Simple Ways to Cut Wedding Costs!

Our next was the concern the photography expense. Luckily, my step mom is an amateur photographer. She really enjoys taking pictures and owns a decent camera. (An additional benefit: everyone knows someone who enjoys taking pictures.) She offered to take the pictures at the wedding and my sister-in-law taped much of the ceremony and reception with her personal video camera. For payment, I insisted on making their time, effort, and kind gestures our wedding gift and would refuse anything else from them. We also purchased about 2 to 3 disposable cameras per each guest reception table. This way, for a low cost fee, your guests can be your photographers and also be given something to do and be a bigger part of your special day! Besides, guests may catch more intimate and/or interesting shots that a professional photographer may not!

Wedding programs aren't really necessary. However, they not only give the guests something to do while waiting for the ceremony to begin, but also provides them with the knowledge of who and what the wedding party personally means to the happy couple. Also, it gives the couple the chance to thank and acknowledge other efforts involved in making the event a success. It really doesn't take much to create your own wedding program with the average computer and printer. The outside should contain the names of the couple and a symbol of love relating to theme of their wedding. The inside could contain a personal thanks to the parents and/or siblings for being there for them and can also include some childhood memories. The other side can contain a list of the wedding party, such as the maid of honor, the best man, the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and ushers.
Example: Joseph Smith...Best Man and brother of the groom
Mary Jones...Maid of Honor and lifelong friend of the bride

Simply write it up and print it out using card-stock (thick) paper. You can even use a color scheme and/or special designed paper and buy it in bulk. It's not very expensive. In fact, I spent approximately $13 on the paper for my wedding programs.

Addressing your own invitations is another way to save money and is pretty easy to do, too. If you or a friend has nice handwriting or can do calligraphy, you're going to save yourself a bundle. If not, most home computer printers come with templates of fonts and of sizing envelopes for proper printing. Even if you choose to handwrite the envelopes and you don't have the best handwriting, using a printer or calligraphy pen can make all the difference in the world. And, for the cost of only either a printer cartridge or a calligraphy pen and inkwell is well worth it.

Q uotes I received for flower arrangements seemed outrageously high in cost. Besides, if one thinks about it, yes, fresh flowers smell great for the night, but that's nothing a few scented candles placed on the table can't fix and can also save you about 95% of the cost of using fresh flower arrangements. You can also buy a scented oil or a spray and dab or spray it onto the silk flowers a couple hours beforehand. An appropriate sized bottle will cost you no more than $5.

A s far as the brides maids bouquets, it is very easy to create them on your own using silk flowers. Another benefit is that you and your bridal party can keep them forever. Your local craft store has pre-made bouquets available for purchase right off the shelf and if you choose to make your own unique arrangements, you can very easily purchase the supplies you need and the specific silk flowers you want. (This also helps to do this when you want to continue with your color format.) I created my own bridal arrangement and my bridesmaids' bouquets for less than $100 in supply costs. If I hired a professional to create what I did on my own, (I used silk lilies, orchids, and roses) it would have cost me over $600 and would have died within a day or two. As you can see from my personal picture here in this section, you can probably not tell the bouquets are silk and that I created them myself. Unless one is a professional flower arranger, no one will even suspect they weren't created by a flower shop. (Keep in mind I have NEVER arranged flowers in my life!) If I can do it, you can, too!

One of the biggest expenses a bride is faced with is the wedding gown. If one has the money to throw away $8,000 to $15,000 dress, well, more power to you. I, as the majority of brides, do not have that kind of money to throw away on a dress. You will only wear it once and you could use the difference from the money for investments, the honeymoon, paying off debts or even putting it toward the down payment of a new home. Yes, it is one of the most important days of a woman's life, but there are other possible "most important days" of life. Would you consider buying an infant baby blanket for $300 for the birth of your first baby? If you're Madonna or a Trump, then maybe. But for the average person, there's no way you'd even consider it. So, ponder other options for shopping for a wedding dress. Some dresses in stores are put on the "discontinued rack" but not necessarily because they're damaged! It is mostly for the fact that the manufacturer has discontinued the design. I have seen numerous dresses in perfect condition that were originally worth from at least $800 to $2,000 selling from $200 to $600 on a discontinued rack. Sometimes, all it takes is a needle and thread with as much effort as sewing on a button. Most items on the discontinued rack are not damaged but discontinued or "out of season." That is another great reason to have a longer engagement!
Have you noticed the wedding gown pictures within this lens? Guess what? That's me in my gown. GUESS HOW MUCH I PAID? Read on:
Another idea is one I took upon myself. I found a beautiful, brand new dress, never been worn, and in MY size (which is hard to find since I'm only 5 feet tall and 100 pounds) that I purchased from a store on E-Bay for $250! I took it to a local tailor for a few minor adjustments and wound up wearing a wedding gown that numerous guests told me it looked as if I must have spent well over $1,000 on. Obviously, no one was any the wiser of the truth except for my best friends, my fiancé, and my parents! (Well, and now, you!)

