Your wedding is special, but your expenses can get out of control if you try to compete with those real elaborate weddings. There are a few different ways you can control wedding costs. If you put the advice you are about to read to work, you can still have an amazing wedding without amazing expenditures.
Religious practices will be a part of your wedding, and also an important part of your marriage. Speak about religion with the person you’re engaged to and the close family members on each side so that everyone feels comfortable at the ceremony.
Wedding Dress
Never go on starvation diets just to fit into a dress. Starving yourself or resorting to unhealthy weight loss tactics causes you to feel dizzy, weak, and light-headed. You may even faint while saying your vows. Rather, consider a corset style dress that you can tighten or loosen on your wedding day.
The wedding dress may be a major expense. When you go shopping for your wedding dress, think outside the box and look at dresses that are not typically considered wedding dresses. A bridesmaid dress may fit the bill and be much cheaper than a wedding dress. Many times, you can alter the dress to make it look like a wedding dress for a fraction of the cost of an actual wedding dress.
Embellish your bouquet with sparkle. You can use rhinestones, diamonds or Swarovski crystals. You can accomplish this by including some heat-fixed or adhesive crystals, some costume jewelry or an heirloom that is treasured. To make sure it coordinates with everything else you are wearing, be consistent with the colors, size and cut of the stones.
It is a good idea to hear the speeches of those who will be speaking at your wedding so you know that their comments will be appropriate. There are a lot of different age groups at a wedding. This makes some jokes told by the younger crowd inappropriate to older people.
Instead of spending so much for a multi-layered wedding cake, opt instead for a multi-layered confection of mini tarts or sweet cupcakes. Such ideas are great for their affordability, adaptability and ease of use. Guests will be able to get some cupcakes when they leave and then they will put them in a container that’s takeout inspired.
Have your wedding on the property of a family member or friend. You might know someone with farm or large piece of real estate, which will alleviate one major cost for the wedding. Pay them in advance to do this for you.
It might be a friend or a family member. All that’s needed is someone who can happily carry your gear during the ceremony and photo sessions. You can even have the assistant help you collect family members when it’s time to take a group shot!
You need to tell your DJ what you do want to be played, but also make sure he or she understands what not to play. Make the list of music to be avoided with your partner. Whatever music you hate, you don’t want to hear it at your wedding!
See if your family wants to come for the honeymoon. Everyone will enjoy a discount for the longer stay, and that will save everybody money. They will have great memories from this too.
Ever wonder what you will look like gliding up the aisle at your wedding? Set up a large mirror and practice walking toward it. If you plan to wear high heels with your dress, this is especially important. Flats may be a better choice if you think you may hurt your feet. Not having fancy heels is much easier to deal with than falling on your butt.
Don’t leave your guests waiting while you, your new spouse and the wedding party have an hour long photo shoot. Take your bridal party photos in advance of the wedding when you are all fresh and crisp. In order to reduce the length of time that the guests need to wait for the bride and groom to arrive at the wedding reception, the bride and groom should also be photographed with their parents in advance.
Instead of going bankrupt for a wedding cake, try getting multiple tiers of mini-tarts or cupcakes. Arrangements like these are loved because they offer versatility, convenience and are budget friendly Guests are able to take a cupcake when they leave, if you put them in a fancy take-out container.
Give your guests an online list of events, including out-of-time attendees, so that they would be aware of the events they could attend. You can customize itineraries or send special alerts to let each person know which events they are expected to attend.
Don’t leave your guests waiting while you, your new spouse and the wedding party have an hour long photo shoot. Photos of the bride and her party and the groom and his groomsmen should be taken ahead of time. Even pictures with parents can be shot in advance, reducing the time that guests must wait for you to arrive at your reception.
Place your colorful wedding cake on a swatch of fabric that coordinates with the cake. You can also try solids, patterns and heavily-textured fabrics like satin, velvet or silk for more visual interest that helps bring everything together.
For destination weddings, a fantastic gift to give your guests is a basket full of goodies that is delivered directly to their hotel room. This gift basket can include helpful items such as sunscreen, sunglasses, disposable cameras and tourist maps that add a nice touch of flavor to the vacation. A local restaurant guide is also a great thing to include in the basket because it can help them to find great places to eat.
If you plan to serve your guests a meal with multiple courses, keep them entertained during the serving process by placing small dishes of appetizing sweets on each table. Think about sugar roses that enhance your wedding colors.
