If only your pockets were as deep as
your love for one another. Let's face it: weddings can be expensive.
Creating a reasonable wedding budget means knowing what you
can afford to spend, deciding what matters to you most, then
applying your dollars appropriately. You can have a great wedding
day, no matter the size of your budget. Making some smart decisions
up front can help keep costs under control.
Here are our ten favorite
budget-cutting tips:
Schedule your wedding "off-season." Nearly 70% of all weddings
take place May through October of each year. Even in matters
of the heart, the laws of supply and demand apply. If there
are lots of brides competing with you for locations, limousines,
and florists, the price goes up. You will probably find yourself
able to get better deals on virtually every wedding service
if you schedule your wedding in one of the "off season" months.
Also avoid late November through New Year's, when hotels, caterers
and bands are likely to be busy with holiday parties. Your best
bet? Set the date for sometime in January, February (other than
around Valentine's Day, when the flower prices peak), or March.
Set the time for early in the day. If you're the average couple,
your biggest wedding cost will be for food and beverages at
the reception. A beautiful morning brunch will set you back
less than dinner fare. And unless you have really outrageous
friends, there will be far less alcohol poured before lunchtime.
Better to have a wonderful morning reception than be forced
to pinch pennies for an evening event.
Find a low-cost location. If you're flexible about the "where,"
you can save a lot on your location. Don't knock your childhood
church or synagogue: if you or your parents are members, the
location fee will probably be waived. A city-owned location,
such as a public garden or historic building, may be available
for a surprisingly low fee. And you might consider marrying
at home (yours, or a rich friend's!) if your guest list isn't
too large. But be careful: a home wedding won't cut costs if
you have to bring in additional restroom facilities, seating,
lighting, etc.
Select a non-bridal bridal gown. Bridal gowns aren't the only
white dresses in the world. It may be that the perfect wedding
dress for you is not found in a bridal salon, but among the
women's evening wear section of a department store. (Maybe even
on the sale rack!) Especially during the last several seasons,
while elegant, understated gowns have been in style, the line
between bridalwear and formalwear has blurred. You might even
find that the perfect gown for you is a more-affordable bridesmaids
style, done in white or ivory.
Decorate strategically. Spend your money on the things people
will see the most throughout the event -- not things they'll
only glimpse momentarily. Your guests may not notice the flowers
that decorate the end of each pew as they take their seat --
but they will notice the bouquets and boutonnieres on the wedding
party during the ceremony and reception. They'll spend a few
moments before your ceremony starts perusing your program, so
make sure it makes a good impression. Less important are extra
flowers to adorn your wedding cake table; the cake itself will
capture their attention. You could spend money to decorate the
back of each guest's chair -- but will they see it other than
when they enter the reception room? Consider putting those dollars
instead into your table centerpieces, which they'll gaze at
repeatedly during the event. Candles -- at your ceremony or
your reception -- add drama and style with little cost, especially
compared to floral arrangements. Another budget-friendly decorating
touch: tiny, white twinkle lights, swathed in tulle. The most
strategic way to decorate? Pick a location that needs little
or no embellishment -- a garden in bloom, a scenic beach, a
fully-restored historic building, or a spectacular cathedral.
Select flowers that are in season and locally available. If
you do, you'll probably find you can save considerably on cost
-- especially if you make it clear with your florist that cutting
cost is a high priority. Availability and price vary from city
to city, and region to region, but you'll probably find that
Gerbera daisies, traditional daisies, carnations, chrysanthemums,
statice, Queen Anne's Lace, freesia, baby's breath and gladiolus
are your best priced flowers. Irises are an economical choice
for Spring, which is also the best season for violets, daffodils
and tulips. Various kinds of lilies are most plentiful (and
best priced) in the summer months; sunflowers and orange blossoms
are most abundant in the Fall. Avoid roses and orchids -- they're
widely available but pricey. And stay away from white blossoms.
They bruise easily, so florists must go through larger quantities
to find good ones, and to match the shade, thus the cost is
higher.
Theme the event to hide what's not included. Picking a theme
for your reception celebration can be a great way to cut costs.
You don't have to be of Mexican descent to turn your reception
into a fiesta -- and a spectacular banquet of traditional Mexican
food will probably cost less than prime rib and asparagus. Continue
your theme (and budget-management) by limiting the bar to imported
Mexican beers and margueritas. Your guests won't miss the martinis
while dining on machaca. Another possibility: serve a family-style
southern Italian banquet and limit the bar choices to red and
white wines with dinner, limoncelo and espresso with dessert.
Or follow your barefoot, beach wedding with bonfire-grilled
chicken and corn, vegetable kabobs, buckets of beer on ice and
a fruity sangria.
Harness the talents of family and friends. Don't be afraid to
let those close to you know that you're looking for ways to
keep your wedding budget under control. They may offer their
own skills to help you save money, or they may know how to help
you find a great deal. Your uncle with the classic car may be
willing to play chauffeur for the day, and your cousin the computer
graphics wiz might be able to create spectacular wedding programs
on her computer; all you'll have to do is pay for the paper.
Cut your guest list. It may be painful, but the simple truth
is that there is no quicker, easier way to control your budget
than by limiting the size of the event. Again, your single biggest
cost will be reception food and alcohol, so you can reduce that
expenditure by paring down the number of mouths.Remember: single
guests who aren't in a serious relationship can be invited solo;
you may invite parents only; and you need not invite anyone
>who you haven't spent time with in the last five years -- even
if they invited you to their wedding.
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