Save Money on Your Wedding

Posts Tagged ‘wedding on a budget’

So you’re tying the knot but have fallen short on the budget. Nothing comes quite as exciting as embarking on that amazing voyage called marriage with only you and your spouse to be as the main protagonists. Let’s face it, the grandest weddings in the biggest churches, with the most expensive gowns and suits, and inside the most expensive venue aren’t exactly the barometers for what is about to come. Sure, you’ll get a month’s worth of glamor and elegance, but what comes next wouldn’t necessarily be the same thing.


If you’re like me and you want to make sure that the marriage is not all about the wedding, then read on.


Go Traditional


Different nations have different traditions when it comes to wedding ceremonies, but one thing in common in all of the weddings I’ve witnessed is that all cultures have, at one point in time, valued traditional weddings more for their social value.


Instead of holding the wedding in a grand church or in a 5 star hotel, you could hold it in your own garden or home. That is, of course if you live in a place where there’s still lots of garden space.


If you don’t have your own house yet, you could ask close family whether they’d be willing to host the event. It wouldn’t hurt if your parents have a large garden. If they agree, make sure that you pay them and offer to clean up the mess afterwards. Most parents would be glad to accommodate their children’s wedding as long as it would not be boisterous and as long as they don’t have to do anything stressful.


Crowdsource Your Food


Okay, this is a little bit extreme but I’ve seen weddings using this approach when it comes to food. Some people have that knack when it comes to friends that they would gladly pitch in for a simple ceremony where everybody can contribute in their own little way to help out a friend. As the host, you could buy the ingredients and perhaps hire a knowledgeable and local caterer to cook up a delightful meal.


I’ll hazard a suggestion to cook the food yourself but that would just ruin your gown!


Gowns and Suits are for Your Grandparents


I can’t understand what the whole pomp and pageantry is all about. Weddings are meant to formalize the union of two people and not to bring yourself in debt. The last thing that newlyweds would want is to have to grapple with finances after the honeymoon.


If you’re holding a garden wedding, simple attires would do. For the groom, he could opt to wear a simple suit or a simple and white collared shirt with Khaki pants. Or, he could just borrow the suit worn by his father.


The same austerity measure applies for the bride. If she likes she could just opt to wear a simple floral dress or a white skirt.


At the end of the day, your imagination could do wonders for you and your spouse to be. Remember, it isn’t the wedding that’s going to mark you for the rest of your life. It’s the marriage and the company you will keep that comes after.

One cheap option for your ceremony and/or reception is to book it all at a bed and breakfast that offers an all inclusive wedding package. Many b&bs offer packages that include a site for the ceremony, as well as the reception; food; sometimes décor; often, photographs – all combined with one or two nights lodgings.

Many offer even more in their packages. Some offer witnesses if you want to elope! B&bs can often be cheaper than purchasing each of these pieces separately. The locations are always beautiful, as is inherent to a bed and breakfast. Plus, if you book well, you’ll already have a built in place for your guests to stay, and/or will already be at your honeymoon destination. Either way, these kinds of packages can save you lots of money.

Check the b&bs in your local area and in any places you were thinking of honeymooning. I did this for my wedding and came out with a beautiful ceremony and reception on the coast for under $4,000.00 total. Now, print your own invitations with a do-it-yourself kit and you’ll still have money left over for a down payment on a house, instead of being in debit for your wedding…

There are many ways to save on a wedding and I’ll share the ones with you that I used myself just a year ago.

First, when it comes to invitations, I suggest going to a copy store or a major chain like Wal-mart and buying the blank invitations with templates and typing them yourself. This is quite expensive (about $20 for a box of 40 plus printer ink), just make sure you find a pretty font such as a script font You can do the same for programs, just try to use the same theme.

Bridesmaids bouquets can be made using artificial flowers. Decide on two flowers that have your wedding colors, buy them in bunches and cut the individual stems off of the bunch, then put them together using floral tape and wrap ribbon around the stems. Also, use fake rose petals (can be found on an online auction site).

Favors are another area that can become expensive. If you know someone good with a computer it doesn’t have to be. Make bookmarks, laminate them, punch a hole in the top and loop a ribbon in the hole. Water bottles are another good idea. You buy the small bottles of water (like the kid size the sell at wholesale places), then you print labels on the computer, remove the label that comes on the bottle and replace them with the labels you make. Attach the label with super glue at the seam and tie a ribbon with a tag around the neck of the bottle. You can also make CDs with your wedding music and print the covers for the jewel cases. All of these favors are inexpensive, you just want to start on the early and get them out of the way.

