Wedding Tips!

Last week, I wrote a post about a woman who wanted her parents to fund an extravagant wedding for her. (Wouldn’t we all like someone to provide extravagant things for us? Feel free to contact me anytime you feel like giving me something nice and expensive.)

Anyway, that post motivated me to jot down some tips on how to have a nice wedding that is reasonably priced. (Kevin at Invest It Wisely – are you out there? :))

Money Saving Tips:

1. For you ladies out there, shop around for that dress. In my opinion, the biggest waste of money is on the wedding dress. It is only worn for one day, and if you are like me, you will end up spilling mostaccioli down the front of it anyway. (I am such a classy girl.) Nobody cares or will even notice if your dress cost thousands vs. hundreds of dollars. Go for the most inexpensive dress that looks good on you. Shop everywhere. If you have a relative that has the talent to make a dress, then by all means, go for the homemade dress.

2. Barter and borrow! For instance, one of my wedding invitees also made our flowers. We paid for the flowers, but she made my veil as a wedding gift based on a picture I gave her. It was perfect! If a friend has a veil that goes well with your dress, then borrow it. Borrow a purse, shoes, whatever!

3. For the men – oftentimes you can get your tux for free, depending on how many tuxes will be rented by the wedding party. Or, you can even take the high road and give the free tux rental to someone who is financially strapped or is traveling a long way to attend the wedding. Just try to get a tux or two for free. It never hurts to ask.

4. Have your wedding on a night other than Saturday. Our wedding was on a Friday night, and that knocked 3 dollars off the per-person cost.

5. Don’t feel like you have to get a giant wedding cake with waterfalls and lights. I was just at a wedding a few months ago where each table had its own type of cake. These cakes tasted way better than the traditional wedding cake, and I am sure it was cheaper. Does it really matter if you are cutting into a giant, 6 tier cake, or just a nice, reasonably sized cake?

6. Does someone have a nice car? Is that person willing to drive you from the church to the reception? You can save a ton of money by not getting a limo. (However, limos can be really fun…)

7. Plan that honeymoon well in advance. (Assuming you have a long engagement.) Does someone have a lot of frequent flier miles? Maybe they would consider donating them as a wedding present. Someone have a timeshare in the Bahamas? Maybe you can swing a good deal on accommodations. Be creative! However, do not fall for any internet or mail scam offering a great deal to a ‘resort’. Investigate any honeymoon ‘deal’ thoroughly!

8. Consider making your own invitations. With all the computer software available today, you may find it is much cheaper to create your own invitations, and it might even be fun. (You could even buy some wine and invite the bridesmaids over to help you out.)

Wedding Tips in General:

You don’t have to do anything the ‘traditional’ way. If you just want to go to a small chapel and invite immediate family and your best friend, then that is ok. It is YOUR day, so you get to make the rules. Who cares if cousin Susie invited you to her wedding last year? DO WHAT YOU WANT AND WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD.

You should hire a photographer, unless you know someone that has an excellent camera and is willing to take all the pictures that day. Regardless, you need pictures.

You may also want to consider hiring a videographer. I can count on one hand the amount of times we have watched our wedding video, but I am still glad we have it.

Music is very important, and make sure there is a variety of music available to appeal to all ages and tastes. You may love country music, but maybe 60 percent of your guests hate it. Yes, it is important to enjoy your special day, but you don’t want to look at the wedding video a year later and realize that your guests were actually bored out of their mind.

If there will be a long span between dinner and the end of the reception, consider bringing in some extra food for the end of the night. The last thing you want is a bunch of people hitting the road after drinking a bunch of free liquor. Pizza anyone?

Remember, a wedding is something you prepare for well in advance, but the day itself goes by in the blink of an eye. Don’t be nervous, just focus on being with friends and family, and enjoy that you are starting a new chapter in your life. The one thing you don’t want to do is start that new chapter heavily in debt. Yes a wedding is important, but it can be done at a reasonable cost.

What wedding tips do you have? Was your day ideal? Did you go in to debt?