NWweddingshop Online DEAL for One Lucky Bride!!

Hi there - We're just testing to you see who's reading this fun Blog today... Are you getting married? Are you looking for (or desperately needing) a fantastic deal on wedding supplies, such as a cake topper, guest book, toasting flutes, ring pillow, bridal party gifts, serving set, flower girl and ring bearer gifts, etc??

Have we got a DEAL for YOU! The first bride (or groom) to respond to this Lucky Bride Deal will get to order approx. $325 worth of wedding items for our cost - approx. $165. We have to also charge you shipping too! Yes, we are way too nice :-), but we know you need it.

This is our way of saying "thank you" for supporting NWweddingplace.com's cheap-wedding-tips Blog, and helping one lucky couple in our community of brides & grooms to truly save money on their wedding.
Call or e-mail krista@nwweddingplace.com today for the selection details - 360-951-6400 or 1-800-630-9771. Sorry if you're not the first one who replies, but still know we love you too.

Recession-Proofing Your Wedding Budget -Part 2

Brides & grooms often spend $ on "Optional Wedding Service Categories". Which categories are optional? Which are not? In our opinion, the following categories of wedding vendors/services are NOT optional, and even the most basic wedding has them:

• Formalwear (of some sort)
• Officiant
• Photography (to some degree)
• Rings
• Floral (to some degree)
• Cake or desserts
• Invitations
• Venue (can be a free one)

Here are the categories that we feel are completely optional, or could be used at their most basic level for serious money savings:

• Limos & Transportation
• Health (gyms, personal trainers, yoga, dance lessons, etc)
• Wedding planners/coordinators
• Printed materials
• Catering
• Videography
• Music services

Let's take catering as an example. Do you really need a full catered meal? Could you DIY your own catering and have snacks and hors d'oeuvres instead to go with your cake? The price difference between those 2 food options is staggering. Or videography for example too - Have a friend videotape your ceremony and sections of your reception! The $$ savings there too would be immense. Even so, maybe some of these items are not optional according to you! Take into consideration all the options you have in each category. Nearly every category has a DIY option, a basic option and a full service option. Ultimately, it's your wedding so decide the budget priorities for yourselves.

For more wedding planning and DIY information, go to http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ today!

Fundraising For Wedding Money

I've known some pretty savvy, creative engaged couples looking for ways to pay for their weddings. Typically, people work overtime at work, restrict themselves from any unneccesary spending, sell a car, or something similar. I know one entreprenureal groom who set himself up as a car detailer and solicited friends and aquaintances for detailing jobs. He got some! Several couples I know have held garage or yard sales to raise some much needed cash. Another couple even had a car wash!

If you find yourself over budget and under funded, these are all great money making ideas! Decide for yourselves how badly you'd like to (or need to) pad your wedding budget account and go get some creativity flowing. You could work extra hours, sell an unneccesary asset or extra stuff, somehow use publicity or advertising to trade for free services, use skills or talents to earn extra $$.

CHA-CHING :-)

Got any ideas? Please share...

Can you Recession-Proof your wedding?

All the economic buzz these days talks of recession. However, we know that weddings will never cease no matter what the economy does... :-)

Which wedding services are most effected by recession price increases and soaring fuel costs?
Catering/food, jewelry and transportation services are obvious categories seeing price increases lately. Slight increases may happen as well in some cases for gowns, flowers, DJ's, and officiant services all due to the increased costs of shipping and transporting these items/services. Categories that are relatively uneffected by recession are photography, tuxes, wedding planners, rental services (unless they are delivering), beauty, pre-marriage counseling, invitations & printing, and venues. Whether or not these items will see price increases "just because..." remains to be seen!

Stay tuned for more recession-proofing wedding ideas.

This Blog is dedicated to giving couples money saving tips for their wedding. For more great wedding-related information, free resources & advice, please go to http://www.nwweddingplace.com/!

How to Save Money on Your Wedding!

Saving money makes me happy. Plain and simple. It's almost an art form in some ways... :-)!

How can couples have a great wedding, yet not break the bank? Here are the top 3 ways:

1. Do more searching, planning and DIY projects yourselves. In general, this is the number 1 way to save money on your wedding. Now you're probably thinking, "I am planning my wedding myself, so what is she talking about?" When I say do more planning yourselves, here is an example: If you walk into a florist and say you need a wedding flower package, you may hear a "cha-ching" sound in the background. Shop around. Know what you want and don't get sucked into extras. Or, look at grocery store floral departments for pre-made arrangements. Buy store flower bunches and put them in vases on your reception tables instead. Silk flowers can also be stunning and created far in advance. Get creative and don't just totally pawn things off to your vendors! "Our wedding colors are green and pink, and we need 6 bouquets, 12 arrangements, etc.... so make it happen". That's a recipe for overpaying.
2. Know what you're willing to spend money on, and what categories are "skimp-able". If you have a budget, which nearly all weddings do, you'll need to creatively fit everything in. Want a fancy wedding gown? Don't care so much about the invitations? Need a great DJ for the reception? Not sure about what kind of food or desserts to have? Take everything into consideration and figure out your priorities - rank them. Make sure to consult your groom :-)

3. Do some DIY projects. DIY stands for do-it-yourself. You can save some serious $$ this way, although I must tell you it won't save time. If you're not handy, I bet you know someone who is! Maybe a willing friend or family member?

Posted by Krista Dunk, CEO & Founder of http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

For more great wedding budget tips and ideas, please visit http://www.nwweddingplace.com/!

$5000 Wedding Budget?!

Hello world!
NWweddingplace.com is bringing you a much needed, highly anticipated Blog, dedicated to all of you who need wedding ideas... and cheap ideas! On a budget ideas! Do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas! Clever ideas!

Do you think it's possible to have a great wedding with a $5000 wedding budget? We do, and we'll tell you how to make it happen. Keep reading this Blog for great ideas and money saving wedding tips.

For now, visit http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ for great planning tips, budgeting info, photo galleries, pre-marriage surveys, Pacific NW vendor searches, love & marriage advice, and more!