Wednesday 1 March 2017

How to Keep Your Wedding Costs Down

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.