If you are on a budget, consider scheduling your reception for around lunchtime. During the day, you will see that people are less likely to drink, which can noticeably reduce your costs. Also, dinner receptions tend to be more expensive than lunch receptions, and you’ll be able to spend your savings on something else.
For couples that enjoy traveling, look for wedding items and decorations that reflect this interest. You could also send out invitations that look like postcards or boarding passes, for instance. Prop open a vintage suitcase and display photos, programs, or favors in it.
When planning out your table situation at your wedding, make sure that each table has an even number of people sitting at it. If you put people of the same age together at tables they will have more to talk about.
If you plan on making a wedding speech or giving a toast, you should practice beforehand. If you don’t practice your speech beforehand, you run the risk of forgetting your speech, saying something you didn’t intend to say, or losing the audience.
If you are going to use a wedding cake with vibrant colors, opt for a coordinating tablecloth. There are many options that you can choose. These include patterns, solids and fabrics that are heavily textured. You can use silk, velvet or satins to blend the elements together.
If you want seasonal flowers that grow near your home to decorate your wedding, you should keep in mind that they may be extremely difficult to acquire near your wedding location due to differences in climate. Consult with experts near your wedding location to see which flowers are seasonal at the time of your wedding over there.
It can be expensive to place centerpieces at your table at the wedding. Instead of buying a centerpiece that is so big it covers the whole table, use something simple. Simple centerpieces help keep the table from feeling cluttered and make it easier for guests to talk to each other.
If you are planning to hold your reception outside, let the caterer know in advance. The food you serve will need to be kept at certain temperatures to be safe, or will need to be shielded from wind and flying debris. You might want to use fancy covers to protect your food. You may want to have a refrigerator or some coolers on site to keep the drinks cold.
As a first step of planning your wedding day, make a list of all the things you want in order of priority. Some people will have the venue as the most important item while others might list the guest list. Put the most important things for you at the top. As you delegate the priority for each item, you can budget accordingly and have a wedding that perfectly meets your particular dream.
Consider your guest and their finances and circumstances when looking into adestination wedding. It may be that guests will already have vacations booked for the days, and they need lead time to accommodate your day. Send out your save the date and invitation cards at least six to eight months ahead of time to allow your guests the most time possible to make preparations.
Potted Plants
The first step to planning a successful wedding is to make a wish list. Rearrange your list in order of priority after making it. Many people feel that flowers are a higher priority than the wedding cake or the guest list isn’t as important as the venue. By having a plan of what is most important to you, you can set aside funding for each item and ensure you get the wedding of your dreams.
If the cost of extravagant floral arrangements is too high, one cost effective alternative that you should consider is potted plants. You can obtain potted plants in various sizes and place them throughout the ceremony area and reception. You can put them in decorative pots, or decorate their pots yourself with paint and ribbons. You can offer the potted plants as wedding favors or if the new couple chooses, they can use them in their landscape.
Consider your bridesmaids needs when choosing their gowns. Many friendships end over a disagreement about the bridesmaids’ gowns. Find something affordable and loved by all your bridesmaid’s. This will ensure a great wedding, free of drama and misunderstandings.
You want the bride to be happiest on her big wedding day, so make sure that you run everything through her first so that no surprises arise. If she is left to worry about all of the planning, reservations and meals, and the wedding doesn’t live up to what she has been hoping for, it could be a disappointing day for the both of you. Allow her to run the show and make decisions for the happiest, smoothest event.
When planning your wedding music, research your DJ or band to ensure that they know the music that you want the most. Get references and speak to those people to find out about their experiences. Once a decision has been made, you need to ensure the person signs a written contract for confirmation. That way, you will not have any bumps in the road when it comes to the all-important music.
Get your wedding preparations set up early. The more time you have to plan, the better your odds will be of getting everything you want for your wedding. Then, you can get just the right place and the right people to help make your big day all you dreamed of.
When deciding on wedding decorations, and particularly floral arrangements, remember to take into account the location of your wedding. An example might be an elaborate arrangement that does well indoors, but would not be suited for an outdoor venue where wind might be an issue. If you are planning a park or beach wedding, be sure you have everything you need to anchor down your decor.
It is possible to still have a fantastic wedding without going overboard. Use these tips to get a reasonably priced, yet dreamy wedding.
Plan everything in advance. You may think that one year is plenty of time to get a wedding planned, however waiting will result in venues and services will become more expensive or unavailable due to short notice. Begin planning as far in advance as you can in order to have many choices.