Most brides and grooms-to-be must consider their wedding budgets when they plan their nuptials. Weddings can get very expensive, and it’s a rare couple that doesn’t have to worry about the cost of catering, alcohol, music, renting a venue, etc. For many brides, one of the most important parts of wedding planning is choosing the right bridal gown. In most cases, this white wedding dress is incredibly meaningful for the bride-to-be – therefore, it should probably not be a budget item.
In fact, brides-to-be tend to regret buying cheap wedding dresses after the ceremony and reception are finished. Of course, there are exceptions, but quality does show in wedding photos and videos. So, in general, it’s smart to save on other aspects of the wedding, so that you can enjoy getting the dress you really want. It still doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but it should fulfill your fairytale dreams for your special day – you deserve to feel like a queen when you walk down the aisle.
Luckily, there are lots of ways to economize if you’re smart and organized. Planning well in advance can be key – give yourself time to comparison shop on everything from catering to wedding flowers to wedding favors – if you’re rushed and under pressure, you’ll end up buying overpriced items out of desperation. Instead, use the months before your wedding to research deals and plan your strategy.
You’ll be glad you didn’t move too fast when you consider the overall cost of your ceremony and reception. By putting some energy into finding lower-priced items and services, you’ll be able to enjoy your wedding more – after all, no one wants to return from the honeymoon to be confronted with a mountain of debt. Debt creates stress, and it take a lot of romance out of the blissful newlywed state.
Here are some practical tips on saving money at your wedding:
Rent His Tux – Unless you have a lot to spend, you should consider tuxedo rental for your groom-to-be. Most men don’t really care too much about whether or not they actually own their tuxedo. If he’s not particularly obsessed with fashion, he’ll probably be glad to rent something nice and return it afterwards. You can outfit him in style when you choose to rent instead of buying. Good tuxedos are actually incredibly expensive.
Make Your Own Invitations And Wedding Favours – Many women enjoy making crafts – they watch Martha Stewart and other skilled crafters and feel inspired. Today, there are ways to get a completely charming and polished result when you make wedding invites, place cards, menus, and wedding favours yourself.
Scrap booking stores will usually have everything you need to do the job yourself. You can use stencils, pretty colored card paper, and stick-on embellishments, such as tiny “crystals”, to make your work look really special. If you’re seriously into crafting, consider investing in a die cast personal cutting machine, such as a Cricut. This type of computerized device can be loaded with cartridges that include pretty borders, letters, hearts, flowers, or whatever you can dream up! Then, you just feed in the paper and the machine creates perfect cutouts.
Choosing a cartridge with a wedding theme can be a great way to make your own decorations, wedding invitations and wedding favours, If you really like making crafts, a machine like this will pay for itself in terms of the pleasure it brings you through the years. It can definitely save you money as you prepare for your wedding.
Keep Things A Little Less Formal –
in general, the more formal and elaborate a wedding is, the more it will cost to plan it and to carry out that plan. By loosening up your wedding ceremony (or perhaps your reception) and keeping it more casual, you can be more creative with cost-saving techniques.
Food will be a huge expense at your wedding, so consider sharing some of the work with your caterer – perhaps the caterer could provide entrees, and you could prepare side dishes, salads, and other foodstuffs yourself. If you’re planning something fun like a beach wedding, consider outdoor grilling and buy great cuts of meat wholesale. Then, hire a cook or chef to take care of things while you celebrate. Look for recipes that are glamorous and high-impact, but don’t contain pricey ingredients. Be a frugal gourmet to save money as you feed your guests.
Brides-to-be who follow these smart tips and use their ingenuity to plan a cheaper wedding can reward themselves by choosing the wedding dresses they’ve always dreamed of wearing.
