An outdoor wedding reception with the white lights--starry, romantic ambiance!

Many of you know that spring-time weddings can be a bit expensive—from the flowers and decoration, choosing a top-notch photographer, hiring the best DJ, getting the food catered and selecting a nice open venue. Luckily I have a few tips that can help you stay in your budget while planning your outdoor garden wedding extravaganza!

1. Instead of hiring a DJ or musician, try connecting your MP3 Player to a couple of large
speakers. You could save yourself a few extra bucks and have control over the music.

2. When selecting the perfect flowers, buy them at a local supermarket and create your own
bouquet. Maybe have a girl’s day in, with you and your wedding party and they can help put
together some fabulous centerpieces for the table. This is a win-win—you will be able to bond
with your wedding party and save some money at the same time!

3. Before you go out and hire that expensive photographer, find a good friend or family member
who knows how to take good pictures—have them use a digital camera to catch all the special
moments. Candid pictures are the best!

4. As for decorations, you can hang white lights through and around nearby trees and on top of arbors. Placing candles in dark areas will give that starry, romantic affect.

5. Wait on the cake! Before you go out and buy that wedding cake, try serving an assortment of
cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. Since it’s a garden wedding, you can get away with fun
ideas and trying different things. Trust me–cupcakes will satisfy everyone and cleaning up will
be pretty simple!