How to Have the Wedding of Your Dreams in a Tough Economy!

A typical wedding usually costs between $10,000 to $15,000 and that’s with a small budget! Everything from corsages for your Great Aunt Betty to your hair and makeup can really make a dent in the wallet. We recently attended a wedding for a family friend and each attendant spent approximately $150 for a dress, $50 for shoes, $65 for make-up and $75 for hair for the day! Whew!

Every girl dreams about her wedding, and all of the bridal magazines don’t help any either. So if you find yourself pinching pennies this New Year for your dream wedding keep these tips in mind - they will help you stretch your budget, even when the budget is less then expected.

1. Choose a weeknight to hold your special day! Rates are normally much lower on weeknights for location venders. So you can have your wedding in your dream location if you just move your date around, and that will also free up the weekend for your honeymoon.
2. Watch out for special events that are going on in the area during a particular season. Prom season normally goes on from the end of April to June, which is normally the typical “Wedding Season”. Venders such as limos, DJ’s and even hotel’s raise their rates normally during this time, so if you’re able to avoid this time frame you will probably avoid the price increase also. November thru March are normally the best “Budget friendly” wedding months.
3. Go Green! Flowers can be very costly, so to fix this use more greenery then blooms in your arrangements. Ferns and vines would be a great way to dress up the church/wedding site without all the money. A great florist should be able to help give you a awesome look using more “fillers” then blooms.
4. Rentals and In-Stock specials! This is more toward the attire for you and your wedding party. Tuxedo’s are no longer the only attire you can rent! Something Blue Bridal offers rentals on wedding gowns, so you can pay a small amount for your dream dress and then just return it after the wedding, just like a tux. Some of our rental gowns are available for "special order rental", which means we will order you a brand new gown and you return it after your big day! If you don’t want to rent your gown, think about In-Stock specials. When you are on a budget you usually try and stay away from words like “Boutique” since you normally think “High-End” but in the case of wedding attire, boutique’s are usually the way to go. Boutiques can normally offer you great discounts on In-Stock bridal dresses, and normally just a light cleaning will make the dress look as good as new.
5. Something for the “Big Kids”. Find out if you can bring in your own alcohol to your wedding reception, if you are able, you will save a ton! If not, limit the type of drinks served. Serve Champagne for the toast only, one each of the 3 basic wines (Red, Blush and White) or just a 2 out of the 3 (Red and White), you can also only offer a couple different kinds of beer, perhaps a regular and a light. Cash bars will also come in handy when in a pinch.
6. Cut out those guests! Cutting your guest list can really help spread your dream wedding budget. Start with just family and close friends and then add in if you are able. Your mom’s book club and your dad’s golf buddies would probably make your parents happy but don’t really NEED to be there. Unless your parents are flipping the bill for the reception then cut out those guest that aren’t important to you and your fiancé.
7. Cutting the Cake or at least the costs. Eliminating small things such as fruit fillings, fondant icing, deep colors (rather than pastels) and unique shapes can really save you money on your cake. Round cakes may be less “Fun” but more cost effective as well as regular icing as opposed to fondant. Talk to your cake decorator about other ways to help keep costs down.

Your wedding should be a day of starting a new life with the one you love, not a day of making your new life one of debt. Use simple strategies to help save money and still have the wedding of your dreams!