You've always thought about your dream wedding. A beautiful wedding
gown, the perfect setting, a romantic bouquet, you wanted it all. But,
when you were daydreaming, you never actually realized how costly a
wedding could be. Now that you are getting married, the reality is all
too clear - weddings are expensive. In fact, it seems like everything
to do with a wedding costs a fortune.
So, if you want that perfect
dream wedding but you don't exactly have a fairy godmother who will
magically sign a check for all of your wedding expenses, what are your
options? Well, there are four main choices.
You can cut corners
on your wedding by having less guests and forgoing the traditional
wedding items like flowers or favors. You can get a new credit card and
charge everything for your wedding on it, and then pay the bills after
you get married. You can decide not to have a wedding at all and elope.
Or, you can find a way to have your dream wedding for less money
without cutting your guest list or using a used wedding gown. It's up
to you to decide which option makes sense for you, but most brides
choose the fourth option and try to find a way to have a dream wedding
for less money.
Well, you may be thinking, "that sounds great, but
how do I actually do it?" Don't worry, there are some very easy ways
in which you can cut your costs and still have a terrific wedding. Read
on to find out the top ways to keep your wedding costs down.
Pick A Public Spot
When
you start planning your wedding, one of the first big decisions you
make is where to hold the ceremony and reception. An excellent way to
keep your wedding economic is to choose a public place for your ceremony
and reception. Botanical gardens, golf courses, beaches, historic
places, national parks and their public buildings are all wonderful and
inexpensive spots for weddings. Using a public place rather than an
event hall can save you thousands of dollars on your wedding budget.
Make Your Own Favors
Another
way to cut down on your wedding expenses is to make your own wedding
favors. Cellophane wrapped cookies, jordan almonds in bags, small
plants - these are all things that you can serve as do-it-yourself
wedding favors. Martha Stewart Living Weddings and other crafty wedding
magazines and websites have ideas for wedding favors that you can do on
your own. You just purchase the different parts of the favor at a
discount online and then assemble the favors yourself.
Don't wait
until the last minute to work on your favors. You can start making your
favors as soon as you've settled the guest list, wedding colors and
theme. Preparing all of your favors in advance will help you when the
big day starts sneaking up on you. Also, enlist your bridesmaids and
close family members to help. You can even have a "favor party" and
invite everyone over to work on the favors. Provide the guests with
food and booze and they'll probably be happy to help.
Be Your Own Wedding Planner
If
you want to cut costs, you should forgo having a wedding planner. You
can be your own wedding planner, all it takes is for you to be organized
and inventive. As soon as you get engaged, pick up a wedding planning
organizer. Start keeping track of what you've done and what you need to
do in the coming months. File vendor contracts and bids in a 3 ring
binder. Make time to update your planner weekly and follow up on any
leftover "to do's."
Grab a few wedding publications and look for
unique wedding ideas. Browse through bouquets in magazines and decide
which flowers and centerpiece shapes you like. Also, there are lots of
websites that offer wedding planning ideas
for free. Using the internet, wedding magazines and books, you can
find the same advice that you'd typically get from a wedding planner.
Work With Your Florist
Another
way you can trim costs is to work with your florist to choose
inexpensive flowers for your wedding. Be straight with your florist and
let her know what you can afford. If she's good at what she does,
she'll be able to offer some lower cost suggestions. Low cost doesn't
always mean less flowers, it could just mean a different type of bloom
or more greenery. Going for daisies over lilies or peonies will mean a
lot to your wedding's bottom line.
