Ten Cost-Saving Ideas for Your Wedding

With the tough economic times we are experiencing, many brides find it necessary to reevaluate their wedding budgets.  The list below will assist you in reigning in your wedding budget and stretching your hard-earned dollar.

1). Purchase flowers that are local and in-season.  Incorporating orchids into a winter wedding is going to cost you a pretty penny.  Instead, visit your local flower market and select seasonal white Calla Lilies or deep red roses to form your bridal bouquets or table centerpieces.

2). Have your wedding favors double as your place cards or guest escort cards.  Indicate the guest’s name and table assignment on a label or hang tag and attach it to the favor box or bag.  Place the wedding favors / place cards on a central table at the entrance of the reception room.  Guests will learn of their assigned seats as they pick up their unique wedding favors.

3). Avoid couture bridesmaids’ dresses and instead peruse through the clothing racks of popular national clothing retailers.  By choosing a style and color that your gals can wear again, you increase the longevity of their dresses while stretching their hard-earned dollars.  Best yet, your bridesmaids can shop at their convenience at their local retailer.

4). Consider a Friday evening or Sunday day wedding.  This alone can save you tons of money.

5). Craft the wedding invitations yourself.  Many discount stores now offer stylish wedding invitations, thank-you cards, and wedding ceremony programs that you can print yourself in the comfort of your own home.  Shopping for reasonably priced embossed wedding invitations are now as easy as shopping for pencils and printer paper.

6). Have several family and friends arrange your bridal bouquet, bridal party bouquets and boutonnieres as well as table centerpieces.  Beware:  arrange flowers no later than the night before or else the flowers will wilt.  If you have an eager and willing group of people who you trust and who understand your style, you can easily save hundreds of dollars by delegating these tasks.

7). If you know someone who is just starting out as a photographer or videographer, they may be willing to cover your wedding for free in an effort to build their portfolio and gain some experience.

8). Using an irregular-shaped invitation increases your postage so try and use standard-sized inviations.

9). Apply your makeup yourself, and style your own hair.

10). Limit the size of your bridal party to family members and best of friends.  Involve the others in other important tasks like passing out wedding ceremony programs or ushering guests to their seats at the ceremony.