Wedding Season is here... some helpful tips to save you money on that big day from Shades Within You, Event Planners

Choose a less popular day and time.

Most weddings take place on Saturdays which means it is the most expensive day to book a reception hall. Consider having an evening ceremony and reception on a Friday. If you really want a good price for a Saturday look into booking the ceremony in the morning and having an early afternoon reception. Brunch weddings are a popular new trend that are considerably less costly than evening dinner receptions. Other budget ideas for the ceremony and reception: consider a Sunday afternoon wedding or serving only a light meal instead of a full dinner.

Cut out unnecessary expenses.
One of the best ideas is to skip some extras you don’t really need. Do you really need a professional videographer? If you really want a video of the ceremony today’s high resolution handheld video cameras can do a great job and it’s likely you or someone you know has one. Ask someone in the front row to record the wedding for you. Other low cost wedding ideas include asking the photographer to deliver the negatives to you and arranging for your own prints and skipping rental cars or limousines and simply driving your own car to and from the wedding.

Do it yourself.
There are plenty of inexpensive things you can do yourself rather than hiring someone to do them. Make your own centerpieces and decorations even wedding favours! Low cost wedding ideas for the favours include things like small decorative pouches or boxes of candy or a candle that you have decorated yourself with ribbon. You can also print your own invitations place cards and thank you cards at home using affordable kits available at stationary stores. There are many do it yourself low cost wedding ideas that can save your budget while still making your wedding beautiful!

Look for experts among your friends.
There may be a wealth of inexpensive wedding ideas hidden among your friends and family. Find out if anyone is a good photographer and if they will do the honours at a good price for you. Do you have a friend who plays an instrument and can supply ceremony music? Or maybe you know someone who can officiate at your wedding. Not only are these great ideas but hiring friends also makes the day more special. Your friends may even have more ideas to share!

There are many wedding ideas to help you stay within your budget and still have a beautiful wedding. Doing a little work yourself and asking friends to help out are all wedding ideas that are easy to implement. Hopefully with these great low cost wedding ideas you will have some money left over for a great honeymoon

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Business Leaders & Success (Tassajo)

Can companies make money while doing good. --- Socially responsible companies

At first glance, socially responsible companies are hard to come by. Their goals range widely, entailing anything, from curbing pollution to educating students about substance abuse. Or a company might hire employees from disadvantaged neighborhoods or offer a great package of benefits. That variable nature can make it difficult to distinguish them from the many companies that boast about their environmental efforts or philanthropy when their main lines of business are not socially responsible, or worse.

A closer look, however, reveals that these companies' social and environmental goals aren't add-ons or marketing ploys. Of course, detractors insist that the very notion of building a business around a social agenda is misguided. They argue that companies can do more good by being as profitable as possible and assisting social causes through philanthropy or volunteerism.

But most social entrepreneurs believe that a corporate structure is the most efficient agent. As profit-seeking businesses, they are spared the need to chase a limited supply of grant money. They also have more tools to motivate employees and lure top-notch talent. True, it is difficult to manage and grow a business that is accountable to multiple constituencies. But, you can succeed, if you proceed with care.

To create a business with a social mission you have to have a product or service that people will want and an effective way to sell it. In some cases, the impetus to start a company may come well after you've committed to a social agenda.