How to Plan a Casual Wedding

Little girls dream of the perfect wedding. However, achieving the perfect wedding can be stressful and costly for adults. Instead, brides and grooms are opting for the casual wedding to create a memorable day. Casual weddings enable individuals to insert their personality and touches on the day. Planning a casual wedding also alleviates some of the stress of wedding planning and can save the couple money. Here are a few ideas for planning your own casual wedding.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar

Instructions

1. Invite only close friends and family to the wedding. Keeping the guest list short will save money and allow you to plan a casual, relaxed day. Remember not all invited guests will attend the wedding.

2. Choose a location that reflects your personality. A few ideas for casual wedding locations include a backyard, a garden, a beach and a winery. All of these locations allow for informal weddings and casual attire. Consider having the ceremony and reception at the same location.

3. Plan for casual attire. A bride can choose a simple white dress, maybe a white tea-length sundress. The attendants can wear sundresses or whatever might fit the wedding theme. The groom and groomsmen can dress in nice shirt and pants with optional tie. It’s important to let guest know of the casual attire.

4. Design a simple menu. Plan to serve appetizers and hors d'oeuvres instead of a sit down meal. Choose some favorite foods or ingredients and incorporate them into the menu. For a wedding cake, consider cupcakes or your favorite cookies. These are simple and easy to serve.

5. Allow for natural beauty. In choosing any of the locations mentioned above, few decorations would be needed. Simple decorations can enhance the natural beauty of a location. Purchase fresh flowers from the local supermarket or consider using potted plants and flowers that can be taken home after the wedding.

6. Create your own invitations. Let your invitations reflect the casual wedding style. For example, if you’re having a beach wedding consider delivering your invitations as a message in a bottle. If the guest list is small, hand deliver the invitations. Invitations can reflect your creativity and wedding theme.