It’s often a time of laughter and tears and lots of sentiment. You don’t want the rehearsal dinner to be a bigger party than the reception, but you do want it to be a celebration.

A rehearsal dinner can be a picnic or a more formal affair, but the most important thing regardless of the budget is for it to be a nice way for everyone involved in the wedding to have some time together. The rehearsal dinner is traditionally paid for by the groom’s family. So, while the couple can offer their input, it’s only right that the groom’s parents decide what type of party to hold.

When planning for the dinner, be sure that spouses and/or dates of your attendants are included in the headcount. Also you need to decide if grandparents and other relatives such as aunts and uncles will also be invited.

Many people include their out-of-town guests at the rehearsal dinner. Whether you do or not is a personal and budget decision. One person who you want be sure to invite is the wedding officiant and their spouse or date.

If you’re worried about entertainment for the dinner, don’t. What generally happens is the sharing of stories and remembrances of good times had in the past. This makes for a fun way for guests and family to get to know a little more about the bride and the groom.

As you make plans and get ready for your wedding day, you will likely find yourself needing a quote that matches your feelings.

I would like to share some of my favorite love and inspirational quotes with you.

A few places where you may think of using a quote are:

• On your wedding invitations
• In your wedding program
• As a toast at your wedding reception
• As part of your unique wedding vows
• As an accent on a special frame for one of your wedding pictures

I am sure you can think of other places to use these love and inspirational quotes, so here are some of my favorites.

“If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you’ve made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.” – Anonymous

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle

“I would rather have one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.” – City of Angels

“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place, suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace, suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste, it all revolves around you.” – Moulin Rouge

“You don’t marry someone you can live with – you marry the person who you cannot live without.” – Anonymous

“Relationships–of all kinds–are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost.” – Kaleel Jamison

“Love is like playing the piano. First you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart.” – Anonymous

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.” – Roy Croft

“Marriage is an Athenic weaving together of families, of two souls with their individual fates and destinies, of time and eternity–everyday life married to the timeless mysteries of the soul.” – Thomas Moore

And the last one I want to share with you is rather long, but really sums up the way love makes you feel.

I love that you get cold when it is 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” – Billy Crystal from When Harry Met Sally

I wish you the best for your wedding day and hope that these love and inspirational quotes might come in handy.

Shop around and quiz your family and friends for names of bakers before you make your decision. You just might find an experienced cake maker who works from home at a much lower cost than the popular bakery in your town. I know in my location there is someone who because of family commitments closed their retail store but continue to offer their wedding cakes on a smaller scale from home. (She makes beautiful very tasty cakes.)

Local supermarkets and grocery stores are another option. Some of these stores offer cakes that are quite good and look wonderful. Here again it pays to shop around and see exactly what kind of wedding cake the particular store turns out.

If there is a cooking school in your area, they may be able to make the wedding cake for you for not much more than the cost of ingredients.

Many people choose to have a small elaborately decorated wedding cake and use decorated much less expensive sheet cakes to serve the wedding guests. Another money saving idea in this same vein is to decorate a dummy cake made from styrofoam for display on the table. Sheet cakes are then served to the guests.

Something else to keep in mind, while fondant is the trend for wedding cakes now, many people don’t like the taste and butter cream icing is much less expensive. Speaking of butter cream, part of the high cost of a wedding cake is the time someone has to spend making the decorations. A cake frosted with a smooth butter cream frosting can be decorated with ribbon and flowers and look just as beautiful but at a much lower cost than a cake that is elaborately decorated.

Keep these money saving wedding cake ideas in mind and your wedding budget will thank you.

Keep in mind that if you are a member of a particular church often they will allow you to use the facilities at a reduced cost, sometimes members can use the facilities free. So be sure to check this option first.

Outdoor weddings are always popular, just make sure that you have a backup plan if the weather doesn’t cooperate. When my daughter got married, she chose a local home that is available for weddings, and the ceremony was held outside, but there was space available and plans in place if we had needed to hold the wedding inside. If the backup plan involves an alternate location, this should be noted on the wedding invitations. Keep in mind, it is much easier for all involved if the location chosen can be used rain or shine.

Here are some ideas to get you started in finding a unique location that will fit in your budget.

• Local botanical gardens
• Friends or relatives homes with nice gardens for outside weddings
• Local parks
• Local clubs that may rent their facilities
• Is there a college nearby that has pretty buildings?
• Local community centers

I hope this list will help you think outside the box and find the possibilities in your area. Many times these non-traditional venues can be rented for little to nothing saving you big money on your wedding budget. Make sure whatever venue you choose that you pay the deposit if required and get something in writing confirming all details of the rental for your particular date.