Wedding Budgeting Tips
Your wedding dress:
Start shopping right away. You won’t feel rushed or pressured into buying something, and you’ll be able to shop smart.
Simple plain dresses are usually less expensive then the ones with lace, pearls/beads etc..
You could buy a plain dress and add lace, beads etc.. yourself. Or get someone to do it for you.
Rent or borrow a dress. If you like your mother`s, sister`s or friends dress ask them if you could borrow it. But don`t be offended if they refuse as a wedding dress is very sacred to most women.
Look around second hand shops/charity shops. You`ll be surprised at the amount they get given, and they are usually inexpensive.
The venue:
Book the ceremony/reception well in advance you may be able to negotiate a better price then you would if you left it to the last minute.
Have your wedding on off-peak months. November to April rates will probably be reduced. Christmas weddings are more expensive though so if you are planning a Christmas wedding you will have to cut your finances.
Instead of a grand ballroom or banquet hall, think less-expensive venues, like publicly owned buildings and parks, registry office, the church or temple hall, the backyard, the beach, a restaurant’s private room. You may have to get a permit to marry in a public place, but it will be less than a private banquet room.
Catering:
Look around for caterers. Get different quotes before you decide on one.
Choose cheaper entrees, like prawns instead of lobster, vegetables like broccoli instead of asparagus will cut the cost, too.
Cut down on courses. If you’re having a cocktail hour, do you really need an appetizer course? Do you need soup and salad?
Instead of waiter service, have a buffet bar.
Think ethnic! Mexican, Indian, Italian, or Chinese food is fun and much cheaper per person than the traditional wedding menu. See if your favorite restaurant caters.
If you are having a themed wedding create your menu around the theme.
Have the wedding cake only as dessert and eliminate any other sweets (eclairs, pastries, etc.).
Consider a wedding breakfast or brunch (omelettes, muffins, pancakes, French toast), or a tea (a variety of tea flavors, finger sandwiches, scones and jams, etc.) to save money.
The more tiers and decorations your cake has the more expensive it will be.
Buy your own drink it will work out a lot cheaper then paying the caterers or venues prices.
Photos:
Compare hourly fees and package deals to see which is more cost-effective for you.
Give disposable cameras as wedding favours. Then you can get copies of the days events from family and friends.
Have a professional photographer take the formal pictures and shoot the ceremony; have guests take all reception photos.
Visit your local college`s photography department and check out some of the students’ portfolios. They will do your photography a lot cheaper and just as good as a professional
Ask friends and family to video the big day for you.
Flowers:
Use flowers that are in season and/or locally grown they’re less expensive than out-of-season flowers that must be shipped to your area.
Have bouquet with just a few large flowers, like orchids, tulips, lilies, or sunflowers, tied with a ribbon.
If you are marrying at Christmas or Easter, your church may already be decked out beautifully.
Arrange to share the cost of ceremony decorations with the couple marrying directly before or after you that day.
Use silk or dried flowers instead of fresh ones in table centerpieces.
Music:
DJs are less expensive than live bands.
Ask a family member or friends child to sing at the reception.
Hire music for the evening reception only. People are usually to busy chatting to notice any way.
Ask at the local college/university for young musicians.
Invitations:
Send invitations that are light enough when completely assembled to require only a single stamp for mailing.
Make your own invitation cards. They are cheaper and more personal.
If you are having a themed wedding make cards to do with the theme.
Transportation:
Limousines are cheap enough to hire for an hour. Find out in advance how long the ceremony will take.
Only hire a limo for the bride and groom; have attendants driven in relatives’ cars, or have them drive themselves in groups.
You might be able to hire a horse and carriage for just as less. Check the Yellow pages for any in your area.
We hope these are of some use to you. Good luck
Shawn Hickman
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/wedding-budgeting-tips-132137.html
Comments
Good budgeting tips for an upcoming wedding?
My fiancee and I had our first date on Sunday October 10th, 2004 so we always celebrate our anniversary as 10/10. He proposed to me on 10/10/08 on our four year anniversary and so I really have my heart set on getting married on Sunday October 10th, 2010. 10/10/10 is a very special date to us. However, we are worried we won’t be able to have as nice of a wedding as we’d really like since there are budget restrictions at this time in our lives. We are only 23, we are trying to pay for him to get through college and we both work full time but we don’t make a lot. I have a new car payment I’m paying off until May of ‘11 and we’re trying to move out together. In this economy, our families aren’t able to help much, so we’ll have to absorb almost all of the wedding costs. My fiancee will have a career in international business within a couple of years making a lot more money, so we considered maybe a small wedding loan for the meantime which would easily be paid off in the near future. Of course there’s obvious downsides to this option, I’m aware, but saving up any respectable amount of money toward the wedding is proving very difficult for us. And of course there is the option of waiting to get married, but then we would miss out on our special date and our grandparents are getting old, and well, I’d like them all to be there. What are some good budgeting tips for a formal wedding of about 100 or less guests??
