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My, how the cost of weddings has skyrocketed. In the U.S, $20,000 is not much beyond the average cost for a wedding. Granted, this includes your reception location, ceremony, clothes, food, alcohol, music, flowers, cake, decorations, favors, tips, sundries and honeymoon. Saving even a little across the board or a lot in one particular area can add to a significant savings in your wallet (or the wallet of the family members that are paying for the grand event).
Here are some great ideas for saving decent money on your wedding. Note that you will be making some difficult choices. There are very valid reasons to spend for the details and professional services of a once in a lifetime event that is your wedding. However, if your budget is very tight, then you can consider using one or more of the suggestions below and you will still have a memorable wedding. You may not be able to combine all of these suggestions, depending on your must-haves, location, and time frame, but using even one or two will help ease the money crunch.
Save on Your Wedding Gown – The bride can find a lovely wedding gown that is perhaps last years design, is a white or cream “prom” dress, has been handed down through her family or is an heirloom gown that she found on the internet or in a vintage shop. After some alteration and by adding jewelry, veil and headpiece, the gown is hers at a great savings.
Make Your Centerpieces – If you don’t want fresh flower centerpieces, you or your wedding attendants can have a fun project day, before the wedding, creating unique centerpieces to fit your theme. Another idea is to use live potted plants that represent your theme or region. Potted small palm trees or Colorado blue spruce can be really fun, meaningful and environmentally conscious at the same time.
Frugal Favors – Some wedding favors can be purchased for about $1 a piece from internet sites. As favors are a token for your guests to take home, they shouldn’t be cheesy but they don’t need to be ornate or expensive either. Surprisingly, you can also check a “dollar store” or the $1 section of Target or another discount store for items that may fit your theme and style. I’ve seen that Target’s wedding section (near the stationery in my store) has inexpensive sets of wedding bubbles. An alternative to purchased favors, especially for a nature themed wedding, is something as simple as giving small clay pots with seed packets. Or offer little taffeta bags of Jordan Almonds – almonds coated with a pastel colored sugar shell – a tradition in Mediterranean weddings.
Send Evites – You can send electronic invitations to those who are computer savvy and modern-thinking and send paper invitations to your other guests. This saves on postage and helps the environment too!
DIY Calligraphy – If you are artistically inclined, buy nice paper, envelopes and card stock and do your own calligraphy for your invitations and place cards.
These are but a few ways that you can save on your wedding costs and still have a great wedding!
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Source by Mindy Makuta
