Bride: HI! I'm hoping to get a little input and advice. I'm getting married outside in a gazebo with a reception hall on site. I am trying to do something traditional, yet fun but am on a tight budget. I want to do a little color decoration like balloon clusters and/or flowers at the ceremony site. Do you have any suggestions without being gaudy or tacky?

OWD: Do you have a theme for your wedding?

Bride: I will have a small bridge on the walkway entrance and then another bridge with railings entering the gazebo, which seats 50 people. There will already be white chiffon draped along the railings and the archway for the bride and groom. I just wanted a little red since my colors are red and ivory.

OWD: You can use red bows on the seats on the aisle.

Bride: Ok, I thought of that one too. Do I have to have elaborate décor and color up by the altar archway? It seems that a lot of couples have this elaborate color splash around them.

OWD: You do not need it.

OWD: Sometimes simple is the best look. Besides you do not want your guests to be distracted. You are supposed to be the center of attention.

Bride: Ok. Next question. We are going to use red rose petals in the decor - along the aisle and also sprinkled about the reception area lightly on the tables and a little around the cake and sign-in table. We are thinking of using rose petals to toss instead of rice. Should it be at the seats of the ceremony or in the reception hall? It is an afternoon wedding and reception with a lot of professional business people, family and friends. I thought of using either a large wicker basket filled with rose petals to grab a handful of or create cones out of paper with our "young lovers" print on the paper and fill them with petals.

OWD: Using rose petals is a great idea!

OWD: They should be tossed after the wedding ceremony.

Bride: As you can probably tell, this is a little bit traditional, but I’m making sure there are some twists of fun and memorable times. Should I use the cone idea then and just place one on each guest’s seat?

OWD: I think the cone is a good idea.

OWD: You can also use the cones as your favors to your guests.

OWD: This will help cut costs.

Bride: Ok, great!!! Now, what about the red rose disposable cameras I am going to get? We want a lot of candid shots, but I don't want to overwhelm the guests' seats. I was planning on about 12-15 cameras (27 pictures each) to have available for 35-50 guests to use as wanted. Should I put them out in the ceremony area or just be on the tables in the reception area?

OWD: I think it will be best at the reception area.

OWD: You can also use the cones as your favors to your guests.

OWD: Your guests will be seated. This will make picture taking much easier for them and will give you better results.

Bride: Yes, I did too, but as you can tell I needed some unbiased input! Thank You! One last question about etiquette. The place we secured for this celebration was a package deal. Aside from the limo driver, what is appropriate as far as tips? The coordinator has been great, so I planned on some money for her, but I’m not certain about the others. I work for tips too, so I want to be fair, but it’s a tight budget!

OWD: Usually the limo driver gets tipped 15 percent of the total fare.

OWD: You should not tip less than 10 percent.

Bride: Thanks for your input!

OWD: You're welcome!