Monthly Archives: September 2009
How to Cheapen Your Wedding Budget
Congratulations! It’s time to start planning the big day. The day you have been waiting for all your life. With the planning comes an added bonus, a headache. I bet you’ve gone out and bought one of those wedding planners. While those are helpful, they are also a money pit. They give you a list of all the possible things you could possibly buy for the perfect wedding. Unfortunately we don’t all have a 3 billion dollar income, we have a budget. Here are some helpful tips on how to keep your wedding looking spectacular, but low cost.
The most important thing you can do to save money is do not buy anything from a “wedding shop” unless absolutely necessary. You won’t be paying for the merchandise; you’ll be paying for that special word “wedding”. Slap that word on anything and it makes you glow just so that you have to have it. Don’t fall into the trap of having to have everything come from a wedding store, you’ll be paying double the prices. Go to outlet stores, shop the clearance section, go to a party shop store and you’ll be amazed at what you can find.
Stationary items can easily be an enormous cost of the wedding. Aside from the bride’s dress, invitations are usually the first thing looked at. As heartbreaking as it sounds, no one hangs onto those. Their best friend is the trash can. The only people that will hang onto them as a keepsake are probably the parents of the bride and groom. So make theirs extra-special, but don’t spend a fortune on the other 200 guest. A calligrapher is not mandatory for wedding invitations. Printed ink looks just as nice on paper as handwritten ink. A calligrapher doesn’t have a backspace button either. The more they mess up, the more you pay. To save some cash, don’t buy separate invitations for the ceremony and reception. Place both locations on one invitation. Another un-needed item is pew cards/seating arrangement cards as once again, these will only meet the trash. Keep it simple and go to your local craft store. Check their wedding aisle for blank cards that you can handwrite the names on. I’m sure someone in your family has nice handwriting and is willing to help. As for spending money on napkins with your name on it, I say nay. Need I repeat? Trash can. Find a store that specializes in party goods. There you will find an array of different napkin designs in all sorts of colors. You are bound to find the perfect match for your wedding reception style.
Favors are cute and sentimental. In this day and age though, everyone is hooked on de-cluttering their home. With that said, out goes the knick-knacks. Keep the party favors simple, as most of your guests won’t keep a hold of them.
Another big cost of the wedding is attire. Whatever you do, do not go to a bridal store specifically for bridesmaids’ dresses. Again, you will be paying for the simple fact it was made for the wedding. Bridesmaids’ dresses are the same as a prom dress. There are about 3-4 high school dances a year. Go check out your local department store and see if you find any that will coordinate in color with your wedding colors. Also try shopping after they go on clearance for a better deal. If your bridesmaids are willing, ask them to pay for their own shoes and the price for their hair. That alone will easily knock off 500 dollars.
If you plan on wearing a tiara at your wedding there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on one. Go to the mall and shop your local jewelry stores. You are bound to find some that are just as gorgeous but not nearly the same price! If you are the type of bride that ones a fresh new look, instead of a real flower that will just wilt, add a plastic flower from the craft store. It won’t loose it’s spunk throughout the party night.
Is it absolutely necessary that everyone wears a tuxedo? The only man you want standing out in the crowd is your soon-to-be husband. Have the groomsmen wear a dress shirt that they can pay for themselves at their department store. No need to buy them shoes, they already have them in the closet. If not, they have bigger problems to worry about than buying their own shirt
Bouquets and floral arrangements don’t need to have ten different types of flowers to make a wedding look elegant? A simple red rose can be elegant; you just have to know how to make it look like a million bucks! If you know your favorite flower you are one step ahead. If not, simply find the flower you love the most. Now don’t go buying a twenty dollar book on all the flowers in the world. This task can be as simple as going to a florist and reading the pretty labels. Better yet, there is the internet that has everything on it that you could possibly need.
Now that you have your flower picked out, how are you going to dress it? Simple! All you need now is some Baby’s Breath and some color coordinated ribbon to tie it all together and voila; you have a bouquet. What about the centerpieces you say? Do a larger version of your bouquet, for each table. There need not be a vase in front of every seat, elegance does not mean overpowering. Another great idea is to use the same flowers from your ceremony for your reception. That cuts the cost of flowers in half! Save the boutonnieres for the mother’s of the bride and groom. Not every female family relative has to have one.
Unless you are inviting five-hundred guests to your wedding you don’t need a five tier cake. The base alone could feed 100 people. Now I know that cakes are beautiful, but let’s not go over-board here, you aren’t trying to feed an army. A two tier cake should be sufficient, and just as beautiful with a flower arrangement on top or a well-decorated cake topper. You can easily find cake toppers for twenty to forty dollars that will look just as brilliantly planned as a 200 dollar flower arrangement.
How many times have you heard, “If you need anything just let me know”? Take them up on that offer for the cake cutting and serving. There is no need to spend any extra money on a service that can easily be done by a willing family member or friend. Children love to feel important and needed. Not every girl in your family can be the flower girl, and not every boy can be the ring bearer. Perhaps they could pass the cake slices around to each guest, that way no child goes un-noticed and you don’t’ have guilt hanging over your head.
These are just a few tips that can keep you in budget. It’s a special day, but it’s not the last day of your life, don’t break the bank. Remember, keep in mind that you pay for the special words: bridal and wedding. If you can find the same thing elsewhere, go elsewhere first. Have a happy wedding.
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