Save the Dates, Invitations, and Programs...

If you have a great printer, or access to one, you can save a lot of money on all the stationery for your wedding.

You could design Save the Date cards yourself, with your own wording and even wedding website information. The design of the card could have your engagement photo, or even a cool design that reflects the theme of your wedding.

There are inexpensive invitation kits that include everything from the invitations, to reply cards, and blank cards for directions and/or a map. The kits should include formatting information and invitation wording examples so that you can print everything from your own computer. Stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, and any craft store such as Michaels and AC Moore, carry these. Oh, and don't forget to check out these stores for any other wedding supplies you might need. Craft stores especially carry lots of wedding accessories such as favor bags (and even favors), thank you tags, ribbon, guest books, a decorative envelope box for your reception guest table, and flower girl baskets.

For our wedding programs, my husband and I found some beautiful program covers at the local Catholic store. They were like church bulletin covers with a wedding theme. The one in the picture is just one of the selections offered at the store, and we found a similar one that was just perfect!

Tiaras and Flower Girl Gifts

Claire's has an adorable collection of jewlery sets, called the Princess Collection. They make great little gifts if you're looking to give your flower girl jewlery to wear with her dress at the wedding.

This store also has a great selection of beautiful and elegant tiaras, especially around prom season, if you choose to wear a tiara with your veil. They also carry a great selection of jewelled bobby pins to decorate your hair, as well as many other beautiful hair accessories.

Kremp Florist

Kremp Florist is the local shop in Willow Grove, PA that did all the personal and church flowers for my wedding. I have to say that they did an exquisite job with all of the flowers! I absolutely loved my bouquet, and the bridesmaids' flowers were just gorgeous! They even created a beautiful arragement for our flower girl baskets (which we brought in to them), as the girls weren't allowed to drop petals in the church. Customer service was wonderful, and I couldn't have been happier with how all the flowers turned out. In addition to the flowers, they also have aisle runners, and offer ribbons to decorate the pews. The staff is knowledgeable in terms of flowers and arragements, and they provide useful suggestions for what is needed. Their checklist was very comprehensive, covering all the flower arrangements and personal flowers that we would be needing from boquets for the girls to boutonnieres for immediate family, clergy, and our readers. The invoice that was emailed to us included straightforward pricing, and everything was correctly done.

My husband and I found them at a local bridal show, and from our first meeting with them, we knew they were the ones we wanted to work with. I highly recommend them if you're looking for a florist in the Bucks County area.

Shopping Online for your Wedding

If you're looking to purchase anything online for your wedding, whether invitations or favors, it's a good idea to order a sample so that you see in person what you're getting before you commit to a large order of the product. This way, you can avoid the hassle and cost of returning something that you discover doesn't meet your needs.

Cool Wedding Tickers!

Are you on a wedding forum like Brides.com? Bridal chat forums offer a great place to talk with others planning their weddings, or have been through it all already, to get advice and share experiences.

To spruce up your signature, you might want to have a wedding ticker, which basically counts down to your special day. Here are a couple of good sites that offer a great selection of really pretty ones:

http://www.weddingcountdown.com/

http://www.whenismywedding.com/

Once you find one that you like and enter your wedding date, you'll get a code for your ticker that you can copy and paste into your forum signature. Enjoy!

Keep Your Feet Comfortable All Night Long!

Even a low, 2" heel can have your feet aching by the end of the night. I've experienced that for myself on my wedding day. Breaking in your shoes in advance by walking around the house in them several times can help the shoes feel more comfortable on your feet when it's time to wear them for the big day. Another way to make sure your feet aren't sore by the end of the night is to purchase comfort inserts to place on the shoes. David's Bridal carries them (you would probably find them near their registers in the store), though they aren't listed on their website. Last but not least, you can bring a pair of silver or white ballet style flats to change into if you need to get out of those heels. Enjoy, and have a wonderful time dancing the night away at your reception!