Emily Moise | Keely Thorne Events: Every bride wants her wedding to reflect her own style, personality and the love between her and her soon-to-be husband.  Adding personal touches can get extremely expensive if you don’t do it right.

A simple way to make your wedding your own is to think about items that could be used at your wedding and also used again in your new house with your new husband! A Bride tends to like similar things for the wedding that she would in her day to day life.

For example, if you are a zebra print girl, then use a simple zebra rug under the place card table. It would be adorable!

Have a lounge area?  Why not add a rug to it?!? You’re probably going to be buying one for your new home anyways so why not use the same one? Here are some great rugs from Urban Outfitters…

Also many lounge furniture rental companies will offer rental pillows.  But why not go out and buy some that will be in your house? Here are some great ones from Urban Outfitters.

Blankets can make for a great outdoor wedding. Here are some from Ikea for only $3.49! Simply roll them up, tie with a ribbon and put a little sign on them. Every new household needs extra blankets!

Have a great piece of art work for your wall or find one you love? Why not incorporate that into your favor station for a little fun?  Or want a cool lamp on your guest sign in table? Well buy one for your house to use! Need a cool vase or basket for well wishes? I am sure there is one out there with a purpose in your new house.

Great places to look for all of these suggestions are antique stores, Hobby Lobby, Pier1, Etsy.com, anthropologie, Pottery Barn, etc.!  There is literally inspiration and stuff to use for your wedding all over your new home!

All of these tips are inspired not only to help save you money, but to also keep reminders all throughout your new home of that special day that you committed your love and lives together!

The Look For Less is a regular feature on our blog.  We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank.

Today’s feature was written by Emily Moise of Keely Thorne Events – a boutique special events firm that plans exquisite weddings and unforgettable social events in Southeast Texas and worldwide.

Emily’s enthusiasm, wit and charm quickly win over her client’s hearts, but it is her creativity, knowledge and exceptional attention to detail that enable them to trust her with their most important events.

Daisy Pagan | Perfect Settings: Everyone (or most, I would think) knows that you can re-purpose the flowers from the Ceremony for some blank spots at the reception.  But what about re-purposing the centerpiece?

What do I mean?  Well, what about taking a minute and calling all of those near and dear to you…ask if they have a special cake plate, cake plateau, compote or riser.

Photos courtesy of: Amazon, Style Me Pretty, Country Living, Vintage Indie, The Haystack Needle

Ask those very women to make their most special and favorite cookie recipe and fill those cake plates with 2-3 dozen of cookies.  Use these as your centerpieces… they will be the hit… trust me!

Not interested in having cookie centers but would like something edible?  How about cakes or cup cakes?

Photos courtesy of Clara French

If that doesn’t stir any excitement, not to worry, you could also use the cake plates as flower or candle bases.  You could also mix and match with some tables having cookies, some having cakes, some having candles and the others having flowers.   Just be sure that you are tying the wedding colors into the centerpiece.

Photos courtesy of: Martha Stewart, Country Living, Ilovelolliblog

Lots of family and friends want to help with the daunting tasks of wedding planning but don’t know how to ask or where they can be of help.  This is a perfect fit from all perspectives.

The Look For Less is a regular feature on our blog.  We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank.

Daisy Pagan is an event and wedding planning professional with more than 14 years experience in the coordinating industry.  She has planned weddings as small as 12 guests to the grandest of 500 guests. Find her at Perfect Settings in Columbia, PA.

Look at the napkins!  Their color…  how they are folded…  and where they are placed… make a huge difference in the look of the tablescape. This is an easy and inexpensive way to personalize and accent your wedding reception tables!

All images courtesy of Project Wedding.

The Look For Less is a regular feature on our blog.  We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank.

I love today’s feature by Lynda Barness at I DO Wedding Consulting in Philadelphia. The idea is so simple and smart.  And when you think about napkins as part of your decor, instead of just well, napkins, it really can enhance your look.  Without adding cost.

Grace Beason | Grace Leisure Events: The creative, budget savvy bride knows that choosing local is a great way to cut costs. And as wedding planner, this is some of the best advice I can give you.  Choose Local!

This means many things but above all, try sourcing your flowers locally from local floral producers or even from farmers markets.  Put your flowers together yourself or make sure you work wit a local florist who is game to source things locally.  This not only decreases the carbon footprint of your wedding (dahlias from down the road versus tulips from the Netherlands), but saves you money because the flowers had to travel a shorter distance to make it from their home to your florist and into your gorgeous wedding centerpieces.

Another great idea is to have your caterer source their food locally.  This is now becoming a very hot trend (hopefully one that sticks) with restaurants and caterers. (You may not even need to suggest it, but be sure that you ask). The more “farm to table” you can get with your food items, the better off your budget will be and again, the friendlier it is to our planet.

When looking at the overall scope of your wedding, do the best you can to go local with all of your vendors.  Choose a tent company in your home town rather than one a town over, even if they have a style you like better.  Get invitations made from recycled paper (Crane’s, for example, uses all recycled paper), and find a band that is in town rather than one you need to fly in from New York City.

Every choice you make for your wedding impacts the environment and your pocketbook.  Why not choose local and affect them both positively?

We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank. You can find all of these amazing tips in our The Look For Less category.

Today’s post was written by Grace Beason of Grace Leisure Events. They specialize in sophisticated, innovative and unforgettable weddings and events in North Carolina and beyond. Owner and head planner Grace L.P. Beason combines Manhattan style, savvy and class with Southern charm, wit and beauty creating events that are truly unique, and uniquely you.