Guest Post: 7 Ways to Save on Wedding Registry Gifts

Summer is wedding season and this year, no one knows that better than me. I'm in two weddings and attending four more, making my weekends all about dress fittings and bachelorette parties. In addition to traveling around the country -- Florida, California and New York -- I also need to budget for six wedding gift

by

Andrea Woroch

Gift registries make this part of the process easy, but shipping costs and indecision often contribute to a stressful experience. Consider these seven ways to save on wedding gifts, six of which I'll definitely be using this season.

1. Buy a group gift with friends.
Most of my friends already have the small household items that comprise traditional registries. If this sounds familiar, consider going in on a pricey gift with friends. Not only will you be getting the couple something they really need, but you may end up spending less in the long run. Edivvy.com makes it easy to organize the group gift without the hassle of calling around and coordinating payment.

2. Shop discount retailers.
If your friends are registered for Cuisinart pans or Kitchenaid cooking utensils, find them for less at such discount retailers as Ross, Marshall's or HomeGoods. You can also find things like cookbooks, picture frames and bath essentials for a fraction of department store prices.

3. Look for coupons.
Macy's is the go-to registry for most brides, so I was pleased to find a coupon for $20 off $100 worth of registry items on CouponSherpa. Luckily, you don't need registry-specific coupons to save on your purchase, so search the Web before clicking "submit."

4. Frame the wedding invitation.
Brides and the occasional groom spend lots of time and money creating the wedding invitation, only to distribute them to others. Make it into a creative keepsake by framing it. You can even buy a double frame with space for the couple's favorite wedding portrait for an added touch.

5. DIY - literally.
Are you handy, artistic or gastronomic? Consider a gift you can give based on your own business or skills. Paint a painting for their new home, offer your makeup or hair artistry skills to the bride, or bake the wedding cake. Your friend will be grateful for both the thoughtful gift and for cutting down her expenses.

6. Use (or give) discount gift cards.
Gift cards are much appreciated by modern couples and are often found at the bottom of registries. Click here to avoid paying full price for these versatile gifts by comparing discounts on cards to retailers, restaurants and other establishments. If you'd still prefer purchasing a tangible gift from the registry, purchase a discount gift card for yourself to offset the cost.

7. Shop for daily deals.
If you know the person well enough, you can get away with using the registry as inspiration for the right gift at the right price. For example, one of my friends registered for a set of chef knives that I know won't last. That's why I was thrilled to find a great set of premium chef knives for 60-percent off at one of the daily deal sites I'm subscribed to. Check out Groupon, LivingSocial or Seize the Deal for daily offers. 

Andrea Woroch is a nationally-recognized consumer and money-saving expert who helps consumers live on less without radically changing their lifestyles. From smart spending tips to personal finance advice, Andrea transforms everyday consumers into savvy shoppers. She has been featured among top news outlets such asGood Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. 

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Guest Post: 10 Cheap Ways to Throw a Unique Wedding

by

Cara Davis

 No one wants a cookie-cutter wedding. The day you tie the knot should be as unique as your individual personalities. There's a quote that says, "The universe is not made of atoms. It's made of tiny stories." Just as you're coming together as man-and-wife, allow your creativity to spill into the details you're sharing on your wedding day.

1. Craft a story.
Telling your story as a couple as you approach the altar is a powerful way to connect with your guests and chronicle your journey to this point. Think of every element of your wedding -- from the invites to the wedding favors -- as a chance to craft a story from beginning to happily ever after. Don't be afraid to incorporate religious or ethnic touches that are special to you.

2. Pick a theme.
A well-executed theme can add loads of personality to your wedding day without looking cheesy -- like these Lego, hockey and 50s-themed weddings. By picking a theme that's already a hobby or interest, you're likely to already own a lot of materials you can incorporate into the decor.

3. Pick a repeating element.
If a theme is a bit much for your taste, focus on one element you can repeat throughout the printed materials, decor and attire for big impact, like these feathers or parasols.

4. Go handmade.
Making decor by hand ensures that the look of your wedding is one-in-a-million. Consider paper or fabric flowers (like these cuties) or buy a custom wedding stamp to personalize all your paper goods.

5. Shop vintage.
Shopping for vintage or thrift items for your wedding and reception may save you some time and headache over everything handmade. A vintage wedding dress customized with modern accessories could be the thing that makes your wedding standout and memorable.

6. Register for gift cards.
Create a wedding registry online at CardAvenue and register for the the stores you most like to shop at nationwide, instead of just one or two generic ones that offer wedding registries.

7. Mix-and-match.
Stick closely to your theme but allow variations to create a unique look and feel. Think non-matching bridesmaids dresses and a menagerie of vintage vases of differing sizes in the same hue as centerpieces.

8. Re-imagine the guest book.
Set up an iPad to record or photograph guests as they enter, or set up something unique for your guests to sign that you'll incorporate into your home decor later (a signed vintage map from your location, smooth rocks you can use in a clear vase). In our fall wedding we scattered colored paper leaves on the welcome table and pens and used the leaves in our wedding scrapbook.

