Ways To Save Money On Your Dream Wedding

1. Venue is the most important and expensive aspect of a wedding. Choosing a haggle wedding venue is a key to save a lot of money. To rent tents, chairs and tables will cost you a lot more than an all embracing venue with tents and tables. Planning to have the wedding and reception in the same venue will save transportation costs. Restaurant that provide with tables and place settings is economical but prior bookings is required in such cases. Never .....

Start planning early

2. It is very important to make full use of off season planning as it cuts on major costs. You should schedule a timetable by determining a range of dates that would best work put for you. Make certain of the season you choose for the wedding because you have scopes of availing good offers and discounts during off seasons, like winter weddings. Florist, caterers, etc would be readily available giving you wonderful discounts. It is believed that you .....

or late

3. One of the not so certain way of cutting down the cost is to plan out things and execute them in a very short time notice. This would indirectly help by limiting the choices that you would have and in turn cutting a lot of money. Having a discussion with your families to figure out the contributions will aid you in working out a proper budget wedding plan. An early planned out and implemented wedding also means a limited wedding party. Limiting m .....

Keep the guest list in check

4. Proper planning of the guests to be invited and limiting them would save you a lot. It costs on an average about $200 per guest thus shortening the guest list is a key to a budget wedding. Limit by inviting friends whom both you and your fiance are acquainted with. Invite coworkers only if you hang out with them outside office as well. Have a check on the approximate number of guests even before finalizing a venue. The general rule is to have a s .....

Pick your priorities and splurge on them

5. Setting your priorities is the most important aspect of a perfect wedding. Being sentient of your particular priorities staying in budget is possible by compromising on other stuffs. Discussing what is important for both of you and making a list of it by negotiating or compromising on not so important aspect. Be it a professional photographer or a world class catering you would want. Booking a year in advance is a must for the in demand vendors d .....

Avoid Saturdays

6. It would be very wise on your part to avoid a Saturday wedding. As the most popular wedding day, Saturdays tends to get expensive both vendor wise and venue wise. Holiday weekends and other holidays are as expensive for the guests wholl have to be accommodated in hotels. By picking up an odd day or ostracized day like Friday or Sunday you would be indeed cutting cost of the venue by up to 50%. You would be saving more than 50% by having the weddi .....

Have a daytime wedding

7. Dinner is much expensive than lunch or breakfast. Thus having a day time wedding will favor your budget. Day time wedding would be very apt for a Sunday wedding unlike evening wedding of Friday. Best options would be to have a breakfast wedding that. Or even have a brunch or appetizer only wedding where you dont have to worry about serving an entre. If you intend on serving your wedding day crew choose a less expensive but sumptuous meal for them .....

Shop the sales

8. If you always wanted to have that dream wedding dress but dont wish to spend a lot on it, then always go for the sample sales. Youd get amazing discounts of up to 70%. Also be open to buying off your dress right from the rack, ask for alteration costs before doing so. You can also borrow your moms or grandmothers wedding gown which will be more vintage as compared to the modern day gowns. If you want a new one sample sales from designer boutiques .....

Know whats seasonal and local

9. It is always handy to save in budget weddings by making sure of selecting the in season local produce. You can save a great deal on flowers and food by choosing the ones that are in season. You can always ask your florist to give you a list of easily available flowers that would sink with your color format. You can also make your wedding flowers work twice by using them as many times throughout the wedding as possible. For example the brides bouq .....

Choose one kind of flower

10. Flowers are an important requirement of any wedding be it the brides bouquet or centerpiece or as decorations. You can still save in a great deal by arranging your own flowers. By applying your basic flower arrangement skills you can have wonderful display of good quality but low cost flowers from the neighboring grocers shop. You can also give a personal touch by placing them in your wide necked vases. Picking up a single variety of flowers and .....

Or go for paper flowers

11. The best option favoring a budget wedding would be the use of paper flowers instead of the real ones. If you dont have the patience and time to make them you can always buy them and they are in fact cheaper than the grocer store flowers. An added advantage of the artificial flowers is that you can arrange it months in advance. By spraying some scent around you can give them the natural touch. You can always cherish your wedding by keeping your bo .....

Hire music students to play the ceremony

12. If you are inclined on having a live music for the ceremony then consider hiring an amateur or music students. They charge negotiable lesser than the professionals as they are keen for such opportunities to pile up their experience. You can contact music departments of colleges to track the best event players. Or can contact local music teachers who would refer their top students for your event. Asking a family member who is a good musical perfor .....

Instead of hiring a DJ or a band get this handy wedding DJ app

13. Basically hiring a DJ for a reception costs you much less than a band. You can even save the DJ money by downloading the wedding DJ app that would cost you hardy $5. You can ask a relative or friend to take charge of this app to manually change the playlists according to the ceremonys need. All you have to do is make several playlists that could be played from the beginning to the end of the ceremony. Mix tape or mix mp3 list is also another hand .....

Take your wedding video with your phone

14. Here is the most important tip that will help you save a lot in your dream wedding. Instead of hiring a professional video or photographer, you can ask a friend or relative who is good with clicking snaps. You can also use the Wedding Lens, a customized online wedding album. With photos from you and your guests can be uploaded online and is accessible only by you and your friends. You can thus ask your guests to store your wedding pictures in the .....

Choose bright colored decor

15. The image shows one of the 26 ways by which you can save money for your wedding. The advice featured is to select bright colored dcor. According to the picture, the use of bright decorations make a bigger impact on your guests and therefore you would not need to use as much. The picture on the left shows what seems to be a setup for an outdoor garden wedding. Bright red orange colors are used to provide the highlight for the minimal dcor. Upon cl .....

Get a friend or family member to perform the ceremony

16. The caption on the picture advises people on how to save money for the wedding. The caption suggests requesting a family member to perform the wedding ceremony. If you have a limited budget to spend on your nuptials, why pay a substantial amount of money if you have a relative or friend that is licensed to solemnize the wedding anyway? Not only would you be able to save five hundred dollars, you can use this money to find a home for you and your .....

Know what to buy and what to rent

17. Most women dream of a big fat dream wedding, but although it seems that you will need to spend a lot there are innumerous ways to keep the cost down. The best way is to make a list of items needed for the event such as catering products that are necessary for the event. And as the picture shows a bunch of colorful handled spoons and forks, you wont really need to ever use that many pairs. The best option is to rent the items. Likewise in this way .....

Serve a signature cocktail

18. Every wedding is a prestigious event for the groom and bride. On such occasions one needs to strike a fine balance between reputation and budget. If you are not careful your expenses can really soar. The picture and the explanation below can really help you save a lot of money on your dream wedding if you follow the advice. The picture shows a number of model bartenders dressed in bare essentials who come for a price. Having an open bar with so m .....

Explore wedding cake alternatives

19. If you apply your mind there are so many ways and means to save on that big dream wedding of yours. Making arrangements with a rigid traditional attitude will really burn your pockets. Take for example the wedding cake. The picture shows a number of interesting cakes in innovative designs. Displayed on the table is a small two tier cake surrounded by several smaller varieties like truffles, cupcakes and pies. Every cake stands on a unique wooden .....

Do your own design work

20. Dream weddings can also lead into large inflated bills if you do not keep a track of the costs. Wedding invitations with lavish designs especially those that reflect your wedding theme can be quite expensive especially if they need to be customized and designed as per your wishes. However as the picture suggests, making your own designs with the help of free software online can save you loads of money. Invitation cards and programs can be discuss .....

Keep your food options open

21. Dream wedding can be expensive if your planning does not take into account the high cost f professional services. Cost cutting can be done in many areas where a little bit of added effort on your part can result in a huge amount being saved. This is the theme of the picture which gives you ideas on cost effective ways and means to bring down your wedding budget. The crockery and cutlery in the picture is suggestive of catering services which incl .....

Hire an Expert

22. One of the most cost effective ways to plan a wedding would be to simply hand over the arrangements to an expert. Of course you would need to have a prior discussion with the wedding planner mentioning your requirements which should be to keep the pricing down but guarantee guests a good time. This is exactly what a wedding planner will end up doing for you. The picture is a happy one of a bride and her maid posing for a photo being taken by the .....

Forgo the favors

23. Most people cannot resist the tradition of distributing favors at their wedding. You can have your dream wedding without such lavish bits of expense. Wedding favors unlike the simple pieces of yesterday are expensive items costing a good deal of money. The picture shows an interesting display of all the items used in wedding which can be taken by guests as mementoes of the event. This is a unique concept which can result in a lot of money being s .....

Resell as much as you can

24. When you plan on your big dream wedding you need to keep the expense in mind. Weddings do not come cheap and can set you back by quite a sum of money. The best way to beat this problem is to chalk out a budget plan which will help you save something. The picture is a collage of a number of items that are used in a wedding. However none of these may be ever used again and are useless except for sentimental value. Most items can be resold like deco .....

Always negotiate

25. Negotiating is a trend that is required in every deal unless of course you want to get ripped off. Weddings are no exception and if you want your dream wedding to end happily without the afterthought of the unreasonable expense, then you need to negotiate with all the service providers hired for the event. The picture displays two wedding rings resting on dollar notes which reflect the fact that weddings mean money. If you feel you arent getting .....

Pile on the miles

26. A dream wedding needs to end in a dream honeymoon too or else it wouldnt be a dream at all. But in order to keep this wonderful dream a happy memory every couple needs to plan a honeymoon well in advance in order to understand the costs involved and knows how to manage the expense well. As the picture shows an airplane in flight mode, the advice below is teaching you to get a frequent flier and air travel credit card as early as possible to chalk .....

RANK YOUR PRIORITIES

27. What facets of your wedding are most important to you? Focus on areas that make your heart go pitter patter, and youll feel OK about skimping on the rest. As for what guests tend to remember, according to a survey conducted by St. Louis Bride and Groom magazine, 81 percent of guests say the entertainment is the most memorable part of a wedding. .....

RECRUIT FRIENDS

28. Think of it as cost free outsourcing. Gather your inner circle, play to their strengths (e.g., assign lettering to the friend with the most beautiful handwriting), and turn the prep into a party. .....

BE RUTHLESS WITH THE HEAD COUNT

29. Quick tips for whittling your guest list Omit children and coworkers (making cuts categorically is less likely to cause rifts) and when it comes to couples, invite spouses, fiances, and live ins only. Keep the numbers down for your wedding party as well Fewer attendants means less money spent on bouquets, boutonnieres, presents, and transportation. .....

INITIATE AN OFFICIANT

30. There are many unexpected costs that can inflate your budget an officiant can be one of them. If thats the case for you, consider having your vows administered by a trusted relative or friend. Universal Life Church and Esoteric Interfaith Church (northern way.org) are two organizations that ordain laypeople so they can officiate weddings, which most of the 50 states will recognize. Laws in a few states, such as Virginia, are strict, requiring off .....

EMBRACE THE OFF SEASON

31. Whoever decided that June brides had more fun, especially when there are 11 other equally lovely months clamoring for your attention? Those that dont fall during peak months will help out your bottom line. You can save as much as 15 percent off high season rates, says James Jay, director of catering at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Texas. Just remember, in places such as Florida or the Bahamas, summer is the off peak season. .....

THINK OUT OF THE BANQUET HALL

32. Pick a venue that already has a chic ambience, suggests Abby Larson of wedding blog Style Me Pretty. Restaurants are usually the best option. They have gorgeous tables and chairs, and the decor is often easy to fall in love with. Youll save an absolute bundle. .....

SWAP CITIES

33. After moving her wedding from Brooklyn, New York (her current home), to a beach town in Michigan (her native state), bride to be Vicky Sherman watched catering quotes drop from $140 per head to $40 a savings of $15,000, based on her 150 person guest list. .....

SAY YES TO ALL INCLUSIVE

34. Choosing a venue that comes with extras built in, like a wedding coordinator or an on site ceremony location, means significant savings, says Christina Latvatalo, wedding sales manager at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. All those extras can add up to thousands you wont have to spend. .....

CREATE YOUR OWN DOT COM

35. Save on paper, printing, and postage by sharing your wedding details online. Many businesses charge only a small fee to use their webpage templates, and some charge nada. On MyWedding for instance, users can pick a design (including ones created by yours truly) and personalize it. .....

FORGO A PROGRAM

36. A lot of my clients are opting for no printed program, says San Francisco wedding planner Pamela Fishman Cianci, owner of Outlined Productions. Its an extra cost and extra stress, and its unnecessary. The most important words are the vows, and those are never in there. .....

TAKE UP HUNTING

37. Bargain hunting, that is. You can find everything from fabric and trim to antique Mason jars on eBay, Etsy, or Craigslist, or at a local flea market, for half the price and twice the charm. .....

BUY IN SEASON

38. My best tip is to stay seasonal and local. I made this bouquet for $50, using anemones, parrot tulips, and ranunculus, all spring flowers, says Maxine Siu, of Stem in San Francisco. .....

PICK THE RIGHT KICKS

39. Buy shoes that youll actually wear again after the wedding something you likely wont do with white heels. Stunners like these by (from top) Loeffler Randsall, J.Crew, and Badgley Mischka are good for the long run. .....

Cut The Cake

40. Many brides are skipping pricey, fancy tiered creations altogether and serving their favorite desserts instead (think homemade treats such as brownies, donuts, and lemon squares). Some even ask bakeries they love to ship the mix for their favorite treats straight to their caterers. .....

Show Off A Little

41. Cant do without a designer cake? Go ahead and order one but just for the two of you. You can put it on display and slice into it for the cake cutting ritual then serve a classic sheet cake for your guests to enjoy. .....

Give Something Homemade

42. Send guests home with boxes of your moms brownies, along with her recipe, or fresh peaches tucked in hand stamped bags. Low price tags, low fuss, high satisfaction. .....

Lose The Limo

43. Transportation can be a huge cost, says Cianci. One bride, who wasnt obsessed with having a vintage car to go a mile, borrowed friends SUVs to shuttle the bridal party and family. Nobody noticed the difference. .....

Pool The Presents

44. Instead of registering for stuff, ask guests to contribute to your honeymoon stash At honeyfund.com, you can register for your trip, add vacation extras (from boat tours to spa treatments), then break the expenses down into gift size increments. And if youre planning a honeymoon at a Sandals resort, all you have to do is register for it at . .....

Cheat With Sheets

45. Heres how to have your pretty cake and afford it, too. Buy sheet cakes (ours are from Whole Foods Market) in whatever size and shape you like, and stack them yourself. Use standard cake dowels, available at baking supply stores, to keep layers from collapsing, then decorate with thick chocolate shavings or fresh flowers and fruit. .....