Ways to save on your wedding reception

The reception is where most of your money is spent. You dont have to spend thousands of dollars to have a beautiful wedding reception. All you need to do is think outside the box. You dont have to have a sit down, 3 course meal with an open bar at a fancy reception centre... here are a few other ideas

• Have a picnic or BBQ in a park - Great for a casual fun wedding
  

Many parks have free picnic and BBQ facilites. Visit a wholesale butcher for all your meat and rope a friend into being the chef for the day. After the meal, you could play a fun game of cricket or football with all your friends and family

• Local pub or club

Many pubs and clubs have function rooms that are available for hire, cheaper than a reception centre. They may have set menus or you may be able to get a caterer in.

• Your favorite restaurant
  

If you have a restaurant you love to go to, why not book a few tables and have your reception there. Many places dont charge a venue hire fee so all you are paying for is the food and drink. Chinese resturants are perfect for this because they have set banquets.

• Farm or large property

Do you have friends or family with a farm or large property? Why not set up a marquee (you can buy them fairly cheaply at discount shops like the Reject Shop) for your reception? There are many spit roast catering companies around that charge around $12pp for a 3 course meal.

• Breakfast wedding

Why not have a high tea or champagne breakfast reception? Scones, pancakes, fancy tea

• RSL, Sports Club, School Hall, Community Centres

All usually have function space available to hire at a reasonable cost and they allow you to either self cater or bring in a catering company, saving you money on food costs. While they may not be as 'pretty' as the reception centres, the money you save is a great trade off

• Rent a holiday house
  

You can rent a beautiful holiday house in the country or even by the beach and hold your reception there. You could even hire it for a few days and once everyone has left the wedding, you and your husband could spend your honeymoon there


And if you still want to have your wedding at a reception centre...

• Ask about their cocktail menu. It is alot cheaper than a sit down meal.

• Ask the venue if you can supply your own alcohol, if not, have a bar tab for soft drinks only. Guest can pay for alcohol if they wish

• DJ's are cheaper than bands/singers. In this day and age where everyone has an Ipod, why not do your own wedding music. Load up the Ipod with all the songs you want to use, hook up some speakers and enlist someone to be 'DJ' for the night, pressing play and stop when needed.
  

• Have your wedding during off peak times. Weekdays, lunch time, Sundays are the times that the venue and suppliers are the least busiest so they may offer discounts.

Best tip of all.... Always ask for a discount!

Alternative to a floral bouquet

Who said you had to use flowers in your bouquet? Check out these great alternatives....



From HelloDaisy etsy shop




From KreatedbyKelly etsy shoo




From BelleSirota Etsy shop




From adamslr etsy shop





From Refinerii etsy shop



From princesslasertron etsy shop

How to make bath bombs

Bath bombs are easy to make and provide a delightful fizzing adventure in the tub. If you do not know what a bath bomb is, it is a sweet scented mixture of citric acid, baking soda and other ingredients that fizz when you plop them into your tub.

As your bomb fizzes, the scent is released filling the room with a comforting aroma that lasts for hours.

To make bath bombs, you will need 1/3 part citric acid, and 2/3 part baking soda as well as some witch hazel in a spray bottle.

First, mix the baking soda and citric acid together well, so that they are blended well. Next, add colorant if desired (you can use dried herbs for colour, just a pinch or so) and enough fragrance to scent the mixture well.

Now, grab your witch hazel, and work fast as the mixture will start fizzing once you start adding the hazel. Sprits with one hand, and stir well with the other hand until the mixture is thoroughly wet with a consistency of play dough.

Now firmly press your mixture into moulds (ice cube trays work well), then let your bombs sit overnight until dry.

If your bombs fizz in the moulds, just continue pressing them down. This just means that you used too much witch hazel resulting in a mixture that was too wet. Over time you will know what consistency is best for the humidity in your area. Until then, practice makes perfect.

The more you pack your mixture into your mould, the longer lasting and harder your bombs will be.


A nice way to package your bombs for gift giving would be to wrap them in cellophane and place a few in a large coffee cup, along with a sealed bag of hot cocoa, tea or coffee and a small candle.

Wrap this attractively in colourful wrap, add a bow, and you have a mini spa treat that is sure to please anyone.

