(ARA) – As a bride, once your Prince Charming has popped the question and placed the perfect princess cut on your left hand, the last thing you’re thinking about is a budget. You’ve fantasized about your perfect day since childhood and money was never an object. Now how are you going to afford that?

While you don’t want to sacrifice your dream wedding, you also don’t want to use up all your savings. Fortunately, you can still have your cake and eat it too … without paying full price.
Here are some expert tips to stay budget-friendly for your big day.

Propose a budget:
Discussing finances is never easy, but it’s an important conversation you must have before planning your wedding. Traditionally, the bride’s family provides a significant financial contribution, so find out what type of funding you might be receiving from this source. However, more and more couples are going it alone these days, so work with your fiance to establish a budget and decide how much each of you can afford to contribute. Decide together what’s worth spending big bucks on and where you can save. If a designer dress is a must, consider hiring a D.J. or loading up an iPod instead of a 10-piece band. Don’t forget that communication is key — stay open, honest and committed to your budget.

Commit to research:
Since you’re planning your wedding on a budget, you might find that a wedding planner is an expense you can’t afford. Instead of hiring outside help, make a list or find a wedding checklist of everything you need to purchase and arrange before your big day. Once you have decided exactly what you want, research, research, research. Never buy an item or hire a vendor without doing your homework. Make sure to check out user reviews and read vendor profiles online. A great resource for researching vendors is OneWed.com where you can browse thousands of vendor ratings and reviews from brides across the country. The site has the largest local vendor database available so you can find the all of the services you need in your “I do” destination.

Be a Cyber-bride:
It’s a little known fact that almost everything found in brick and mortar stores can be bought online, often for less. Lucky for the budgeting bride, online couponing sites are available to provide coupon codes for a number of online merchants. Just go to Google and type in a retailer name and coupon code for a list of resources. Deals range from large discounts to free shipping — saving you major money. Look for bridesmaids gifts, rehearsal dinner dress, thank-you notes, party favors, table decorations and much more.

Spread the love:
Once you’ve said “I do,” cut the cake and tossed the bouquet, it’s off to the honeymoon. And since everyone loves newlyweds, take advantage of your newly married status for vacation perks and fun freebies. Start by calling your hotel in advance and letting them know you’ll be coming for your honeymoon — they might be motivated to upgrade your room or throw in a romantic surprise. Don’t forget to share your good news at airline counters, restaurants and any other trip destinations. More often than not, you’ll receive special treatment in the spirit of celebration … and after planning an amazing wedding, you deserve it!

For more information about wedding budget planning, visit www.OneWed.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – When your best friend or sister announces she’s engaged and wants you to be her maid of honor, of course you jump up and down with excitement – for her. But inside, you’re starting to cringe. Dresses, presents and planning at least one bridal shower – you can feel the pressure building up.

Now before your pass out on the floor from the thought of all the work involved, here’s help. Culinary expert and newlywed, Kendall McFarland, research and development manager at Simply Organic, suggests cutting down on hassles with these five timesaving tips for simple but sensational shower refreshments.

* Take smart shortcuts. For enticing flavor without fuss, keep a supply of natural dressing and dip mixes on hand for fresh, homemade appetizers and snacks. Add a dip or dressing mix, such as creamy dill, French onion, guacamole, or ranch to equal parts of low-fat cottage cheese and non-fat plain yogurt and mix in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve with fresh veggies you can buy already cleaned and cut up at the store.

* Dress up everyday favorites. Special dishes don’t require hours in the kitchen. Make your easy-to-prepare favorites and dress them up with special, wedding seasonings. Try distinctive seasoning blends like red pepper and curry, apple and basil, pineapple and cilantro, or orange and ginger for a gourmet touch. For example, simply add a liberal dose of a spice (like oregano, basil, or cayenne) or seasoning blend along with some garlic and Parmesan cheese to your usual mashed potatoes, and you’ll instantly serve something outside everyday fare.

* Plan and shop wisely. Forget about shopping ’til you drop. Develop your menu, including impromptu snacks, ahead of time. Then pick up everything non-perishable at the same time, eliminating those last-minute treks to the grocery store. To save even more time, order ingredients online. For example, Simply Organic carries culinary items like organic spices, seasoning blends, baking extracts and flavors, gluten-free baking mixes and other cooking ingredients and supplies which they will ship to you within a few days of your order.

* Accept help. When the bride’s mother or other guests ask if they can bring anything, say yes! Ask them to bring something you don’t especially enjoy preparing or something you know is that person’s specialty which the bride really loves. You can even have each guest bring a dessert or appetizer, so you can focus solely on the rest of the party and fun. Offers to help are gifts, so allow other bridesmaids or friends to assist if they would like to. Working together can add to the shower fun, and give you stories to share as you continue down the wedding planning road.

