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.

Long, loose ponytail. Courtesy of bridalhairpictures.com

When it comes to bridal fashion there are more decisions to make than simply choosing The Dress - although the dress does guide a lot of a bride’s choices! A close look at bridal fashion for the 2010 Fall/Winter season shows that romance is ruling the runways.

Many brides are showing their softer, princess side this year with lavish, embellished gowns, and stylists say that the perfect hairstyles to complement such gowns are soft, feminine ones that highlight a bride’s shoulders and put the focus on the gown - think long, low ponytails with loose curls or waves.

Low, loose bun. Photo courtesy of James White International Hair Stylist.

Another simple style to consider is a take on the classic bun. In this case it becomes looser and romantic, sitting lower on the head, with pieces of hair falling in just the right places.

And for the bride who wants a bit more form while still keeping the romantic feeling? Stylists suggests such styles as the classic French pleat - a la Audrey Hepburn - but looser and softer to help the bride’s look stay ethereal.

With these gorgeous styles in mind we can easily picture a romantic, fall wedding filled with candles and warm colors and a bride with a flowing, off-white gown with tons of lace details. Natural elements and colors - warm reds and golds - would be perfectly accented by a bride with loose, flowing hair.

French Pleat. Photo courtesy of Amsale.

Or perhaps as a bride’s certified wedding and event planner you would offer the perfect winter dream wedding, filled with a bride in a crystal-embellished gown, with a soft, low bun, accented with more crystals, standing at the altar. Any of these suggestions make up the perfect, romantic wedding day.

So remember to, yes, help your bride plan her wedding from top to bottom, but also help her set her own personal style from head to toe. She’s expecting you to create the perfect package, and the small details - such as the perfect hair style - are the bow on top!

Most weddings revolve around one thing: color. Color guides gown and flower choices, and it also affects cake design. Color plays a role in the invitations, and you’ll find a wedding’s signature color in all the details, too, such as in ribbon accents, tablecloths and favor packaging. But how is a bride supposed to know exactly which color is her signature color? Preston Bailey, the author of Preston Bailey Celebrations and the go-to expert for all things wedding-related, has a great new tool for certified wedding and event planners to offer their clients. His Color Palette Picker can easily guide brides to choose the perfect color palette for their wedding, and it’s all based on a few simple questions. The result of this fun tool is a customized color palette for each bride, along with some great suggestions for incorporating the colors into a fabulous event.

So go ahead and give it a try! And when you have a bride walk in who knows perhaps what color she’s leaning toward, but not how to bring it out in her wedding to full effect, you’ll have a great tool to help guide her.

Links you may be interested in:
* The Color Palette Picker
* Preston Bailey.com
* Preston Bailey’s Blog
* Buy Preston Bailey’s book

It’s no surprise that wedding magazines never seem to go out of style - everybody loves to flip through them and see the latest trends! They’re filled with eye candy for brides-to-be and maybe even a few already-been-brides. (We admit it. We’re kind of obsessed with weddings. But how can we not be? They’re so fun and pretty and frilly and colorful and yes, okay, we’re addicts!) Here are a few of our favorite finds this week from etsy, which may be even better than our beloved magazines. (And yes - etsy is another one of our addictions!) All of you certified wedding and event coordinators are bound to have a few favorite finds of your own to share. Tell us about them in the comments!

1. Eco-friendly dress; 2. Custom-painted heels; 3. Hand-made shawl

1. Pearl and rhinestone necklace; 2. Mr. and Mrs. seat signs; 3. Vintage diamond ring

1. Bird-cage veil; 2. Hydrangea hair pins; 3. Hydrangea bouquet

And on that note, Happy Weekend to all of Lovegevity’s certified wedding and event coordinators. Wedding season is in full swing this month. We wish you weekends filled with brides, sunny skies and timely vendors!