Every bride and groom wants to have the perfect honeymoon to follow the perfect wedding reception. But for many couples, once they’ve paid for the wedding ceremony and wedding reception, there is little money left over to plan an expensive honeymoon. However, there are some things that can be done so that the bride and groom have the wedding they want and the honeymoon that they want as well.

• Talk to your travel agent well ahead of time so that you can find out about any specials that are going to be available at the time of your wedding. If you don’t have a specific destination in mind you may find that there are some great locations that offer some exceptional deals at certain times of the year.
• Plan your wedding around your honeymoon. If you have your heart set on a particular honeymoon destination find out when the cheapest flights and accommodations are available. Once you have some dates in mind you can plan the rest of your wedding around this time. This strategy will only work if you’re flexible about when you can have your wedding ceremony and reception. Keep in mind that there are some guests that just won’t be able to make it to your wedding at certain times of the year, such as at Christmas time.
• Have the wedding that you want and postpone your honeymoon for a few months until you can afford the honeymoon that you dream of. This is a little like having the best of both worlds. If you have a limited budget you might want to plan your wedding without thinking about your honeymoon. This means that you can spend a bit more on your wedding ceremony and reception. Plan a couple of days away somewhere close just to celebrate your marriage in private. Then start saving for a honeymoon to someplace exotic. This can even turn into a first year anniversary celebration.
• Have your wedding exactly where you want to have your honeymoon. For example, plan your wedding in Hawaii. After your family and friends have celebrated your special day you can stay for your honeymoon in one of the most incredible states in the country. This is the ideal way to have your cake….and eat it too.

Planning your honeymoon doesn’t have to be a daunting and difficult task. No matter how much money that you have to spend there are options for you. Even if it means that you have to settle for a location that is less than perfect the main thing is the you and your loved on are together to celebrate your union.

Planning an inexpensive open house

Some of the most expensive items that you’ll buy for the celebration of your wedding are the invitations and party favors. Typically you’ll be having an open house on the day before you wedding for the wedding party or on the day after your wedding to open your gifts in the company of your friends and family.

If you are hosting an open house for whatever reason that involves the celebration of your wedding you’ll need to send out detailed invitations letting guests know the time, place, and of course who you are. Since there are many different reasons that you could be hosting an open house, you may find it very difficult to find invitations in a party supply store.

Not only that, but you’ll need to fill out every invitation card with all the open house information which could take hours if not days. The answer is to make your own open house invitations. While this may sound like more work than buying them, read on to discover it’s actually quite simple.

Before we discuss how to make your invitations, we would like to cover the most important aspect of planning an open house: the food. Everyone expects to see a variety of good food at an open house, but if people are coming and going all day, what should you serve? For some great party food ideas check out the appetizer section of any cookbook.

Avoid serving casseroles or too many hot recipes or you’ll spend all your time running in and out of the kitchen. Stick to cold appetizers that can sit out for hours such as dips, crackers and cheese, and fruit plates. The easiest way to make your invitations is to use templates that you can download from the Internet.

Soon you’ll be making your own for every occasion! If you are having an open house to open your wedding gifts you’ve probably already spent loads of money on your wedding celebration. If so, why not save yourself a little money and make your own invitations?

Your open house invitations don’t need to be fancy, but with a little know-how and creativity, you can make some great invitations that your guests will love. Rather than simply buying blank invitations from your local party store, making your own invitations adds a personal touch. How you go about making your invitations should depend largely on how many people you intend to invite.

For instance, if you are inviting approximately ten people, you can make your invitations from scratch using beautiful invitation paper and various decorative appliqués. However, if you intend to invite upwards of twenty or more guests, you may want to use your computer to design some great invitations that you can print off yourself. If you are making invitations from scratch, be sure to have the following supplies on hand:

You can add all the open house information, as well as add some cute graphics to liven the invitations up. Then simply print them out on some elegant stationary or invitations cards, and you’re done. These invitations will look very professional if you use high quality printer paper and take care not to make the invitation look too cluttered. Making your own invitations saves you time and money.

• Heavy construction paper in several colors
• Colorful markers and pens
• Scissors
• Stickers
• Other appliqués (such as foam letters, glitter, or pom poms)
• Glue

Using these supplies, you can make any type of invitation you so desire. Choose a simple color theme and simply add all pertinent information. If you plan to design your invitations on your computer, there are many invitation templates online that you can download and use for free.

These templates will help you add all your information and customize your invitations any way you like. You can then print the final invitation on some colorful printer paper. Adding some additional appliqués after is always a fun idea. As you can see, making your own invitations isn’t as hard as it sounds. Just be sure to take your time and have a design in mind when you start.

Excerpted from the book Wedding Budget Made Easy! by Wings Of Success.

This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Download this book on Boostlane:

https://boostlane.com/p/boostlane/678/wedding-budget-made-easy/