The following is a guest post:

If you do an internet search on wedding costs, you’ll notice a large number of online discussions on how to take out a wedding loan. Today’s prospective newlyweds seem not only willing, but even eager to get that all-important loan so that they can afford that $10,000 dress and $5,000 ring, not to mention the expensive venue and costly caterer.

Although it may seem that borrowing money is an inevitable part of the wedding process, it’s a good idea first to make a list of the pros and cons of taking out a loan to pay for the wedding. Whether you’re considering loans at moneysupermarket or thinking of borrowing from relatives, it’s important to identify which type of loan will work best for your needs and your personal budget.

Here are some good reasons to take out a loan for your wedding:

• You’ll be able to get what you want without having to drain your capital. If you’re concerned about holding on to your cash and assets, a loan will give you some peace of mind.
• A wedding loan can help you to get on a budget from the start. Having a wedding loan to pay off could help you discipline yourself from spending too much while you’re setting up housekeeping.
• It will be one less obligation to your parents and relatives. If you want to prove to your family that you’re responsible enough to be married, trying to borrow money for a big wedding could be awkward, especially if it puts a burden on them.
• You’ll get a good APR with a personal loan. On average, personal loan rates are considerably lower than credit card rates. Taking out a wedding loan to pay for everything will actually end up costing less than charging things to your credit card.

While there are some advantages to a wedding loan, here are a few disadvantages to consider:

• You’ll be starting off your married life with a large debt. Getting married is a huge life change and brings its own set of challenges and stress. Adding to your debt unnecessarily will also add to your stress level, so make sure that you’re only borrowing an amount that you can afford to repay.
• You may not qualify for the best interest rate. If you’re already paying off several large debts, such as a car, house or student loan, lenders may not be willing to give you the best rate. Likewise, if you’ve defaulted on a loan or have less than perfect credit, you may end up with interest rates of 30 percent or more, so beware.
• Is having a big wedding really worth all the expense and debt? You and your partner have got to consider whether it’s worth being saddled with debt to throw a party for your friends and relatives.

If this is something you’ve always dreamed about, then go for it and try to take out a loan that you can both manage. If, however, you’re only doing this to please your relatives and friends, you might want to reconsider everything and have an inexpensive, small-scale celebration. After all, your friends and relatives won’t be the ones paying for it.

In the end, looking at loans at MoneySupermarket can help you make the right decisions as to what kind of loan you should take out and how much you can really afford to borrow. By being honest about your financial state now, you and your partner can protect your financial future together.

If you’re looking for wedding invitations, you have to check out Minted! They seem like such a cool company with a great idea (wish I had thought of it!!). They hold monthly design challenges for wedding invitations (along with stationery and calendars and other categories) and they invite graphic designers from all over the world to enter their best work. They pick the best designs and the designers earn cash prizes, and commissions on all sales of their designs. They have over 300! designs available in the eco-friendly wedding category. Fun fun Fun!!
Shop Minted’s Unique Wedding Invitations

These are beautiful! So refreshing to use recycled glass as the material to hold your wedding table place cards. Imagine one in front of every place setting with the names of your guests in beautiful calligraphy on little white cards. These are made from recycled glass and are Fair Trade from India. They are available in two different finishes: clear or rustic silver. They are 2.5″ tall.
$4.00 each at EarthLoverShopping

If you’d like to round out the theme of using recycled glass in several areas of your green wedding, have a look at these classic Hanging Lanterns. The shape is elegant and classic. Beautiful to light the way as you enter in to your new married life.
$13.00 at EarthLoverShopping

If a white silk wedding dress is your dream, you can make it come true without troubling your eco-friendly conscience. Andie McGuire makes simple and elegant wedding dresses from wild silk, silk from cocoons gathered from the wild after the moth has emerged which is completely natural and cruelty free. She also uses hemp tencel or raw silk if you prefer.

This Iris Silk Charmeuse design has a smple and elegant line, with boning in the bodice for a perfect fit. It even has hidden pockets to keep that lace handkerchief or lucky charm safe at your side. Fully lined with organic cotton the dress is very comfortable to wear. All Andie’s wedding dresses are custom made for you to your measurements, so you need to allow 2 to 3 months for them to be completed and delivered.

It’s very affordable for a custom made silk wedding dress too, at $575 from Andie McGuire on Etsy.

Fun, funky and eco-friendly, these fabulous decorated matchboxes make great containers for candy wedding favors. They are hand-crafted and adorned with colorful flower decorations which would look great in any wedding color scheme, as featured in Brides Magazine.

Fill them with candy, sugared almonds, eco-friendly confetti or even flower seeds for all your guests to take home with them.

Ivy Lane Designs use recycled materials to create a range of fun goodies. These matchboxes cost $50 for 20 from Ivy Lane Designs on Etsy.

These earrings designed by Green Diva, who uses only Fair trade and ethical materials to craft her jewelry, making sure there is no ugly history to these attractive earrings. These pearl droplet earrings with recycled sterling silver beads make a wonderfully simple adornment for your wedding day.

The pearls are Fair trade, untreated, cultured freshwater pearls form sustainable and traceable sources and the silver is recycled. There is a matching pendant to go with the set or you can design you own via the green diva website. Very affordable and handmade, they really don’t cost the earth!

These Juniper earrings cost $35 from Green Diva Jewelry.

We know that hot-house flowers aren’t at all eco-friendly, so what can the eco-conscious bride carry at her wedding? These unusual and cleverly crafted bouquets are made using live succulent flowers. Not only do they look pretty, but they will survive your wedding day and can be planted in your garden or even in pots, as a long-lasting reminder of your special day.

The bouquets also contain birch wood roses, velvety mullein, dried yucca flowers and pom flowers. There are matching corsages and boutonnieres to go with the bridal bouquet which are also unusual and pretty.

Bouquet costs $100 from Bizzy Betty on Etsy and Boutonnieres cost $15 each.

A fun way to bring the natural theme to your wedding, this tree ring with pink faux flower and ribbon makes a picturesque ring pillow for your wedding day.

The tree rings are made to order, sanded and preserved with wood stain. They are about 4” in diameter and 1” thick, so not as chunky as they look in the photo. The ribbons come in the color of your choice.

Tree Ring Pillows cost $19.99 from the Little Wee Shop on Etsy.

Fleur de Sel caramel, rich and creamy with a sophisticated salty tang makes a great wedding favor. When it is packaged in eco-friendly unbleached paper bags and tied with ribbon it is a perfect green gift for your guests.

The caramel is handmade, soft and chewy and looks irresistible. There are three in each package, individually wrapped in natural unbleached parchment paper. The vanilla and salt used is already organic, but 100% organic ingredients can be used on request, though it costs more. And while we’re on cost, just check the shipping fee before ordering, as it will add quite considerably to the total.

The caramels themselves cost $225 (plus shipping $75) for 100 bags with three caramels in each from The Caramel Jar on Etsy.

Affordable wedding favors that are attractive and eco-friendly can be hard to find. These cute paper flowers are embedded with seeds, so that your guests can plant them and grow a pot of flowers when they get home. The ultimate in biodegradable!

The favors are printed with your names and wedding date and make a lovely memento of your day. They come in six paper colors and 11 ribbon colors to fit in with your theme. At about $1.50 per favor they are inexpensive but tasteful and fit in well with a garden or green wedding theme.

Favors cost $78 for 50 or $138 for 100 from The Knot Wedding Shop.