You’re right – in this economy, with your current obligations, you will NOT be able to afford the wedding you want on your own. So you have a tough choice – postpone until you can afford it, or downsize the wedding.
The economy is uncertain, and you won’t know what sort of jobs will be available to your husband when he graduates, so it’s unwise to bet on a horse isn’t in the race yet, so to speak. If you do get a loan, assume a worst-case scenario – assume the economy has not improved, your husband cannot find the high-paying job he is training for, and that you are both working the same sort of jobs you have now (or would have now if you weren’t students). Budget your expenses, and see how much you’d be able to save out of that to repay the wedding loan.
I seriously doubt you’ll be able to afford a "formal" wedding. You should consider a more reasonable DIY (do it yourself) wedding – a simple white dress can be just as lovely as a full ball gown, a nice suit is as handsome as a tux, your guests will be happy with cheese and crackers from Costco instead of caviar. (buying a set amount of alcohol from Costco is a lot cheaper than paying for other people’s indulgences at an open bar.) Keep your expectations in line with your current lifestyle.
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All together, wedding receptions can cost up to $80 – $100 per guest, so the most effective way to cut your costs is to cut the guest list. In addition to that, consider having the ceremony and reception in the same room (this works better for non-religious ceremonies) and having it at a non-traditional time of day, such as mid-afternoon. That way, you have have a cocktail reception instead of a full dinner reception and save on food/beverage costs.
Other tips:
Consider not having a bridal party, or only having 1 attendant each (one for you and one for your groom)
Skip the band and DJ and hook up your iPod to a soundsystem
Get a cute, inexpensive dress at JC Penney, Ann Taylor, JCrew, or similar
Choose inexpensive flowers that are in season (like daisies)
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I would probably take out the loan. Your wedding day should be a special day and I know it is hard to make it that way on a too strict budget.
That being said the things I would not go crazy spending on is the flowers, cake, and gown. You can find great bargains on wedding dresses and embellish them yourself. Also try and have the ceremony and reception in the same venue. Hire a DJ instead of a band. Fancy invites are a waste of money too…and whatever you do don’t waste money on a wedding planner. I would prefer to spend my money on great food, open bar and beautiful venue.
Congrats and good luck!
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Don’t take out a loan, unless it is a loan from family members. Seriously – starting off married life with a loan from your wedding will end up causing a lot of stress.
If the date is so important to you, then plan the wedding to fit the budget that you have. Plan a daytime wedding. If you really want a formal wedding, find areas that you can skimp on, such as foregoing favors, centerpieces, or monogrammed napkins. Have a friend do you hair; do your own make-up. There are lots of things you can do to make a formal wedding affordable. See if your school has a reception hall or chapel you can use at a discounted price. Print your own invitations, and on the reply cards, don’t put a stamp (that’s $44 right there). Make your own wedding bouquet. Find a discontinued bridal gown off the rack (I got my $1500 gown for $300 that way).
Good luck!
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Oct – a nice fall wedding! Congrats!!!
Ok, on to the $$$ issue. The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath, relax and realize that this is the start of your long and wonderful life together, and no matter what it will be a wedding to tell your grandchildren about – imperfections and all.
Next – get creative! Ask friends for help. Do you have a friend with a green thumb? Ask them to grow your bouquet and your table decorations. There are many easy to grow and long lasting fall flowers that are affordable, but if you insist on lavender lilacs you may have to spend the down payment on your house!
For table decorations we used some tea lights in small jars with a few flowers scattered around and buttons that said ‘I Am Loved!’ on them (they are free at some jewelry stores!) M&M’s are ‘our candy’ so I put some in net circles and dropped them in apéritif glasses with a photo of a daisy tied to the stem. (You could use fall leaves on your tables and dressed up Ball brand jars for a nod to the harvest time tradition of canning) Total cost of our tables – $45 (We borrowed the linens from the church and had another friend wash and return them) We used Christmas lights hung from the ceiling (had those) for some soft lighting, and hired a single guitarist (he was so wonderful!) to play for the wedding and reception ($150).
