There are obvious places to save money when you’re planning a wedding with a tight budget: fewer flowers; fewer guests; a sit-down dinner instead of buffet; fewer attendants; a D.J. instead of a band; and the list goes on. But have you ever suggested that your couple focus on their venue as a cost-cutting measure? A venue that acts as a gorgeous backdrop is a venue that needs little decor to make it fabulous.

Courtesy of Serendip Vacations in St. John, V.I. (A fabulous place for a destination wedding!)

We love beach and lake-side weddings, especially if the ceremony takes place as the sun sets. You can’t get much more beautiful than that, and the colorful sky will look glorious in the couple’s photos. And while church weddings aren’t every couple’s first choice they’re often a good venue because for one, they’re often free or come with a low fee, and two, they’re often filled with gorgeous lighting and architecture. Those last two are things that bridal couples can pay a fortune for if they’re not careful.

When it comes to decorating these venues go with the mantra that Less Is More. Focus on the parts of the ceremony where guests will focus their attention: the altar. Extraneous decor down the aisle and on benches and chairs is pretty, but it’s often bought with money that is better used elsewhere. And make the flowers work double-duty! A certified wedding and event planner is always thinking ahead and knows that those arrangements can be moved to the reception. All it takes is staying a step ahead of the guests, and most of them will never know that the arrangements are “recycled.” You can also use the bridesmaids’ bouquets at the reception. They make adorable table arrangements when popped into crystal vases, and they’re a nice addition to the cake table, too, when laid around the cake in a circle.

Saving a couple’s money is something that they’ll thank you for forever. Everybody wants to have a beautiful wedding no matter what their budget is. A wedding coordinator can only do so much - even when he or she is super-creative - but having a fabulous venue in their back pocket is a guaranteed way to pack a lot of punch into any wedding.

As certified wedding and event coordinators you’re going to get a lot of zany requests. Weddings are very personal celebrations, and every couple has Just The Thing to make their day even more special:

* Dogs as ringbearers? Check.
* Bathing suits for the couple instead of a gown and tuxedo? Check.
* An all-black wedding (even the flowers) or perhaps a red wedding gown? Check.
* Donuts or Moon Pies instead of wedding cake? Check.

You name it, and there is a wedding coordinator out there who has done it. But this? An iFairy Wedding Officiant? This is new to us. The 4-foot, pigtailed, decorated robot gave the couple such directions as “Lift the bride’s veil.” It was well-received by the Japanese crowd, which is no surprise considering the country’s efforts to incorporate robots into everyday life.

As for us, well, we’ll stick to a real, live, breathing officiant. But we’re sure there is a bridal couple out there in America just dying to have this robot at their wedding. Legal? We’re not sure, but as their wedding consultant it will be up to you to find out!

We’ve all heard of what some might call “Wacky Weddings.” If you’ve ever seen TLC’s A Wedding Story you know that couples are choosing to be married in lots of places other than churches. A few we’ve noticed are those in art museums, aquariums, and we even know of a couple who were married in an airport lobby! There is always a special tie to these places: Perhaps the couple worked somewhere together, or maybe they choose to marry in the place where they first met - even if it is a bit unconventional. There was the Georgia couple who were married in a Waffle House. And there was the couple who were married in Walmart. Well, add the Apple store to that list!

Joshua and Ya Ting Li recently said “iDo” to each other at the event on Valentine’s Day in the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. They were surrounded by a few friends and family, a lot of curious shoppers and some very surprised staff! They exchanged rings that were attached to, what else, iPods?! And one more curious tidbit: The wedding was conducted by a priest dressed like Steve Jobs. It may have a been a short, wacky wedding, but with those kinds of details no one can say they didn’t do a bit of planning!

As certified wedding and event planners you may be approached by couples who want their wedding to be unique, and yes, maybe a bit unconventional. It’s fun to think outside of the box, and graduates of Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute are always ready to put on their thinking caps and make any and all weddings those of a couples dreams! (Even if they want to, say, jump off a skyscraper while they take their first kiss!) Check out these links for some great Wacky Wedding ideas!

* LA Times’ photo gallery of Wacky Weddings
* Underwater Weddings in Australia (A guide! It could be a destination wedding, with a twist!)
* Bing.com’s Top 10 wacky weddings video
* The photographs from this actual Star Wars wedding are phenomenal!
* Renaissance weddings are hardly wacky anymore, but they’re certainly non-traditional.