As much fun as it would be to be a “platinum bride”, that is not the reality for most women. It can feel challenging to plan a beautiful wedding when you have to watch the bottom line, but it definitely can be done. These are some dos and don’ts for planning a budget wedding reception with style.

Do: Have your wedding at an off-hour. If you want to avoid the huge expense of serving a full meal, plan your reception to fall in-between meal times. For a family-friendly wedding, plan on a reception to start around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Or go for the chic style of an evening cocktail party reception. The key is to indicate what to expect on the invitations so your guests will not be expecting to be fed dinner. Phrases like “light refreshments”, “cocktail reception” or “please join us for cake and punch following the ceremony” will do the trick nicely.

Don’t: Try to have your guests provide the food in a potluck format. If you have family members who have offered to bring dishes to your reception, by all means feel free to accept their offer. Thank them by designating them as co-hosts. But don’t ask the rest of the guests to show up with a covered dish in hand; let them be guests in the true sense of the word.

Do: Keep centerpiece costs in hand by sticking to seasonal flowers. Also keep in mind that shades of white are sometimes less pricey than colorful blossoms, which many have to be special ordered. Brides who plan to do their own wedding flowers can look into alternative sources for fresh blossoms, such as grocery store special orders, the Internet, and wholesale flower markets. Remember that designs which are based around one or two varieties will be easier to artfully arrange than complex designs with numerous types of flowers.

Don’t: Use fake silk flowers. They always end up looking fake, even the more expensive ones. If fresh blossoms are simply beyond the budget, try non-floral alternatives like candles or even colorful fresh fruit. Found objects can be used to make very unique and inexpensive centerpieces. Natural elements like branches, pinecones, smooth river rocks, seaglass, and seashells all make wonderful centerpieces when arranged in clear jars or on trays. Best of all, they will cost next to nothing.

Do: Borrow the little extras that will make your reception feel luxurious. Perhaps a friend has a fabulous car the newlyweds can use to travel to and from the reception, rather than renting a limo. Maybe your mom or sister has gorgeous wedding jewelry you can borrow (you need something borrowed anyway, right?). Or if you have already picked out your wedding jewelry, borrow a pretty brooch to pin to your dress to make it more festive for the reception.

Don’t: Worry about trying to get every “must have” you see in the weddings in magazines or television shows. Those weddings are fantasies, and most brides will not have all of the details featured in the big budget extravaganzas. You can still have a beautiful and meaningful wedding without custom lighting and fireworks. No one had those kind of things at their weddings in generations past, and many of those marriages turned out to last a lifetime. And the marriage, after all, is the whole point of the wedding in the first place!

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about wedding planning, style, and etiquette. Find gorgeous wedding jewelry for the entire bridal party at http://silverlandjewelry.com/. All jewelry orders over $99 receive free shipping.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: wedding jewelry, wedding planning, budget wedding, wedding receptions