The rings – My mother gave us the ring ( a simple gold band) my great grandmother was wed with – hers was a long love filled marriage. I was able to find a matching one from the same era on ebay for my husband. Total cost $110 including postage.
Do you have a friend who likes to bake? Honor them by asking them to bake your wedding cake – and it does not have to be traditional!
Photography? We got a basket of disposable cameras and everyone was the photographer! (We also selected a couple of friends who had ‘nice’ cameras to do the more traditional shots; some at the church and some at a local park)
My dress? I got one that had lace I liked and a long train at Goodwill for $12, and made myself a dress! It was floor length and the extra length from the train part I used to make the bodice and trimmed with the lace – the left over lace became the base for my veil and I used matching ribbon to tie my bouquet. (It is also ok to use parts of 2 dresses or for a softer and fun look you can make a dress out of several t-shirts – check out Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt) One could also use the dress their mother wore.
Food – I bought a 1/4 cow from a friend whose father raises cattle (this cut costs allot pound for pound!) and had most of it cut into chunks for kabobs – added mushrooms, onions and peppers and had my soon to be sister-in-law help grill them – 30 min in the oven the day of and they were ready to go! If there isn’t any dietary issues one could also get a hog and do an old fashioned pig roast. We also served salad and fruit kabobs and had a chocolate fountain (borrowed from the church) We had two kinds of punch – Papaya and Horchata (both non-alcoholic to save cost) The entire meal came to around $250 including the cake I baked myself. (I like to bake!)
We did our entire wedding on less than $2000 – and had 45 guests.
Don’t forget theme! The fall lends itself to some wonderful ideas for a fun reception – bar-b-ques, picnics, county fairs, hay rides and harvest dances come to mind – and you can dress up the wagons to have a ‘rustic formal’ look to them with yards of tulle (inexpensive yet very nice looking) and quilts to cover the hay. You could find an old time music group in your area (if that is your taste – it is allot of fun!) and have a dance at a friends country house after the wedding in the flower garden.
Whatever you do relax and have fun with it! And don’t freak out to much when something goes wrong – something has to go a bit out of plan or you won’t have that great story to tell your children! – My wonderful husband to be got nervous waiting for his niece to trim his hair the ‘Morning Of’ and started to do it himself – forgetting one needs to put the trim guards on the clippers. When I saw him he had tufts of hair sticking up and bald spots! He still made it to the alter, with very, very short hair, was still as sexy on our honeymoon (we went camping) and we have been happier and more in love each day since!!!
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My life
Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt (Paperback)
by Megan Nicolay
Make it a DIY (do-it-yourself)
Make everything that you can. This will literally save you thousands of dollars.
Have your wedding in the morning and serve a yummy brunch.
A friend of mine is getting married on 10/10/10 (her anniversary to her fiance as well), and she’s having a mid-morning ceremony at 10:00 a.m. Afterward she is serving a scrumptious brunch. Eggs, bacon, sausage, muffins, scones, danishes, orange juice, tea etc. Her whole budget for her wedding is $3,000. This included her dress, rings and honeymoon to a B&B. The reception is in the fellowship hall of her church.
A formal wedding can be done on a tight budget, but you really have to sit down and discuss needs versus wants. do you need $2500 worth of flowers, not really, when a few candles, could be just as pretty. Things of this nature.
Good luck and congrats on your upcoming wedding.
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myself.
You haven’t graduated from school yet and you don’t have a guaranteed job/position I would def not take out a loan because a wedding shouldn’t put you into debt. Our budget is around 3,000 and we are having a wonderful wedding, the guest list is small around 25 people though so we can swing certain things that makes larger guest list harder.
Either think of trimming the guest list or push your wedding date by a year or two. I would not take out a loan or use credit cards as your main income source for a wedding. It’s not financially healthy to do so, for a new union at this stage in your lives. You can’t count on future career plans that far off. It would be wiser to wait. If you have to do it know, switch gears to a lot of DIY and other cheaper options. If you want caterer then consider having silk flowers, if you want to have a grand reception think of a dress in the 500 range instead of 5000. It is possible, you just need to do lots of research and pick wisely. What about local community gardens, art galleries, art centers etc for both ceremony and reception venues those are all great ways to save some cash.
Check out theknot.com, they have a section on DIY and budget weddings, they recently posted a tip sheet about cutting back/scaling back on your wedding. And they have another post on their site about hidden costs of wedding.
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