Stretching your wedding budget

Choose a weeknight to get married at your favorite wedding chapel, church or even destination. Rates are much lower for weekday weddings (and this includes not only the locatin, but also the vendors rates) and you get to enjoy the weekend for your honeymoon.

Plan for the Reception When Considering Your Wedding Budget

A typical wedding with fifty guests can cost about $15,000 and that when it has been budgeted. Fifty percent of your wedding costs will be invested in the reception. Receptions are where the couple cut their cake, take their first dance and generally celebrate their nuptials. The venue, food, drinks, music, flowers and photography are all just facets of the reception. So sit down with your lists and get ready to mark all the things you absolutely want to have at your wedding and then pay attention to these rules to trim back the cost.

budget helper

http://www.blissweddings.com/library/weddingbdgt.asp


this is and interactive budget helper.... it will be very useful to brides and grooms planning on a budget.

Don´t Go Overboard

It´s not a good idea to go over your budget or go into debt in order to pay off your wedding. Beginning a married life together is a difficult transition as it is, and having a debt because of your wedding only adds to the financial problems.

Vendors and Budgets

To stick tight to your budget, before you meet with a vendor, get a rough idea of their price range
and don´t meet with that vendor if you know that they´re out of your price range. When you do meet with the vendor, tell them your budget up front so they can help you pick from options that will stay within your budget.

Dicker!

In general the initially quoted price for wedding services will be high. Keep this in mind and don´t be afraid to dicker. Tell them outright that you don´t intend to spend that much and you will be surprised at the accomodations they can make rather than lose a sale.

Who Pays for What?

Traditionally, here´s who pays for what.

Bride and family pay for church, synagogue, sexton, organist, etc.; bride´s dress, veil, accessories, and lingerie; arrangements for church and reception, plus bouquets and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls; all wedding photos and video; bridesmaids´ luncheon; shower; all all professional services, including food, drink, decorations, and music; groom´s ring; invitations, announcements, and wedding programs; and transportation of bridal party to and from ceremony and reception.

Groom and family pay for marriage license and officiant´s fee; groom´s outfit; bride´s bouquet and going-away corsage, boutonnieres for men, and corsages for mothers and grandmothers; complete honeymoon; the rehearsal dinner; bachelors´ dinner; and both of the bride´s rings.

That said, no one really goes by those guidelines anymore. Many couples pay for some of the wedding themselves, or figure out the costs and divide it in half, since it´s not fair for one family to carry the bulk of the burden.

Think Green!

To save money on your flowers, try using more greenery than blooms in your church arrangments or garlands on archways, trellises, etc. Ferns and vines are both inexpensive and easy to obtain, sometimes for free!

Cheap Months to Marry

The rate of couples getting married goes *way* down in the winter. With the exception of December (all those holiday weddings!), November thru March aren´t big wedding months---you´ll spend less money if you get married during the off-season.

First Things First

Before you start any planning whatsoever, make sure you know your exact budget. It´s not fun to make big plans and then have to cancel them because you can´t afford them---going into your planning with a specific dollar amount in mind can save you a lot of heartache.

Wedding Credit

If you and your beloved are paying for your own wedding, or are given money but are handling the financial end (bills and such), it´s a good idea to have a separate credit card specifically to pay for wedding costs. It´s a good way to keep all your wedding transactions in one place, and if you have billing disputes often the credit card company will help you out.

Don´t Do the Dyed Thing

Any bridesmaid will probably tell you that not only has she *not* worn bridesmaid´s dresses again, but that she also never wore the dyed-to-match shoes. Consider having your bm´s wear navy or black shoes, or white or cream shoes that can actually be worn after the wedding.

The Dress and More

When budgeting for your wedding attire, be sure to also figure in the following: shoes, purse, jewelry, lingerie, gloves, headpiece/veil, and alterations. If you have just $500 to spend for all, you don´t want to spend $450 on the gown and have nothing left for the rest of your getup ; )

All Together Now

If you can, buy your wedding gown and bridesmaids´ dresses at the same shop----often there´s a discount, sometimes it will also include shoes and jewelry from the same store.

Quickie Cost Cutters: Guest List

Looking for places to cut costs? A good place to start is the guest list---you may need to face up to the reality of having a so-so wedding with everyone and his brother invited, or the wedding you really want with fewer guests. Close friends and family are usually shoo-ins, but do you really need to invite all of your dad´s fraternity brothers from college? Unless your parents are footing the entire bill, try to keep guests to the ´must-haves.´

Saving Money on Alcohol

Want to have something stronger than soft drinks at your wedding but are watching your pennies? Try one of these approaches:

• If you don´t have to buy your alcohol from the venue where you´re having your reception, buy your own---you´ll get it cheaper and be able to pick out what you want.
  
• Have a limited bar as opposed to an open bar.
  
• Cut back on the number of different kinds of liquor you provide---nix the mixed drinks, have champagne only for the toasting, and then serve one each of basic wines (red, white and blush) and one or two kinds of beer.

Mum´s the Word

If you *really* need to save money and aren´t afraid of a little sneakiness, you can do many things (flowers, banquet halls, etc.) and without mentioning the word ´wedding´ can save a bundle. Prices go way up when flowers are ´wedding flowers´ as opposed to ´party flowers´ or ´reunion flowers.´

Budgeting: Phase II

1) If you are like most people, what you want and what you can afford are two separate things. Get together with your fiance and prioritize. Figure out what are the most important elements of your wedding and put your money there.

2) You will be amazed at how different your ideas are from your groom-to-be´s. Get ready for your first lesson in matrimonial bliss . . .compromise!

3) No matter how much you "do-it-yourself," you will probably still have to minimize in a couple of areas. Be prepared for this reality.

Bridesmaids on a Budget

If you really want those designer bridesmaids´ dresses that cost $300+, see if you can get a seamstress to copy the design. Often the cost will be just half of the designer gowns.