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How To Save Money On Your Wedding Expenses!

Prioritize!
Make a list of the most important things you want for your wedding and have your fiancé do the same. Are you most committed to having gorgeous flowers, inviting 400 people, hosting the wedding at a particular location, or serving filet mignon and lobster? Knowing your priorities before the planning starts will help you decide what to spend money on, and what you don't mind doing cheaply or doing without.

Trim The Guest List
This is difficult but sometimes necessary if the cost per guest is going to break your budget. Cross off names on the list of guests who might feel obligated to come to the wedding if they are invited, but would not have their feelings hurt if they are not asked to attend. Think of inviting only relatives with whom you have a close relationship instead of everyone related to you. Invite only the people who are important to you and your parents, rather than everyone you know.

Reduce The Number Of People In Your Bridal Party
You have to buy nice gifts for every member of your bridal party, and that adds up. Plus, traditionally, the entire bridal party plus their dates are invited to the rehearsal dinner. Seven bridesmaids and seven groomsmen, all their dates, ring bearer and flower girls, and their families, plus both sets of parents and all the readers in the ceremony, plus officiant could add up to 40+ people to feed!

Be Sure To Ask For Discounts
Have your wedding ceremony and reception held at a hotel, and ask for discounts when family and friends are staying at same hotel. Reserve a block of rooms for your guests several months before the wedding for the best rates. Speak with the appropriate manager when asking for discounts and reserving rooms.

Consider A Friend/Family Member To Conduct Wedding
This can save several hundred dollars which your minister may charge. See information on Becoming Ordained to set up your choice of an officiant.

Small Town Or Country Wedding
Venues, catering, and florists tend to be cheaper in small towns than in large metro areas.

Stick To The Schedule For Your Ceremony And Reception
Musicians will charge more if asked to perform beyond the time stated in their contract. You will also incur additional limo charges if your event runs longer than planned.

Get Local College Musicians
If you don't know any musicians yourself, call local college music departments rather then browsing the yellow pages. Students will be cheaper than professionals.

Plan Ceremony And Reception In Same Location
There will be no need for limos to take you to the second location. Many churches have halls that are equipped to handle wedding receptions at reasonable fees - especially if you are a member.

Ask Friends To Lend Talents With Invitations, Flowers, And Programs
Ask a friend with pretty penmanship to address your invitations instead of hiring a calligrapher. If you simplify your flowers and arrangements, perhaps a friend can assemble fresh or silk flowers which will save you hundreds of dollars. Some of the most attractive wedding programs are printed from a home computer and then creatively assembled with colored cardboard, tissue paper, ribbon, etc.

Any Day But Saturday!
Fridays are also popular wedding days but may cost a lot less than a Saturday event. For even greater savings, choose a weekday evening for your wedding. Schedule the wedding to allow guests time to arrive at the ceremony after the work day has ended. Many guests enjoy weekday weddings as this frees up their weekends for other activities. Choose a date between November and April to avoid higher peak season rates in many areas.

Daytime Vs. Nightime
Consider having your wedding during the day, such as a weekend brunch or a luncheon on Saturday or Sunday. The cost for the venue will be much lower and the daytime lighting is better for color photography.

Consider Altering Tradition
If you are doing a round of toasts, guests can toast with whatever they are currently drinking instead of you having to purchase champagne for everyone. Instead of a limo, consider a regular vehicle. If you are happy with just serving beer and wine, skip the full bar and save a bundle on liquor. Consider a lovely formal dress that isn't a traditional gown from a bridal shop.

Cut Back On Wedding Photos
Ask your married friends how often they pull out their expensive wedding album... Photos, though a nice luxury, can be a huge and potentially unnecessary expense. In reality, you only need one beautiful photo to hang on the wall. If you supply disposable cameras you will be surprised how well the candid pictures turn out. Also, ask a friend who you know is good at ensuring that your guests heads aren't cut off in pictures to help. Make a list of all the family and group shots, research wedding magazines for some nice "set up shots" of the bride and groom, and pass them on to your photographer friend. Also ask friends with digital cameras to email you all the photos they take. Ask a man and a woman who you love having around but couldn't have in the bridal party to capture the bride and groom getting ready. Remember that this is one very happy day when you are both looking your best so it shouldn't be that hard to get a nice album made up without thousands of dollars. You can hire a professional photographer for the ceremony, and leave the rest up to friends.

Reassess The Whole Wedding . . .
After looking at the final plan of your wedding, but before paying any deposits, decide where you can simplify the whole process. Consider whether you really need choral singers and a string quartet at the ceremony and a wedding singer and a DJ at the reception. Releasing doves or butterflies or having a candle-lighting ceremony are all wonderful, but may end-up costing a lot of money. Simplicity saves money and if done well, your wedding may seem more serene and awe-inspiring!

Your Wedding Is Day One Of The Rest Of Your Life
Look beyond the wedding day to the goals you will have as newlyweds. If you want to purchase a house in the next few years, keeping that as a priority throughout the wedding planning process will help you to be prudent about how much you spend on that one day.

