Save big at post-holiday sales

After-holiday sale shopping is a prime-time to find inexpensive wedding decorations. So early in my planning process, I hit up Michael's post-Christmas sales for centerpiece decor. I was going for a woodland-themed wedding and wanted twigs, rustic looking things, and elements with sparkle. I found plenty of not-so-Christmasy Christmas decorations on sale for a fraction of the price. Pine cone holiday mixes, and twiggy garland. I also saw lots of silver and gold globe ornaments that could be put into a vase for a pretty center piece.

My biggest piece of advice is this: While this is a great opportunity for winter brides getting married next year, you can also find a lot of your are a spring bride or a woodland bride, or your are looking for a pop of color such as purple, or teal or green. Summer brides can certainly put green, or silver, or purple, or whatever color globe ornament onto her centerpiece vases. But now is the time to buy.

My second biggest piece of advice: Don't shop until you have a solid theme in mind and you have a relatively good idea about your venue. The purpose of shopping the post holiday sales is to save money, not waste it on items you'll never use.

My third biggest piece of advice: Don't limit your post-holidat sales shoping to Christmas. Take advantage of end of season sales and other holidays, such as Easter, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving.