Great Wedding Tips to Save Money

Flowers/Table Centerpieces:

1. Fresh flowers are beautiful but tend to cost more. Consider instead of fresh floral centerpieces to do potted flower plants as centerpieces. That way, you will save money and your guests can take them home! Potted tulips or potted mini-rose bushes are good options.

2. Save on the vases/containers. Ask your florist or floral designer if you can provide them with vases that you purchase. Go to Walmart, Home Depot or any other similar store and look at some inexpensive options.

3. Stay away from flowers on the whole, and consider candles. Different color and size candles can definitely add an elegant ambience to the room. Make sure your event location is conducive however.

4. Cheaper centerpiece options also include glass vases with pretty rocks, floating candles and floating blooms.

Decor:

1. Poly linens tend to be the cheapest. They will look fabulous though if you choose them right. If your colors are purple and green, then choosing a celadon green and deep purple napkins will still get your color point across and look great! Stay away from overlays (such as organza), bengaline and other specialty fabrics because they will make your bill run higher.

Menu/Food:

1. If you have the liberty of holding your reception earlier in the evening, you can offer an hors d'oeuvres only menu. It is polite to let your guests know this beforehand though, so invitations can be marked with "Cocktail Reception to follow". Another idea is to just offer desserts and a bar, with a beautiful display of desserts - cupcakes, petit fours, mini-pastries, candies, and even passed desserts. Invitations could say "Cocktails and Cupcakes reception".

2. Many caterers offer buffet menus at a cheaper rate than seated served dinner. Stick to menu items that can give more bang for your buck, such as a "Steamship Barron of Beef" - a huge piece of meat that can be carved by a server at the station. Items such as seafood and fish tend to push costs higher.

Cake:
So you want a fabulous cake but you're on a budget? Never fear! You can still have one. Look at these great tips below:

1. Want a cake to rise above the rest? Then have only the first two or three bottom layers as "real" cake, and the next few layers faux, and the very top tier as real (because you have to save the top tier in the freezer for your first anniversary!). This is a popular way to have a fabulous cake but keep the cost down. Of course your baker must be sure of the guest count and that the bottom layers are big enough to feed your count. Your guests will never know the difference!

2. Order a buttercream cake instead of a fondant cake. Yes some fondant cakes look ridiculously more intricate and beautiful, but they are also ridiculously more expensive. With a talented baker, your buttercream cake can also look fabulous. Also most people tend to like the taste of buttercream way more than fondant so that's a great plus!
p.s. That's my wedding cake in the pic! It was buttercream, delicious and a hit at my wedding!

3. Have a beautiful one-tier cake on display, and have your caterer serve simple (but delicious) sheet cakes from the kitchen.

4. Consider doing a beautiful cupcake tier instead of a whole cake. Some bakers may charge less for this, and it's pretty unique.

5. Stay away from really exotic flavors and things such as ganache (melted chocolate and heavy cream - tastes delicious but tends to be more moolah).

6. Check with your caterer before hand to see if they have a cake cutting fee. Many do, and surprise their wedding clients with that fact last minute.

Bar:

1. Dare to do an alcohol-free wedding! Offer cool options such as smoothies, exotic juices and virgin cocktails.

2. Offer just wine and beer. You will save lots of money by not buying liquor and mixers.

3. You purchase your liquor, wine and beer. Get estimates from your caterer or bar manager on amounts of each to provide, and purchase them yourself from a store like BJs or the liquor store. You will save money as most caterers mark up liquor prices in the bar quote. Also, find out if the liquor store will allow you to return unopened bottles after the wedding. Many of them do. Just keep your receipt!

4. For alcohol, serve only one specialty drink. For example, pomegranate juice and vodka, top it with a garnish and name it something cute! For example, if your names are Brad and Angelina, you can call it the "Brangelina-tini"! :)

Music:

1. Hire a DJ, not a band. Shop around a little, in most cases a DJ costs way less than a live band.

2. Mix your own CDs or Itunes mix and have a friend play them at the reception. Just label them clearly (for example, "First Dance CD" or "During Dinner CD").

Transportation:

1. Think about it. Do you really need a limo? Is it an absolute necessity to spend an extra few hundred dollars? A free alternative is to choose your most reliable friend with a nice car, and ask them to be your chauffeur for the ceremony and reception. We saved a couple hundred dollars by asking my sister (who was my maid of honor) to drive me in her Lexus to the ceremony, and then the best man drove us in his Lexus to the reception. Of course, my wedding party travelled seperately (and we just ensured beforehand that they all had a ride). By doing this we still arrived in style and for free!

2. If you are deadset on getting a limo, then make sure and shop around. Getting about 4 or 5 quotes, and then using the best one to lower the other companies' usually work. Remember to request amenities to be thrown in for free such as champagne. Companies always want your business, and if your date is open for them, they will lower their price to beat their competitors'.