Wedding Centerpiece Inspiring Ideas

If you have a small budget, you don't have to spend so much on expensive flowers. Even just a few buds or a single stem of flower can be breathtakingly beautiful with the right arrangement. For more tips, read my post on Practical Wedding Centerpiece Ideas for the Budget Bride.

Meanwhile, found these wonderful wedding centerpieces at Bridal People. What I love about these centerpieces are their elegant simplicity. Take a look at these lovely, lovely designs and be inspired.

Wedding Favors from Treasured Trinkets

Though couples are not obliged to give away favors, these are wonderful thank-you tokens for the special people who shared your wedding day. Wedding favors can also add excitement to the banquet. Watch guests excitedly check out these small gifts of appreciation as they take their seats from each table.

Choose a design that matches the theme of your wedding. Found these unique wedding souvenirs from Treasured Trinkets to inspire you. Visit the shop for more designs.

Heart Lamp

Vintage Getaway

Fancy Wedding Coach

Champagne Bucket

Mini Butterfly Baskets

Roseball Candle

Mini Topiary

Wedding favors need not be extravagant. If you do decide to give away wedding tokens, set a specific budget and stick with it. If you're on a limited budget, even the simplest favors will do. Be creative and think meaningful pieces that suit your budget.

Related Reads: Practical Wedding Token Ideas

Wedding HairStyles Inspiration

Photos can be wondeful inspiration.

Here are wedding hairstyles I found from Brides.com You can also take their wedding hairstyle quiz to see whether you prefer the Classic, Romantic, Glamorous, Modern, Bohemian or Beach Casual Look for your wedding day.

The Side Bun Bridal Hairstyle

Classic Updo with Bridal Hair Ornament

Wavy and Loose with Bridal Ornaments

Simple, Straight and Loose

Ponytail with Headband Bridal Look

Simple Yet Loose Bridal Bun

Sleek Ponytail

Remember, when choosing a hairstyle, consider the style of your gown as well as the theme of your wedding.

Real Weddings Featuring: Heart Fish

This past week, I’ve been spending more time visiting blogs and very much enjoying it. The Wedding Bug has been quiet lately but before the February month ends, I’d like to feature a special blog by Heart Fish.

There’s a little fish in my heart. It swims around in my heart and takes me to somewhere creative… - Hijiri

Hijiri is a talented designer and founder of the Hijirik Design Studio. She has a major in Advertising Design Art Direction and a minor in Web Design from Academy of Art University San Francisco. Together with her husband, Randy Shepherd- an engineer and C.I.O. of the Hijirik Design Studio, they share their skills and abilities to create beautiful design and online business services.

Hijiri and Randy (19th february 2007)

Hijiri and Randy tied the knot in Hawaii on the 19th of February, 2007. They’ve just celebrated their second year wedding anniversary this month. (Congratulations and Belated Happy Anniversary to both of you and more to come!)

Hijiri designed and created some of the most important things for their wedding day such as the program, wedding invitations, save-the-date cards, designs for the seats, favors, and booklets.

The motif of their wedding is blue and Hijiri came up with hand-made save-the-date cards with flower seeds embedded on paper (yes, the seeds will bloom on the wedding day).

Save-the-date cards with flower seeds!

I especially love their wedding cake, which Hijiri designed herself. The story behind the cake was so cool. She actually entered a drawing contest and won the cake so they had this unique, customized-design, adorable wedding cake for free (sweet!).

Polka dots and Stripes Wedding Cake

In lieu of the theme, Hijiri thought of polka dots and stripes to define seating arrangements.

Stripes for Him, Dots for Her

I also love the idea that they distributed black & white disposable cameras to each table with a cute note for the guests. Isn’t that great? After the wedding, you can collect the shots and put them all together into a photo book. You get to see from different angles and see all the special people who attended your wedding. Oh, and candid shots are precious!

Another great idea: Each guest had their polaroid picture taken as they’re asked to sign the guest book.

I really love everything about this wedding. Her designs are simple and elegant yet fun and youthful at the same time. You have to go and visit Hijiri's blog to see all the wonderful shots from their wedding day. I’m so thrilled that she has agreed to have her blog featured on the Wedding Bug.

