How To Save Money And Still Enjoy The Wedding of Your Dreams

Start looking for your wedding dress as early as possible. The more time you have before the wedding, the more choices you'll have and the better chance you'll have of discovering a great deal.

Consider renting your wedding dress. Most wedding dresses are worn only once, then stored away where they're soon forgotten. If you choose to rent instead of buy, you can actually wear the dress of your dreams on your wedding day, a dress you wouldn't normally be able to afford, yet spend far less for it. It's a wonderful way to keep control of your budget without having to sacrifice elegance or quality or style.

Consider a used wedding dress. As I mentioned above, most wedding dresses are only worn once. With a little hunting, there's an excellent chance you can find a used wedding dress at a great price that's just perfect for you. Where to look? Start by checking your local consignment stores. Then move online and try Craigslist and eBay. These are both excellent resources. In fact, eBay has a huge selection of wedding dresses.

Here's something that might not have occurred to you: did you know that bridesmaid gowns are often much cheaper than wedding gowns? There are so many styles to choose from informal to elegant and many of them are so beautiful you wouldn't have the slightest idea they were intended for a bridesmaid. With the addition of some minor accessories, such as a veil or jewelry or accents, that bridesmaid dress can quickly become the wedding gown you've always wanted.

Here's something else you might not know ... there are bridal outlet stores. Check your local phone book and see if you have one in your area. If not, try the Internet and see if there's one that's within driving distance. A day or two on the road is a minor sacrifice if you find the perfect dress. Call ahead, though, and try to gather as much information about what they have in stock at the outlet store before jumping in the car.

Finally, and this is one of my favorites, if you have a friend who is a seamstress or who loves to sew, give her a call. Find out if she'd be willing to work with you in designing your wedding dress. You provide the materials, offer to pay her a small fee for her time and expertise, make the dress her wedding gift to you, and enjoy the wonderful time you have together coming up with the perfect dress.

A wedding cake can range anywhere from $300 to over $1,000.

The cost, of course, depends upon the design of the cake, the bakery, the cake decorator's fee, the size of the cake, and in some cases delivery fees. They all add up.

So how can you reduce this major expenditure without feeling as if you're making a sacrifice?

First, as with all wedding-related expenses, the size of your wedding plays a key role. The larger the wedding reception guest list, the more people you need to accomodate. So, if you're still in the planning stages and you can reduce the size of the guest list without feeling a sense of loss, that's the best place to start.

Next, take the time to shop around for the right bakery. Know what you have in mind and get prices from a number of different places. Make sure you note if they charge a delivey fee, not all bakeries do. Ask each bakery how you can save additional money ... sometimes the day of the week can make a difference, or working with the decorator can help.

Consider the design, flavors and other decorations you want included when you give the bakery a description of your wedding cake. And allow them plenty of advance time, approximately six months if at all possible. This serves both you and your bakery in the process of creating the perfect cake.

Now, here's a creative little cost-cutting idea that is slowly becoming more popular ... use a smaller wedding cake as the centerpiece of your table, surrounded by sheet cakes for all your guests. This allows you to still have a beautiful cake, just a smaller version. All your guests can still enjoy a delicious slice of cake and you can still save money.

One other area that you might consider ... flowers can also serve as wonder cake decorations. You can choose from fresh flowers or artificial ones or even sugar flowers (edible gum paste decorations), and save on some of your wedding cake decorator's fees.

The first and most important criteria for selecting a reception hall is this ... save your money if you'll have fewer than 50 guests.

The second consideration is having a clear and complete understanding of the terms of your arrangement. For example, if the event runs long, will you be responsible for overtime charges? Will there be a cleaning fee if the reception involves the use of confetti? If you bring your own wine will there be a corking fee? Make sure you understand all the potential hidden costs in your contract.

Some Quick MOney-Saving Tips:

Find a reception hall you can decorate yourself.

If your budget is tight and you're considering bringing your own food instead of having it catered, make sure the hall doesn't charge an additional fee for catering even if you choose not to use that service.

See if you can negotiate a special discount by paying cash instead of using a credit card. Many reception halls will do this for you since credit charges are an expense for the reception hall.

Hold your wedding in the winter, when the off season prices for renting a reception hall are generally lower.

There are a number of food options for an outdoor reception that are not only popular among guests, but can save you money at the same time. Here are some thoughts to get you started...

Have a casual reception and serve barbecue items such as hamburgers, chicken, ribs etc.

Have everyone forego a gift in exchange for bringing their own special dish to the barbecue instead (make sure you have everyone confirm beforehand so you don't end up with all your guests bringing the same dish). You can do this as a buffet just as easily as a barbeque, by the way.

Serve vegetable, cheese, fruit, and meat trays with dips and other snackables rather than hosting a meal. This can be a great alternative for accommodating vegetarians, too.

Use a themed outdoor reception that promotes casual food items. For example, an Italian theme is great for serving spaghetti and pizza etc.

Cut out the appetizers. If you must serve them, cut down on the number of choices. No one will notice whether there were 5 or 10 different options and you'll save a bundle.