Since our blog posts are becoming more plentiful, I thought we could try doing a weekly wrap-up for all of you whose bosses peak over your shoulder or for those who want to catch up on their weekend reading!

image by Karen Wise…a peak into one of next week’s gorgeous real weddings!

*A sneak peak of Peculiar Pair Press’ gorgeous new Save the Date collection, along with a pretty great giveaway! Plus a first look at their new online wedding invitation line.

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So today’s featured zebra inspired wedding, although completely beautiful, was probably outside many of your budgets. But, you CAN get that same look for a lot less, if you really break it down. This look is perfect for a restaurant style wedding…a venue with an outdoor patio that already has simple, modern furniture that you can dress up a bit!

The best way to really make a statement would be to add a zebra print throw rug. I found the top one at Urban Outfitters for $68. You can also bring in that great zebra print through accent pieces like pillows (found at CB2 for $29.95) and fun pictures frames, also found at Z Gallerie for $26.95.

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Here are a few more gorgeous pictures from today’s featured wedding!

all photos by Angelica Glass

I thought that we could do a “look for less” feature on this wedding, as I really think that the gorgeous style could be pulled off on a variety of budgets!

First off, the beakers and other containers…

-I found these adorable chemistry inspired vases at CB2 that range in price from $2.50 to $7.50. They would look adorable lined up on a table, varying in heights and sizes, with single stemmed flowers.

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As I am sure most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of all things Etsy. It’s such an incredible environment for buyers to support local artists and find something that is truly unique. Yesterday, someone mentioned using Etsy’s Dear Emma shop for their wedding invitations, which of course, prompted me to spend WAY too much time pouring over the invitations featured….

I definitely found some pretty great little shops that are doing really beautiful, innovative things with wedding invitations. And, the best part is that they are completely affordable! This set by Cheer Up runs for $1.75 / piece for seating cards and save the dates, to about $3.00 per set for wedding invitations…

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I get a lot of emails from brides requesting chic, but affordable invitations. In my opinion, the BEST source for budget friendly but oh-so-fabulous invitations is Wedding Paper Divas. Hands down. They have a huge array of lower, to mid-priced invitations that are incredibly sophisticated design-wise and give you the chance to infuse your wedding stationery with color, personality and most of all…style!

I have to say, I am floored by the selections of styles that Wedding Paper Divas feature. From the whimsical and brightly colored, to the more sophisticated and elegant…there literally is something for every personality, within every budget, from about $1.50 a piece to $15 a piece depending on the printing method you choose.

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There are so many ways to work within a budget when it comes to wedding invitations…if you are working with a flexible budget, finding a great custom designer or ordering out of a pretty letterpress or engraved album is absolutely worth it. There is just something so luxurious and easy in going about it this way.

With that said, there are great…really, really great ways, to design a beautiful invitation on a budget!

Companies like Paper Source have great invitation kits that allow you to purchase a pretty suite of papers and envelopes, print your own invitations, then assemble the finished project. If you are willing to put in a little leg work, you can save quite a bit of money! And, if you are a bit resourceful, you can save even more by ordering through Waste Not Paper, the wholesale portion of Paper-Source. You will need a wholesale account to do this and you will have to order in bulk, so the best way would be to work with your area store on this.

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I know that our readers are working with a huge array of budgets, particularly when it comes to the “add-ons” like calligraphy. Lucky for us, Laura Hooper has been kind enough to offer some cost saving tips on working with a calligrapher…

More from Laura…

Allocating Your Budget: First and foremost I think it is really important to try to factor calligraphy into your invitation budget. Many girls forget to do this and that is where you encounter the budget problems. They spend $10-$15 dollars a set on invitations and don’t factor in $2-$3 for calligraphy (per invitation). Go in knowing that the rate for an envelope in pointed pen is going to cost around $3 per invitation. If you are doing inner envelopes, factor in another $1.50 per piece.

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I’m actually traveling back to Boston today, after a great vacation with my family. But, I wanted to leave you with a reader inspiration board that is sure to get the creativity (and the motivation) flowing!

This gorgeous board is designed by Rebecca who is looking to create a magazine-worthy wedding for “waaaay under $10,000!” Here is the inspiration…

Here are some of Rebecca’s ideas for keeping the cost down…

1. I found a wonderful private 30 acre vacation rental in the high sierras with a log cabin and a lake as our venue. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, rustic, and private. And much, much cheaper than hiring a formal venue!

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I’ve had a few emails from readers lately, requesting more budget-friendly features on SMP. I know that we have a really wide range of readers out there, so I want to make sure that everyone is getting a little something that can truly inspire elements for their own unique wedding.

So, in an effort to really reach out to all of our brides, I am going to start offering a “Look for Less” style feature on many of our posts. Today, Viola from Chewing the Cud, is offering her tips on working with a budget when it comes to your invitations…

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I found this fabulous find while perusing the Splendora blog the other day. For those of you that don’t know, Splendora is THE authority on everything fabulous. They profile the latest and greatest in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, always managing to find the best boutiques, newest trends and restaurants WAY before anyone else does. In a word, they are brilliant.

Anyway, I loved this particular find because to me…champagne is the epitome of luxury, of elegance, of celebration. A good champagne can turn a party into a chic affair, and yet a bad champagne can turn a a chic affair into a frat party. In all honesty though, how many people can afford to stock a bar with Dom Perignon? Not me, that’s for sure.

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