Doubling up! 11440 views

Everyone is trying to stick to a budget in the run-up to their wedding, but who wants to sacrifice any of those special touches? The team at TK Weddings reveal how ‘doubling up’ can help you combine style and practicality.
Napkin holders – Pretty elastic hair bands that match your colour scheme are a great alternative to napkin rings, and double up as favours for your female guests. Chunky bracelets in bright colours give a similar effect.
Order of day, menu and placecards – To keep your guests aware of the running of the day, what they will be fed and where they should be sat for the meal, consider ordering or making multi-purpose cards that do all this. If making them yourself, cut card into strips about 20cm long and 10cm wide. On one side of the card, print each guest’s name at the top and your chosen menu underneath. On the other side, print the times everything will be happening on the day. For added impact, match the colours and font to your wedding invitations and tuck each card into a folded crisp white napkin.

Let them eat cake – Cut your cake before the meal and serve it as dessert, along with cream or an accompanying sauce. As well as ensuring it is all eaten, this saves you the cost of a separate pudding.
Individual table centres – Instead of one big table-centre arrangement, how about having individual flowers in separate vases that can be taken away by female guests at the end of the evening? Use flowers that match your bouquet, or choose a different type of flower for each table and name the table after that variety.
Placecard and present ­– Attaching a name tag to each of your carefully chosen favours means they can also be used as place settings. This has the added advantage of making it clear that your favours are gifts, so they are more likely to be taken home and used.
No starters – Rather than having a three-course meal, how about forgetting the starter and instead providing your guests with fabulous and filling canapés earlier in the day? Mini fish-and-chips in cones and small burgers in buns will give your guests something to enjoy with their drinks during the photo-taking hour – and staggering the food means they are likely to feel less bloated later.
Speeches and toasts – Have you considered having your speeches straight after your ceremony? This way, your welcome drinks can double as toast drinks and all nerves will be forgotten early on, leaving only the first dance to worry about!
Summer evenings fly! – Candlelight always creates an amazing atmosphere during an evening reception. If you are hoping for good weather so your guests can sit outside, use citronella candles to keep those summer bugs away while adding a touch of romance.
Go digital – The cost of processing disposable cameras can mount up, and 60% of the resulting photos are likely to be of food rather than people! Instead, why not consider hiring digital cameras to leave on each table? Guests will then be able to take photos and delete or re-take those they’re not happy with. You save money by only printing the photos you like, and can also edit them afterwards. You could even use one of the shots for your thank-you cards.
Venue-decorator, toastmaster, co-ordinator and friend - Save yourself and your friends and family the worry of decorating your venue on the morning of your wedding, making announcements, making sure everything runs to time and countless other tasks by hiring an ‘On the Day’ co-ordinator.

Copyright to TK Weddings 2006. TK Weddings are the original ‘On the Day’ co-ordinators and are industry leaders in ‘On the Day’ co-ordination. Visit www.tkweddings.com for more information. Photography by www.beckerphotography.co.uk