IDoSugar: Get addicted

I was so excited to read yesterday that my new favorite site, The Sugar Network, announced the return of IDoSugar for the height of wedding season.

The Sugar Network features 15 lifestyle and entertainment blogs for women, and is also a social networking site. What I love most about their IDoSugar (which, according to the site, they published during last year's wedding season as well) is that it features entries about weddings from the different perspectives of the Sugar editors. So SavvySugar may add a post about budgets, BellaSugar about wedding day beauty, BuzzSugar about TV weddings, PetSugar about involving your furry friends and so on (for a complete list of the Sugar sites, visit TeamSugar).

I'm excited to see all of the content and ideas they share over the next few months. In the meantime, check out the site!

Green Living Tip #1: Energy-saving Light Bulbs

As the current light bulbs in your home burn out, replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use less energy, which helps the environment, and also helps save you money on your electric bill. Also, these bulbs last much longer than the regular variety, so you won't need to replace them as often. Look for bulbs labeled "Energy Star."

According to Energy Star's Web site (part of the EPA and Department of Energy):

"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

Visit Energy Star for more information about these bulbs.

Bonus tip: Looking for an excuse to buy that flat screen TV? According to this article from the Scripps Howard News Service, an LCD flat panel television uses less energy than the older, bulkier varieties. But choose LCD or rear projection over a plasma, as the former two use less than half the energy as the latter.

Going "Green" for April

One of the biggest trends in weddings right now is green weddings. No, not the color--the environment. As the country becomes more and more environmentally conscious, brides and wedding planners are following suit.

For the entire month of April, Perfect Memories is going "green" too. The green text and color will appear throughout the blog as a reminder to "think green." Then, in addition to regular entries, we'll be featuring some special content:

• Green Wedding Tips: Tune in Mondays and Fridays for quick and easy ideas on making your wedding more environmentally friendly.
• Green Living Tips: On Wednesdays, I'll feature an idea for being more eco-conscious in your every day life.
• Eco-themed Polls: Starting with this week's poll, you'll be able to cast your vote on green questions.
• Special Guest Blogs: Look for entries from environmental experts and enthusiasts.

To find all of the green wedding content on the blog, just click the green weddings label.

Find more green wedding advice at the Perfect Memories Wedding Store.

New poll: Is your wedding eco-friendly?

Being "green" is a big issue today, and more and more brides and grooms are choosing to consider the environment when planning their weddings. I'm curious to see how much of an impact the environment has had on your wedding plans. Vote on the poll on the left sidebar and let me know:

Is your wedding eco-friendly?

• Yes! Totally green.
• Yes, where we can.
• A little bit, but not on purpose.
• No, not at all.
  

Poll results: What's your wedding budget?

In our last poll, I asked you to share your wedding budget. While the average wedding costs nearly $30,000 in the U.S., I felt that average number in the Pittsburgh region was likely substantially lower. Based on the poll results, that seems to be true:

What's your wedding budget?

• Less than $10,000: 42 percent
• $10,000-$19,999: 9 percent
• $20,000-$29,999: 25 percent
• $30,000-$39,999: 12 percent
• $40,000 or more: 12 percent

That adds up to 76 percent of weddings for the poll with a budget under $30,000. Of course, "averages" can be greatly skewed by the extremes, and if there are a handful of people out there spending a few hundred thousand dollars on their wedding, the average may be right on. What these results show is that the "typical" Pittsburgh wedding may actually have a budget of less than $10,000.

For budget-friendly wedding ideas, browse through our posts tagged with "budget," and come back to the blog soon for more money-saving tips.

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