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 Your
Dream Wedding on a Budget
You can have your Dream Wedding on a
budget. And setting the budget is the first step. Make sure you have a
realistic amount that you can spend on your Dream Wedding. Weddings can
cost more than you bargained for if you don’t have some guidelines. Here
are ten tips to help keep the cost in you budget.
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Consider getting married during an
off-month and even an off-day! Most weddings take place in the
Spring or Summer. Plan a Fall or Winter Wedding and save money. You
might even think about a Friday or Sunday Wedding. Most Wedding
Vendors charge higher prices on those precious few Saturdays than
the other days of the week. And serving brunch or lunch is always
less expensive than dinner food.
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If you have the option of not having a
religious ceremony in a church or synagogue, call your city and see
what areas they may have available for a ceremony. Many cities have
parks with gazebos or gardens and only charge a small permit or
maintenance fee. The outdoors can save money because you will have
a natural décor.
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Some States and Counties allow ordinary
people to obtain a license to perform weddings for a day. Check to
see if your wedding ceremony is one of those areas that have this
available. You can have a friend perform the ceremony and save
money on an Officiant!
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One way to save on your Bridal Gown is
not to buy one! Look at your local department store in the formal
wear department. You might find a nice white formal dress that will
do the trick for a lot less than what you pay in a Bridal Salon.
Even in the Bridal Salon, if you see a Bridesmaid dress you really
like, ask if it comes in white or off-white. Consider a simple
flower or sparkling comb instead of a veil. If you are a
seamstress, you can even find patterns to make you own veil if you
decide to wear one.
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Flowers for the Ceremony and Reception
can be expensive. Most brides get married around holidays or try to
have flowers used that are not “in season”. This will drive the
price up. One way to save is to contact a local High School or
Community College that has a horticulture department to see if they
offer classes in flower arranging. The instructors and teachers are
floral designers. Usually for the cost of the flowers and supplies,
the class will arrange the flowers for free! Just share your vision
or ideas and let them make a prototype before you commit. Don’t
forget, great floral designers had to start somewhere!
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You can find Save the Date cards,
Wedding Invitations, Ceremony Programs and Reception menus by the
armful at the local stationers, on line and at the Party Goods
Store. It can be overwhelming and costly. Yes, you do have to have
some way for your guests to RSVP as well. The most cost effective
way is to make them yourself. By going to the local paper store and
investing on some great laser printable paper and printing them on a
laser printer you can make all of the Invitations parts for
pennies. Here’s where the people at Kinko’s might become your best
friends!
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Try to choose a Reception Site where you
can bring in your own caterer. Most Hotels and Restaurants have a
rule about bringing in your own food except for the Wedding Cake.
Again consider your City’s Recreational Buildings. Or perhaps a
family member or friend has a wonderful backyard that you can use.
The trick here is to make sure the venue will seat the amount of
people on your guest list and that you can make it look as magical
as you envision. I would recommend a little research, but if you
are able to bring in your own caterer, you can really help your
budget.
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Speaking of the caterer, one way to save
some money is to go for an ethnic cuisine instead of the Prime Rib
Carving Station. Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Hawaiian…..all of these
are tasty and satisfying for your guests and less expensive than the
traditional chicken, beef and fish dishes normally served. You can
actually build a theme around the menu if it appropriate. Sometimes,
your local favorite restaurant will cater the food for you. It
doesn’t hurt to ask. The main point here is to always check over
the contracts before you sign and know what you are contracting for!
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There are some very talented
photographers out there. And this might be an area where you can
justify spending a lot of money and you should designate a large
chunk of your budget for the photographer if you desire. These are
the photos that you will be looking at when you are both old and
still in love. However, if you are really looking to spend less,
you can do it here. Photographers usually offer packages that
include nice albums. When you find a photographer you really like,
(yes, please look at their work!), ask if they have ala cart
pricing. If they only take the photos and give them to you, you can
create your own album. Perhaps you can have them for fewer hours
and than their package states. Don’t be afraid to negotiate for
what you want. And here is a big tip. Look at a local Photography
School or College for a second year photography student. They will
be less expensive and could be extraordinarily talented. Make sure
you ask to see their work. And try to get them to take engagement
photos before you sign a contract to make sure they can capture
yours and your fiancé’s personality on camera.
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Don’t load up on the Bridal Magazines!
Yes, look at them for ideas of colors and décor, but Bridal
Magazines can lead you down the road to spending more money than you
budgeted for. All of the high end gown designers, resorts, florists,
photographers, etc advertise in the magazines. If you are prudent,
you will be able to find the same quality at a lower cost just by
checking around locally. And don’t forget to consider a
Professional Wedding Consultant or Coordinator. Their job is to
help you save money and keep your budget on track.
Your Wedding day should be magical and
remarkable. You are creating the memory of a lifetime. This is your
Dream Wedding and you can create your Dream Wedding on a budget. It just
takes a little planning, but it can be done! |
