Published on Thursday, November 4, 2010 by Ask Fran The Early Bird Gets the Dream Wedding A wedding is one of  life's  most important events, and as such, it is meant to be a memorable, beautiful and poignant affair.  But before the actual ceremony can take place,  you know there is a tremendous amount of planning that needs to be done. A bride has a certain vision of her ideal wedding – where it is...

Published on Monday, November 23, 2009 by Ask Fran Planning a wedding is one of the most expensive things most of us ever do, except buying a home or a new car. We all want our event to be the most amazing, most unique, and most memorable but if we’re on a tight budget that might seem pretty challenging. The good news is that with some creative ideas and a little bit of time you can cut your costs without having ...

Published on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by Fran Hansen Order the size wedding cake that you actually need to serve your guests! Whether you are ordering or making your own cake, you will still want to be assured that you have enough, but not too much! Most brides will order a cake that is too large and have one or more layers left over! On a budget, that just doesn't make sense! A good rule of thumb is to multiply your...

Published on Friday, October 9, 2009 by Fran Hansen Strictly speaking, most etiquette rules might frown on CD wedding invitations, but they are becoming more popular everyday and guests love them! While you can have them created by a professional, if you have the right equipment and a bit of creativity you can put them together on your own for a fraction of the cost. So to make your own wedding cd, here’s what you...

Published on Saturday, September 26, 2009 by Fran Hansen Seriously consider holding your wedding and reception in the same location. Right off the bat, this can save you a small fortune as much of your ceremony décor might also be used to enhance your reception.  (Floral and altar candelabra displays showcased behind your cake table, etc.) Your guests will love it as there is no need to transport themselves to the party. ...

Published on Monday, May 11, 2009 by Fran Hansen While the wedding cake will normally be on the to-do list of a bride, the stand for the cake is sometimes forgotten. It is also something you don’t want to spend a fortune on or by the time you get to the stand your budget can be stretched to the limit. Fortunately there are many ways around this problem. To begin with, if you have a chosen to have a tradit...