After the Ceremony

The right food and wine amke for a memorable reception.
Your reception will most likely be the most expensive part of your wedding, especially if you opt for a sit-down dinner and an open bar. But there are other alternatives. Here are some tips to help you get the most bang for your buck.

Planning your perfect honeymoon.
Your honeymoon is the symbolic start of your life as a married couple, a chance to relax and enjoy each other after the stress of 'the big day.' A little planning will help ensure that your honeymoon is a trip to remember. Here are some great topics to talk through with your future husband or wife when making these important travel arrangements:

Financing your wedding and your married life.
For most couples, the time between getting engaged and celebrating the big day is a whirlwind filled with a myriad of details that need lots of personal attention: booking the wedding location, recruiting members of the wedding party, organizing the reception, the list goes on and on.

Honeymooning at the beach or slopes?
With all of the last-minute details involved in planning a wedding, most couples tend to put off honeymoon packing until the very last minute. Not a good idea, according to the Fashion Design instructors at The Art Institutes.

For your wedding and your new life together.
Family traditions define who we are and where we came from. From the simple Friday night pizza party in the living room to the elaborate wedding celebration, family traditions are the bedrock of society -- bringing order and predictability into our lives and emotionally nourishing us by building bonds with family both near and far. They make the mundane and everyday special, and they make the special occasions and milestones even more meaningful.

Wear that bridesmaid dress again.
In "101 Uses for a Bridesmaid Dress," (William Morris and Company, Inc, $20) author Cindy Walker pokes good-natured fun at the idea of re-using bridesmaid dresses. She suggests things like making them into lampshades, or dressing snowmen with them. She confesses to choosing dresses for her attendants that deserved such a fate.

Follow a format for a great best man speech.
If you're the best man, you have a pretty hefty responsibility: the best man speech. It only takes a little preparation and thought, though, to deliver a speech that's funny, moving and memorable.

Mouth-watering cakes for any budget.
As with any aspect of the wedding, the cake involves making important decisions but ones that often hinge around a budget.

Celebrating from coast to coast.
Two important decisions have to be made about the celebration following the wedding ceremony: where to hold it and what to serve. Inspiration for your choices might come from looking at options in various locales across the country.

Wedding reception tips fro brides on a budget.
The reception is traditionally one of the most expensive aspects of a wedding.

Favoring your guests.
You've spent months picking out the right dress, the right flowers and the right reception location. You've given thought to every last detail -- but what do you give your loved ones who are coming to share in your Wedding Day?

Wedding fare is more than one meal.
It's unlikely all your family and friends live in the town where you're getting married, so attending your wedding often becomes a weekend -- not just a one-day event -- for your guests.

After the Ceremony

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