So you've done all of your planning for your big day, and all you have left to choose are your wedding invitations

. You're excited, but the only problem is... you've spent most of your budget, you don't have much left, and all the invitation designer you've visited are quoting you $8-10 per set! If you're finding yourself stuck in this position, read on for a few tips you can use to bring your cost down:

1. Paper Choices - There are lots of beautiful papers out there, and if you've got a paper fetish like we do, it's difficult to choose just one or two! But if you inform your invitation

designer of your budget, she'll steer you in the right direction of papers that are in your price range. Stick to the non-metallics. If you want something that has a little something extra, a matte (non-metallic) paper with a bit of texture to it often does the trick.

2. Size - if you just can't find a matte paper that suits your style, the other option is to put together a set that's a little smaller than the standard 5" x 7" size! Some brides like how concise and neat a 4 x 5 invitation looks, and you can get more pieces out of a sheet which requires less paper cost!

3. Printing Method - Letterpress invitations are absolutely stunning, and everyone would love to be able to use this printing method for their invitations, but ... you guessed it... it's out of your budget. Letterpress invitations are individually hand-printed, and each piece is unique, so your invitation is basically a work of art. But a good invitation designer can come up with something equally unique and beautiful by incorporating unique and beautiful design elements into the physical pieces. Maybe a pattern printed on your cards? Maybe adding a few rhinestones would give it a little sparkle? For budget-conscious brides, digital printing is the way to go.

4. Amount of Paper - Eco-friendly doesn't necessarily always have to be expensive. Ditch your response card in favour of an online RSVP, and you've also ditched the expense of the extra 2 pieces (card & envelope to match). Or, if you must have a response card of some sort, what about a postcard? No extra cost of an extra envelope, and you've just saved yourself around $0.50 per set!

Ladies, shop around! You don't need to sign with the first invitation designer you meet, especially if they don't fall within your budget. You do realize that you get what you pay for in some regard, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with the DIY kits from your local craft store (which often amount to more stress that it's worth)! A good invitation designer will be able to understand your budget and be able to offer an attractive and unique solution to fit in your ideal price range.

Want to add a little bit of sparkle to your wedding?

Well, maybe not a little... Actually, a LOT. What are we talking about? Crystal Trees, of course! One of the biggest craze of the year amongst brides who want their wedding day to be a magical fairytale, these trees are absolutely gorgeous.

They're made from a tree called manzanita, and you can get them in the natural red or sandblasted white, or you can spray paint them gold or silver to match your decor. You can even get them in 5' or 6' arrangements for decorations around your head table. Other customizations could involve adding flowers (like orchids) on your stems, or attaching special shapes to the ends of your crystal strands... We love all the options you can choose from to make these beautiful trees fit your decor perfectly!



This is one of the next projects Yours Truly is working on, soon we'll have crystal trees for rent! Or, if you want to make your own crystal trees, you can buy the manzanita from Yours Truly too! How much do you love these trees? Leave us some feedback and let us know :)

For the Men: Boutonnieres...

So, the ladies get to accessorize with gorgeous jewellery, beautiful bouquets made with fragrant blossoms, luxurious gowns made of raw silk and crystals... guys get a tux. How do they get to stand out amongst the bride and her bridesmaids? Well, we've stumbled upon an idea that we at Yours Truly absolutely love: FEATHER BOUTONNIERES! Of course, we love-love-love how well they coordinate with the feathers in our fabulous fascinators, but whether or not you've got feathers in your ensemble the men can have a great looking boutonniere that's different from what everyone else is doing!

InStyle Weddings did a spot on Boutonnieres by Jo Gartin, and we saw this one that we really like:


This one was really neat, too... Especially for the beach-themed weddings and the brides with the seashell fascinators. So chic!




We found this one on shellysheek.com — we could totally visuallize a fascinator to match this one!

So, keep an eye out on designedbyyourstruly.com, this could definitely be one of the new products that we'll be introducing in the near future!

How about you? Would you consider a non-floral boutonniere? What about a hybrid (real flower & feather) arrangement? We'd love to hear your feedback!!