Great wedding food idea, or best wedding food idea ever? As I was doing my morning rounds of the wedding news, I cam across an article about a couple hiring a Korean barbeque food truck to show up to their reception at midnight. YUM!!!!

Okay, to be fair, the idea of having food trucks show up at a wedding isn’t an entirely unique concept. I’ve been to more than one wedding where there was a snack truck waiting outside at the end of the wedding, and I’ve been to plenty more weddings where the hosts generously offer late-night revelers a wedding snack. But for anyone who has ever planned a wedding, you know just about every additional amenity you provide guests costs another few thousand dollars, so in terms of wedding savings advice and whether or not you should spend money on providing a late night snack, let’s take a look at the bigger picture.

While a reception snack will definitely cost you a few bucks, it does have some distinct benefits. First, it’ll make your guests happy. Most of the weddings I’ve been to where a snack was provided always leave a more pleasant memory. As the host, it’s a nice way of saying “I know you’re here celebrating with us to the early hours, so I just want to thank you again for coming out.” A late night snack can also be important if your friends are heavy drinkers. And if they are, you’ve probably already considered why… nothing helps keep a party with an open bar going like late night munchies to absorb some of the extra alcohol.

Beyond those two bonuses, I’d have to say I don’t see any other major benefit. Sure it’s nice to offer guests a little extra food, but do folks expect it? What do y’all think? Has anyone out there either thrown a wedding with a late night snack or been to one and want to share your thoughts?

Friends of Mr. Heather and I recently got married but instead of having just a traditional wedding, the couple went on a wedding tour. They didn’t want/couldn’t afford a big blowout wedding, so they got married quietly with just close family and friends. Then, they had a few mini, low key, casual receptions to visit and celebrate with everyone else. It was so well executed that I just had to share the idea with all of you because it brings huge wedding savings.

One of the biggest wedding budget-busters is the ever growing guest list. And, one of the biggest wedding frustrations, is the “wedding surcharge” that seems to be added to normally reasonably priced items. This couple was able to have a very small, reasonable wedding because they eliminated the guest list. Their ceremony was intimate and folks were OK with that… they knew they were going to help celebrate later, and no one was left out. And, when they had their mini-celebrations, they eliminated the “wedding surcharge” because they were no longer purchasing a “wedding cake” or “wedding flowers”. In a smaller atmosphere, a handmade floral arrangement and music from the iPod was welcome. Not to mention, they were able to celebrate and focus a lot more on their guests.

If you have a lot of guests, think about taking your wedding on tour to find some savings… but be careful ladies, a wedding tour does not mean multiple weddings!

New York Just Got A Whole Lot More Fun!

The law allowing same-sex marriages in New York went into effect on July 24th, which is awesome. What an incredible step forward for one of our most populated states to take. That being said, the legalization of same sex marriages in in New York might not be nearly as good for your pocket book. According to this article in the Baltimore Sun, the legalization of same sex marriages has created a huge demand for weddings. And you know how good ole’ “supply and demand” works, right? The more demand, the less supply, and the more expensive. So what’s a New Yorker planning her (or his) wedding to do?

Good thing you’ve come to the rejuvenated wedding blog that’s all about wedding savings advice. If you’re in the Empire State and noticing a rising cost in weddings, let PEA.com offer a good solution: Wait to book. Yup… you read that right. PEA.com loves a wedding just as much as anyone else (OK… a lot more than everyone else) but if you’ve got time to wait, hold off. That includes holding off on booking everything from venues and wedding transportation, to florists, caterers, and even plane tickets. Why? Because the wedding rush is going to lead to an inevitable wedding bust. Right now wedding planners and wedding industries are getting hit with hundreds of extra requests, but in a few months, New York weddings will normalize again, and all those extra service providers will be desperate for more business, meaning you’ll be back in the driver’s seat.

So if you can afford the time to wait on your wedding purchases, know that you’ll be able to afford a lot more of them in a few months when wedding vendors in New York are desperate for more clients.

Yay! Practically Ever After Is Back!!!!!

Hi all! I know it’s been a long (loooooong) time since we last updated PracticallyEverAfter.com. So, first things first, I’m really sorry about that. We had a lot of readers who came to rely on good wedding advice from us on a daily basis, but the time commitment to keep posting updates got to be too much, and… well… no excuses. We’re just bad wedding bloggers, I guess.

But the crazy thing is that even after we stopped making new wedding savings posts, people kept coming to the site. And coming, and coming, and coming. So finally we’ve decided it’s time to start wedding blogging again, and that’s what we’re doing.

So welcome back to Practically Ever After. We’re sorry it’s been a while since our last wedding savings advice post, but we’re going to make it up to you by turning Practically Ever After into the best wedding blog on the Internet. Are you ready to live practically ever after?

No, my current wedding savings advice is not to play the lottery; however, winning the lottery would sure help pay for your wedding!  Check out this happy couple.

How about some free advice?  I think that helps with wedding savings, and it’s not coming from someone you don’t want to hear from like your future mother-in-law.

Platinum Events has provided a Wedding Rehearsal Check List.  Click here to see what you might be missing.

I just came across another giveaway for you all!

Brenda’s Wedding Blog is giving away a set of personalized peacock wedding accessories.  Click here to find out more and to enter.

Good Luck!

Added, special details can make a wedding fabulous.  Those details don’t have to ruin your dreams of huge wedding savings!

Check out these DIY Fabric Envelope Liners!

The recent release of Alice in Wonderland has re-introduced the classic tea party theme.  Many brides are trying to have summer tea-party weddings.  We’re familiar with the specialty cocktail for a bride and groom, what about a specialty tea blend as well?  Sure, you could just purchase your favorite tea bags and re-wrap like this article explains.  Or, you could purchase different loose leaf tea and make your own blend.  Places like Amazon sell seal-able tea bag filters like these or you could make your own cloth bags like this article explains.  Making your own favors, and being able to purchase your supplies in bulk, will cut down your wedding expenses.

Borrowing is one of the best ways to save money for your wedding.  Whether you are borrowing decorations like table runners or something more personal like your bridal shoes, borrowing means not having to spend money.

Now, this article about re-purposing your Mom’s wedding gown, isn’t exactly about borrowing.  But, it’s another great way to make your wedding more unique for not a lot of money.