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Wedding Tips & Alternatives |
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Here are some ideas to help you reduce stress and save time and money. If you and your intended are on a tight budget, these tips and alternatives will ensure that it will be the beauty and joy of your wedding day you hold onto forever, not the bills.
General
Prioritize aspects of the wedding that are most important to you and your intended. By compromising in some areas, you can afford to splurge on others.
Vendors will be more likely to reduce fees if you choose a winter date rather than scheduling for summer, when rates are at their highest. This doesn't apply, however, during holidays. Before signing a contract with your caterer, photographer, or florist, try to negotiate a lower, yet still reasonable price.
For a getaway wedding, book a date that is not as popular for travel in the region.
Fridays and Sundays are generally less expensive than Saturdays for renting a reception site.
Keep the number of attendants as small as possible. The larger the bridal party, the more you'll spend for gifts and flowers.
Use a personal car rather than a limousine to get to and from the reception. Just make sure its large enough to accommodate your dress.
After the event, donate your flowers to a hospital or nursing home; it's a thoughtful thing to do and also a tax deduction.
Wedding Gown
Consider wearing your mother's or grandmother's gown. The costs of cleaning and alterations will likely be far less than the cost of buying a new wedding dress, and the dress itself may not only fit your wedding style but provide an element of nostalgia you won't get from a new dress.
Look for a dress at sample sales, trunk shows, and outlets; you can sign up for some designers' sample-sale listings online.
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