, guests are unable to tell the difference between slices of the actual wedding cake and the kitchen cake.

You may also consider having a “dummy” cake as a centrepiece on the cake table. Rent or buy a Styrofoam show-cake from your local baker, and have the caterer serve your guests from sheet cakes or kitchen cakes that are plated in the back kitchen. Or have a single, small cake for show and several sheet cakes to cut for the guests.

When choosing your wedding cake design, opt for simple cakes with minimal decoration as the more labour that is required to decorate the cake, the more expensive. Try to also skip having multiple tiers with fancy pillars. Instead, have the cake layers stacked or borrow pillars if your baker provides this service, or have the baker use disposable pillars instead of the costly crystal ones. Also, check with your local rental company to see if it has any available.

Another option to minimise costs is to try having the cake decorator make and ice the cake, whilst you put your own fresh flowers as decoration for the cake. You can ask your florist to supply extra flowers for the cake to match your bouquets or just pick the flowers on the day of your wedding. If that’s not possible, store the flowers on a plate with some water in your fridge. Sprinkling petals, cascading down tiers or placing flowers around the base of the cake are simple yet elegant designs.

Alternatively, bake your own cake or enlist the help of a friend or family member to do this for you as their wedding gift to you. Fruit, candy, ribbon and marzipan sculpted into flowers and figurines make for beautiful wedding cake designs.

Check also if your reception venue offers a wedding cake as part of the catering deal. Some venues will provide the entire wedding cake whilst others will just provide the first tier.

Another option for couples on a budget is to have cupcakes rather than traditional wedding cakes. This is not only a great way to save money, but it is also a very popular option and can be done beautifully. It is both unique and different and can enhance the beauty of the wedding. The cupcakes are generally arranged in tiers similar to wedding cakes. Each guest will receive an individual cupcake. This saves on having to pay the fee for cake cutting as well as paying for a large, expensive cake. The fee when a reception venue or caterer charges for cutting and serving a cake is called “cakeage”. Fees can be up to $4 or $5 a head.

Finally, decide when and how the cake will be served.

As dessert: you will need a large slice of cake and need to cater for every person attending the function as the cake is a part of the formal meal and a generous slice has to be put in front of the guest whether they are going to eat it or not . When the cake is served as dessert you normally need 3 times as much cake as when the serving is as a coffee slice.

As coffee: as “finger” slice which is normally served on a platter towards the end of the evening. A general rule is that you need only cater for 70% of the guests

There are many considerations when it comes to wedding cakes: size, flavor, design, and of course choosing the right bakery. The bride and groom on a budget should remember to look at lots of different ideas before deciding what they want. Visiting several bakeries and getting quotes are a great way to taste yummy wedding cakes as well as perusing bridal magazines to find inspiration.

However, if a wedding cake is really out of the budget, than consider skipping the cake altogether and serve a non-traditional dessert, such as tartlets, cheesecake, or a dessert buffet. Mmm… yum

Tags: Budget, Wedding Cake