As a former wedding and event planner and former Bride, I am acutely aware of the desire of your wedding dreams coming smack up against the wall of, “a Wedding Costs How Much!!!???”.
I always advise couples to do one thing before doing anything else with their wedding – sit down and really imagine how you envision your wedding day. In your minds eye, do you see an intimate wedding with only close family and friends or a huge blow-out with everyone you know? Do you imagine a quaint backyard type feeling, a glitzy & glam ballroom or a modern chic artsy affair? Are the centerpieces grand or understated? Are your guests dressed to the nines with a Black or White Tie affair, are they in cocktail attire or in their ‘Sunday Best’.
While I’ve always been a proponent of the intimate wedding (or at the very least, not apologizing for not inviting your second cousin once removed whom you haven’t seen since you were 5), a big wedding with everyone there to celebrate with you is the cat’s meow for many couples. If a big wedding is your heart’s desire, but your budget doesn’t want to cooperate, then you may have to be creative with where you cut back.
The Social Couture Daily Blog provided these great tips for cutting costs on your wedding day:
No one likes to start eliminating things from their dream wedding. That’s one of the things I like least about my job. But unfortunately, if you are trying to stay within a budget cutting back is a reality.
There are easy ways to cut back on your wedding celebration. Knocking off some of the extras add up. Here are some suggestions:
• Eliminate favors and maybe offer a chocolate on the way out.
• If you have upgraded your rentals go to back to a basic rental package.
• Cut back the size of your centerpieces and bouquets.
• Remove extra flowers from the ceremony. Spend your money on the reception.
• Serve beer and wine instead of open bar.
• Choose one entrée per guest instead of two.
• Eliminate one appetizer selection and offer a cheese course instead.
DON’T cut back in these ways:
click here to read the rest of this article on the Social Couture Daily Blog
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Serving beer and wine instead of open bar is a great way to economize. We’ve found that at our wedding venue in San Diego, guests who want to continue partying beyond beer and wine will usually continue the party elsewhere anyway…at a local hotel, restaurant, or night spot. This cuts down on ‘disorderly’ behavior at the wedding and keeps it about the bride and groom.