You've had this dream since you were
a little girl. You're walking
down the aisle in that gorgeous gown you designed yourself,
as your family, seventeen bridesmaids and 800 guests look on.
A few steps ahead, your flowergirl, dressed in a scaled down
replica of your wedding dress, tosses fresh rose petals on the
cathedral floor. A 12-piece orchestra fills the air with music,
wafting through the church windows into the French countryside
beyond. Then there's the other dream -- you, moonlighting in
a polyester vest and red bow tie, scooping up jumbo buckets
of popcorn to pay for the dress which, as it turns out, was
slightly beyond the sewing skills of your maiden aunt. That
dream usually ends in horror as you spot the senior partner
at your law firm towards the back of the line.
Let's face it. Couples are marrying later in life than they
once did and most brides and grooms expect to shoulder part,
if not all, of the wedding expense. And even with the help of
generous family members, few bank accounts can measure up to
the dreams in the mind of a wishful bride-to-be. So what's a
bride to do if that one special touch of wedding magic falls
beyond the budget? Before you contemplate cutting your fiancé's
favorite cousin from the guest list to pay for imported floral
centerpieces, why not consider some less drastic methods of
adding to the wedding till. While you probably won't save enough
for that heirloom wedding ring set you spotted at Sotheby's,
you might just find the money for a calligrapher to address
your invitations, or a baker to recreate your favorite celeb's
wedding cake.
Skip the gourmet coffee. That grande java from your local beanery
may taste better than the stuff in the office coffee pot, but
at over two dollars a cup, it's easily a $10 a week habit. Learn
to live with your office brew, and you'll have saved $520 in
twelve months. After the honeymoon, you can return to your favorite
double non-fat latte with plenty of extra wedding prints from
your photographer to go with your warm memories.
Pack a lunch. Daily Cobb salads from the corner deli can add
up to $30 or more during the work week. Brown-bagging it has
long been the popular choice among those on a tight budget and
you can make it work for your wedding too. Many offices provide
refrigerators and microwaves for their employees, so you'll
be free to nosh on leftovers and homemade salads, along with
the tried and true sandwich. And by the time you walk down the
aisle, you could have saved as much as $1,500 -- enough for
a significantly upscaled version of the dress you thought you
could afford.
Give up your seat. Do you or your fiancé travel on business?
If you do, and have a little time to spare, consider giving
up your seat to save for your honeymoon. Airlines frequently
offer cash or credit towards future air travel to passengers
who are willing to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
Recently, I was given a $250 travel voucher to take a slightly
later flight. Not bad for a few extra hours in the airport.
If your honeymoon dreams say Tuscany but your bank account says
Tucson, a few sacrificed flights will go a long way towards
the purchase of those sought-after tickets. Cancel Your Cable.
If you and your fiancé maintain separate residences, consider
canceling your cable services. Even if you only have basic cable,
you could save $25 a month. If you have premium channels, you
could cut your monthly expenses by $50 or more a month. You
can still snuggle up with your fiancé at his place to watch
those A&E specials you love, and you could be saving anywhere
from $300 to $600 towards that perfect reception hall by the
lake. After all, you'll be sharing a television set for the
rest of your lives, so what's the harm in starting a little
early?
Cook. Don't worry. No one's suggesting that you organize a bake
sale to raise the funds for your florist bill. However, you
might want to consider trading your standing Friday night dinner
out with your fiancé for a quiet evening together at home. Even
one restaurant meal per week can easily cost $50 or more between
the two of you. In lieu of reservations, why not rehearse for
those fabulous dinner parties you're planning to host as newlyweds?
You can try out new recipes on each other, instead of your in-laws,
and save $2,600 or more in the process. You might just save
enough for those gorgeous one-of-a-kind centerpieces designed
especially for you by Francois, the floral 'stylist'.
Whatever your wedding budget, fitting dollars to dreams can
involve some frustrating cutting and compromising. Before you
forego your beauty sleep and return to bartending to cover the
catering bill from Tavern on the Green, look around for creative
ways to stretch your funds and squeeze more wedding cash from
every paycheck. But don't go too far. You don't want to achieve
the perfect wedding at the expense of your credit rating or
your friends. Digging coins out from under the sofa cushions
is one thing. Digging them out from under your future sister-in-law's
sofa cushions is probably taking things a little too far.
| Theme
Wedding | Budget
Weddings |
Quantum
Designs