Setting a limited number of top priorities, doing your research and making your budget are key to saving money on your wedding. Here are a few tips to holding a wedding on a shoestring.
The first tip is to sit down with your bride or groom-to-be and make a list of the top five priorities. An example of this is finding out where exactly you wish to have the ceremony. Do you wish to be married in the same church as your parents? Once you have written down your priorities you can then do your research and make yourself a budget. If the dress is very important, some places will allow you to rent your wedding dress for much less than it could be purchased for. Also, look online or in your newspaper for bridal expos which offer discounts on name brand wedding gowns. David's Bridal also has outlets offering beautiful dresses for your special day. You will also want to limit your guest list to family and friends. Having too many guests will keep you from enjoying everyone's company. Avoid inviting your entire Facebook friends list if you have a list up in the hundreds range. This will also save you money for the cost of food and the renting of the space you will need to comfortably accommodate all of your guests. Speaking of food, this can more often than not prove to be the most expensive thing at a wedding. You have other options available versus a sit down five course meal. You can have "drop-off catering" in which the services brings the food and sets it up and it moves guests in a line to choose what they would like to eat. You may also consider a buffet or perhaps doing the catering yourself. This will save you a considerable amount of money and the money saved can go towards your honeymoon. Another way to save some dough when planning your wedding is the location. You may opt to have your wedding at a park or in the back yard. This will save you the renting costs of a building. Do some research and package deals for the wedding, reception and maybe even your honeymoon. That will kill two birds with one stone and save you some money as well. If you are artistic or have friends and family who are, you may look into making your own decorations. Crafting stores offer entire wedding sections for DIY decorations and some may even offer classes. These are just a few simple things that you can do to budget your expenses and still have a day to remember. Congratulations!