Wedding Tips To Save Cash $$$$$

* Ask for deals when negotiating the costs for your cake, flowers, and reception hall. For instance, if you are able to pay up-front, you should be able to obtain a 20% discount on your cake, which can add up to hundreds off your cake! This is also useful in negotiating your flowers.

* Take independent businesses seriously. Individuals are more willing to cut a break than say, your grocer's flower department.

* When planning your ceremony and reception at a hotel, ask to speak to a manager who is in charge of these services. A manager should be in a position to offer the best rates for the hotel’s services.

* Cut out the travel (and limo fees) between the chapel and reception hall by having the wedding on the same location as your reception! Also, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper price for using more than one service provided at a particular location. This also makes it easier for out of town guests, since they won't have to drive to two locations. They will appreciate it greatly!

* Consider getting married during an off season, such as Lent, September through November, or April. You will be able to negotiate rental prices with reception halls due to decreased demand and business. For instance, if you marry during Lent, you may be able to negotiate a bigger reception hall for the same price as a smaller one. Also, off season weddings allow for more flexibility because in the off chance you have a 95% return rate on your wedding invites, you will be able to scramble for a bigger room, cake, or food order more easily and often at less cost than during the summer months.

* Consider a centerpiece that doubles as something else. For example, instead of one big wedding cake, put a small cake on each table. The cake is the dessert and the centerpiece! Or, if you are doing favors, put the pile of favors neatly stacked in the middle of the table. Or, create a beautiful table number, possibly decorated with a photo of the couple or a photo of a city the couple visited together, and use that as the centerpiece, surrounded by inexpensive votive candles.

* Ask the manager to throw in extras. Use hotel house linens instead of renting others. Hotels and catering halls have their own props and centerpieces that they are happy to loan. Always ask for at least 10% off stated rates.

* Another way to reduce the costs associated with weddings is to not mention that the item or service is for a wedding. For example, if you are renting a venue for the wedding, indicate the room will be used for a "family gathering." This approach can also be helpful for wedding cakes. A regular cake is generally priced much lower than an identical cake which has been identified as a wedding cake. If you plan to have a simple flower scheme (like gerberas and green poms) you can avoid a large markup and the need for an appointment by not mentioning the wedding.

* For couples with many friends, have a small, family-only ceremony. Then have a large, informal reception on another date. Decorations, location, dress and everything else can be very informal and not terribly expensive. Be gracious though, and serve good food!

* Use a tuxedo place that gives you the groom's tux for free when you order others at the same time.

* Borrow a veil or buy one off eBay. The bridal stores charge outrageous prices for veils.

* Have bouquets made of dried flowers or nice "silk" flowers instead of costly, fresh flowers. Cloth or ribbon flowers are also a lovely and durable option. Having the arrangements made days or weeks in advance can save time, money and stress.

* Buy your centerpiece flowers at a wholesale warehouse. Wholesale warehouses often sell products in bulk and cheaper than normal stores. You can often get 30-40 small centerpieces for less than $100 if you are willing to ask friends and family to help.

* Ask for assistance from friends and family! They are FREE and often happy to help.

* Instead of flowers and ribbons to decorate the church, try large potted ferns up at the altar with simple candles. They're inexpensive and very elegant. (Keep the ferns back from open flames, safety first!)

* If you do decide to go with fresh flowers, choose flowers that are in season. Possibly grow them yourself or buy the flowers in bulk at a Farmer's Market and arrange them yourself. Or, some trade schools that train florists will arrange wedding bouquets for the cost of the flowers.

* Check at the chapel to see if there's another wedding the same day. Sometimes you can split the cost of decorating with the other couple - if you're both willing to choose neutral colors and whoever goes first makes sure no well-intentioned relatives "clear things up".

* Instead of a catered event, you can serve it as a 'Pot Luck' style for the meals and can save you money.

* Also, ask if someone might be willing to purchase the wedding cake in lieu of giving you a wedding gift.

* Use an online service for RSVP and simply include the web address on your invitations, saving the need for RSVP cards and extra postage. Consider including a phone number for those who may not have Internet access.

* Consider a sheet cake instead of a tiered cake, it will save you enough that you could get a fancier recipe or fancier cake decorations if you really want and still spend less.

* Look for a dress at a thrift or consignment store or eBay and then have it altered if necessary. Even consider non-traditional dress, perhaps just something you feel looks great and you could wear it again after the wedding too.

* Take the flower arrangements from the ceremony to the reception, this might halve your flower budget. Consider having less flowers and less expensive flowers. Buy loose flowers and have the venue personnel or a talented friend place the flowers artfully in tall glass vases. (the arranging is usually done for free, but check first!)

Money-Saving Warnings You Should Consider

* Sometimes Do-It-Yourself projects cost just as much as buying or renting the finished product. And the time costs can be enormous when you have so much else to do.

* Don't forget to include postage costs in your budget. After invitations (usually at 60 cents), reply cards (use postcards instead of envelopes), and a zillion thank you cards, it really adds up.

* When you are considering the cost of postage check with the Post Office to find out if there is going to be a rate increase. This can blow your budget.

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This page was last updated on June 23, 2009
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