Here's how much to spend, and on what, according to an expert.
 iStockphoto We asked planner Susan Norcross of South Jersey’s Two Rings One Circus to show us how you can have a fabulous wedding on any budget.
BUDGET: $20,000
- Venue/Catering >> $10,000: Get creative and pick a place where you can control the catering, like a park or Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Make it a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres, mini desserts and a limited open bar.
- Photography >> $2,000: Limit the number of hours your photog is there, or look into using an assistant or photography student. (Just be sure you get to see work examples first.)
- Flowers & Decor >> $2,000: Carry a bouquet of simple baby’s breath or one single stem, like a lily. Order flowers from an online wholesaler and DIY your centerpieces—or forgo flowers altogether and use candles instead.
- Invites >> $400 to $1,000: Compare and contrast online vendors; great deals are easily had.
- Favors & Extras >> $400 to $1,000: Make a donation to a foundation that means something to you both in honor of your guests, or go for something simple and inexpensive, like custom-labeled matchbooks or CDs of your favorite music.
BUDGET: $50,000
- Venue/Catering >> $25,000: Look at hotel ballrooms and manors and estates; try a dual entrée offering everyone both salmon and chicken.
- Photography >> $5,000: Opt for a second shooter, to make sure every perspective of your Big Day is captured.
- Flowers & Decor >> $5,000: Work with your florist to use in-season flowers to get the most bang for your buck, and for help steering clear of budget-eating blooms like peonies.
- Invites >> $1,000 to $2,500: Look for customizable ready-made templates, and stick to digital printing or thermography, which will save you money over more expensive methods like letterpress or engraving.
- Favors & Extras >> $1,000 to $2,500: Go for an edible favor or one that doubles as an escort card. Or do something fun for your guests, like a photo booth; they can keep their pictures as favors.
BUDGET: $80,000
- Venue/Catering >> $40,000: Choose a raws pace,then have an event designer and lighting expert totally customize it for you. With food, add in extras where you can—a dessert and cordial lounge, a candy bar, a visit from a late-night cupcake or food truck.
- Photography >> $8,000: Go for a full package that includes an engagement shoot and even a post-wedding session, which many couples do in full wedding-day regalia without the stress and time constraints of the actual day.
- Flowers & Decor >> $8,000: Add pearls or crystals to your arrangements, use a real-flower aisle runner, and go all-out with something like floral centerpieces suspended from the ceilings.
- Invites >> $1,600 to $4,000: Work with a custom stationer to design invitations from scratch, and ask about options like printing on Lucite, wood or laser-cut metal, or about presenting the invites in something like a silk box instead of an envelope.
- Favors & Extras >> $1,600 to $4,000: Send each guest home with a miniature replica of your wedding cake.
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With product recs from a local makeup artist!
 iStockphoto I think it’s safe to say that every girl has got her little list of items that can always, always, always be found in her purse, no matter where she’s heading. That list might include blotting papers or lip gloss or a hair tie—and when you rummage around in your bag for one of them and come up empty, panic ensues. You do not want this to happen on your wedding day.
No, on your wedding day, you want to have put some actual time and thought into what supplies will be in your presence—not in your beautiful little vintage clutch, of course, but rather, in some handy tote stashed somewhere out of the way but where you can always get to it, and in the charge of one of your bridesmaids.
This topic happened to come up this week when a friend asked me what she should be bringing along by way of a bridal emergency kit like this for her sister’s wedding. To help her out, I dug up something I wrote several issues ago that put together a pretty comprehensive list, which I’m going to share with you, now, too. (Though I have, since the below was written, added band-aids and Advil, after the lovely experience of toppling out of the trolley and onto my knees when the bridal party I was in stopped at the Museum of Art for pictures before my friend’s wedding. Ouch. And blood.)
Here it is. Go forth and be prepared.
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 Below, find ideas for a gorgeous garden party wedding in the Philadelphia area. Not that we think you should put your wedding in a box, of course. But chances are you at least have a feeling when it comes to your Big Day: Will it be a swanky formal affair in a candlelit room with a marble rotunda? An airy soiree where your guests sip cool drinks from mason jars with fields of wildflower-dotted wheat in the background and cotton-candy clouds overhead? Whatever your vision for your wedding day, we’re here to help you plan it. In the following pages, you’ll find ideas for five different types of weddings—not just for gorgeous venues in the Philadelphia area, but for your flowers, gown, cake and bridesmaids’ dresses, all from local vendors and shops. Just find the one that feels like you, and you’re on your way.
{This article originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2013 issue of Philadelphia Wedding.}
Click here for PART ONE: City Ballroom.
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 Altrendo Images I think of myself as a creative person, but it’s very hard for me to envision the execution of an idea without something tangible.
My mom, my wedding planner Kathy and I had researched and debated all kinds of décor possibilities for the Four Seasons ballroom, yet I was left feeling utterly confused about what might work best within the room. It wasn’t until we got into the ballroom a few weeks ago that the ideas came to life, and I was able to come to some decisions.
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 iStockphoto Kind of like how our astrological signs supposedly say something about us, traditionally, all of the major flower blooms out there have carried a certain symbolic meaning with them, too.