* Make it as healthy as possible – the bride, her bridesmaids and the mother of the bride all want to fit into their dresses when the big day finally arrives. The best meal you can offer your guests is a delicious and healthy one. Provide great-tasting, nutritious snacks that are easy on salt, fat, sugar, and other potentially unhealthy ingredients and your guests will fondly remember your hospitality and not have to stress about fitting their dresses.

Here are two great examples of healthy bridal shower dishes from the Simply Organic recipe Web site that are easy to prepare:

Fruit Chutney
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and diced mixed fruit
1 package Apple Basil Dressing Mix
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mash fruit or use a food processor and blend. Add Apple Basil Dressing Mix and vinegar and mix. Chill and serve as a relish.

Italian Egg Bake
Serves 6

Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 package Italian Dressing Mix
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced vegetables (tomatoes and mushrooms are good choices)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk and Italian Dressing Mix and whisk well. Add cheese and vegetables. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until center is firm. Top with diced tomatoes and shredded Parmesan cheese for an extra special flavor.

For more delicious, healthy and easy recipes, visit www.simplyorganicfoods.com and click on the recipe drop-down menu.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – Moving their relationship from dating to marriage was a big step for Lynn Lehman and Cliff Simonelli. One primary concern was how their respective children — Lynn’s two young sons, ages 5 and 8, plus Cliff’s three youngsters, ages 9 to 15 — would come together as a family.

“Cliff and I were both divorced,” explains Lynn, a 38-year-old marketing manager. “Divorce turns kids’ lives upside down. My boys didn’t verbalize anything, but I knew they were worried. That’s one reason why Cliff and I decided to do something during our wedding to communicate to all the children that we were creating a family that would be there for them. We wanted them to know that they could trust that our marriage and our new family would not fall apart.”

But finding the perfect “family” wedding ceremony was not as easy as Lynn had hoped. She spent hours surfing the Internet only to find a lot of so-called blended family products with more sizzle than substance. Eventually Lynn found exactly what she had in mind: a simple and emotionally satisfying family service that gave each child a meaningful role in the wedding celebration.

This five-minute ceremony — known as the Family Medallion service — can easily be added into any religious or civil wedding ceremony. It differs from the traditional wedding in only one respect, after the newlyweds exchange rings, their children join them for a special service focusing on the family nature of a marriage. Each child is given a Family Medallion pendant (or ring) with three interlocking circles, a symbol that represents family love (for ceremony information, see FamilyMedallion.com).

The Wheaton, Ill. couple liked the message of the family ceremony, which included a pledge to love and care for all the children either spouse brings to the marriage. “We were making a commitment to the children, and we wanted them to make a commitment to work through the challenges that our new family would inevitably face,” Lynn adds.

The Simonellis say they will never forget the special family service that was the highlight of their September 2008 wedding. The justice of the peace called each child forward and, while he read the words of the ceremony, Lynn and Cliff placed the medallions around the necks of their children. There was a lot of hugging and happy tears.

“I could tell by the way the kids reacted that on some level, they understood,” Lynn says. For example, Lynn’s youngest son, 5-year-old Christopher, clutched his medallion and beamed at his stepdad Cliff. “This is cool, dude,” he said. “I love you.” Cliff, a 41-year-old salesman, had been concerned that his teenage son and daughter might not warm to the idea of a family service. “But once we gave them the medallions, I could feel in them a palpable sense of relief — that they knew everything was going to be OK.”

Most of the guests attending the Lehman-Simonelli wedding were amazed by the family ceremony. “We got tons of compliments,” says Lynn. “People told us that they had never seen such a unique and beautiful way to recognize children.”

More than 15,000 couples annually use the Family Medallion ceremony to help strengthen the bond between parents, stepparents and children. “I was very impressed with the Family Medallion ceremony,” says Rev. David Schaal, a Minneapolis minister. “When I recently used it during a wedding, I could see the pride and happiness in the face the little boy who received the medallion. It’s my feeling that when children are involved, it’s important to do something tangible to recognize them during the wedding.”

Lynn and Cliff believe that their decision to have a “family” wedding will strengthen their family bond for years to come. “As our kids grow older, I hope they appreciate the value of family and what we did to assure them that they would always be an integral part of our lives,” Lynn says.

Andrew Lehman, 8, isn’t thinking much about the future. He wears his Family Medallion every day and refers to the wedding as, “The day my mom, my stepdad and all of us kids got married. My medallion means family. That’s what we are.”

For additional information about Family Medallion products or the family wedding ceremony, visit www.FamilyMedallion.com or call (800) 237-1922.

Courtesy of ARAcontent