Category Archives: Budget-Savvy Ideas and Tips

Create that beautiful reception décor you’ve been envisioning — without breaking the bank!

Create the reception look you want at a price you can afford!

Atmospheric
Make guests “ooh” and “aah” when they walk into your reception by creating a fun and festive atmosphere.
• Balloons make a big impact, and they’re so affordable. Our balloons are perfect for filling with helium and clustering all throughout your décor. Also add “wow” with a balloon arch over your head table or on the dance floor. Balloons come in lots of colors to match your decorating look.
• Tissue bells look so pretty mixed in with your decorations and come in a rainbow of colors to match your color scheme. Accent them with colorful curling ribbon for pizzazz.
• Garlands are great, inexpensive accents for the head table and all over your reception site. Go romantic with Ann’s heart garland, or get glamorous with fluffy tissue festooning.

Putting it all on the table
Make your tables pretty and welcoming! It’s easy and affordable to dress them up with Ann’s coordinating tableware and accents.
• Brighten up tables with colorful plastic table covers and table skirts. Add floral table clips to keep everything in place.
• Choose colorful paper plates, cups and plastic silverware for coordinated style that only looks expensive.
• Napkins are a necessity, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be stylish. Choose colors that match your décor and personalize them for a designer look.

The center of attention
It’s true — you CAN have beautiful centerpieces without breaking your budget!
• Fill our glass cylinders with water for floating candles or flowers, or add items that match your wedding theme (sand and shells, pinecones and ornaments, colorful candies, etc.). You can also use them as vases.
• Create instant romance with our heart votive stands as centerpieces. They’re priced so you can place one or more at every table.
• Don’t forget the candlelight! Place lots of votive candles in glass holders around your centerpieces — and throughout your reception — for a pretty glow.

Those magic moments
Make the special moments of your reception — the toasts, the wedding cake and the cake-cutting ceremony — extra special with pretty, affordable items from Ann’s
• Our beautiful glassware is priced to keep you saying “cheers” long after the toasts are over! And the best thing? Toasting glasses are personalized FREE!
• Add unforgettable style to your wedding cake with a unique cake top from Ann’s. And when it comes time to cut your wedding cake, make sure you use a pretty knife and server set. Most are available personalized to create lasting keepsakes.

Click here to view all Wedding Reception Decorations and Accessories

Do your pocketbook a favor with affordable favors from Ann’s!

Bring out the savvy shopper in you with Ann’s money-saving tips for planning your wedding!  

Here are lots of ways to cut costs on your dream wedding!

Just say when and where
The date and location for your wedding often results in the bulk of your costs. Follow a few of these tips and you’re sure to drastically reduce your spending.
• Choose a wedding date in the off-season (Nov-Apr). Lower off-season rates or special deals are often available. If possible, avoid dates near Valentine’s Day — flower prices skyrocket!
• Choose a date near the holidays, such as Christmas or Easter, to take advantage of the festive decorations.
• Choose any day but Saturday. Weekdays, Friday evenings and Sundays are often less expensive than Saturdays. If you do celebrate on a Saturday, try a morning or early afternoon ceremony.
• Choose an already decorated venue such as a garden or restaurant.
• Use the same site for the ceremony and reception.

Make it LOOK good
The wedding attire is one of the most important aspects of a wedding. Here are some things to consider when choosing your wedding-day threads:
• Choose a white bridesmaid dress instead of a bridal gown. Don’t feel like you’re compromising style to save a few dollars. If you find that simply perfect, white, silky smooth, A-line dress on the bridesmaid rack, no one will know the difference. 
• Rent wedding attire. This inexpensive option still yields a beautiful wedding, and your wedding party doesn’t have to worry about having their ensemble hanging in their closets for years to come.

Eat, drink and be merry
Food and drinks will undoubtedly be one of your largest wedding costs. Here’s how to shave a few dollars off:
• Consider an alternative to the full evening meal. Cocktail parties, brunches, tea parties and lunch receptions are all less expensive than a full evening meal — not to mention the liquor bill will be considerably lower.
• Try a potluck as a fun way to involve guests in the wedding as well as provide an inexpensive and tasty meal for all.
• Don’t assume a buffet is a bargain. It can cost just as much to keep the buffet full as it does to serve a traditional meal.
• Use a small decorative cake for display and buy sheet cake to serve your guests. The cake will be just as delicious.

Floral aspirations
Flowers can take a huge chunk out of your wedding budget, so take a look at these useful ideas.
• Use flowers from the ceremony at the reception. Just be sure to ask someone to be in charge of moving them.
• Choose one type of flower, and save money on less arrangement time.
• Do your own flowers, but only if you are dedicated to this often daunting task.
• Choose flowers that are in season.

Money-saving ideas you’ll find through Ann’s
• Print-your-own products are a great way to save money. Ann’s offers laser compatible invitations, programs, favor wrappers and favor cones for candy and treats.
• Save on postage costs by using Ann’s respond postcards rather than regular respond cards.
• Ann’s offers custom address printing on envelopes for any invitation order. This may not save you money, but it definitely saves you time, which is just as precious when planning a wedding.
• Order extra invitations right away for guests you might overlook. Ordering 25 additional invitations costs less with the original order than placing a new order.
• Take a look at our Seal 'n Send invitations. With seal 'n sends, you won’t need to purchase enclosure cards.
• Consider using Corner Copy. Corner copy is a unique way to save money. By having your reception wording printed on the corner of your invitation, you eliminate the need for a reception card. This saves you money and saves paper. Remember, corner copy can be anything you want from reception wording to notes for guests.  

This and that
A few of our cost-saving tips simply didn’t fit into the sections above, but that doesn’t mean they’re not just as valuable. So here are some miscellaneous tips to keep in mind when you are looking to cut costs.
• Look to cosmetology schools for discounted hair and makeup appointments.
• Check out local culinary art schools for inexpensive yet fabulous cakes.
• Use a credit card with benefits for all wedding purchases, and build up frequent flyer miles for your honeymoon.
• Put some or all of your wedding savings into a 12-month CD. In one year, $5,000 will yield an extra $500!
• Hire a photographer for just the ceremony and early reception.