Tips for the Bride on a Budget

Gina Artisensi-Skime from The Crown Room put together some great tips for the Bride on a Budget. Take a look at these tips before you finalize vendors for your wedding!

Don't look at the word budget (the amount of money that is available for, required for, or assigned to a particular purpose) as a negative. Rather, look at it as getting the most professional "bang" services for your buck. Here's a few tricks of the trade to stretch your professional wedding-day dollars.

When establishing your budget, decide what aspects and services are the most important to creating your perfect wedding day and rank them.

Next, select the top three services of importance to you and your fiancé and begin to research the pricing per category and establish this portion of your overall budget. The reception venue and catering, entertainment (disc jockey or band) and your photography are generally the top three items that consume the majority of your wedding-budget dollars.

Choosing a reception venue is like selecting that perfect wedding dress: You want the venue to fit your personality and provide an ambiance, menu, and service that you would like your guests to experience. Inquire about any complimentary mirror tiles, centerpieces, candles, or specialty linen napkin colors that the facility may be able to contribute to your wedding day without any additional charges.

If you find that you are exceeding your budget, look into a Friday evening or a Sunday wedding reception that may include a decreased food and beverage minimum at your reception venue. Consider an off-season wedding date or inquire about any special wedding bundles with a reception venue and a hotel. Do not assume that a buffet-style reception will always be the least expensive route to go; most plated-meal services can be customized into a lower price category than a buffet.

Don't compromise a professional vendor service – even if your wedding-budget dollars are getting tight. Professionals are masters of their craft for a reason: They know their job and they do it well. An iPod or other MP3 Player cannot replace a professional disc jockey. An iPod will not be able to introduce the bridal party for a Grand Entrance into the reception venue; it will not lead your guests in an interactive dance or know how to change-up the music to the correct genre when the dance floor is empty. Inquire to see if the disc jockey or entertainer offers reduced rates on Friday or Sunday weddings or take advantage of the Bridal Show Specials.

Find a professional photographer that captures every little moment of your "day of days." You will find photographers in all price categories, but go with your gut – if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Request to view portfolios of recent wedding albums, as well as references from previous clients. Your photographer may be with you from sunup to sundown; ensure that you are comfortable with his or her personality and style. Feel free to ask your photographer about any off-season or weekly discounts or offers.

Sticking to your overall budget will decrease any financial stress between you and your hubby-to-be. Keep in mind that your guests are present at your wedding ceremony and reception to celebrate your marriage and not all of the other extras!

Bridal Resources

Two major wedding publications folded today...Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. Their publisher, Conde Nast, shut down a total of four different magazines today.

I think this is a sign of engaged couples and advertisers favoring more local resources. Our 2010 Bride Guide grew from 2009 - despite a difficult economy. We have received a lot of compliments about the guide and our focus on the local area. We provide a resource that no national company can compete with.

All of our vendors are approved through our board of directors. When you book a vendor from our association, you know they provide quality services and abide by our code of ethics.

Have you picked up a copy of our 2010 Bride Guide? Shoot me an email and I will throw one in the mail for you. I think you'll agree that we have the best local guide in the area.

2010 Bride Guide - Unveiled

We are proud to present the 2010 Bride Guide, featuring great ideas to help you plan your wedding with the help of the finest wedding professionals in Central Minnesota.

When we started the Central Minnesota Wedding Association in February 2008, we did not want to have the most vendors, just the best vendors in the region. Businesses featured in this guide are truly the best our area has to offer. They are guided by our code of ethics and are committed to professionalism in all aspects of their business. Our vendors commit to ongoing professional training to remain at the top of the industry.

Our Web site, www.idoido.org, will provide you with the most up-to-date information about wedding events happening in the area. The site will also connect you with our vendors and other great resources to help make your wedding planning easier.

The wedding industry has seen a number of changes over the past year. People planning weddings and our vendors have been affected by the difficult economic times. While your first instinct may be to cut services, we encourage you to consult with one of our professional vendors to see what they can offer. We have seen many couples take on too many additional wedding-planning tasks, only to get frustrated and stressed out on their wedding day.

Don’t try and do everything yourself. Our association and our members are here to help you plan your wedding. We are professionals who love to work with engaged couples and find solutions that will work within your budget.

2010 Bride Guide Preview

The 2010 Bride Guide is going to rock. We have been working hard behind the scenes to put together Central Minnesota's best resource for people planning a wedding. Take a look at some of the images from our recent photo shoot for the guide.



If you can't see the video display, click here.

We'd like to thank some of our association members that helped make things possible.

Bella Photography
Edge Gallery
Mestad's
J.F. Kruse Jewelry
101 Market

The 2010 Bride Guide will be available at your favorite St. Cloud area bridal shows, wedding shops and our website starting in mid-September.

Mestad's 2010 Gown Preview (Video)

Mestads wanted to offer brides a way to enjoy their wedding planning while relaxing and watching a Fashion Show. Adam Welz, of Prime Time DJs, dropped the tunes, Capture Video recorded and edited the event, and Stems and Vines supplied us with beautiful bridal bouquets.

Brides relaxed on the leather sofas, sipped wine and champagne, enjoyed delicious cupcakes by Icing Dreams, and took in the sights. Fun was had by all. Sometimes it is just fun to sit back T

The Pronovias 2010 preview event was a celebration of beautiful wedding gowns. Pronovias, based out of Barcelona, Spain, is Europe's hottest bridal design house. Pronovias gowns have classic lines yet have a bit of an edge to them. Because they are European gowns, the finishing touches to the dress feel special and fresh.

Mestad's staff travels around the world to hand select the most beautiful and best fitting gowns in a variety of price points. This fashion show highlights just that. The Pronovias gowns shown in this video were seen on the runways of Barcelona Spain just a week prior to the June 26th event.

Pronovias gowns span a range of price points - about $1100 - $3000. Manuel Mota and Elie Saab also have lines under the Pronovias label. These gowns start at $2,500.

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2010 Bride Guide

Believe it or not, we are more than halfway though 2009...and 2010 is less than six months away!

The staff at the Central Minnesota Wedding Association is gearing up for our 2010 Bride Guide that will be distributed at area businesses and wedding fairs starting this fall.

We are always looking for great local vendors to join our association...so if you know of any great businesses that have provided exceptional service during your wedding planning process, we want to hear about them!

One of the goals of our wedding association is to not offer the most vendors in the area, but just the best! We don't take any old business that throws up an awning and calls themselves a "floral expert"...We screen each applicant to make sure they will provide excellent service to brides in the area- and they are obligated to sign our association code of ethics.

So if you know about a great business that caters to people during their wedding planning process, shoot me an email! jake@idoido.org

In our first year, the 2009 Bride Guide received more awards than any other local bridal publication...the 2010 Bride Guide is going to turn some more heads!