For Fab Invitations That Won’t Break The Bank: Minted
Minted
Minted works with indie artists and graphic designers to offer chic, ready-made invites, save-the-dates, ceremony programs, and escort cards. Templates can also be customizeddown to the card size and paper stock. On a tight budget? Print your suite at home or take the file to a local copy shop. Minted also offers a bespoke invitation design in case you don’t have an illustrator on speed dial but still want a hand-drawn map of Nantucket or a watercolor rendering of you and your fiancé.
Wedding Venues In Italy
Here is a small selection of our handpicked Italian wedding venues and elopement venues in Italy. We have unique locations to get married in Italy, places to elope and both civil and symbolic ceremony venues in Italy. So whether you are looking for a small Italian wedding venue for your destination wedding, or just a place to tie the knot or renew your vow in a romantic ceremony – start here or feel free to contact us for more!
Prep Your Guests For Success
Whether its IRL, on your invitations, or on your wedding website, youll want to let your guests know whats in store for your big day. You dont have to give away all your secrets and surprises, but youll want to share need-to-know information. For example, if your ceremony or reception is going to be on grass or sand, you may want to advise them to skip the stilettos and opt for wedges or flats, instead. Or maybe youre not splurging on heat lamps? You should probably ask them to bring a sweater, wrap, or jacket to keep them warm in case the winds start blowin.
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Utilize The Entire Property
Bella Grace Photography
Make sure to embrace all indoor and outdoor elements of your venue. Lauren Chitwood, owner of Lauren Chitwood Events, recommends creating a flow throughout your home by hosting different events in a variety of different areas. A ceremony in the garden followed by cocktails poolside is a great way to keep the flow of movement before transitioning guests to a tented space, or inside the house for dinner, Chitwood says.
What If Covid Postponed Your Original Wedding
The 2020 wedding season was a difficult one for many couples, who were forced to alter their plans, sometimes significantly, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you postponed your wedding, lean on your wedding vendors, who are the true experts here, to help you replan your eventwhether its a smaller event, like a minimony or microwedding, or a larger celebration in the future. Health and safety should be at the forefront of your mind here, as are following national, state, and local regulations. Keep an open line of communication with your guests, and try to keep things in perspective.
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Start The Festivities And Enjoy
You know what to do from here. Congratulations!
Pro tip: Remember that your wedding day is about you. Its okay if you dont have a full-blown conversation with everyone there. And its okay if its not the best day of their lives too. So remind yourself of that in the chaotic moments. Enjoy celebrating your successful planning, your love for each other, and your future together!
Choose Your Wedding Invitations
Consider picking out your formal invitations while your save-the-dates are top of mind. You dont have to send them until about 6-12 weeks before the wedding, but theres no harm in getting them ordered early.
Its traditional to send out cardstock invites, and its lovely to have a hardcopy invite to frame after the wedding. Visit a stationery store, or browse invite websites online. Select invites that reflect your wedding style and theme. The words you select will also set the tone for your wedding. For example, use traditional language for a classic wedding and opt for laid-back wording for casual, rustic, or beach weddings.
If you want to buck the traditional trend, there are many lovely digital options for invites as well, including Paperless Post, Greenvelope, and evite. These are perfectly acceptable, and , theyre eco-friendly and usually more affordable. You can even give invitees a link to your wedding website and have them RSVP there.
Pro tip: As people RSVP, add them to a free wedding seating chart tool so you can begin to assign seats, add in dietary restrictions and meal choices, and make special notes for your catering team that they can reference as you plan your menu.
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Choose Your Wedding Party
Now, it’s your turn to propose to your close friends. While having a wedding party isn’t necessary, many couples want to be surrounded by bridesmaids and groomsmen as they celebrate their biggest milestone yet.
Remember, the earlier you pop the question, the better. Your wedding party is agreeing to spend their money and donate their time to you, so be considerate and kind by informing everyone about all your plans, including costs for attire, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and more. Your wedding day will feel much more special thanks to your best man, maid of honor, and the entirety of your crew.
Not Eloping Reach Out To Your Nearest And Dearest
If youre figuring out how to plan a wedding in 30 days, youll have to keep your guest list small and you likely wont have time to send out formal save-the-dates or invitations. Reach out to your closet loved ones and find out if theyre available on your desired date. With such a short timeframe, its likely that certain loved ones wont be able to attendand you have to be okay with that. As long as your VIPs , will be able to attend, you should move forward with your desired date. You can always host an informal celebration of your marriage with a bigger guest list at a later date, if desired.
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Commercial Use Of State Park Properties
Any person soliciting or collecting funds for a business of any nature or engaging in commercial filming or photography or providing services for a fee is required to first obtain a Commercial Use Permit from the manager at the property. As you are organizing your wedding, remember to inform individuals and businesses of this permit requirement. Applicants must fill out and submit the Application and Permit directly to the manager of the state property where the commercial activity is to take place a minimum of two weeks in advance of the activity.
For more information, see: Commercial Use of State Park Properties.
Design Free Wedding Invitations
There are tons of free DIY crafts online that demonstrate how to create incredibly cheap wedding invitations. There are also printable and customizable ones. The only things you have to spend money on are paper and ink.
But if what you want are 100% free wedding invitations, you might want to call up the guests you have in mind by phone, or better yet, go house to house and invite them personally. If you do this, you can properly explain and ask for their help when it comes to the potluck meal aspect of the wedding.
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Know You Can Have An Affordable Wedding Anywhere
The average wedding cost in the United States costs just shy of $34,000. The average shifts by locationso the average wedding cost in Idaho is $16,366 while the average price in Manhattan is $96,910.