If you are having a wedding at a wedding venue, like a plantation, a lot of the time if you are pleasant they will throw extras in if you just ask (mine gave me fireworks). Also, if you are having an evening wedding you can use white tulle in the room, and rent artificial floral arrangements from a party rental place, since they usually have candelabras for weddings available for rent. Also candle lighting is great, since you don’t need a lot of decorations if you have enough candles in votives around the room.

You can also save on after wedding transportation and drive your own vehicle, if it is an evening wedding, since you probably won’t leave until all the guest are leaving. If alcohol is going to be served at the reception, you can limit it to the toast and just buy one or two types of champagne and give everyone a glass just before the toast. These are just a few of a ways you can save on weding expenses.

There are many ways to save money on your wedding.

1. When you send out invitations, ask guests to respond by email or telephone – this will save you money on stamps.

2. Check Consignment shops for wedding dresses. You can usually find one still in good condition. Some towns have a shop where you can rent a wedding dress, saving you hundreds of dollars.

3. For religious weddings, consider having your wedding near a major holiday. The church will already be decorated, saving you lots of money on flowers.

4. Ask your friends and family to be a special part of your wedding by helping you assemble favors and make invitations, centerpieces, and other homemade inexpensive touches. Ask them what they did to save money on their special day or check internet sites like DIY for ideas. One of them can easily get an officiants’ license online to save you an additional fee.

5. Instead of hiring a photographer, buy a bunch of disposable cameras for your guests to use. They simply take pictures of what they like and leave the finished rolls at your gift table. You usually get more personalized pictures this way since family and friends know you and it saves you hundreds of dollars.

When it comes to plan your dream wedding, you probably want to have every detail personalized to each of the guests. But it is expensive to plan a wedding and time consuming. There are many corners that can be cut to save your time and money.

For example, the table decor. You don’t need to spend a big part of your budget on your table decor. You can get the decorations are second hand stores and you can do all of them by yourself. There is no need for a wedding planner to work on the table decorations.

For example, you can cut costs down by 50% on napkins, table cloths, utensils, and candles by shop them yourself.

1. Buy napkins that match your wedding color

2. Use white table cloths that are elegant and match any color

3. Go for plastic utensils. You can buy nice looking ones at special wedding stores. If you prefer real ones, then rent or borrow them

4. Go to craft stores instead of wedding stores for your candles.

Plan ahead, and buy in advance can save you lots of money.

Article by: Ron King

Want to make sure your marriage doesn’t end up on the rocks before you get to the chapel? Then set a realistic wedding budget — and stick to it.

In the process of planning a wedding, budget concerns often is a source of disagreement for a couple. They may have different ideas about what kind of wedding they want, and about what they can afford. To make the wedding a truly happy occasion, it is important that the couple discusses financial constraints early.

Set A Budget And Save For It

The first tip is — discuss finances before the wedding plans begin. Everyone involved in the decision-making process needs to understand exactly how much money is available for the wedding.

To maximize that budget, you should start saving early for your wedding. Advance planning and saving will allow you to maintain or even exceed your budget, comfortably. And that will make wedding planning easier and more fun.

Get Everyone On-Board

Once your wedding budget has been established, set it aside for a few days and then review it again. This gives everyone a chance to let the information sink in. The budget review after this waiting period gives the participants a chance to verify that they understand and agree to the budget. This is vitally important, because someone who does not agree with the budget may overspend in 1 area, leaving the rest of the budget in jeopardy.

Budget Line Items

When you’ve decided exactly how much money is available for your wedding, the next step is to divide the total into budget categories, such as the venue, food and drink, bride’s attire, groom’s attire, transportation, entertainment, photography, favors, centerpieces, and gifts. It is also advisable to set aside money for unforeseen expenses.

Who Pays

Part of establishing a budget is to be clear on who will pay for what.

Shopping And Negotiating

You will need to negotiate contracts for services, and so you must know the budget for each area of the wedding. If you have allotted $250 for entertainment, look for a DJ whose rate is approximately that amount, then negotiate to ensure that you remain under budget.

