After proposing to his longtime girlfriend earlier this month, a friend of a friend found himself in a dilemma. The newly engaged couple wants a summer wedding, but they don’t want to wait an entire year for their ceremony. Their solution? Plan a classic, chic and stylish ceremony in only eight weeks.

If you find yourself swept up by similar whirlwind wedding planning, here are a few tips for pulling off your dream wedding when you are short on time, low on funds or both!

1. Find a venue. Casual settings are your best bet for an available space, so ask friends if they know of any great houses you could rent or lovely little gardens that could serve as your ceremony site.

2. Register for gifts. Limit yourself to two stores, and then have a blast. Registering for gifts is a fun part of the wedding planning process that you don’t want to miss!

3. Order your invitations. Wedding Paper Divas offers some beautiful invitations, and our quick order processing will prove invaluable considering that you should send out invites six weeks before your nuptials.

4. Rally the troops. Wedding planning is more fun when shared, and if you are trying to pull off a wedding in just a few weeks you will need all the help you can get. Make sure your maid of honor and best man are up to the challenge, then don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to your friends and family. Being a part of the planning will make your wedding more memorable for everyone!

5. Think DIY. Make your own bouquet, like this gorgeous one from Creature Comforts, and shop in local stores like J.Crew, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. They often have great bridal collections that you can browse through online during your lunch break or in between other wedding planning duties. These chic wedding ideas all come from stores you are likely to find nearby, and they all fit with the bride-to-be’s plan for a classic ceremony:

These wedding tips will help speed you along toward your wedding day. But, no matter what happens during your journey down the aisle, remember to have fun and cherish each moment of your wedding planning together!

When I got married, I made the decision to splurge on the “must-haves” and save on all the other stuff. As a result, I spent hours…no, days…hmmm, maybe months?…. of my life scouring eBay for the perfect steal. As a result of my hard work, I scored tons of goodies on the cheap - including all the vases for the candy buffet, votive candles, my flower girl’s dress, my ring bearer’s pillow, bridesmaid gifts, a guest book and more! I was so successful, that etiquette guru and author Leah Ingram wrote about me in her book: Buying & Selling Your Way to a Fabulous Wedding on Ebay.

So, as you can see, I love eBay for finding wedding deals. However, one of the top divas over here at Wedding Paper Divas, recently turned my attention to the shopping site Etsy and I was disappointed that this wasn’t around in my day. Etsy is like eBay, but all the products sold on this site are handmade. This is a great place to look for gifts, jewelery, and decorating accessories. Check out some cute finds that would would go great with one of my favorite stationery designs, Vintage Damask.

From Left to Right: Little Shop of Sparkles Tiara; Violet Necklace; Damask Votive; Purple Envy Tile Necklace