Charger plates are a simple way to add interest to your wedding tables, especially if you’re using white china. This is a great opportunity to introduce other colors or metallics from your palette into your table settings. We’ve picked out 10 charger plates to inspire you!

1. Ornate and Opulent

For a truly opulent affair, match gold cutlery with these stunning charger plates.

2. In Nature

Tree stumps are a popular way to include the outdoors in your wedding. We’ve seen them used as centerpieces and cake stands – but what about chargers? These moderately sized tree slices will add some height to your table.

3. All the Glitter

Bring on the sparkle! These plates will add an injection of glamor into your decor.

4. Handwritten with Love

DIY aficionados will fall in love with these plates. All you need is a Sharpie and some romantic musings to pen. You can write love quotes, vows, lyrics to a meaningful song… the options are endless.

5. Pretty Metallic 

We love the subtlety of the gold balls on the edge of these charger plates. Not only do they add some dimension, but you can play around with other dots and spherical shapes in your decor to go with it.

6. Vintage Tin Plates

These tin plates have a gothic look that will work well with darker color palettes.

7. Matte Metallic

Metallics are big business in the wedding world, and for good reason. Gold details elevate any theme or tablescape that you go for. These matte charger plates add something special without being too over the top.

8. Decorated China

For a hint of decadence, look no further than these exquisite plates. They will fit in well with a regal or vintage theme.

9. Gold Rim 

Glass charger plates will add a contemporary touch to your table and the gold rim gives a festive feel. As you can see through the plate, this is a great way to emphasize your tablecloth if it is textured or patterned.

10. Clay Plate 

For a wedding with a Mediterranean flair, these clay plates will fit the bill. It gives a rustic and homely edge to an otherwise classic table setting. If you can find matching pitchers it will complete the look.

Photo one: pinterest.com; Photo two: afistfullofbolts.com; Photo three: cristinagphoto.com; Photo four: ruffledblog.com; Photo five: amandakphotoart.com; Photo six: camillestyles.com; Photo seven: elizabethannedesigns.com; Photo eight: stylemepretty.com; Photo nine: erinheartscourt.com; Photo ten: ozzygarciablog.com

An increasing number of couples are scrapping their big wedding plans and running away to get married. Why? Planning an elopement is much easier than orchestrating a wedding – and it will save you a bundle.

 If you are thinking of having a wedding away with just a few guests (or no guests at all!), these 22 amazing budget elopements might just convince you and your sweetie to start packing your bags!

Jimmy and Kimberly’s $2,500 romantic Charleston elopement.

 Román and Rossilyn’s $3,500 non-traditional elopement ceremony at the Boojum Tree Hidden Garden in Phoenix Arizona.

Destiny and Jess’s $2,500 elopement at Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast in Michigan.

Thea and Jesse’s $1,900 oceanside wedding in Oregon.

Katie and Rodney’s $1,500  Georgia courthouse elopement.

Kelly and Mark’s NYC elopement for $1,100.

Megan and Andrew’s $3,500 Nevada elopement.

Natalie and Justin’s San Diego $5,000 elopement.

Courtney and Mait’s $1,400  military wedding in Texas.

Falisha and Daron’s $2,000 B’hai elopement.

Liz and Jack’s $5,000 Colorado elopement.

Jillian and Andrew’s $4,000 Las Vegas elopement.

Sarah and Garrett’s $4,000 San Francisco City Hall elopement.

Meaghan and Eric’s low key $1,800 NYC elopement.

Nicole and Matthew’s $500 California orange grove elopement.

Rachel and Wayne’s $5,000 Texas elopement.

Charity and Brian’s $760 seaside Massachusetts wedding.

Andrea and Jeff’s $2,000 Arizona elopement.

Michelle and Ben’s $2,200 Portland elopement.

Lisa and Jared’s $5,000 Ozark Missouri elopement.

Kelly and Anthony’s $1,000 San Diego elopement.

Laura and Greg’s $5,000 national park wedding.

Milk and cookies  are a favorite late night indulgence at wedding receptions. Whether you love the idea of  feeding late night revelers with some sugary goodness, or  you’re looking for a fantastic and easy favor idea, these No-Bake Cookies are sure to be a huge hit with your guests. (They also make a wonderful addition to a cookie table!)

These cookies don’t contain flour – and as the name implies, you don’t need to put them in the oven!

Delicious No-Bake Cookees (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Makes approx. two dozen.

You will need:
    2 cups white sugar (if you prefer them less sweet, you can use 1.5 cups of sugar)
    3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
    1/2 cup butter
    1/2 cup milk
    1 pinch salt
    3 cups quick cooking oats
    1/2 cup peanut butter
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add sugar, cocoa, butter, milk, and salt to saucepan. Stir ingredients.