It’s wise to shop around and compare prices for services. A company may come highly recommended, but if they are outside your price range, let them know why you are going to have to choose another company. You may be surprised at how willing they will be to give you a better offer.

Substitute Creativity For Cash

Doing things on your own is another way to stay under budget. Homemade invitations or making your own favors or centerpieces can greatly reduce the wedding cost, freeing up funds for other areas of the wedding.

Do not fall into the trap of viewing your budget as restrictive. Instead of thinking about what you can’t afford, focus on how you can make your wedding and reception truly unique. You will be inspired to create a wonderful, memorable wedding regardless of your budget constraints.

Anticipate The Unforeseen

Realize that there are bound to be snags along the way. If you go over budget in 1 area, you will need to cut the budget in another area. As long as you stay aware of your spending and realize the ramifications of all your actions, you can roll with the punches and alter your plans to accommodate any needed changes.

Make It A Wonderful Memory

A wedding budget can cause emotional strain on a couple and their relationship. It is important for them to discuss their finances and establish a clear budget for their wedding plans. Doing this early in the wedding planning process can help the couple to avoid conflict during the planning phase of the wedding. It can also make the wedding more fun for everyone, and start out the marriage on a positive note.

After all, working together is what a marriage is all about.

About The Author

Ron King

Visit http://www.gr8wedding.com to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Once you have got over all the excitement of your engagement, it is time to get to work & plan the wedding. Your first task should be to draw up your wedding budget, without one you will find it very difficult to accomplish anything. A carefully though out budget will help you determine how much you can afford to spend & how much you can allot to different aspects of your day. Here are some tips on drawing up a sensible budget you can afford.

Who’s Paying for the Wedding?

Traditionally the bride’s parents would pay for the whole wedding, however in modern time’s couple’s have either pay for their wedding themselves or split the cost between themselves & the parents. If you can pay for the whole wedding yourselves then you are in a great position, but if you need to ask your families to help out then you will need to approach it diligently & sit down with them to discuss it. Be prepared to be asked how much you think it will cost & how much you want (or expect) them to chip in. Don’t base your wedding budget on the average amount for a wedding (around $25,000) but on what you can afford.

There are several options:

Your parents decide on the amount they are prepared to contribute, you then set your budget & make up the difference yourselves.

Your parents pay for specific items such as the flowers or catering.

You will then have to decide how to pay for everything else.

You set your budget & split it evenly. This is a good compromise & good if you have a divided family. For instance, you, the mother of the bride, the father of the bride, & the groom’s parents will each contribute $5000, for a total of a $20,000 wedding budget.

How Much Do You Really Need?

This does depend on your budget, but a good starting point is to work on an amount per guest such as $100 per head. From this you can allow $50 per head for catering with the remainder going towards everything else. However, where this fails is if you are having only a small intimate affair with say 10 guests, here you may find $500 does not go very far! As a starting point this does however, work for a large wedding & can allow you to have a lavish do & a lot of guests. You can of course throw a wedding on a shoestring, but be prepared to compromise on a lot of the details.

Figuring Out a Basic Wedding Budget

Use the wedding budget planning worksheet to set out the basic figures. If you already some of your costs put them in & adjust your other figures till the budget works for you. If you know anyone who has recently got married ask them for the prices the paid to local vendors or ask if you can borrow their planning notes to help you. Remember to keep figures realistic or your whole budget could go through the roof.

Making Room for What Matters in Your Wedding Budget

Think about the most important aspects of your wedding day to you. Spend more on your ceremony & photographer than on flowers & favors. If you wedding is small then your catering bill won’t be so high as a big wedding, so you can allocate more money to other things.

Ways to Save on Your Wedding Budget

If, after you have drawn up your budget, you discover that the final figure is way above what you can afford then it is time to make some compromises. Go through the budget & take out anything that isn’t really necessary or that you are prepared to do without. Things like the number of bridesmaids – do you really need 12 attendants? Think about how much twelve dresses, 12 pairs of shoes, 12 set of accessories & 12 bouquets will cost. Keep attendants to a minimum, if they are really good friends they will understand. Look at having your ceremony & reception in one place, which will save on transport costs & you will get a better rate at the one venue than paying for two. If after doing that the numbers are still too high, then it is time to go back & look at what is really important to you on your wedding day. Maybe consider a small wedding now & renewing your vows in 5 or 10 years time, when you could afford a bigger party.

