Five Saving Tips for Your Wedding

In today’s tough economy, many couples are finding it difficult to fund the big weddings that every little girl dreams of. There are however several things you can do to minimize cost without skimping on style, elegance, or fun. Here are five saving tips to help you cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding:

1. Prioritize

Make a list of what is the most important part of the wedding to you and your significant other and plan on investing extra money into them.  Pick the top three best investments that both of you can agree on. It be the best photographer, coolest dj, or most fashionable dress. Build them into your budget fist and you won’t have to settle for the second best because you know you can afford the one you wanted.

2. Limit Your Guest List:

When it comes down to it, this is one of the reasons why most wedding are so expensive. You will need to find a venue to hold everyone, have catering to wine and dine them, and have tables and decorations to entertain them. It all adds up to be quite a shocking number.  Cutting your guest list to include your closest family and friends will leave money elsewhere to spend towards the wedding of your dreams. Do you really need to invite the babysitter that watched you when you were five or your mother’s best friend’s uncle that you met once?

3. Simplify

Another tip is to try and simplify your choices. The best place to do this is in your catering budget. A plated dinner is usually more expensive than a buffet and quite a few guests would prefer having the choice in what they eat. Buffets can leave you with happy full guests and more money in your pocket. Another option is to just serve appetizers, cocktails, or desserts. If you start your reception later, guests will know to eat dinner beforehand and will not expect to be fed a big meal. They can sip on cocktails and nibble on a dessert buffet while mingling and be completely content.

This is can also be implied to flowers, favors, and decorations. Sometimes the most simple of displays will look better than something elaborate and overdone.

4. Substitute Your Flowers:

Most florists will try to up sell you into having flowers everywhere and hanging from every attachable surface. But in truth, it is not necessary. Flowers add up quickly when you have bouquets, bridesmaid bouquets groom and groomsmen boutonnieres, corsages, table centerpieces, alter decoration, petals, on and on! To reduce the cost of your flowers try choosing flowers that are in season.

Live next to a flower market? Check out what is offered a few weekends before and assemble them yourself. You could save yourself hundreds of dollars and get valuable time with your family and friends making special arrangements that you can proudly display.

5. Save on Your Cake

If you always dreamed of a big, tiered cake with many levels, have the top tier or two levels be real cake and the rest just for show. Have the whole thing covered in frosting, so the cake looks real. You can still cut the cake in front of your guest with the second on top layer and have a wheel it away to be cut. Then, have a few sheet cakes in the back ready to be cut up and bring out to your guests. Sheet cakes are a lot less expensive and you can save tons of cash.

Next, skip the fancy details. Forgo the hand-made sugar flowers, which are very time consuming and a lot more expensive. Put real ones that match your wedding bouquet instead. For more flair, you can add ribbons along the tiers. Making a simple switch to butter cream instead of fondant will reduce the cost of the cake. Cupcakes can also make an inexpensive and fun option for your guests as well.