Heard the tales of million dollar weddings and Daddy had to take
out a loan to pay for his Princess’s wedding? It doesn’t have to be that way.
Keep in mind that the average wedding has more than a 50% chance of ending in divorce. My stepfather a wedding
photographer often has couples who never even pick up their album since the
wedding didn’t even last the two months it took for him to complete it.
Keep all this in mind, when planning your wedding, or your daughter’s.
Set a realistic budget. Many weddings can cost only $5000 or
less. Here is a secret to remember no one really cares about the wedding
besides the couple, and maybe their mothers. That’s it, really. Thousands spent
on the reception, flowers, or even a dress, are a real waste if you were hoping
to impress. Most people resent taking an entire day to attend your wedding.
Destination weddings are only fun for the couple. No one is
thrilled at spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars to rush in for a
weekend of waiting around for a couple to make their formal vows. Nope, that’s
money they could have spent on their own vacation. Skip the destination wedding
and the fancy venues.
The special invitations get thrown away. Why not go with Smilebox
invite that allows you to insert your own photos and send as many invites as
you want for $30 annual fee. You can then use then for all your other special
occasions at no extra charge.
Who doesn’t have an ugly bridesmaid dress tucked in their
closet that they only wore once. More considerate brides are allowing their
bridesmaids to pick their dress, with only small stipulations on color. This
allows the bridesmaid to pick out something she could wear again.
As for tuxes, is this a must? A well-made suit serves the
purpose. A military groom looks extra spiffy in his dress uniform. Google tux
rental and you can find some coupons for discounts.
Most brides spent the majority of their money on the own
dress. Be careful on this. I attended two weddings. Both brides wore a Vera
Wang inspired dress. One cost $125, the other five thousand, and it was on
sale. The difference was one was handmade from a pattern by a professional
seamstress. I could not tell the difference.
Venues can cost a lot. Your own church should not charge you
to use it. Looking for something outdoors, check your state parks, your own
backyard, or a botanical garden. Manny small wedding chapels, often have an
outdoor chapel too. There is always a beach wedding, but keep in mind it is
still a public beach. Maybe you have a relative or neighbor who has a beautiful
yard. You can ask. It could be that they would be thrilled to showcase their
yards.
Many brides are now making their own flowers with silk
flowers. These can be picked up in bulk at flea markets or at Hobby Lobby or
Ben Franklin store. You can enlist the help of your bridesmaids or family.
The rehearsal dinner doesn’t have to be a catered affair. It
can be a simple dinner hosted by a family member, a pitch-in, or even a cook-out
depending on the weather. Here is a shocker for some people; you don’t have to
have a sit down dinner at your reception. What most people complain about is
waiting around at the reception and you get plenty of that with sit down
dinners. You can do a variety of things to cut costs.
Many table decorations that are actually quite nice are
available at store like The Party Factory, DEALS, or even The Dollar Tree. Make
sure to include mints, nuts, or other munchies on each table. Disposable
cameras are good to allow guests to take candid shots of the reception. The cameras
are left for the couple to develop.
People usually like to have some fun at the party so a DJ is
a good bet. Ask around. Find out who does the school dances. The cost will be
in the hundreds as opposed to the thousands.
As for the food, consider doing it yourself or at least your
family doing it. Go to Gordon Food Service to pick up all the finger food your
caterer will charge five times the price for. It just involves heating and
placing on serving trays. You probably can get a few relatives, church ladies, or
friends to help you with this.
It will take some planning on your part, but it’s all
do-able.
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