Things You'll Need:
- Can do attitude
- Imagination
- Flexibility
- Use of the Internet
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Step 1
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. A day which should be one of the happiest days of your life. You shouldn't have to worry about the budget. Here are some great ways to pinch he pennies, but not get rid of style. A great way to save is by choosing your venue. Is it absolutely necessary to have a huge church wedding with 100 or more people? Or could you consider a destination wedding which will keep your attendance down to a few close people (you can still invite all the friends and family you want, but most won't go). Another option is an outdoor wedding in a public park. This saves money on renting a church or a hall.
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Step 2
Next, the invitations. Do you need to have the professionally engraved invitations. With today's computers and printers, you can print your own and they will come out just as nice. Many office supply stores offer wedding stationary. I actually went to a printer and bought wedding invitations, and instead of having them engraved, I used a thermo print process. It was more expensive than print your own, but not as expensive as using a professional engraver to get them embossed. Let's face it, 99.9% of wedding invitations end up in the trash. One place not to scrimp is on the RSVP cards. You need to know who is going to be at the wedding and reception.
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Step 3
For the service, instead of hiring professional musicians, why not call the local high school or college and hire a student. They won't charge as much, and many will perform up to standard. If you are active in church, maybe a fellow parishioner can sing or play an instrument, for no charge. It is important however, to acknowledge their contribution with a small gift or gift card to their favorite restaurant. Instead of buying all those individual bottles of bubbles, why not have baskets of dried rose petals standing by and have people throw rose petals as you leave the church? The cost, next to nothing since you can dry your own petals a month or two before the wedding and the baskets can be bought at the local Dollar Store or discount store.
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Step 4
Flowers are a huge expense for the wedding. Does every member of the bridal party need flowers? How about just a bouquet for the bride, boutonniere for groom and corsages for both moms? The bridesmaids can carry a single rose down the aisle, maybe one white, one yellow, one pink, and one red before the bride comes down the aisle? Or each can carry a simple emblem, i.e. one can carry a Bible, one a cross, etc. If you aren't religious, maybe each one carry something symbolic of your relationship. Think about how many flowers you actually need during the ceremonies. Most ceremonies themselves last no more than 20 - 30 minutes. Can you buy arrangements that can be moved to the reception venue? Does your wedding planner or florist have silk flowers that are nice and can be rented?
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Step 5
What about an open bar? Some alternative ideas to the open bar is to have a cash bar where each person pays for their own alcohol. If this seems to cheap, you can have an open bar during the cocktail time (the time between the wedding and reception when the bridal party is doing pictures) or maybe just offer the champagne toast. I have been to weddings with all three options, and all three have been okay by me. There is nothing wrong with asking your guests to pay for their own liquor. One imaginative couple gave each person two tickets which entitled them to two drinks, after the tickets ran out, they bought their own booze. Don't worry about you having to tell people, the wait staff can take care of that, and they are used to it.
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Step 6
Reception. There is no right way or wrong way to do a reception. This should be a reflection of you and your husband, and it should be fun. Should you have a sit down dinner, a buffet, or other options. Unless you are in a family that has some high end social obligations (in that case you can afford it and shouldn't be reading this how to), the reception is about having fun. Instead of a band, why not a dj? DJ too expensive - how about getting a few mixes from your friends IPODs and renting a sound system and play their play lists, make your own play list. Find a cousin, teenager, someone in your family that is into music and have them be the emcee. If you use a family member, friend, teenager, etc. meet with them beforehand and go over the evening events, the first dance, the money dance, the cake cutting, etc. Another option, renting karaoke - soon you will have a whole group of people performing at your wedding for your other guests to dance to.
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Step 7
Food. Instead of huge sit down dinner or buffet - what about a finger food reception. Offer enough appetizers and finger foods for your guests. For a park wedding, why not have a great big bar b q complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.
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Step 8
Make up, hair and nails. Instead of a practice trip or two to the hair dresser, just book your appointment with enough time for the hair dresser to get your hair right. If your wedding is at 6:00 p.m. book your appointment in the morning. This means you'll have to be careful with your hair, but you'll save some money. As for make up, either do your own or find a friend who does great make up. If you still have to have it done, you can find someone from a local beauty college or from the make up counter at your local department store.
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Step 9
Your wedding cake can be really expensive. If you need a traditional wedding cake, you can purchase your cake at the local bakery at your grocer instead of using a professional cake maker. If your town has a culinary school, you can inquire with them for not only your cake but catering as well. You can do individual cupcakes.
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Step 10
Miscellaneous. If you have a theme for your wedding, use the Internet to find fun inexpensive wedding favors. Search different sites and find a site that will give you a great deal. Don't use a limousine service if you don't have to. If you have a local old car club in your town, contact the leader and see if there would be interested old car owners who would be interested in carting you around for your wedding.
