Tag: budget

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Wedding flowers: 5 sensational choices

Roses, petunias, daisies, lilies, tulips…..do the floral varieties have you in a tizzy?

Flowers are so beautiful, that it is often impossible for a bride to pick a favorite from the stunning variety available. Yet, some flowers are more popular than others.

This article is dedicated to those wedding favorites—flowers that have secured their place as the top choices in gracing bridal bouquets and wedding centerpieces. Let us look at what they are.

Ravishing roses

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The flower that symbolizes romance, love and all the emotions that go with it—Roses;particularly red roses, are an all-time favorite. These charming blooms come in an astounding range of colors and sizes. They are versatile; the flowers can be the focus of the bridal bouquet or centerpiece, or used to add sophistication to a diversity of blooms. Tea roses are the common variety that you often see in florist shops. The other two varieties include large and fragrant garden roses, as well as spray roses which are smaller and come as a bunch on a stem.

Happy hydrangeas

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Hydrangeas are a popular choice for centerpieces, as they easily fill a space and add a cheerful note to any setting. The colors range from pink to blues and whites, and it can be used as a bunch, or as sprigs. These bushy flowers remind us of spring and are a colorful addition to any space. Perfect for both casual and formal weddings alike, they have a surprising richness.

Tantalizing tulips

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Tulips are flowers that spell romance and look exquisite when bunched together. All you need are a few tulips to create a beautiful bouquet. Since these spring flowers are available in various colors, tulips are an ideal choice for spectacular bouquets in a single color. They are usually used by themselves in bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, but can be mixed with other blooms like pieris or ranunculus to form interesting combinations.

Classic carnations

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Strong flowers that add color and texture to any setting, carnations are available in a variety of shades and are super-affordable. While they are hardly ever used by themselves, they add the little details that complete a bouquet or centerpiece. Carnations are a popular choice when the venue decoration requires more flowers than usual, like when there are floral backdrops. These flowers work well in bouquets that have roses, orchids, petunias and daisies, and the ruffled petals add texture and charm to the bouquet.

Dainty daisies

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The go-to choice for outdoor, spring and summer weddings, daisies are traditional wedding flowers that symbolize purity and innocence. They are even used as hair accessories in garden theme weddings. A simple flower that can lift the atmosphere and be creatively spun into any centerpiece, daisies are perfect for vintage theme weddings. While white daisies are an eternal favorite, daisies in various other colors are also used in bridal bouquets and floral centerpieces.

These are but, a mere introduction to the sensational world of wedding blooms. Turn to your florist for suggestions and go with seasonal flowers or those that are available all around the year, to stick to your budget. For more inspiration and wedding flower ideas, visit us on Best for Bride.

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Gratitude in Action: The Essential Guide to Tipping for Your Wedding Services!

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Is it obligatory to tip every vendor at your wedding? Or is it alright to assume that the vendor charges cover their services and you needn’t add gratuities into your already-stretched wedding budget?

Wedding tipping is a tricky area, with no set rules on what is right and what isn’t. More often than not, it is up to the couple to decide whether they want to tip a vendor or not. If you aren’t really sure of what to do, this guide will help you recognize who you should tip and who you can skip.

Ground and set-up staff

These people do most of the hard work, like moving or setting up equipment and furniture at the venue. So, they deserve a tip for their efforts. You can budget roughly $10 per person. This list also includes anyone who delivers gifts or the important items from your baker, florist etc.

At your reception venue, unless you have taken an all-inclusive package, you will have to pay the staff in charge of serving wine or cutting cake, separately. In both cases, it is common practice to tip these attendants, and you can put aside roughly 15% of the food expenses for this purpose. To avoid double-tipping, check your contract for whether it includes service charges and make your decision accordingly.

Hair and Makeup

Similar to when you visit a beauty salon, these staff expect a tip for their service. How much you pay will depend on how well you think they performed the job.

Florist and Baker

It isn’t usually necessary to tip your florist or baker, as their rates normally include gratuity. One way to know whether it would be appropriate to tip the person you are dealing with is to read your contract. If it includes service charges, you do not have to tip again. Another thing to remember is that you needn’t tip a vendor who owns the service, but it is right to tip employees.

Wedding planner

It is optional to tip your wedding planner, but you can always do so if you appreciate the effort the team put in, to make your wedding a success. You can also show your appreciation by giving them a nice gift instead of cash. Don’t forget to send a thank you note to your wedding planner if you loved what they did, and make sure you do this soon after the wedding. A good review and photos for their portfolio would be nice too.

Photographers and Musicians

It is optional in both cases, but if you are happy with their service or if they exceed your expectations, don’t hesitate to tip them. Again, if the photographer is the owner of the business, you can always skip it. For the musicians, if they did a splendid job and kept the evening alive and active, you can tip them.

Apart from the customary tips, you should appreciate anyone who has made a special effort to do the job well. Don’t think of the rules if you think they did a splendid job, and also send out a thank-you note afterwards. In a business where customer satisfaction decides a vendor’s business prospects, it will be well-appreciated if you can provide them a good online review or recommend them to your engaged friends

To obtain more wedding advice and tips, and also find everything you need for your wedding, visit us at Best for Bride.

