Wedding Colors

The colors you choose for your wedding day will be the basis for many of your wedding day decisions; from bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, table linens and more. Choosing the perfect color can be tricky though. Here’s some ideas to get you started.

• Consider the venue. Beach weddings pair nicely with turquoises and beiges. A barn wedding might feature reds and oranges.
• Go with seasonal colors. A Christmas season wedding often has touches of reds; early spring soft pastels.
• Consider the feel you would like for your wedding day. A black and white event can be quite elegant, while a bright yellow theme invokes energy.
• Think about your favorite outfit and how you feel when you wear it. Does that match the vibe you would like for your wedding day? If so, go with it!
• Use a color wheel or paint chips to lay samples of colors in front of you. Are you instinctively drawn to a particular shade? Consider using it as your foundation color and building from it with either a complimentary or contrasting shade. You could also choose a monochromatic look by layering slightly differing tones of the same color.
• Limit your color choices to two or three. Any more than that may appear too busy.
• Before finalizing your color choice, think about how it looks with natural skin tones. Your bridesmaids will thank you.

Where to use color:

• You can begin to share the style of your wedding day with your save the date cards and again for your wedding invitations. Use your wedding colors as part of the design.
• If the color isn’t too bold, you can select attendant’s attire in your wedding shade. If the color is too strong for such a statement, you might want to consider it as an accent color for shoes, ties, jewelry or other accessories.
• Flowers are an excellent way to continue your wedding theme and colors throughout the day; providing a continuous visual from ceremony to reception.
• Cake accents such as ribbons, cake topper, embellishments and frosting colors are another opportunity to present your color choice.
• Table linens can be a foundational piece for decorating your wedding reception location with your color choice.

Popular color choices by season:

Winter: All white is popular during this stark season; often seen with stylish accents of silver or purple. Metallic colors such as gold accent reds during the holidays.

Spring: Soft pastels are often the color choice for a spring wedding. Those same shades can be punched up with corals, spring greens and hot pink.

Summer: Summer foliage is full of color and so are the weddings. Sunshine yellow, cobalt blue and jewel tones make beautiful seasonal appearances.

Fall: The splendor of a Michigan fall is often reflected in this season’s wedding colors. Burnt orange, deep red and sunflower yellow are perennial choices for the fall bride.

Bundling can help you save some “green”. Click here to learn more.

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Weddings On A Budget

Wedding dreams can have no limit, but the budgets usually do. Here are some ways you can save a few dollars and still have the wedding you want.

Figure it out. Once you have decided how much money you have to spend on your wedding, it’s important to know where it will go. On average wedding budgets are broken down as:

45% Reception venue, dinner and drinks

35% all other wedding items including dress, decor and professional services.

Prioritize. One of the biggest mistakes brides make, is not prioritizing their wedding budgets. If you have your heart set on a particular wedding item, it should be listed as a top priority. This allows you to cut other expenses as necessary to keep that element. (Click here to learn about other top wedding mistakes.) You should also consider other elements that are low priority and cut them immediately. Most people won’t notice if you don’t offer personalized cocktail napkins and matchbooks, but your budget will be better off.

Be selective with invitations. It’s a difficult task to decide who makes the guest list “cut”. With the average wedding reception cost per person of $100, this can be a budget saver though.

As eco-friendly weddings increased, the formality of wedding stationary has decreased. It is now acceptable to print your ceremony and reception information on one invitation. You can also ask for your reply information to be printed on post cards. This will result in lower printing and postage costs.

Reduce the number of attendants. Each person standing up in your bridal party is a dear friend – and an expense. While you may not be paying for their attire, you will purchase their flowers, attendant gift, transportation and more. Consider limiting your bridal party to siblings and closest friends.

Bundle services. It can be a huge savings to bundle multiple services with a single company. Centerpieces, attendant’s flowers and ceremony decorations with one florist. Invitations, wedding programs, and personalized stationary with one printer. (Click here to learn about bundling DJ, Photography and Videography with Mike Staff Productions.)

