Wed Cents

You’ve been reading about all those money saving tips but none really appeal to you.

Remember, even asking for discounts and shopping for the best prices can end up saving you in the long run.  Don’t be afraid to negotiate.

Even saving a few dollars on each item can add up in the long run.  You may not have that ultimately cheap wedding but you might save yourself enough for a spa treatment after the big day–when you really need it.

Say you have a very tight wedding budget

• BUT you have a lot of friends that you want to invite
• AND you want a fancy celebration

Consider having your fancy celebration with just family and after the honeymoon have a big informal bash with all your friends.

Informal celebrations are a lot cheaper, additionally you won’t be tempted to use the word “wedding” as often which will likely save you some money.

Consider having your wedding in the chapel at your college.  Very often the Alumni can rent out the space for a very reasonable fee.

Timing is everything.

The most expensive season to have a wedding is the summer.

The most expensive time to have a wedding is Saturday night.

Consider a wedding in the fall or spring. Find out when summer season rates begin at your choice reception locations and see if the weekend before or after works for you.

Consider a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon wedding.   A Saturday brunch wedding can be a lot of fun and offers great potential savings.

At our wedding we couldn’t use candles as centerpieces because of the fire code.  However, we could use hurricane lamps.

Another bride wrote about having her bridesmaids carry lanterns rather than bouquets at her outdoor wedding.

Both ideas are fairly inexpensive and beautiful.

Consider one or both in place of more expensive cut flowers.

Consider the possibility of having the reception and ceremony in the same location.  Sometimes for a nominal fee sites will rearrange chairs for you to use the same large room for both the ceremony and reception.

Alternatively, if the room is large enough, have the guests sit at their reception tables while you get married.

So, to save money you are thinking of holding your reception in the Church’s Fellowship Hall, that happens to be the basement.   Or you’ve decided to have it in the very plain all purpose Event Hall in your local town.

It’s in your budget but you think it’s ugly.  Balloons can be expensive. Flowers even more so.  So what’s a frugal bride to do?

Consider purchasing some fabric and hanging it from the walls.   This can add a touch of splendor to the walls.  If you sew or know someone who does you can purchase some inexpensive plainer fabrics and dress them up with ribbons and laces.  A brightly decorated wall can warm up and create a cozy feeling in even the most cave-like of spaces

I was reading a bridal forum and the bride was thinking of a having a costume wedding in order to save money on the dresses and tuxedos.   While costumes are still expensive renting or purchasing a costume will generally be less expensive than purchasing a high end wedding gown.

If you are someone who is into the costumes or wants an October wedding this idea might be something to think about.

While many brides think February is a romantic month, if you are on a budget it may not be the best idea.  Flowers prices are high with volume sales for the month of February.

Often the more specific you are the more you can save.  This article about having an excellent garden wedding discusses some of the big reasons to be more specific.   She is talking about how this can create a fantastic wedding instead of only a great one.

I believe that knowing exactly what you want within your theme will also help you to choose those things that are most important.  Further, by having more specific searches for those things you want to use to decorate, you’ll find more bargains.