From 'Fair' to Fabulous

Celeb party planner David Tutera shows how to easily and affordably up the wow-factor of your wedding

By Mirielle Cailles
CTW Features

From venue to votive candles, creating your fairytale wedding can sometimes be tough, especially on a budget. But David Tutera, wedding expert and host of WE TV's hit show "My Fair Wedding" shares some of his secrets to amp up the style and sophistication of any wedding.

"One of the easiest ways to class up your wedding on a budget is to simply include a more formal dress code on your invitation," Tutera says. Find instant elegance with either cocktail chic or black-tie. "This easy move will create a more formal ambiance at no additional cost."

Take a gander at your guest list and cut all those distant relatives and dad's golf friends. "Unfortunately, [more guests] spells out extra tables, extra décor, a larger venue and more of everything from food to transportation to invitations," Tutera says. "I always suggest limiting the list to people you truly care about and those you really want to be a part of your special day. It will make your wedding more intimate and cut back on expenses in many ways."

When it comes to the dress, brides often set their eyes on the dress they've always dreamed of. "So often this turns out to be totally wrong on their figure. I urge my brides to explore several styles to truly find the ones that suit their frame and wedding," Tutera says. For your bridesmaids, stick with one color and designer, then allow your gals to choose the dress that's right for their shape.

Dressing up your dinner tables is another way to add class without much cash. "Ask your caterer not to do the dreaded napkin-in-glass fold but instead do a chic rectangular fold that you can accent with flower heads leftover from your centerpieces," Tutera says.

Also, consider candles as a nice accessory for the room. "Candles add an instant glow to the room for little cost," he says. "Consider embellishing your own pillar candles with ribbon and crystal accents or using an abundance of votives in an interesting pattern, like clean straight lines on the dining tables or even spelling out your monogram on the escort table."

While no color is absolutely wrong for a wedding, there is a right way to do color, Tutera says. "I always suggest sticking with one main color or a few of the same shade and using a secondary shade to accent it and make your wedding pop," he says. "You main color should be something more natural such as white, pale green, pink or purple and then using the crazier color such as orange, red, deep purple or even black to accent it."

Whether you're looking for style, sophistication or just something that says wow, Tutera recommends focusing on these three elements to create your perfect dream wedding: "Décor that is a tasteful and timeless product of [your] imagination, entertainment or special details that reflect the couple, such as a signature drink or an eight-piece string orchestra and a dress that makes the bride feel like a princess."

Comments	Date

Name:
Email:
Comments :

Copyright © CTW Features