There are more things to consider that will save you money. It is very easy to be taken advantage of by vendors seeking your business. Using common sense is your best defense. Think about some of these things...

WEDDING CAKE
A.) Do you really need an upgrade for your wedding cake that will cost you an extra $350? Where could you spend that $350? Maybe to a credit card debt? Think about how long that wedding cake will be in tact. Once it's cut up and served, no one will even know the difference if it had expensive added detailed decorations or not. Most cake packages come with beautiful decor already but the cake vendors will often show you pictures of what other things they can do to spruce it up...for an extra $50 to $350! Keep your wedding theme in mind. If it is a beach theme, surround the cake with seashells. Is it an autumn theme? Surround the cake (on the table) with fresh or silk leaves. You can even simply sprinkle some flowers around it. Heck, place a few candles around it for a more glamorous appeal. $10 to $20 is a lot better than in the hundreds.
Here's THE BEST TIP EVER! Don't even buy a wedding cake! RENT ONE!
You read that correctly! You can rent a gorgeous wedding cake (themed and all) but it's a fake! They have a special place for you and your new spouse to "cut" the first piece and a small piece of cake to feed each other for all those great pics. Then, the staff (or whomever is in charge of that for you) wisps the wedding cake away and serves a different, yet similar looking cake to the guests. NO ONE WILL EVEN KNOW! You can spend $250 to $1000+ on a wedding cake or rent a fake and still serve yummy, yet INEXPENSIVE cake. No brainer, huh? Boy, I wish I invented that idea myself!

UNNECESSARY EXPENSES REGARDING YOUR CLERGY
B.) Being a member of the clergy myself, I could be taking money out of my own pocket here. However, I'm telling all so I might as well just be totally honest. Do you really need to pay your clergy person and extra $100 to $300 to be at the rehearsal? Unless you're inviting them to the rehearsal dinner, it really isn't necessary. It is especially unnecessary if your ceremony will take place in a church or synagogue. If not, he or she can be briefed that day on how the proceedings will go beforehand and vise-versa. Basically, all he or she needs to know is when to proceed to the podium and when to exit. They should be introduced to the participating wedding party, too. All that may take no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Since you will be busy getting ready, have a parent or best man take care of that for you.

YOUR BANQUET HALL
C.) Keep in mind that many wedding vendors know that you're vulnerable and they know you want only the best for your special day. They will also try to convince you to upgrade services. Often, they will show you different "packages" they offer. You may hear something along the lines of, "For an additional $250, we'll provide the guest book and table with fresh flowers upon it!" Be smart! For less than $20, you can buy a beautiful guest book and most banquet halls will provide you with a table to place it upon at no extra charge. When you do hire a service, consider negotiating fees. They want your business, so many of them will be glad to work with you.

You may be doubting whether or not you can construct many of your own decorations if you're not the creative or artistic type. If so, think again! I never created a flower arrangement in my life before my own wedding. Nevertheless, I knew the money I could have spent on such things would have added up to thousands of dollars in which I could and should spend on the more important things. With spending a little time and using a bit of creativity, I could save myself a bundle of money and be even prouder of the results because I created it. Plus, it makes it even more perfect and personalized than paying a stranger to do it. I also knew it would be exactly as I wanted. I actually surprised myself with my hands-on creations because I can barely put my hair up into a ponytail straight. In spite of this, I managed to create things I never thought I could and I actually had fun doing it!
My suggestion is to shop around for all wanted services, give yourself plenty of time between your engagement and wedding date to prepare and trust yourself that you can and will most likely surprise yourself with your capabilities of creating many of your own wedding accessories. You can save over 70% off the cost of hiring a professional and add that custom-made, extra touch that most couples are in quest of in the first place. Another added bonus is to allow guests to take the arrangements home with them. They can cherish the décor as a gift and as a memory keepsake of your special day. This makes an additional, thoughtful gift for parents, the wedding party, close relatives and special friends to let them know how important they are to you.

Marriage should never be a matter of how classy the wedding can be and how much you can impress your guests. It is about the commitment you both are making and the bond you are sealing in front of your closest friends and family. Yes, it is a day you'll remember forever, but when money is an issue, as it usually is for the majority of couples starting a new life together, think about the Monopoly money mindset I mentioned earlier. Relate it to your wedding plans and remember the logic and sense behind each dollar spent that can be put toward a reasonable cause. You can cut corners and still have an elegant event.

Understand that no matter how elaborate or simple the occasion, you are making the ultimate commitment to the person you will spend the rest of your life with. Regardless of how perfect or flawed the wedding finally turns out, you'll never forget the real, true meaning behind it all.