How to plan a wedding on a budget and spend it where it counts

How to plan a wedding on a budget and spend it where it counts.

There are differences between Cheap (tacky) and Inexpensive (affordable). In today’s economy, inexpensive is the way to go with just about everything, including your wedding!  Saving money does not require sacrificing quality. Saving money increases creativity, improving your self-confidence and your bank account at the same time!

Spend it where it counts:

When it’s a once in a lifetime event people do want to spend money to make the event nice, however it should be spent where it counts. It’s quite common to be tempted to waste money on such things as fancy invitations. You have to look at every aspect of what you are spending money on and ask yourself how much it really matters or adds to the fun of the event. Invitations for example get looked at for a couple seconds and are thrown out. The best money spent at my best friends wedding was on a company called HD Photobooth. Their services weren’t cheap but the thing literally became the life of the whole party and was all people talked about. It was worth it for her to save money on some things to pay for more fun and important ones.

Invites:

Consider the electronic invite? It is simple, green and convenient. You can set up an email address for RSVP’s and utilize a free wedding tracking site to explain the process and give your friends and family updates of your big day.

Another option is going to your local paper products store and selecting your own invites from their stock, and printing them yourself with a nice laser printer or fin a local printer who can give you quality work for a great price.

Whether you use electronic invites or paper invites, you can eliminate postage by taking telephone or email RSVP’s… this too is a green idea!

Attire:

Go in search of last years dress, you can get phenomenal deals. As for bridesmaids, I have found that getting them something simple and elegant that they can wear at a later time goes a long way. Check on line, there are a variety of sites that have dresses that are not categorized as bridesmaid dresses that are inexpensive. I got my maid’s dresses for $19.00 a piece and the maids actually loved them! A win/win for all!

Tuxes are inexpensive to rent! Check with some of your larger retailers, they will often give the groom a tux for free with the rentals of the groomsman’s tuxes. Also, if you use a national retailer and you have guests from out of town, they can locate the same store, get their fittings and tuxes where ever they are and it makes matters much more workable!

Food:

Your guests don’t need a huge meal in order to enjoy themselves. Consider an array of appetizers, fruits and vegetables. With summer weddings especially, light fare is often appreciated. Guests can help themselves and control their portions. In addition it is extremely expensive to get high quality food for a large number of people. Often wedding guests are already less than thrilled at the thought of eating mass produced meals. Less waste is always good when you are within a budget.

Cake:

Investigate local bakeries. They often have the best deals and freshest products. See what tastes best. That is why you have a cake, it is dessert! You can make it look beautiful, by adding a meaningful topper and fresh flowers. Sometimes the most expensive cakes are not the best tasting.

Photography:

We truly live in the digital age. It is likely that someone you know has a high resolution digital camera and has good photo skills. Seek out someone you know, who has an idea of who you are and what you will want to see ten or twenty years from now when you look at your pictures. You can take what you like, leave the rest, make prints and have a lovely collection of moments from your special day. Check local classifieds for deals from wedding photographers if you are leery of the first option. There are lots of bargains to be had!

Music:

Be your own DJ. Create discs of your favorite music and play them at your reception. You can mix them any way you like. After the reception, you have the discs and the memories. It doesn’t get much better than that. Check with your venue to see what their sound set up is.

Guest Register:

Often times the wedding sign in book gets thrown in a box only to be looked at years down the line. Try this instead! Get a large matte board, place a copy of your wedding invitation in the center (or a photo of the two of you) and let your guests sign it as they arrive. Display it in a frame, sans glass, sitting on a small easel. Once you are home, place the glass in the frame and hang it prominently in your home. This makes a beautiful conversation piece!