In the early stages of wedding planning, many brides have a lot of fun perusing bridal magazines and wedding websites for inspiration. The only problem is that when it comes time to start bringing your vision to life, many of the elements can end up being way more costly than you ever imagined. To trim expenses while still having the beautiful wedding you designed, try substituting similar, but more affordable, elements for your ceremony and reception. You can end up with a wedding that meets your every expectation, including the total budget.

Instead of this: A six tier wedding cake decorated with handmade sugar flowers, a la Silvia Weinstock.

Substitute this: A cake with a real bottom tier and upper tiers made from Styrofoam. Once the whole cake is frosted, it will be impossible to tell that the top layers are fake. Decorate with fresh flowers instead of labor intensive sugar blossoms to save even more money.

Instead of this: A stack of diamond bracelets from Harry Winston (sorry, girls, they only let you borrow them if you are a movie star headed for the Academy Awards!).

Substitute this: A stack of sparkling Swarovski crystal bracelets. The Swarovski crystal bracelets will be glamorous and sparkly, yet won’t cost as much as a down payment on a house.

Instead of this: Custom letterpress wedding invitations, save-the-date cards, and thank you notes with your monogram on them.

Substitute this: Imprintable wedding stationery with a letterpress motif, such as a flower or a bird. The paper will have a lovely letterpress design on it, but you will save hundreds by doing the printing of the words yourself on a high quality home printer. There are a huge number of beautiful letterpress imprintable invitations from which you can order, both online and through traditional stationers.

Instead of this: A silk wedding gown which is heavily embellished with intricate crystal beadwork.

Substitute this: A simple silk wedding gown with a bold crystal trim around the waistline. You can get more sparkle by choosing a veil with crystal accents, crystal bridal jewelry, and a crystal tiara, but none of it will add up to as much as a gown which has been painstakingly handbeaded for countless hours.

Instead of this: Thousands of roses for your bridal bouquets, reception centerpieces, and ceremony decor.

Substitute this: A combination of roses with less costly flowers. Lisianthus are a favorite secret weapon of florists when trying to cut the cost of the floral budget as they have a very similar look to roses at a lower price. Use them to add fullness to your wedding arrangements without driving the price sky high.

About the Author Laura Firenze

Laura helps brides with their wedding plans by offering advice on selecting bridesmaids gifts,reception ideas and other aspects of planning a wedding. Visit us at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ to see our spectacular collection of Swarovski crystal bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. All jewelry orders over $99 ship for free, so visit today!

The first thing to keep in mind is that a December wedding is going to be more festive and dressy than one at a different time of the year. It is simply the spirit of the season. This means that you would dress up more for a holiday wedding than you would for one at the same time of day in the summer or fall. Even in the daytime, guests can have fun wearing luxurious fabrics like velvet and accessorizing with plenty of sparkly jewelry, such as Swarovski crystal bracelets.

For an afternoon holiday wedding, one of the best looks is a velvet ensemble in a jewel tone. Think about what you might wear if you were hosting a holiday open house and choose something along those lines. A great style would be a flowing pair of silk velvet trousers worn with a beaded cashmere cardigan over a silk cami. For daytime, try to stay away from too much black; velvet in rich shades like ruby, forest, navy, or brown will be more festive and cheerful.

Another wonderful daytime wedding outfit would be a fitted velvet jacket worn over a skirt with patent leather heels. A long silk crepe skirt with great movement would be lovely, or choose a knee length pencil skirt. To add dimension and visual interest, layer in contrasting fabrics, such as a satin pencil skirt with a portrait collar velvet jacket. Have some fun with wintery accessories, such as Swarovski crystal snowflake earrings worn with a few ruby red crystal bracelets. This will put the perfect finishing touch on your holiday wedding attire.

When you are invited to an evening holiday wedding, it is your chance to really dress to the nines. Short beaded cocktail dresses are smashing, as are long ballskirts worn with fitted tops. Even in the winter, many of the formal items are sleeveless, so be sure to buy a stylish wrap. A fur shrug or a luxe cashmere wrap would be gorgeous and cozy. For even more style, secure your wrap with a jeweled brooch. Of course, if the wedding is black tie, a full length evening gown is ideal, worn with silk shoes. You may even wish to add a special accent to your hair, such as a set of crystal hairpins. Swarovski crystal chandelier earrings will also look amazing for such a fancy wedding.

The gentlemen invited to a holiday wedding should also plan to step up their style a notch. They can have some fun with richly textured suits in flannel or tweed for the day, or wear a dashing tuxedo for a formal evening wedding. Add a touch of holiday cheer to the outfit with a plaid bowtie or a straight tie with a subtle winter pattern, such as a holly design. Subtle being the key word here: no ties depicting snowboarding Santas or ones with light-up Rudolph noses, please!

A winter holiday wedding is unmatched for its festive nature. As a guest at such a wedding, you will have the chance to put together a really fantastic outfit which will be a lot of fun to wear. Take advantage of the opportunity, and choose wedding guest attire that is festive and a bit glamorous.

About the Author Laura Firenze

Laura is interested in wedding planning and wedding trends including jewelry,receptions and gifts. Sparkling Swarovski crystal bracelets will make any outfit more glamorous.

Holiday Wedding Jewelry Ideas

Floral Vine Jewelry Collection From $48.00	Freshwater Pearl Double Drop Jewelry Set From $36.00	Illusion Jewelry Set From $16.50
Personalized Circle of Friendship Bracelet From $26.00	Freshwater Pearl & Crystal Jewelry Set From $15.00	Personalized Heavy Weight Charm Bracelet $18.00
Personalized Rhinestone Toggle Bracelet $18.00	Personalized Sterling Silver Heart Charm Bracelet $18.00	Beaded Trio Jewelry Set $26.00