Simple wedding cake decorations that you could do yourself

Different guestbooks

Guests place their fingerprint in green, or coloured depending on the look you're after and sign their name next to it. This one is created to look like a tree





After the ceremony, ask someone to bring the aisle runner to the reception. Ask everyone to leave their well wishes by writing on the aisle runner and after the wedding you can hang it from a wall to display










Use a platter, plate, bowl or mug



















What about the good old paper table clothes? Use paper table clothes on your table and leave some crayons, pencils or textas in a pretty jar in the middle of the table. Ask everyone to 'decorate' the table for you











You could also use cardstock and a pretty bowl, vase or jar. After the wedding you can put the messages in a scrapbook with your wedding photos

























Use a sticker camera to make a photo guest book!
Enlist the help of a friend or family member to act as the guest book photographer. Because the photos come out straight away, guests can stick their photo in the guest book and write a message next to it. It can also be done with a Polaroid camera.



From Polka Dot Bride

Pink love heart candle

From The Better Homes and Gardens Website














What You Need:

* Pink patterned papers
* White card stock
* Scissors
* Craft wire
* Beads (optional)
* Large candle

Instructions:

1. Cut strips of different pink patterned papers and adhere them to same-size strips of white card stock.

2. Die-cut, punch, or freehand-cut two sizes of hearts from the patterned papers. Poke tiny holes in some of the hearts to allow wire to be threaded through them.

3. Join the hearts by running wire through the holes and also by wrapping the wire around the hearts, measuring the candle circumference as you go. If you wish, slide beads onto the wire as you twist and bend it into curls and loops.

Napkin holder using artifical grass and flowers

From Save on Crafts

• Pull off 3 blades of the grass.
• Tie 1 around the napkin and place 2 underneath it, longways
• Glue a flower head on top
  

Fortune teller favors

Another from Martha Stewart Weddings.

Remember these from school? I used to make them all the time and put silly little messages in them like 'Your going to marry Mr Scott' or similar childish things. How about making some for your wedding and filling them with lollies, nuts, M&M's or something similar. It will give your guest something to talk about as they relive their childhoods.

Paper-Heart Place Cards

From Martha Stewart Weddings


Choose 6-inch square origami papers with a pretty pattern or different color on each side; both will be visible in the heart.

1. Lay paper on work surface with the side you want for the heart face down. Fold paper in half; unfold.

2. Bring top left corner in to center crease; repeat with top right corner.

3. Turn paper over.

4. Fold left edge in to center crease; repeat with right edge.

5. Fold top point down to meet with bottom edge. Fold top outer corners back. Fold two flaps that meet in the center under, to create the V of the heart shape. Slide place card into pocket behind heart, and stand the heart up.

Typewriter guest book

I saw this idea on Martha Stewart one day and thought it was great. Buy an old typewriter from an op shop, cash converters or see if a friend or relative has an old one laying around. Get everyone to type their well wishes on some pretty paper and when they are done you can scrapbook it, frame it, tie it up with ribbon like a scroll or display it in your wedding album

Ikea - great place to buy your decorations

I love, love, love Ikea. I could spend hours (and $$$) in there. These are a few of the bargains I've come across....

1kg of stones - 95c

Glass Vase - $1.50

Long, thin colored vase - $1.95

Square vase - $4.95

White vases - $.395 each

Tealight lantern- $4.95 each

Tealight candle holders - 4 for $1.50

Cheap place card holder ideas

I found these on Do It Yourself Wedding and thought they were great ideas for cheap & easy place card holders....







This one is from Yum Sugar

Pink Banded Pillar Candles

MATERIALS:

• 6 inch Pink Pillar Candle
• Some wide brown and narrow pink satin ribbon
• Pearl Brads (you can get them from spotlight or scrapbook stores)
• Wire cutter
• Glue gun
• glue sticks
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Cut the backs of the brads with the wire cutters.
• Glue ribbon around the candle, the pink on top of the brown.
• Glue Brads into place

A Spoonful of Kisses

A Spoonful of Kisses

You will need:

• Spoons (one per guest)
• Hershey's kisses
• Coordinated netting
• Ribbon
• Small card to write poem on

This was a party favor for the tables. You can either color-coordinate the spoon color with white netting or use white spoons(cheaper) with colored netting.

Cut netting or bridal veiling 8 1/2" by 8 1/2", put two hershey kisses in spoon. Enclose spoon in netting. Tie up with 12" piece of ribbon adding the following poem typed out. (If you have a computer and Word, you can use one of the label templates to print multiple copies of the poem, then just cut them out.) Punch a hole in the end of the paper so you can just tie it in.

"We thank you for coming,
with a spoonful of kisses,
to bless our beginning,
as Mr. and Mrs.!"