9. Festive food.
Marry at a non-traditional time or place and you can pull off a unique reception for cheap. Think coffee bar & pastries for a mid-morning wedding, or a Memorial Day wedding on the lake for a laid-back barbecue dinner.

10. Send off in style.
Forget bubbles, sparklers and bird seed (some venues won't even allow them due to the cleanup involved). Offer wrapped candy for tossing (which the kids are sure to clean up without complaining), release balloons or have your guests create a human arch or a large paper banner for you run through. For a nighttime wedding, fireworks or glow sticks create a fun and colorful goodbye. 

Weddings expert Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and blogs from her home in Orlando, FL, about cheap ways to spend and save at CheapWaysTo.com.

Monthly Focus: 10 Daily Budget Fixes for Newly Engaged Couples

by

Andrea Woroch

Make a few budget tweaks to kick off your wedding savings.  Here are 10 easy ways to help you spend less and save more.

1. Dine out less.
With an expensive event to save for, look for areas in your lifestyle that can greatly reduce the amount of money you spend. Dining out regularly, for example, eats into your budget to the tune of $200 per month, according to the National Restaurant Association. Cooking at home will not only save money, but also provides a unique bonding opportunity with your soon-to-be spouse.

2. Sell your stuff.
Peruse your closet for clothes, shoes and accessories you haven't worn for a year and start purging. Post the goods online via Craigslist and eBay, or sell through your local consignment shop. The same goes for furniture, home goods and sporting equipment. You can even exchange gift cards for cash on sites 

like GiftCardGranny.com.

3. Trim salon visits.
Whether you're a hair-color fiend or addicted to manicures and massages, it's time to trim those salon visits. Let your hair grow out a little longer to stretch time between visits and save on cuts. Give yourself at-home mani-pedis with inexpensive drugstore kits. Though weekly massages may help you relax, make a date with your bathtub and suds it up with a little mellow music to help you unwind.

4. Movie night alternatives.
Skip the $5 movie from you cable provider for a $1 Redbox rental, or get your cinema fix via online streaming with Hulu. You can also pick up free DVDs at your local library, or swap movies you own with friends for something new to watch.

5. Find a side gig.
From weekend bartending (up to $300 nightly) to watching the neighbors kids ($15 per hour), you could supplement your savings with extra cash from a side gig. Just make sure you don't spread yourself too thin with the added workload. Wedding planning takes time, after all, and you don't want to kill yourself saving up for an extra plate of foie gras.

6. Nix dry cleaning.
Instead of paying $10 to $20 per item for dry cleaning, use at-home dry-cleaning kits ($13 for 6 pouches), which freshen up your clothes in the dryer instantly. Going forward, check clothing labels for care requirements and try to avoid dry clean-only garments.

7. Brew your own cup of joe.
Wake up a few minutes early and make your own coffee. This is one of the most common -- and yet most overlooked -- daily savings tips. With coffee and espresso running anywhere from $1 to $5 per serving, potential savings could reach $35 per week or $140 monthly.

8. Redeem reward points.
According to a study by Colloquy, the average household participating in loyalty programs -- like those offered by credit cards -- earns approximately $622 in rewards annually, and fails to redeem $205. If you're guilty of leaving 200 bones on the table, now is the time to start redeeming those points. Get gift cards to use toward wedding expenses or try to pay for a portion of your honeymoon travel expenses with the points.

9. Use your tax refund wisely.
The average tax refund in 2011 was nearly $3,000, according to CNNMoney. If you're fortunate enough to receive that kind of sum again this year, open a high-interest savings account and deposit the refund immediately. Then, review the W4 you have on file with your employer and adjust your withholding. You don't want to miss out on an extra $250 of income each month going forward.

10. Mass transportation for massive savings.
For city dwellers, vow to take the subway or bus to work instead of a taxi to yield a savings potential up to $20 per day. For those who cab it around town because alcohol is involved, many props to you. However, you may consider electing a sober driver or ween yourself from the costly activity altogether.

Andrea Woroch is a nationally-recognized consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.

Monthly Focus: Plan the Honeymoon of Your Dreams

A Crescent Honeymoon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 With nearly 70% of all engaged couples living together before their wedding day, many already have everything they need for their married lives. What if wedding guests could give the couple something they definitely don’t have? Something so much better than standard wedding presents? Brides and grooms are raving about the gifts they have received on Honeymoonwishes.com where their friends and family can choose from the couple’s dream list of honeymoon experiences to give as wedding gifts, including romantic dinners, golf outings, massages, sightseeing excursions, and more.

