Wedding Dollars

Every bride has a budget. Here's a few tips on how to stretch your wedding bucks to go farther.

1. Forget about 'going platinum.' Yeah, I said it. I'm not telling you not to have a beautiful wedding but let's be realistic here for a moment. If you have a $10,000 budget you're not going to be able to make it look like you've spent $100,000. Period. But, just because your wedding isn't dripping with jewels and all your guests aren't sipping dom perignon doesn't mean it isn't great. You may not be able to turn $10,000 into $100,000 but with a few sly price cuts and some savvy negotiating you might be able to make it look like you've spent $25,000 (yes, that's possible.)

2. Hire a wedding planner- no I'm not just saying that because that's what I happen to do. Think about this: You're getting married once hence you'll bring in business to wedding vendors one time. A planner does several weddings a year. A vendor, such as a florist would be more willing to provide a discount on her services through a planner because she knows the planner will then recommend her to future clients and she can recoup the expense. Not only can a wedding planner give you discounts on great vendors you would normally be unable to afford, but she/he  also has knoweledge of all the venues in town and can find the perfect one in your price range. Not to mention saving you from all of the stress the day of.

3. Try to find a venue that has an all inclusive package. What I mean by that is look for a location that offers the wedding dinner, drinks, cake, hall rental, etc all in one price. This is a great way to save a little cash if you shop around and find the best package.

4. A lot of people will tell you that one great way to save money is to bring in your own alcohol. While in fact it is a good way to save try finding a place that allows that and if they do oftentimes they require licensed bartenders to serve it which can definitely eat away at the money you've managed to save. Your best bet to saving when it comes to drinks? Choose a beer, wine and soft drinks only option, forget the champagne toast and have guests toast with whatever they're drinking (trust me, no one notices), serve signature cocktails and soft drinks only (guests are typically so in love with your creativity they forget about not having beer and wine..really), close the bar during dinner and an hour before the reception ends (this is also a good way to help guests get a chance to sober up).

5. Get married in the off season. You will definitely save money by doing this and also have the opportunity to hire places and vendors that would normally be booked.

6. So your hall comes with white/ivory table linens and you'd like to spice them up but don't think you can afford full length rentals? Why not rent overlays instead? It's a great way to add some color to your space.

7. Choose flowers that are in season. It makes a difference, trust me.

8. Don't add time consuming and labor intensive hors d'oeuvres to your cocktail hour. This will eat up your budget and really isn't all that worth it. Choose less pricey options instead.

9. Reuse Recycle. Shop around on websites such as bravobride.com and recycledbride.com to get great deals on wedding dresses, decor, ceremony items, etc all from recently married brides. When you're done using them, resell them to the next engaged gal :)

10. Get married on any day but saturday. Saturday is the most popular day for weddings and will always be in high demand from other brides. Vendors will also charge more for a saturday wedding then they will for a friday or sunday wedding.


How NOT to save money

1. Having a cash bar.
2. Cutting your photography budget (seriously, this is the one momento you'll have of this day.)
3. Making guests pay for thier own meals (if you really can't afford to feed them dinner cake and champagne is a sweet option)
4. Trying to make your own wedding cake- unless your a pro (yeah, because you have nothing better to do the night before your wedding.)
5.Not having a rehearsal. (you'll regret that one..big time)

Have a beautiful wedding!!

First Steps

I get asked quite a bit what the first things an engaged couple should do. Should they start making a guest list right away, can the bride start looking for dresses, how about making a rough budget?

Well, that's all fine and dandy..in due time. Here are the first steps I believe you should take down the exciting road of I Do.

Number one:
Breathe.
Yes, breathe. Take a few deep breaths and let it all sink in. You're getting married! You've found the love of your life and you're going to live happily ever after! (FYI this is a good thing to keep repeating to yourself later when things don't seem to be going as planned). Getting married is an exciting time and it should be full of joy and happiness. The best thing that you can do right now is revel in it and enjoy.

Number two:
Fantasize
Contrary to popular belief, I think instead of jumping in to budgets and checklists and not-so fun bits, I think you should close your eyes and imagine you had unlimited funds to work with. What does your dream wedding look like? What type of flowers are there? What are people eating? Is there a band or a DJ? Write it all down and have your fiance do the same. Later, compare your thoughts (try to keep from being too harsh with one another).The next step would be to realistically look at your budget and decide from there what are the most important elements to you. Can you live without a custom made gown and choose one off the rack? Are the exotic flowers necessary or would another locally grown type be just as lovely? Decide what you can live without. Make sure your keeping your fiance involved in this part as well. He's sure to have a few different opinions on whats most important to him. The best way to solve a disagreement over who's going to get their way? Leave it to chance. Draw straws, flip a coin, etc. Whoever doesn't win the first round gets an automatic win on the next agreement, so on so forth.

Number three:
Begin a rough guest list. Make a list of everyone under the sun that you'd like to invite. After establishing a budget, begin to cross off people you can live without being there. As hard as this can be, remember that every person you invite is another mouth to feed, water,  and entertain and trust me that adds up..big time.

Number four:
Celebrate
Becoming engaged is an exciting thing and should most definitely be celebrated. If you have the means, have an engagement party. If not, find some way to mark this special moment, even if its just a simple champagne toast with your family. Enjoy this time..you won't regret it.

Spoiler Alert: Next tuesday I will begin discussing budget weddings and how to get the most out of your wedding dollars.