It’s all about appearances. It is common to have a display cake for the cake cutting ceremony, with one layer for cutting, and a sheet cake in the kitchen for dessert service. You can also display a fine bottle of champagne at the head table, but have a less expensive sparkling wine for the toast. No one will be the wiser.

In season means in budget. Choosing flowers that are in season can result in major savings. Instead of telling your florist what bouquet you want, ask for recommendations using less costly blooms for your time of year. If you want something out of season, ask to use them as accent flowers rather than the primary.

Choose one location. There are multiple benefits of combining your ceremony and reception location. In addition to the convenience, you can reduce the cost of multiple venues, transportation and decor.

We can create a custom package that fits within your wedding budget. Click here to learn more.

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Wedding Reception Options

Throughout the wedding planning process, you will have several opportunities for your personal preferences to shape your wedding day. Below are a few of those choices for your wedding reception.

The Sweetheart’s Table or Head Table A recent trend in wedding receptions is the sweetheart’s table; a table just for the bride and groom. Traditionally, the bride and groom would sit at a head table surrounded by the bridal party. Here are a few things to consider:

• Wedding etiquette dictates that the bride and groom should be seated near their bridal party.
• Consider they layout of your reception room and discuss the options with your venue. A sweetheart’s table does require additional setup, table linens, centerpiece, etc. The table should be placed so that your guests and those offering toasts can clearly see the new couple.
• If you have a large wedding party, it may be more convenient to have a sweetheart’s table.
• Your bridal party may be offended if you choose not to dine with them. Alternatively, they might appreciate being able to dine with their date or family. Discuss your decision with them in advance.
• If you or your fiance are shy, it may feel like more attention is focused if you decide to dine at a separate table.

Buffet or Seated Dinner Most wedding reception venues will allow you the option of a buffet or seated dinner. Here are some things to consider when choosing between the two:

• Buffet dinners are usually less formal than seated dinners so it is important to consider the overall formality of your wedding day.
• Seated dinners are typically more expensive due to the additional servers required; making buffet dinners budget friendly.
• Guests are able to choose more or less of foods that they like with a buffet dinner.
• Ask your caterer if you will be charged a per plate price with a buffet dinner. Some guests consider buffets an “all-you-can-eat” invitation and may make multiple trips; possibly increasing your costs.
• Buffet lines should allow access from both sides to keep guests moving through lines in a timely manner.

Open or assigned seating Again, the tone of your wedding reception will usually dictate the level of planning required for dinner seating. A simple, informal reception or one where most people will know each other lend themselves to more casual, open seating. The more formal the wedding reception, the more likely there will be assigned seating. (To learn more about creating seating arrangements, click here.)

Cash or open bar It is generally frowned upon to ask guests to pay for drinks during your wedding reception. However, there are not rules forcing you to have a full bar either. An option that is budget friendly and conforms to wedding etiquette is to offer an open, but limited bar. Your bartender can help you to select a few wines, beers and liquors that will meet the needs of the typical guest. You can also create asignature drink for your event too.

Guest Requests – Yes or No At some point during your wedding reception, a guest will ask your DJ to play their favorite song. It is important to discuss with your DJ in advance how you would like him to respond.

• The more your DJ honors song requests, the more likely your dance floor will be filled. (For more ways to pack your dance floor, click here.)
• If you are worried about someone requesting a song you hate, place it on your “do not play list”. Your DJ can then help the guest to pick another song that would be more appropriate.
• If you truly do not want the DJ to play guest requests, have him inform guests that you have asked him not take requests for the evening.

Cake or cupcakes It is a traditional moment of the wedding day when the bride and groom cut their wedding cake. More recently, couples have begun to share cupcakes as well. If you are struggling between the two, consider the following:

• Having multiple flavors of wedding cakes will usually require additional tiers. If you would like to offer your guests a large selection of flavors, cupcakes allow more variety.
• If you have a particular theme to your wedding, each cupcake can be decorated accordingly and presented to guests. While cakes can also incorporate themes, guests will not see that on their individual plates.
• Having a “cut” cake and sheet cakes for service can be more budget friendly than individual cupcakes.

We’re ready to help you create the wedding reception you want. Click here to get started.

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