Newly engage couples simply register with Honeymoonwishes.com, choose their honeymoon destination, and then choose which activities, outings, meals, etc. they would like to have gifted. By registering for their honeymoon, couples can get the honeymoon getaway they’ve always dreamed of. And Honeymoonwishes.com isn’t just for wedding couples. Wedding guests love it too. Hundreds of thousands of wedding guests have enjoyed Honeymoonwishes.com for its simplicity, ease of use with shopping online, and because they know that they are buying a gift that won’t be returned. The site not only allows wedding guests to view the bride’s and groom’s honeymoon gift wishes and purchase those gifts directly from the site, but also has a social tool allowing weddingguests to become part of this special time interacting with the couple and their destination.

Launched in 2003, Honeymoonwishes.com directly connects brides and grooms to resorts, cruise lines, and travel companies in destinations around the world. Many of Honeymoonwishes.com’s gift registry options are specific to the resorts, cruise lines, andwedding venues that couples choose, making the site much more than just a cash collecting service. And there is no guess work when using Honeymoonwishes.com. The items that are available have been carefully selected by Honeymoonwishes.com’s team and are tastefully showcased.

Using Honeymoonwishes.com is simple. A bride can simply register for free on Honeymoonwishes.com and with the help of their significant other choose their honeymoon location from the site’s list of resorts, cruises, and destinations worldwide. Once they have selected their honeymoon location, couples then choose which “honeymoon experiences and memories” they would like to have, such as snorkeling and diving excursions, hikes, tours, golfing, massages, romantic dinners, and more. Couples then send theirwedding guests a link to their Honeymoonwishes.com registry where guests can make their gift purchases.

For more information about Honeymoonwishes.com, please visit http://www.honeymoonwishes.com  or call 858-433-1506.

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Guest Post: 8 Tips to Create Custom Wedding Invites on the Cheap

by

Cara Davis

Looking for a custom invitation without spending upwards of $700? The average cost of wedding invitations and reply cards is $659, according to 2010 data from The Bridal Association of America.

Here are some ways to trim costs for your 2012 wedding. When using these tips, expect to pay around $200 for 100-150 invitations.

1. Establish the Look
Use Pinterest to browse for invitations from which to draw your inspiration. Start a board and "pin" examples. Once you find a direction you'd like to go in, you're ready to start on your very own. There are several options for today's budget bride including free online templates, designing it from scratch or ordering at a discount.

2. Use a Template
There are several online printers that are affordable. Some offer wedding invitation templates, and if you're feeling like you don't want to try designing an invitation yourself and don't have access to a designer, this is the way to go. One of the best sites with customizable templates I've seen lately is WeddingChicks.com. They offer entire invitation suites for free (invitation, rsvp card, table numbers, escort card, etc.), and you can edit it all online, instead of relying on software. Oh - and the designs are modern and gorgeous.

3. Design it Yourself
Use a stock photography sites like iStock or Shutterstock where can search for stock illustrations and graphics. Search for illustrations or vectors similar to the look you're going for by using keywords like "swirl," "scroll," "vintage," "invitation," etc.

Using your inspiration invitation, find a font(s) that closely matches your look by searching websites like DaFont.com andUrbanFonts.com.

4. Save on Printing
If you create you own design, look for a printer who specializes in invitation printing so you're sure to get the type of paper you need. Online vendors like PSPrint.com and VistaPrint.com provide online quotes for easy cost comparison. Before using any site to order invitations, find online coupons from CouponSherpa.com for money-saving discounts you can use toward your purchase. Some of these sites regularly run specials like 25% off on invitations. Plus, when using a new site, always sign up for newsletters or free loyalty accounts.

5. Think Small
If you'd like a separate RSVP card, consider making it the size of a business card and include a URL where guests can register. When the RSVP was a web address, there is no need to make the RSVP card postcard size to return, so you'll saved money on printing costs and return postage (and extra envelopes!). ProjectWedding.com offers free wedding websites where you can track RSVPs, but there are other sites that offer this service as well.

6. Picture Perfect
Bride Erin added a really cool touch to her invitations to ensure that it wasn't quickly tossed. On the back on the wedding invitation she included a photo of her and Eric from their professional engagement portrait session. It printed beautifully and now her friends and family have a photo they can keep of the couple. The cost to print on the backside was nominal and she saved a lot of money by not developing pictures separately.

7. Off the Shelf
Printing custom invites still out of your budget range? Craft stores offer kits you can use on your home printer. Nashville bride Amanda says, "We're making our own invitations from those prepackaged kits you can buy at any office supply store. We're doing all the invitations for $80, and they're actually quite pretty."

8. Handmade Touch
A big trend for weddings and paper goods these days is using a personalized, custom rubber stamp. Etsy.com artisans offer both custom and pre-designed choices, while sites like PictureMyStamp.com allow you to upload your own art. Antiquaria Design Studiooffers some absolutely stunning customizable stamps for weddings. The bonus? Use your stamp to customize paper goods for the wedding -- like the wedding program, water bottle wraps, paper bags and more. 

Weddings expert Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and blogs from her home in Orlando, FL, about cheap ways to spend and save at CheapWaysTo.com.