No matter where you are, however, you dont have to spend the averageeven in glamorous Manhattan. You just have to get creative with your choices and nab some of the strategies and ideas below.
Find the perfect wedding venue!
Keep The Venue In Mind
It’s easy to get caught up in who’s sitting where, but just don’t forget to give your VIPs the best seats in the house so they have a clear view of all the action and can jump into the celebration. Also, older guests may want to be a little farther from the band . Guests in wheelchairs or those who need more mobility should be seated at tables that are either closer to one of the edges of the room or closer to the dance floor, so theyll have plenty of space to maneuver as needed.
Seat younger guests who will be dancing all night near the band or the DJ, so they have easy access to the dance floor.
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Find Your Wedding Vision
Jeremy Chou Photography,Vo Floral Design,Cali Smittenkiss
Before you try on a single wedding dress or tuxedo, book a reception band or sample a bite of wedding cake, determine the vision for your wedding. While you’ve already done some big picture ideating, now’s the time to really narrow down what you want your day to look like. Is it a candlelit evening in a mansion or a barefoot ceremony on a tropical beach? While you’re picturing your perfect wedding, here are some key questions to answer now: Will you have a big or small wedding? Will your party be outdoors or inside? Will it take place at home or at a special destination? Will you choose a specific theme, or are you inspired by a certain wedding style, like modern, classic, romantic, vintage, rustic or all-out glam?
To help you get a better idea of what you want , take our fun Style Quiz that takes all the guesswork out of creating your dream wedding vision, then matches you with beautiful venues and pros that fit your style. When you start hiring vendors, it can be extremely helpful to have a mood board or a few saved Instagram posts that highlight your favorite wedding ideas, as well as the aesthetic you’d like to hone in on. After all, having a clear wedding vision will make your big day much more memorable to guests. “The aesthetic of your wedding is everything,” says Holloway. “As we always say, the beauty is in the details.”
Take Time To Not Plan
Ann & Kam Photography & Cinema
Before your wedding, take time as a couple to do anything but wedding planning. Have regular date nights with no wedding talk allowed. It’s more important than ever to prioritize your relationship and continue dating each other. It will help you remember why you’re doing all of this in the first place. “You have already done the hard part, which is finding your life partner,” Thornton advises. “This is the celebration of your love with the people closest to you. Don’t forget that and how special your wedding day is… and enjoy yourself!”
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Your Comprehensive Guide To Getting Married At Home
Home is where the heart iswhich is exactly why many couples choose to tie the knot in their own backyards. Your home is, after all, the definition of a sentimental wedding venue as tying the knot there means you’re exchanging lifelong vows on the grounds where you experienced some of life’s most significant moments. While your wedding is a celebration of your bright future, it will also feel nostalgic. You, your husband or wife, and family will all reflect on the moments that brought you to the here and now. Add in your childhood home as the setting and that nostalgic feeling goes through the roof .
Prepring for your at-home celebration, however, is a huge undertaking, and one that often comes with a high price tag. Your home, in its regular form and layout, likely isn’t equipped to handle your many guests, which means blueprinting the space, bringing in virtually every rental type possible, and preparing for unfavorable weather aren’t simply optionalthey’re requirements. To help you navigate the tricky process of planning and throwing a successful home wedding, we tapped several of the industry’s leading planners, who’ve all had experience executing backyard parties.
If you’re set on tying the knot at home, click through for these insiders’ must-know tips, from hiring experienced personnel and obtaining the proper permits, to manicuring grassy grounds and renting a tent.
Start Your Guest List
While you dont have to have a final guest list until a bit later, when thinking about how to plan a wedding step by step, coming up with an estimated guest count early on is important. Theres a big difference between a 50-person wedding and a 300-person wedding, particularly when it comes to your venue options. So before you start browsing wedding venues, get an idea of how many guests youll host.
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Play With Place Settings
Design a really beautiful place setting for each guest if you’re hosting a seated dinner. This is such a great opportunity to go all out with a stunning set-up. But you’ll want to be sure they have the basics, too. Make sure your guests have enough elbow room at their place settings and easy access to the essentials , says Nick and Aleah Valley.
Look For Wedding Decor In Unexpected Places
Many wedding decor items can be rented from a reputable event rentals company, but there may be certain items you’d like to purchase yourself. Of course, scouring the web, particularly sites like WeddingWire Shop, , and Etsy, is a good first step, but you might also score wedding-related finds in flea markets, houseware stores, dollar stores, and more. Check out this guide to unexpected places to shop for wedding decor.
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Order Or Make Your Escort Cards And Place Cards
First, you should know the difference. While both place cards and escort cards designate where each guest will be seated at a wedding, place cards are more specificand also more formalthan escort cards. A place card not only directs guests to the table where each will sit during the reception, but also points each guest to his or her particular seat at the table. Whichever you choose, youll want your cards to complement the overall theme of your wedding, but again, the possibilities are unlimited.
What Do You Do If You Don’t Have Bridesmaids
If you want your close friends to feel like they’re part of your wedding day, but you don’t want to have bridesmaids or a wedding party, that’s okay! As we mentioned, you can still have your nearest and dearest be part of the wedding day! Though they may not walk down the aisle as bridesmaids, a great way to include them is to still incorporate some elements of what would be included with a traditional bridal party in a different way that makes sense to you. Get ready together, get together and have a friends-only bachelorette party before the big day, or invite a close friend to say a few words at the rehearsal dinner or reception.
Take a look at some ideas for including friends and family members at your wedding:
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