Three ideas for non-floral centerpieces are;

Using candles is very lovely and romantic.  It warms up the room, but is quite simple and elegant.

Twigs!!  I love this centerpiece.  It is so dramatic.  Using twigs , what a unique idea.  It will be quite the conversation piece among the wedding guests.

Using fruit in centerpieces is a great way to add color.  I love this idea.

Wedding cupcakes are a hit with brides.  Maybe it’s the wide choices of flavors, the beautiful displays, the cost or how easy they are to serve.  But whatever the reason, more and more brides are choosing cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cakes.

With more budget cautious brides and the trend of having a less formal affair, these cupcakes make a hit.  Many brides want a gorgeous wedding cake but find the cost to be overwhelming and difficult to fit in their budget.  Bakers traditional charge about $4.00 and up per slice.  You can see how this can get quite expensive.

I’m not saying cupcakes are much cheaper.  Some cupcakes may take just as long to decorate and may contain expensive ingredients, but there are different ways to decorate cupcakes that can lessen the cost.  You don’t need to go with the butter cream icing florets, fresh flowers or pieces of fruit can really make the cupcakes unique and inexpensive.  So cupcakes can be cheaper ($2-$4/cupcake) and a great option!  Additionally, the reception venue usually charges a fee to serve and piece the cake.  This will be reducing if not eliminated with a cupcake wedding dessert.  Plus the presentation of the cupcakes can be a conservation piece in itself at your wedding reception.  The choice is up to you; have a traditional wedding cakes or the unique trendy option of cupcakes?

Check out this video of Colin Cowie and find out just how popular these little sweet treats are!

Images Source: bride.ca, bakingshop.com, funfilledcakes.com

Masquerade Ball is a great way to incorporate a Halloween theme, without going all out.  You can have masks given out to all your guests to wear upon arrival.  After the celebration, the guests can bring the masks home as their wedding favors.  The color scheme can be endless.  You can have it as colorful or as tame as you want.  The beautiful curves and designs of the masks make this theme so elegant and romantic.  I love this idea.  What do you think?

1. Serve pumpkin soup in a carved out pumpkins.

2. You can use pumpkins as your centrepieces why having an assortment of different sizes at the centre of your table, or using a pumpkin as a vase for flowers.

3. Have an image of the two of you imposed onto a pumpkin.

4. Give pumpkin shaped cookies or candy as your wedding favor.

5. Use a mini pumpkin as the table number holder, or for each guest as their place holder.

When planning the decorations of your wedding day, don’t forget about the chairs.  It adds some much to the atmosphere of your wedding day, and makes the guests feel special too.  There are lots of ways to decorate chairs with simple ribbons, bows or even flowers.

Adding accessories to simply tied bows adds a touch of elegance.  You can accessorize the bows with flowers, gems, the ideas are endless.

You can make a dramatic presentation by the way the bows or tied, or by having multiply colors in the ribbon.

Flowers can be expensive, but it does depend on the type of flowers you are wanting to obtain.  There are many different ways to incorporate flowers to your chair decor without breaking your bank account.  Remember greenery goes a long way!

Ghost chairs add a modern look to any wedding event. I love the clean look of these chairs.  They open up the space and helps draw attention to your tables and table accessories.  You can easily add bows or fabric cushions to dress them up further, but I think they have an elegant look on their own.  What do you think?

Interested in renting them for your wedding?  Here are some websites with more information;

In Canada : www.chiavarichairrentalcanada.com

In The United States: http://www.ghostchairrentals.com/, http://www.apartycenter.com/chairs.shtml

If you are looking for a way to cut costs but still have that glamorous wedding, why not have an afternoon wedding?  Afternoon weddings traditionally are less expensive because it is not a time preferred by the majority of couples getting married.

A wedding coffee bar would compliment an afternoon wedding beautifully.  Imagine having an outside wedding with a classic string quartet followed by a dessert and coffee bar at the same outdoor location.

To bring forward the theme of the coffee bar, you could play off the color brown.  You could have your bridesmaids in brown dresses.  Fill the base of vases with coffee beans, adding  string of flowers for your centre pieces.  Maybe you would prefer the an assortment of chocolates or pastries to dress your tables.  The ideas are endless!