Ferrero Rocher Placecards

Materials:

• 10 Rocher Chocolates
• 12-14'Armature wire, or other 16 gauge wire such as floral, copper or craft*
• Wire cutters
• 1 pencil, wooden spoon, or dowel
• Double stick tape
• 10 standard sized Place cards or paper measuring 2 1/2" x 1"

Instructions:

TIGHT TWIST

1. Cut a piece of armature wire about 14 inches long with wire cutters.
2. Holding the pencil in one hand, gently secure one end of the wire between your thumb and the pencil. Use your other hand to wrap the wire around the pencil three times. Push the wire together on the pencil if there are any gaps, as this will make a more secure place for your card to fit. At the same time, gently press the end in to avoid any sharp edges.
3. Pull on the wire while it still connected to the pencil to straighten it. Remove the pencil and place it against the wire about 1 "away from the loops you just made. Wrap the wire around it one more time. Pull the wire straight at the end of the loop so continues to move in the opposite direction of the loops you just made.
4. Make a base with the opposite end by twisting the wire around your thumb a few times and bending it perpendicular to the stem. Adjust the wire so that it is balanced.
5. Attach a small piece of double stick tape to the base of the Fererro Rocher wrapper. Place it on the wire base. Slide your place cards into the twist up top and impress your friends!!

LOLLIPOP SWIRL

1. Cut a piece of armature wire 16 "long with wire cutters.
2. Pinching one end between your thumb and forefinger, coil the wire in a circular motion 4 times to create a disk resembling and old fashioned lollipop. Pull the wire straight down from the "lollipop" about 2 1/2 ".
3. Make a base with the opposite end by twisting the wire around your thumb a few times and bending it perpendicular to the stem. Adjust the wire so that it is balanced.
4. Attach the Ferrero Rocher as explained above in the "tight twist".

FLOWER

1. Cut a piece of wire 14" long with wire cutters.
2. Holding the pencil in one hand, secure one end of the wire between your thumb and the pencil. Use your other hand to wrap the wire around the pencil one time. Remove the pencil and place it directly under the loop you just made. Make another loop in the same fashion that you made the first one. Do this a third time only make two loops and press them close together. Make two more separate loops for a total of 5 loops, the one in the middle being double. This double loop, when finished will actually be your top loop where you will put the place cards.
3. Holding the wire with the loops on the right, pull the top loop down to the left around in a circle to meet the last one. Adjust the wire to create the form of a flower.
4. Make a base with the opposite end by twisting the wire around your thumb and bending it perpendicular to the stem of the flower. Attach The Rocher as explained above in the "tight twist".

CORKSCREW

1. Cut a piece of armature wire 14" long.
2. Hold the wire between your thumb and the pencil and wrap the wire around the pencil twice. Push the twists close together.
3. Wrap the wire around the pencil four more times, but this time leaving 1/4" of space between each twist. Pull the wire off the pencil.
4. Bend the top double loop so that it is perpendicular to the rest of the loops.
5. Wrap the opposite end of the wire around your thumb e few times and bend it so that it is also perpendicular to the corkscrew. This is your base. Tape the Ferrero Rocher to the base as explained in the "tight twist".

Cakes

This was our wedding cake. Simple, yet oooh so yummy. It fed 70 people with plenty left over.

I did alot of research when it came to the cake. I knew I didnt want anything fancy but I still wanted it to look nice. After speaking to a few cake shops who all wanted $200+ for a basic cake, I started looking at places like the cheesecake shop and Michel's Patisseri. I even tried Ferguson Plaires. They all wanted over $100 for a cake that would only feed 50 people. Thats when my aunt suggested I try Coles Supermarket where she worked. I paid $58 for a chocolate slab mudcake that everyone loved. I bought in my own ribbon and cake topper (bought on ebay for $12) and they decorated it for me.
Not every Coles makes cakes on site (I got mine from the one in Williamstown, Melbourne) so you may have to ring around to find one that does, but it's worth it. The cake was delish!!

The Wishing Tree - Alternative to a traditional guest book

The Wish Tree is a Dutch wedding custom where guests are given a piece of paper, either shaped like a leaf or made of card stock. The guests write their wishes to the bride and groom and then hang it on the tree. This creates a gorgeous centerpiece and the tree is placed at the entrance to the reception to wow your guests right when they walk in.

After the wedding you can create a scrapbook with the wish cards. You could even find pictures of the guests who wrote each one and place it next to their wish.

Here are some inspirations for you...