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Wedding planning: 5 Mistakes you can avoid

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You are bound to make mistakes when you attempt something for the first time. Your wedding is no exception. With so many details to look into, it is easy to make a few errors along the way. The sad part is, some mistakes can cost you dearly.

Here is a roundup of the common mistakes many brides make, and what you can do to avoid them at your wedding.

Doing it all yourself

You certainly want your wedding to be perfect in every way, but is it worth burning yourself out by doing every task yourself? Many brides find themselves dreading their wedding day, as they are overwhelmed with the number of things they have to tackle.

Instead of worrying yourself to death, it is best that you realize some things can be done better if you delegate them. Save your energy for important tasks like choosing the wedding dress, vendors and planning the dates. The sub-tasks can be handled by capable friends or assistants. Curb the temptation to micromanage, and leave out details that aren’t extremely important. You will enjoy your planning your wedding this way.

Blowing your wedding dress budget

via Best for Bride

When brides budget for their wedding dress, they should set aside a particular amount for the dress itself and distribute the rest for accessories and alterations. Do not exceed the wedding dress amount, by looking only at those that fit your budget. If you go over-budget with your dress, you will have to compensate by cutting down on accessories like shoes or jewelry, as you cannot skimp on alterations if you want to look perfect.

Not figuring in additional costs

You have planned your wedding budget, and you intend to stick to it when ordering things and booking vendors. However, have you figured in the overhead costs as well? There are additional charges for cleaning up, taxes and tips. Make sure you incorporate these into the budget and that your bookings are all within the limit. This can prevent you from receiving a shocking bill in the end.

Being fixated on a specific idea

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This applies to your wedding dress, flower arrangements, wedding venue, décor, bridesmaids dress and all the other aspects of your wedding. If you are too particular about your choices, it is likely that you will be disappointed when things don’t work out exactly as intended. Keep yourself open to ideas and you may even be pleasantly surprised with what you find. When you go with your bridal consultant’s advice, you may discover a better wedding dress than you ever imagined; allow your florist to choose the flowers for your bouquet and you may receive a stunning but affordable one that complements your wedding theme.

Hiring family or friends who aren’t professionals

Unless your cousin is a professional photographer, or your aunt is used to baking wedding cakes, don’t hand the task over to them just because they asked for it. Whether you will be paying in full for their service or not, you will risk things going wrong on your wedding day by entrusting it to someone who isn’t capable of handling it on the required scale. Your wedding is not the occasion to take such risks, and you will be better off with a vendor who knows what they are doing, even if they charge more.

For more wedding related tips and advice, visit us at Best for Bride.

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Tips to choose the best engagement ring for your budget

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Your love for each other is priceless, but the ring that signifies it can be pricey. Engagement rings are expensive, there is no doubt about that. So, you need to make sure that the money you spend on it is worth every dime. Here are some tips to help you make sure you get the most for your money when you choose an engagement ring.

Find the right metal for your budget

Engagement rings are usually more about the stone, than the metal it is set in. So, save your money for the stone, and go for gold instead of platinum. Platinum may be the best choice in metals, but it is several times more expensive than gold. For the same effect, you can opt for white gold. Yellow gold is stunning too, when you choose a design that looks good in it. So, make your choice wisely, and you won’t have to break the bank buying your engagement ring. Now, if you choose platinum, you can still save some cash by choosing to have the stone set in a prong setting which requires minimum metal.

Choose a ring that can create an impact without a bigger stone

A design which has a circle of smaller stones around the main stone in the center will enhance the overall size of the stone setting and make the center stone stand out vividly. This is called a “halo setting”. Not only will your ring look beautiful with the added design elements, it will turn out to be less expensive too. If the bigger stone is placed within an arrangement of small tiny diamonds, the ring will still sparkle, and you will have a beautiful design that will cost much lesser than a solitaire.

Choose the cut and carat to fit your budget

Anyone who knows diamonds will tell you that the more cuts a diamond has the more expensive it will be. It is these cuts that make a diamond sparkle. Ones with less cuts cost less. These reflect less light, but the stone will look larger. So, if you choose a bigger one it will be worth its size. Another point to remember is the price of a diamond increases when it covers each carat point. By choosing a ring that is 2 carats, you will have to spend more than if you were to buy a ring that is 1.9 carats. Use this factor to your advantage and buy shy of the carat point.

Diamonds needn’t be your best friend! Be bold and choose different

If your lady love is a girl who loves individuality, you are in luck. Pretty rings are available with various other gem stones, and you can get a much bigger and beautiful stone for your budget if you choose stones other than diamonds. You could go with her birthstone, or choose a stone in a color she loves. For an added effect you could even have a design with a stone set with tiny diamonds around it. There are plenty of choices like emerald, amethyst, saphire or topaz, each of which has its distinct signature.

So, now you know what to look for when choosing an engagement ring. For more tips and advice, visit us on Best for Bride.