TFF Quick-Tips: Wedding Budget Fixes

Welcome back to The Friday Five!

Today we're talking ways to reduce the cost of your wedding with these 5 tips:

1. Trim the guest list. This is probably the most popular tip but it's true. Trimming down your guest list can be a touchy subject but it's basic math - the less people the lower the overall cost. Start by talking to your fiancé and your families. You don't want to offend anyone. Ask politely about that second cousin you've never met and explain your budget concerns. Communication with those involved is key especially if they are helping with cost.

*Bonus tip: you don't HAVE to give everyone a +1 but DO be consistent with it

2. Wedding Brunch. We've talked about the wedding off-season before. Not only can the off-season be a less expensive time to tie the knot but sometimes a different time of day can be too. A daytime wedding can be fun and everyone loves brunch. Am I right? Your guests don't have to know it was a budget conscious decision. Have fun with it!

3. Buy your dress used. That's right! Check out our previous blog post to learn more. 

4. Multi-use decor. Choose floral arrangements that can be moved from your ceremony site and repurposed as decor at your reception. Think about where the bridal party can place their bouquets - those little beauties should not go to waste either. Your florist should have some more great ideas as well.

*Bonus Idea: Place cards that double as favors

5. The signature cocktail. I don't have to tell you booze for a party is expensive and you certainly don't want your guests to have to pay for anything while attending your event. An open bar of beer, wine and a signature cocktail of your choice can still be a hit. It's personalized yet budget friendly.

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We hope these tips helped with some of your budget dilemmas. If you'd like us the elaborate on any of these tips or have any tips of your own please leave them in a comment below.

Happy weekend & as always, happy planning!
xo.

TFF Quick-Tips: Trying on Wedding Dresses

image via glitterinc.com

This week on The Friday Five we're offering up 5 quick-tips so you can get on with your weekend! This week's quick-tips you can take along with you when you're trying on wedding dresses.

1. Bring a short bathrobe to the bridal salon.
Because it makes the time between dress changes more comfortable

2. Don’t try on wedding dresses that you cannot afford. 
Because there's nothing worse than lusting after something you can't have 

3. Be open-minded. Try on at least one style you wouldn't normally go for.
Because the vision in your head might not include the best dress for your shape

4. Limit the amount of people you bring along.
Because a few opinions are nice but too many can ruin the mood or make you second guess your instincts 

5. Try to go in with a clear vision of your event's style and major details.
Because the attire is affected by things like location, season and time of day

*Bonus Tip: Check out our Pinterest boards for inspiration!

Visit Revelry Alliance's profile on Pinterest.

xo.

TFF: Friday Favorites

It's favorites time on the The Friday Five.

When I saw a pin of the cake-topper pictured below in my Pinterest feed earlier this week it definitely put me in a whimsical mood, not to mention every song played at my wedding ceremony was a Beatles song. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic guitarist playing John Lennon's Real Love, so let's just say this was right up my ally. Here are 5 favorites that inspired me this week with a whimsy-Beatles-inspired twist...

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Speaking of whimsy, any Chicagoans attending Indie Wed tomorrow?! 

It's such a unique event and tons of our favorite wedding vendors will be there.

If you still need more convincing check out the video from last year's event to see what you'd be missing:

Happy Weekend!

TFF: How to Keep the Love Alive During Your Engagement

Don't neglect your relationship during wedding planning. It sounds crazy, right? You would think planning a wedding, a day that is centered around your love for each other, would naturally bring you closer together. It can and should but it can also take attention away from essential aspects of your relationship that you may take for-granted. Just know that the free-time you have together will lessen. It depends on the couple but most of the time one person (usually the woman) takes on more responsibility than the other during the planning process. So we're talking to you, ladies, when we say give yourself a break and take some necessary time out with your partner. Everyone thinks "Not me! I won't be that kind of Bride" but trust me you can easily get wrapped up and feel like there's just not enough hours in the day. You need to step away from those vendor proposals and focus your attention to your relationship. Here are 5 ways to keep the love alive during your engagement...

TFF: Wedding Planning Organization

Welcome to The Friday Five! We're going to kick off the weekend by adding on to last week's TFF topic where we discussed where to start after the proposal. If you're anything like me there's just something gratifying about pretty stationary and chic notebooks like these from Rifle Paper Co.:

It motivates me and makes things like writing a grocery list or taking notes more enjoyable. It's the little things! I was inspired by Sugar Paper®'s new collection for J.Crew to share a couple wedding planning binders and organizers that are sure to motive and inspire your planning process.

TFF: Newly Engaged?! Start Here.

This week The Friday Five is for all you newly engaged ladies who need a little push in the right direction when it comes to planning a wedding. You just got engaged and you're already bombarded with guides and checklists that make you feel like you were behind even before he could slip the ring on your finger. Don't stress. We get it. When you're overwhelmed it can be difficult to just get started so let's change all that...

The Friday Five: How to be NYE Party Ready

Happy Friday, everyone! We're going to start a new series called The Friday Five to kick your weekends off right. This week, with 2014 right around the corner, we're talking how to pull together the perfect party look to ring in a new year.