Strategies to Save Money on Your Wedding

When it comes to planning a wedding, costs get out of control rather quickly. If you are on a budget, and have limited funds, you need to find a way to cut costs. The key is having practical strategies that can help you stay within your budget and to keep your wedding costs from spiraling out of control. There are five main things that you can do to save money on your wedding and still have a fabulous fete.

1.Choose carefully. The fact of the matter is that you do not need to have the highest end of everything. Pick and choose among many different options. Instead of hors d’oeuvres and dinner, leave out the hors d’oeuvres. Have a tasty chicken entrÃ?©e with fancy vegetables and a creamy soup. These are filling and satisfying, as well as classy, meals that are not terribly expensive. Likewise, leave out the dessert table. Instead, make sure you have a great cake. Make sheet cakes of the same flavor as your wedding cake if you have too many guests for the cake only.

2.Dress down a bit. Instead of having everything formal, find ways to add in a little semi-formal (or even a casual) feel. Instead of using rented limos for transport, spring for rental sedans. A black Lincoln TownCar looks very nice, and costs much less than a limo. Skip the sit-down dinner and have a brunch instead. Brunch can be a very comfortable meal, and generally costs less than a full on dinner. If you really want to be intimate and informal, a barbecue or sandwich buffet can save you money.

3.Cut back on people. You really don’t have to have every roommate you ever had as a bridal attendant. Instead, choose your sisters and the groom’s sisters, and maybe a best friend or two. Three or four bridesmaids instead of six or seven (and if you can wrangle it down to two or three even better) can save you money on the gifts you give. Serve two courses instead of three at dinner. Look over your guest list and reconsider. If you spend $75 per person for food and beverage, and you can cut 50 people from your list, that’s a savings of $3,750.

4.Use a little elbow grease. Stuff and address your own envelopes (use your word processor to print out labels if you are worried about hand cramps). Make your own party favors, and take care of your own makeup and hair (or have your mom help you). Things like coordinating the alcohol and even putting up your own simple decorations can add up.

5.Procrastinate on some things. Carefully evaluate your budget. Instead of springing for platinum wedding bands immediately, put it off for a little while. Get white gold initially and upgrade on your second or third anniversary. The same goes for diamond studded bands. Wait until at least your fifth anniversary, when you are better established, to get these. Don’t plan an elaborate and expensive honeymoon. Instead, make a goal to really party every fifth or tenth anniversary and make your initial honeymoon shorter and in the country.