Looking for a custom invitation without spending upwards of $700? The average cost of wedding invitations and reply cards is $659, according to 2010 data from The Bridal Association of America.

Here are some ways to trim costs for your 2012 wedding. When using these tips, expect to pay around $200 for 100-150 invitations.

1. Establish the Look

Use Pinterest to browse for invitations from which to draw your inspiration. Start a board and "pin" examples. Once you find a direction you'd like to go in, you're ready to start on your very own. There are several options for today's budget bride including free online templates, designing it from scratch or ordering at a discount.

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I wanted to take this opportunity to start a brand new series of posts designed to help all of my fellow bloggers out there.  When I first started blogging almost a year ago, I thought that all I had to worry about was creating interesting content and developing a relationship with my soon-to-be readers.  Boy, have I learned a lot since then!  I soon came to realize that unless you have the money to hire a VERY involved web developer to help you in not only creating, but maintaining your blog's happenings behind the scenes, you better roll up your sleeves and learn some serious computer jargon.

Now, I've always been sort of a computer geek in the closet, so to speak, and I must admit that this blogging journey has kept my intellectual juices going while staying at home with my daughter (which is a blessing)!  In this year of blogging, I've had many ups and downs, but if there's one thing that's remained constant, it's that I learn something new and important almost every day.  One of the most important things I've learned so far is that the speed of your blog is critical to its success.  Especially now that Google, the mother of all search engines, has integrated speed as a crucial factor in both page rank and pages indexed, it's time to share what I know about speeding up your blog.  It doesn't matter if your posts are as proverbially deep as the ocean or as polished as silver, if your blog is taking 20-30 seconds to load, you might as well be writing to yourself, for no one will take the time to hang around and read your posts.

I've already got about 10 posts planned for this series, but I am constantly open to new questions and ideas.

Do you have any questions concerning blog design and speed?  If so, please leave me a comment here and I will definitely do my best to answer them or write a corresponding post about it.

Remember, I'm not a full-fledged, official member of the Geek Squad, just a wife and mommy who has spent a LOT of time and energy researching and experimenting with the constant work in progress in my life...my blog!  (And I was the captain of my high school's computer programming team...now THAT'S pretty geeky!  :))

Today's brides and grooms aren't settling for what's always been done. They're infusing creativity, personality, cultural trends and most of all, they're having fun. They're creating memorable experiences not just for themselves but for friends and family who contribute to their big day.

Author and marketing guru Seth Godin recently spoke at a Chick-fil-A Leadercast about how the new normal is not normal at all. People are questioning why we do things the way we do and turning tradition on its head. It's affecting all industries, including the wedding industry.

Here's a look at eight alternative wedding trends that are popping up in 2011.

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Tooth decay affects children in then US more then any other chronic infections disease.  Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to problems, such as eating, speaking, playing learning.  Luckily, there are things you can do to protect your child’s teeth.

Dr. Singh is the founder & C.E.O of Arch Dental and editor of the Journal of Oral Implantology.  He also regularly visits schools to teach kids how to brush their teeth, accompanied by a large stuffed alligator on which he demonstrates how to brush.  Here are his top tips for keeping your child's smile healthy:

• How do you get kids to brush their teeth? - There are toothbrushes that light up for the amount of time the kids should be brushing for, and toothbrushes that sing songs for as long as you should be brushing.  My philosophy is TELL, SHOW, DO: TELL them why they need to brush their teeth, SHOW them the right way, DO it with them.  Other parents have had success by having their kids practice on a favorite doll first, or brushing in the bath where kids can’t get away, or even singing them their favorite song.  If they bite down on the brush or try to run off, you stop singing.  As a last resort you can even do it in front of a favorite TV show or movie.

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The countdown has begun to move on from college dorms and your parents' basement. Freedom is so close you can taste it; no longer will your comings and goings be monitored. You can eat pizza and cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But before these dreams become reality, there's a lot of work to be done with the whole relocation thing. To help you combat packing panic, here are 12 moving tips to get you smartly on your way.

1. Start Sorting

Before you begin loading up boxes, go through all your stuff and weed out items you don't want. There's no point in adding this clutter to your new place. Remember, one person's trash is another's treasure. Before dumping and donating unwanted items, give friends and neighbors a chance to dig through for hand-me-downs. They'll appreciate the thought and it's one less thing for you to move.

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With all the hoopla about TLC's first season of "Extreme Couponing," it's no wonder Season Two is eagerly awaited by many fans.  Starting Wednesday, the maniacs of the supermarket aisles take to American TV screens once again to show shoppers how it's done.

Thanks to a bit of a sneak peak, Coupon Sherpa offers practical advice based on a selection of Season Two topics.

1. Shelf Clearing

No matter what the extremists say, clearing a shelf of every item is just plain rude. Sure it's okay to go for big bargains, but it's also important to remember the lesson we all learned about "sharing" in nursery school.

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