My Wedding Advice is

to go here and get married!!!!!!!!!

http://www.disneyweddings.go.com/site/wed/int/start/index.jsp

mainly because I just want to go to Disney World but that would be awesome and then you could have your honeymoon there also!!!!!!!!!! Yay for my idea :)

Another Invite. Place

Vista Prints also has cards.

For the basic, 5.5 x 4 flat cards...

About $80 for 250.

vistaprints.com

Order far enough in advance and shipping is only about $10.

Tasty Layers

http://www.tastylayers.com/

I meant to try these people out, but didn't get to her before I tasted with the lady in Metamora.

Exclusively Weddings

They're not the cheapest place out there, but they were one of the best companies to work with. They've got a lot of stuff (it's where we got those bridesmaids totes), shipped everything quickly, got it right, and they were the only ones to send us a thank-you note for ordering from them....it was a nice touch.

ExclusivelyWeddings.com

So I asked my mother about the salad. She said she just chopped heads of lettus and put whatever on top. She said you could borrow the giant bowl if you'd like.

Here's my two cents (or, things I learned from my wedding):

Fake flowers very rarely look any good.
Mirrors and candles can be found fairly cheaply and they're a quick, cheap way to make things look elegant. (Though places may have regulations on whether you can have "open" flames and such, so be sure to find that out)
If you go the "real-flowers" centerpiece route, you know real traditional-like, those suckers will eat up $60 a piece (at least) in a hurry.
Attach the word "wedding" to anything and the price doubles. Rice? 50 cents. Wedding rice? 5.00 a teaspoon.
Look up different types of flowers, find out what's in season. Things in season will cost less, and you can find cheap flowers. (like daisies)
The more you can do up front, the less hassle you'll have later.
It may sound like a good idea now, but hand-made, hand-tied tiny little gizmos will drive you nuts when you're trying to do 200 of them the day or two before. :)
You really don't eat THAT much of your wedding cake, so that's not something I'd sink your budget with. (A lot of couples have a 'fake' cake and then have sheet cakes from grocery stores in the back for the guests)
If you have an idea, ask around. There are cheap ways to get around expensive stuff.
You are inevitably going to offend someone, possibly multiple people, so just get used to that idea now.
Don't go with David's Bridal unless you must...and stay away from their "matching goodies" like guestbooks, pens, etc. They're SO a moneywaster.
Rick Delorme is a tool. :) (Sorry, had to say it)

Let me know if there's anything tangable I can do for you, A. I'll be looking for ideas to pop on here, but if there's something specific, I can be directed.

Save the Date/ RSVP

vistaprint.com     free postcards  

Bells

Another fun favors idea are bells. They are simple, classic, and easy. This site has a sale on them - 24 for about $6. They would also be something you could even stick on the centerpieces. Ribbon does not come with bell; You'd have to order ribbon perhaps from one of the sites we've looked up before. They had good prices.

People would ring bells instead of clinking on glasses. (Glasses DO occasionally break.)

When you do decide on favors, invites, or decor and need help, just set up a date. Bring a sample of what you'd like done and get everyone to do it like yours. That way you don't have to worry that they'd look different from yours.

http://www.shopforweddings.com/shopforweddings/AFLProductPage.aspx?scId=OnSaleAFL(KnotShop)&pId=P756(KnotShop)&cId=OnSaleAFL(KnotShop)&CSR=&cTypF=OS

ReKiss/Reboot

A rekiss (reboot) button might be a fun way to get into the whole power thing.
You need to find some sort of battery pack that you can hook up to a strand of lights. Then simply fasten your lights to a wire that you have sticking up. Instead of people hitting glasses they turn on their lights. 
Lights are cheap and will look all wirey and techy. The power sources might be a little more but you might be able to find a sale and buy in bulk.
They could also double as favors for the guests that aren't getting decks of cards.
The centerpieces could fit around these (or rather, these could fit around the centerpieces) easily or they could be left to stand alone. the box you put them in could be decorated with computer 
parts and have a single on/off button facing each side. 

Don't forget to put them at the head table for the bride/groom to press. :)
And someone can make a joke that this must be running on windows as everyone keeps rebooting it.

Cakes

Cake ideas...


http://www.aboutthecake.com/3dsculptedcakes.htm



http://www.idiotworld.com/story/371/Top_10_Creatively_Decorated_Nerdy_Cakes

Potential Theme :-)

Use the Dark blue and purple for attire, and have yellow/orange flower centerpieces.

Centerpiece ideas

Rentals

If deciding on an outdoor reception, or if there are other rental needs, I may be able to get you some for a discounted price or possibly free. Especially if it isn't during a peak weekend when he will just have stuff sitting in the storage house anyways.

http://www.olsonsrental.com/

My uncle owns the store, and he gave us everything for our wedding for free. We, however, had to go pick it up, return it, set it up, etc. since it is a bit out of the way (it was the least we could do anyways, since he was letting us use them free.) This was really easy to do with our truck and trailer.

With rental stuff in general though, keep in mind that summer is a busy time (4th of July, late June/July/August grad parties), so if you do pick a busy weekend, you will want to put in rental orders early.

Hand Fans

Favor idea, especially good for a summer wedding or outdoor reception.

Available from http://www.weddingfavorstolove.com/pc/IP1000/Unique_Wedding_Favors/Sandalwood-Fan-Favors.html for 99 cents each.

http://weddingshop.theknot.com/weddingwarehouse/ProductPage.aspx?pId=P1063 $1.95 each

Herbs

"Many brides are opting to adorn their tables with herbs rather than flowers. Here, rough-hewn wooden boxes (made by the groom and the bride's father) are filled with eight small pots of herbs. Each table featured its own herb and was named accordingly."

The herbs could also be given as favors, or at least the centerpieces will still serve some function after the wedding is over :-)

Twilight

Inspiration:

Night Sky

Lots of sheer and shimmering materials would be used for decorationing. Glitter dust, tulle/netting with scattered rhinestones, etc. Gold or silver would both work with this combination.

Turquoise and Yellow

Inspired by:

(no, I'm not pusing for a Disney wedding. Think tropics/tropical fish, or sunflower fields :-) )

Wedding Stuff:

This schema would work equally well with bold solids or more casual patterns like polka dots, gingham, and swirls.

Cakes

http://www.toogoodtoeat.co.uk/Gallery/scottish.htm

They are located in scotland, so it might be a better idea to ask a local baker to mimic one of these, if one strikes your fancy.

Jewelry

A wide thin ribbon would make an excellent necklace/choker and would look excellent with a single celtic styled bead. Also, crystal charms are quite cheap and look nice. They could be used for bridalparty jewelry or even small favors for guests. (To either wear or to hang on the car mirror) Cost: around 55 cents + ribbon

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/artbeads_1950_93444325

Amethyst and Onyx

Inspiration:












Wedding Items:

























In table settings, black would mostly just be used in small accents -- ribbons on vases, napkins, etc.

Blue and Copper

Just throwing together additonal color schemes, because I like to play with color :-)

Main Inspiration:

Dress Colors (taken from David's Bridal and Jasmine's Bridal):

Invites:

Materials: Ribbon, Stencil, Acrylic Paint, paper, cardstock

Other Wedding Stuff:

This particular schema lends itself well to simple white flowers, like daisies, tulips, or lilies, and the color can be used in the vases of centerpieces, or ribbon tied on the bouquet, etc. Since they are bright colors, a little will go a long way.