Bella Destinee » Cost Cutting Ideas

Tree, herb wedding favors

belladestinee — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:43:27 +0000

What a great way to show your guests how much you care about saving our environment while also inspiring everyone to get involved on their own. GiveTreeGifts.com offers numerous types of gifts with great packaging options as well.

*Photos Courtesy of GiveTreeGifts.com

*Photo Courtesy of Nurseryman

The potted herb DIY wedding favors which also serves as a name cards.

DIY Weddings | Purple Picnic

belladestinee — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:38:27 +0000

This DIY lunch idea from Project Wedding is absolutely gorgeous! I love the customization of the lunch. Next to the actual ceremony, nothing puts us over the moon like all the little details of a wedding. Making details and “branding” the wedding can actually be done on-the-cheap. I think this idea would also be wonderful for a relaxed midday wedding that is held outside. Everyone could enjoy a beautiful picnic together. For complete details to create this beautiful lunch simply visit Project Wedding.

Cost Cutting Ideas

belladestinee — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:35:00 +0000

Use the Internet to Save Money on Your Wedding!

I’ll admit it: I’m frugal, to a point. Yes, I may own a Louie Vuitton, but if my shampoo isn’t on sale, guess what — I’m not buying it!

I learned a long time ago to make my dollar go farther and I want to share with you some websites and resources that I use on a daily basis. The markups of clothing, furniture, and housewares can be anywhere from 40% to 700%. Not only that, but why should you have to pay full price while “preferred” customers or internet savvy ones get discounts because they have a coupon? Well, I don’t think you should! Save your precious dollars for that fabulous fashion photographer, or the splurge worthy Christian Louboutin’s you want to wear on your wedding day.

1.) Retailmenot.com – Okay, so this is one of my favorites, even if J. Crew gave them a cease and desist order to take off their coupon codes! But there are hundreds of other retailers on here where I can guarantee at some point you will spend your precious wedding dollars. For instance:

Victoria’s Secret: Wedding night nighty? Check. Plus free shipping and 10% off.
Borders.com: New books for the honeymoon flight? Perhaps some journals for your ‘maids as part of their gift? CD’s, DVD’s… what about that wedding binder you’ve been thinking about buying? 30% off!
Michaels.com: These may come in the newspaper every week, but I’ve never seen a 50% off coupon on one single item. So do not fret – your DIY wedding project just got a little cheaper!

Here are some other known sites worth mentioning: Wedding Paper Divas, My Wedding Favors, Beau-Coup.com, Banana Republic (hello fabulous rehearsal dinner outfit!), Piperlime, Amazon.com, Expedia.com, tons of other travel websites for your honeymoon and your out of town guests… I mean, the list is endless. And they do boast that they have 85,000 coupon codes!

2.) Free Printable Coupon Codes – This is my favorite of the two, I have to admit. I always score killer printable coupon codes here which means I can print them out on my computer and bring them to the store. I love to shop online, but for certain things, you have to see it before you buy it. Here are some current noteworthy coupon codes available:

Home Depot / Lowes: 20% off coupon for all your DIY projects that require a little bit more than cardstock and a glue gun!
UPS: $10 off coupon for all your shipping needs!
Staples: $40 printable coupon to recharge your ink cartridges. Get those place cards printed!
Rag Shop: 40% off a regular priced item (admittedly, I have never been to this store, so I’m taking a wild guess here that it has some DIY project supplies!)
Jo-Anns: 40% off a regular priced item. Awesome!!
NY & Co: $20 off your purchase. New jewelry, honeymoon clothes, something special for your ‘maids?
Victoria’s Secret: $10 off coupon the VSX line.
… and the list goes on, and on, and on!

The point of this post is to encourage you to scower the internet before you buy and make sure you can’t find the best deal. You might be surprised at how much you end up saving over the course of the year as you plan. It’ll make it that much easier to save up for your dream florist or wedding planner.

If you have any super fabulous similar websites that you’d like to share, feel free to post a comment.

Tips to save on your Wedding

belladestinee — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:45:44 +0000

image from Style Me Pretty

I advise couples look into off season dates and nights other than Saturday — where the cost differential can be pretty considerable! Here are some other tips we talked about that didn’t make it on air:

Cut your guest list: About 40% of a couples budget is spent on the reception (food, drink, and the site itself). You can significantly impact your budget by cutting the guest list down!

Prioritize. Spend / splurge on what is important to YOU and seek out creative and cost effective ideas for aspects that are not as important. Every couple is different, and therefore, every couple will have different priorities. Once you identify areas that you want to invest in — do so!

Some other advice: If you have a hobby, skill, or something you are love to do — I definitely recommend infusing that into your wedding! But I caution couples: don’t bite off more than you can chew. It may seem like no big deal to do something yourself — and with enough time and preparation no task is insurmountable. Be sure to schedule enough time to get a project done and have a back up plan in case something doesn’t go as planned. Always consider, as well, if doing something yourself is actually saving you money.