The focal point would be your coffee bar, set up to make any type of coffee from cappuccinos to expressos.  To accompany this you could have a large assortment of desserts, including a chocolate fountain with delicious fruit!  I am sure your guests would join your themselves.  Choosing the time your wedding celebration will determine overall costs, but not the elegance and glamour of your wedding!

1)  Make it personal. Everyone wants their party to be remembered as uniquely theirs.  Make your fiance’s and your personality shine at your wedding, through wedding favours, food selection, wedding theme and decor.

2) Intimate weddings.   With the economy as it is, intimate weddings are becoming the popular selection.

3) Destination weddings.  These weddings are intimate weddings, since not many guests will be able to travel to your chosen destination.  This allows the bridal couple to spend less money, have less stress planning (as most of these places have pre-selected wedding packages) and more time to join their wedding day.  The couples that choose to have this type of wedding may decide at a later date to have a wedding reception back in their home town to celebrate with family and friends that were unable to travel.

4)  Eco weddings. Brides go green! Started being popular last year, continues for this year.

Wedding guest books are a great keepsake for the bridal couple and a way to remember everyone who came to the wedding.  If you are going to have a guest book at your reception, make sure it is in an area that is visible to your guests.  There are many unique variations to the traditional wedding guest book and pen.

Photo Guest book : Purchase a photo album or a scrapbook that allows room for text to go along with the photo.  A great way to capture some of the fun your guests are having.  Have a friend assigned as the photographer and as the guests sign the guest book, the photographer can take their photo and later slip it into the photo sleeve pocket next to their personal message. If you are having a large wedding. maybe you can rent a photo booth.

Photo Mat “Guest Book” : Have your guests sign a memento that you can display in your home, keeping the memories always visible.  After your guests have signed the photo mat, you can frame a wedding photo of the two of you, or one of both of you with all your wedding guests (taken just after the ceremony).  This can also be done for your bridal shower, and down the road baby shower!  If you like this idea, check out our selection at HerWeddingShop .

Guest book Platter or Signature Vase:  Purchase a platter or vase that can be used for years to come and have your guests sign these items with a permanent marker designed for porcelain finishes.

Time Capsule: Have your guests sign the back of pictures of you and your fiance with best wishes and inspiring words of wisdom.  After the wedding, place them in a time capsule.  On your first anniversary, while enjoying the top layer of your wedding cake, you can open the time capsule and read all the loving messages written by those who attending your wedding.

Do you have any other unique ideas?  Let us know!

The Shoe game is one of my favorite wedding reception games.  It is filled with lots of laughs, actually you could even have your guests play.

What are some of your favorite reception games?

Your wedding photographer can’t be everywhere at the same time.  You have paid them to take pictures of the important moments of your special day,  with the main focus on the two of you.

For all those other moments missed by your photographer place a disposable camera at each table. They don’t have to be expensive, in fact there are many places you can find them for a great price.

We have some great selections of disposable cameras at HerWeddingShop, order them today and capture ALL those special moments, the pictures will be priceless.

Place one of these high-quality cameras at each table and let your guests capture those candid, might-have-been missed wedding memories.  Each camera can be personalized with your names and wedding date.  The cameras arrive preloaded with 27 exposures of quality 400 ISO color film and a built-in flash.

You will spend most of your planning time on reception and reception decorating, that’s where all the celebrating occurs. So where do you begin? 1) Select a theme. That’s the easiest way to achieve a elegantly decorating reception hall. When you choose a theme, it allows you to narrow down your decorating scheme

More:
Wedding Reception Tips

Cigars are a great item to add to a wedding celebration. The groom can hand out cigars to his groomsmen and other guests to light it or keep it as a souvenir of the day.

More here:
La Casa del Habano, Celebrate with a Cigar!

Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront is your one stop shop for your wedding reception.  They offer beautifully decorated banquet room, clean crisp linens, flowers and candles on the table, complimentary overnight accommodations for the bride and groom and preferred guestroom rates for your guests.  Their professional on-site wedding consultant will assist you in all your wedding details. Set up an appointment to meet with them and watch your dreams come true. Holiday Inn Their experienced and dedicated team will make your wedding truly memorable. From the reception meal to the honeymoon suite, let them help you make this a day to remember forever.

See the original post here:
Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront, a Beautiful Location for Your Wedding