No doubt, planning a destination wedding can be tough, but Jenna and Todd didn’t let a few challenges – including a language barrier – deter them from choosing to elope in Italy. Throwing caution to the wind and taking a gamble on a venue they had never seen, the couple ran off to the Tuscan countryside to exchange their vows beneath a stand of old olive trees and celebrate their beautiful union – in true Italian fashion – with lots of good food, great wine, and family by their side.

Special thanks to their Tuscan wedding photographer Lelia Scarfotti for sharing the photos with us!

Jenna, 29 & Todd, 27

Montepulciano, Italy

Wedding Date: September 3, 2014

Number of Guests: 9

Wedding Cost: $9,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Villa Cicolina

Wedding Reception Location: Villa Cicolina

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted to focus on creating a special and memorable moment to pledge our lives to each other. We wanted to savor every minute of the day with our closest family and friends, and we knew a very small, intimate group would help us stop and appreciate the moment at hand in the best ways.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

We booked Villa Cicolina without ever visiting and only communicating via email. There was also a slight language barrier to conquer! We felt very lucky when we arrived and they were incredibly accommodating and helpful. Also, many friends and family wanted to be a part of the day, and I think they were a little sad at first that we were doing a wedding outside the country.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

We knew we couldn’t expect many people to fly all the way to Italy, so we kept the guest list to just our parents and siblings. Todd and I also asked our best friends (maid of honor and best man) to come with their significant others who are also close friends.  It was a wonderful group to spend time with, but there were also some close family members we wanted to include but couldn’t.

What were the highlights of the reception?

We had a long homemade Italian dinner and lots of great wine. Our nine guests each made a lovely toast to us. We will never forget that night as long as we live.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Think clearly about what’s truly important to you on that special day. If an intimate wedding sounds appealing to you, don’t let people’s expectations of what a traditional wedding should be get in the way of planning something unique and small.  This was one of the best decisions we made in an otherwise very hectic year and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Today’s couple, Grace and Caleb, weren’t afraid to do things a little differently when it came to their wedding day. Wanting to start off their marriage in their own way, the bride and groom chose to forego the traditional “giving away of the bride” in favor of walking down the aisle together at their picturesque beachfront ceremony. Following the nuptials, the newlyweds celebrated with their closest family and friends at an intimate restaurant reception before being sent off into the night as husband and wife in the best way possible – with sparklers of course!

Special thanks to Zipporah for sharing their wedding day photos with us!

Grace, 26 &  Caleb, 23

Mexico Beach, Florida

Wedding Date: September 20th, 2014

Number of Guests: 30

Wedding Cost: $6,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: On the beach in Mexico Beach, Florida

Wedding Reception Location: The Sunset Coastal Grill, Port St Joe, Florida

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted our closest family and friends who mean the most to us to attend.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

We didn’t run into many challenges and felt that our vision for the day fell into place quite effortlessly. The only issue was with our florist not sharing our simple vision and trying to go in a different direction than we wanted.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

It was difficult at first, but after we decided on the vision we wanted for our wedding – only our closest friends and immediate family – forming our guest list came easily.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Initially it was hard for our parents to understand not inviting all of our extended families, but they quickly understood after we explained that we wanted the people closest to us, who mean the most to us and have shown us love and invested in our lives to be there to witness our commitment.

What were the highlights of the ceremony? 

The two of us walked down the aisle together. We felt that because our commitment to each other was our choice and not the bride being “given away”, and because we were about to commit to spending the rest of our lives together, that it only made sense to commence that by walking in together to make our vows. Our parents fully supported us and no one was offended.

Caleb’s father who is a pastor officiated the ceremony. Almost all of our closest friends were able to be there, and all of our immediate family. Having it at the beach approaching sunset was picturesque.

What were the highlights of the reception? 

Toasts given by our wedding party meant so much to us; the food and service provided by The Sunset Coastal Grill was fantastic; knowing that we were married; exiting with a sparkler send-off!

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding? 

Minimized drama/stress and not feeling like we had to impress anyone or make our wedding anything other than exactly what the two of us wanted, and having only those that we felt support our lives in attendance.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding? 

Make sure that the two of you are in agreement on what you want and stick to your vision. If someone wants your wedding to be anything else, they have to understand that it’s your wedding, not their’s. Write wedding details down and keep each other up to date with your lists as things get updated.

Vendors:

Bride’s Dress: Casablanca with alterations done by brides mother

Bride’s Hair: Mary Bowman

Bridesmaid Dresses: Lulu

Groomsmens’ Suits: Men’s Warehouse

Decor: Shyla Troyer

Arch: made by Groom and Best Man

Photography: Zipporah K

Videography: Richard Ceska

Ceremony Location: Mexico Beach, FL

Reception Location: Sunset Coastal Grill