Creative Ideas for a Budget Dream Wedding

You can still have the wedding of your dreams even if you’re on a limited budget. Here are creative and practical ideas to inspire you:

Plan ahead. Making plans ahead of time gives you the chance to scout for the best merchants and compare prices. Don’t just make plans with your head, be sure to write them down.

Make it a small wedding. Limiting your guests to just family and closest friends is still the best way to cut costs.

Make it elegant, yet simple. Simple wedding invitations are classic and elegant. You can find specialty papers in craft stores that are less expensive than wedding invitation papers.

Save money on your wedding gown. When looking for a bridal gown, take a look at the bridesmaids’ gowns collection and see if you can find the perfect dress for you.

Bridesmaids’ gowns are far less expensive than bridal gowns and although simpler in style, most are elegant and classy. Don’t forget to try on the gowns before saying no. Some gowns that don’t look that great on a mannequin may look flattering on you.

Tie the knot on off-peak season. Wedding venues, hotels, honeymoon destinations – everything is bound to be more expensive during peak seasons. Why not get married during a lowpeak season and save more?

Make it a brunch. When it comes to food, breakfast or brunch wedding is far cheaper than a lunch wedding. The most expensive is a dinner wedding since you’ll need to serve a 3-course meal and the party can last till late in the evening which means more food and more drinks.

Get all the help you can get. You can save thousands of dollars if you make your own rather than purchase or hire a professional service. However, be sure that you have the right people to the job and enough time to get the job done. Again, you need to plan way ahead of time.

If you have a friend or a relative who bakes, you can save hundreds of dollars on buying a wedding cake. Yojavascript:void(0)u can also assign people to make your wedding invitations and tokens or make flower arrangements.

Wedding Make up Tips for the Bride To Be

Here are practical wedding make-up tips to make sure that you’ll look your best on your big day:

Start with glowing skin. The best base for any make-up is a natural, great-looking skin. Prepare your skin weeks before your big day. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize to achieve a beautiful, radiant skin.

Brighten up your eyes with false eyelashes. If you don’t have the perfect lashes, false eyelashes can really complete your look. Make sure that it’s not too thick and it blends well with your natural lashes.

Tweeze your eyebrows. A perfectly shaped brow will make a big difference to your face. To be sure, visit the salon and have a professional do this for you.

Go for the natural look. The simple, natural look is the best look for a bride. This is the time to shine and bring out your real beauty. Focus on your best facial features and use the right make-up to accentuate them while hiding flaws or imperfections.

Use a high-quality foundation and concealer. It’s important to use a high-quality foundation to achieve that natural, flawless blend, prevent your make-up from flaking, and protect your skin against irritations. Use an oil-free liquid foundation especially if you have oily skin. Hide those small flaws on your skin with a concealer.

Use a waterproof mascara. You don’t want a black coal to smudge your eyes and face. Be ready for those teary moments on your BIG day with a waterproof mascara.

Schedule practice sessions. Whether you’re hiring a professional make-up artist or a friend is doing your make-up, practice sessions are a must. It is also a good idea to take photos so you can be sure that you’ll absolutely like how you’d look on your wedding day.

Discount Coupons for Couples

Let's not let the month of October pass without anything from the Wedding Bug. Here are a couple of good deals from reputable and trusted wedding shops online:

Wedding Rings and Jewelry from Major Vault

• Save 5% Off all Loose Diamonds from Oct 30 to Jan 1, 2009. Just enter the code DIAM5 on your checkout.
• Get $15 off on all Diamond Heart Jewelry orders over $100 from Oct 30 to Nov 14. Just enter the code HEART15 on your checkout.
• Enjoy 10% off on all Diamond Jewelry orders from Oct 30 up to Jan 1, 2009 . Just enter the code DIAJEWL10 on your checkout.

Wedding Favors from Elegant Wedding Impressions

• Save $5.00 off on purchases worth $50 and up. This promo started Oct 15 and ends Nov 14, 2008. Just enter the code FREEWEB2 on your checkout.
• Save 10% off on purchases worth $75 and up. This promo started Oct 11 and ends today October 31, 2008. Just enter the code SAVE10 on your checkout.
• Enjoy 5% OFF on purchases worth $100.00. This promo started Oct 11 and continuous on. Just enter the code COUPON871 on your checkout.