Some brides like to pay attention to this when working with their florist on what blooms will go into their bridal bouquet. (Kate Middleton chose traditional nuptial blooms of stephanotis, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth and ivy, for instance, because of their meanings—even if we still think this is what her bouquet should have looked like.) And if you’re looking to make sure there’s some sort of meaning behind most of your wedding-day choices, this is a really sweet way to do that.
Just how each sign’s personality traits tend to differ slightly depending on who you ask or what you read, so it goes with this. But it’s still fun! Take a look at this slideshow of some of the most popular wedding-day blooms and their meanings, and then chat with your florist about your faves for your Big Day. It’ll be just a little something extra tied to the memory of what you carried down the aisle on that day.
Have you looked into what certain flowers mean in trying to choose which ones will go into your bridal bouquet?
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From wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses to covet-worthy accessories.
 The Kayleigh gown by Catherine Deane, originally $2,200, now $1,200. There is a minty-green, tiered crinoline skirt from BHLDN that I have had my eye on since forever. Today, I found that it was on sale.
That’s because the Philly-based bridal sister brand of Anthro has just added more than 100 new styles—wedding gowns; bridesmaid dresses; veils; jewelry; clutches; shoes, lingerie; minty-green, tiered crinoline skirts—to their April sale, and the potential hauls to be had have just seriously multiplied.
So whether you’ve had your eye on something since forever or have just yet to find that perfect something for your Big Day look, take a peek. We’re pretty sure you’ll find something to shriek about when you’re supposed to be getting your work done.
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 Jupiterimages This cute roundup from philly.com gathers a bunch of Etsy shops from local artists who offer fun goodies for your wedding. From pretty, customizable hangers for the Dress to live on and looks-like-you cake toppers to engraved bottle opener favors and a gorg alternative to place cards, there’s lots of great ideas and options—and the best part is, you’re buying local!
Speaking of cute, customizable alternatives sold on the Etsy shops of local artist’s, be sure to check out a few of our faves, too:
Use These So-Pretty, Custom-Made Bulletin Boards For Your Wedding’s Escort Card Display
PHOTOS: Our New Favorite Guest Book Alternative
Got a local Etsy discovery that brides would love? Share ‘em with the rest of us!
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Plus, they're made by a Philadelphian.
 An OnlyLally bulletin board. You might have seen it on Pinterest in the Wedding category, already: The decorative bulletin board, adorably displaying escort cards or perfectly pinned (no pun intended) snapshots of the happy couple from their younger years. And if you’ve been thinking that this could be something you’d like to have at your own wedding, then you are going to have to check out these so-pretty, custom-made boards from a crafty Philly native that we just recently discovered.
Sharon Tully, born and bred in Philly (though currently living in Vermont while her fiancé finishes his MBA) didn’t originally start her Etsy shop, OnlyLally, for brides, but rather just for anyone who wanted to add a little color to their homes or offices, she says. “But recently, I was approached by a bride who saw the boards and thought they would make a perfect escort card display for her upcoming wedding.” And that one bride sparked her idea for offering totally personalized boards for weddings (including her own!).
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Below, find ideas for a gorgeous ballroom wedding in the city. Not that we think you should put your wedding in a box, of course. But chances are you at least have a feeling when it comes to your Big Day: Will it be a swanky formal affair in a candlelit room with a marble rotunda? An airy soiree where your guests sip cool drinks from mason jars with fields of wildflower-dotted wheat in the background and cotton-candy clouds overhead? Whatever your vision for your wedding day, we’re here to help you plan it. In the following pages, you’ll find ideas for five different types of weddings—not just for gorgeous venues in the Philadelphia area, but for your flowers, gown, cake and bridesmaids’ dresses, all from local vendors and shops. Just find the one that feels like you, and you’re on your way.
{This article originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2013 issue of Philadelphia Wedding.}
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 Scarlett Alley's popular personalized wedding bowls. You know we love a good boutique registry, and Old City’s Scarlett Alley, with its roster of adorable lines you won’t see at all those big box stores, is one of our faves.
That’s why we definitely think you should check out their seasonal open house, the Bridal Beer Brunch, coming up on February 17th from noon to 4pm. They’ll be serving beer, champagne, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and will be available to answer any questions you may have about their registry service, or any of the fab items you might want to zap. (And with brands like Mariposa, Roost, Sabre, Vietri and Two’s Company, we have a feeling you just may find a few.) You’ll also be able to browse the merch in other categories, including so-pretty jewelry, so-comfy loungewear, and bridal-perfect accessories, like sparkly headpieces from Colette Malouf and Jane Tran.
Philly’s Brazen Boxing & MMA will also be hanging out, and when you attend the open house, you’ll get two complementary passes to boxing classes, to help get you on your way to being (strapless!) gown-ready for your walk down the aisle.
Oh, and if you register that day at the store, you’ll receive a Mr. & Mrs. Bridessentials Kit as a gift. It’s a slim silver case filled with 25 items you just might find yourself needing on your Big Day, including bobby pins, breath freshener, and double-sided tape.
Please RSVP to the store at 215-592-7898.
RELATED: How to Make Sure You’re Registering For All the Basics: A Checklist
RELATED: 10 Things You Didn’t Think to Register For
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