You've just discovered the centerpiece of your dreams is prohibitively expensive. No matter. Think about the color, height and texture you'd like and ask your florist to suggest another option. French tulips may be your first choice, but gladioli would give you a similar look for half the price, says Jung Lee of Fete, an N.Y.C. planning service. And remember, you can get away with fewer stems if you display them dramatically. Rent tall containers, fill them with water, and submerge a few French tulips, cymbidium orchids or amaryllis, or a branch of berries inside, says Bill Heffernan of Chicago's Flowers by Heffernan Morgan.
Candles are one of the simplest and least expensive ways to enhance the ambience in a room. However, the cost of tall, thick pillar candles can add up quickly, often running $10 to $20 each, says Heffernan. He advises making the most of votives, which are significantly less pricey. If you wear a dress without a train, you can even use votives in glass hurricanes to line the aisle, suggests Lee. "They give off beautiful light as the bride walks in."
During dinner have the staff set up a table with your favorite desserts, along with extra servings that guests can box and take home. "I'm partial to dessert buffets," planner Marcy Blum says, "and people are just tickled by them." For a few recent New York City weddings, Blum gathered goodies—including cookies, cupcakes, cream puffs and key lime tarts—from local bakeries the couples liked to frequent. To dress up and personalize the boxes, have stickers printed with your names and wedding date, and tie packages with ribbon.
The escort-card table is the first thing guests seek out at the reception. Blum recommends creating an inexpensive, eye-catching pattern they won't miss.
To be sure his newlyweds' chairs stand out from the rest, planner Tony Schubert of Event Eleven, located in Los Angeles and Miami, decorates them with real flowers and vines or with covers embroidered with the couple's initials.
Planner Jennifer Anderson says a couple she worked with asked each guest to hold a smooth stone during their wedding, make a wish for them, and then place the stone into a communal vessel. The newlyweds plan to incorporate the stones into their garden to remind them of those who shared their day.
A wedding program can be a single page listing of the bridal party and a brief order of the service, or it can be a folding card or a multi-page booklet that might include readings, descriptions of wedding rituals or traditions, even notes of thanks from the bride and groom.
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