Once the figures add up, set your budget & stick to it. This is easier said than done, but it is vital to achieving the best wedding you can afford.

About The Author

Georgina Clatworthy is a dedicated full time writer who composes informative articles related to wedding favors and wedding. She is connected with 1weddingsource.com, today’s leading wedding planning social networking site. Visit the author’s web site at:
http://www.1weddingsource.com

Every bride and groom who have limited financial resources would need to cut corners while planning their wedding.

In fact, there are hundred and one things that you can either outsource to others or do it yourself.

Now then we know wedding planning can be outsource? Hmmmm…

Even though we wanted to fully plan our wedding by ourselves, the thing is as much as we want to, we have limited time and energy.

But again, I have seen many brides who did items by themselves.

Plus another big contributing factor to the big hole in your purse or pocket is the ability to be frugal, decisive and able to bargain.

Usually after the wedding, the couples would have used up all their savings or even in debt!!!

Many brides in fact take the 1st offer for wedding packages and bridal studio offers.

If they have read this book, they may do otherwise.

They did not know that if they bargain just enough, they can save another few hundred dollars to even a thousand dollar.

During my wedding planning, I did a lot of bargaining and I pushed my way through. I got another 5R wedding album for free. This album would have cost me another 200 dollars.

In addition, did I tell you I got 2 helpers room instead of one (worth $500) and free corkages for 40 bottles of wine (previously 15) and I saved another $300!!!

Wow, a saving of $1000!!!

While I was planning my wedding, I bought this wedding ebook on wedding planning.

At that time I was lost. Frantic for a solution, I bought this ebook and I’m glad I did.

Now I still do.

This book helps me save $500.

Initially, I went to bookstores to look for books on wedding planning at a budget. But it seemed to me that those books offer high-end services and products.

Perhaps, the importer thinks that all Singaporean are really rich.

So, spend your money wisely as wedding is just the first step to a life-time of marriage.
About The Author

Jhong Ren runs http://www.romance-fire.com My Wedding Blog – an online wedding diary that gives more than just the usual tips and advice on a daily basis. Check out http://www.romance-fire.com now and by all means leave us your comments, share some of your own wedding experiences

Princesses are very popular among little girls these days. However, adult women are quickly joining in on the princess trend and enjoying the fun too! This trend seems to be seeping over into the wedding industry and has created a new niche for brides and princess coinsurers to explore.

If you are getting married at Disneyland, DisneyWorld, or at another princess destination, this article will give you some tips about how to have a fabulous princess wedding on a tight budget. Of course, if you have extra money to spend, you can make it more extravagant in several different ways.

First, you need to decide on a location to get married. Disneyland is a great place to have a wedding and/or a honeymoon. Sleeping Beauty’s castle is a stunning location for photographs and sets the mood entirely. Who doesn’t want to be swept away by prince charming and honeymoon to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland? However, if Disneyland is not in your budget, you could easily set up a castle or princess theme at your local church or recital hall.

Second, what should the bride wear? Traditionally, brides wear a white wedding gown. This trend is still very popular, but why not change it up a little and wear an adult princess dress instead of a wedding dress? Your guests will appreciate the fun and unique aspect of the wedding and it will be something new and exciting that you can do. There are many adult princess dresses out there including a great brand called Little Adventures. They have beautiful adult princess dresses that are actually machine washable so you can keep them for years to come. They are reasonably priced around $60, but you must have a fullness slip underneath your princess dress to complete the princess look. The slips run around $40. Many online retailers sell Little Adventures adult princess dresses and offer free shipping. So, for around $100, you can be Cinderella, Snow White, or beautiful Belle.

What should your wedding party wear? You could get a prince costume for your husband to be. Your bridesmaids could each wear a different adult princess dress. For example, if you wear Cinderella, they could each wear Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Belle or Rapunzel. The flower girls could wear a princess bride dress or any other princess costume for little girls like mermaid, pink princess, or a beautiful Medieval princess dress.

There are many activities you could provide at a princess wedding like a Royal ball where you invite guests to come dressed up in their favorite prince or princess costumes. You may want to have a special castle wedding cake made and medieval type snacks or finger foods to serve. You could have Cinderella’s carriage to take you to and from the reception.

Whatever you decide, your princess wedding will be unique and fun for you and for your special guests!

About The Author