to volunteer as my photographer, and he did a fantastic job. My Matron of Honor sewed, and helped me turn my plain wedding dress into a work of art. Those were the best wedding gifts I had ever gotten! 7. Buy the best dress you can afford. At the time, I could only afford a plain white dress made for a bridesmaid. It didn't have all the frills of a wedding dress, but with some lace appliquĂŠs that I hand beaded and sequined myself along with the help of a friend who could sew clothing, we took that dress and transformed it into something really special! If you don't want to mess with the dress, there are online resources you can look up to find bargains. E-bay is one of resource, but I suggest you look for local sellers first so you can inspect the dress before payment, either through pictures or going to the seller's home. 8. Choose faux over real flowers. Real flowers can be problematic, even if you can afford them (they draw bees plus and some people are allergic). I couldn't afford them myself, so I looked for an online craft outlet store and found the flowers I wanted in the colors I chose for the wedding. We used them for the men's boutonnieres as well as the corsages for the bridal party. The best part is, my bouquet still looks the same as the day I got married! 9. Keep the bridal party small. I had only one of each; the matron of honor and the Best Man. If your friends want to be part of the wedding, ask them to buy their own dresses in the color(s) you want. Let them choose the style (as long as the dress isn't too outrageous!), so there isn't any fussing over ‘that horrendous dress she made me wear.’ 10. Cater the food yourself. I don't mean serve everyone food in your bridal gown, but plan the menu, and make most of the food ahead of time, if possible. Have ingredients and instructions ready for the menu (if your friends will make it all fresh, just make sure you have kitchen facilities at the site of the reception/wedding feast), or have luncheon meat and cheese trays made so your guests can make their own sandwiches. Ask friends to make side dishes, and think about getting a card to a mega store to save on bulk buys. Don't use fancy china or silverware; use those good paper plates with pretty patterns and fancy plastic utensils (they make cleaning up a lot less troublesome for your helpers)! 11. Plan the day, hour by hour. Have a schedule that is flexible enough to allow you some time to relax, but also do all those fun things like tossing the bouquet and cutting the cake. If there are children present during the reception, make sure they have something to do to keep busy too! Lawn games are fun for the kids, as well as bubbles and other things they can do outdoors. One thing I did was to make two bouquets, one for the adults, and a smaller one for the little girls. They loved it!
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