Budgeting For Your Wedding and Beyond

from: The Pampered Bride

Weddings can be quite time consuming and demand an enormous amount of time and attention on the part of the Bride and Groom.  In order for their wedding to be memorable, there is much to prepare for:  the bridal registry, the bridal shower, wedding favors, the bridal lingerie, elegant wedding gifts, and honeymoon locations and plans.

Since weddings can be very expensive, the bride must set some priorities early.  The couple must decide if they want to purchase an elegant wedding gown or find a beautiful cheap wedding dress (actually, no one will really know if you don't tell).  Will you have a church wedding or maybe an outdoor or beach wedding?  How about a large bridal party with bridesmaids and groomsmen? 

If your goal is to stay reasonable and save money, with some great practical tips, you CAN prepare for your wedding day and still stay within your predetermined budget? 

Let's look at some practical tips:

• The Invitations.  You may consider discarding the idea of using expensive papers and inks.  After all, you have a tight budget, right?  Your goal is to cut costs on things that aren’t that important to you.  Usually, non family members just end up throwing them away when the wedding is over, so why bother? If you still like the idea of fancy invitations, then do it within your budget.  This may call for DIY wedding cards.  There are many inexpensive but elegant papers available, or you could even just an e-card to people, especially if they live out of the country.
• The Guest List.  Keep the number of guests to a smaller amount if you want to cut wedding costs. Invite only your closest friends and family members. You’ll save on food costs, too.
• The Photographers. No matter what the cost, you’ll be able to find a professional wedding photographer. If you want your memories to last forever, then hire a professional who has the equipment and knows his craft rather than using your cousin Paul who just might make irreparable mistakes.  This is one service you don’t want to cut costs on, or you may regret it later.
• The Cake.  If you’re not the type who cares about the look of your wedding cake so much, then forgo the expensive tall, grand look and have a small bakery do the job instead.
• The Musicians.  Don’t go for a big band if you can’t afford it.  Hire a talented individual musician instead.  Give them your choice of the songs you prefer in advance and hold an audition to make sure they will be able to carry them off, like a professional, only cheaper.

• The Honeymoon..  Ok, so maybe you want to put it all toward the fun part? Seriously, with some forethought and careful planning, even the Honeymoon can be a fun and exciting time...despite a tight budget. The buzz word here: Plan Ahead!
• Organize & Prioritize.  While there are always things that you will want in your wedding that may not be within your budget, list those that are the most important to you.  Develop two categories – the “gotta haves” and the “nah, can do without" ones.   Give greater weight to those you believe will make your wedding memorable and discard the ones that you feel you can sacrifice, or choose something less expensive.  Ultimately, plan within your budget.

"The Wedding" is an important occasion to people who will be spending their lives together.  With careful organizing, prioritizing and preparation, Yours can be an event to remember as well.  As important as the wedding ceremony itself, it is also important to "pre-budget" and save what you can, in advance, so you too can make that special day quite a memorable occasion for the Bride, Groom, Attendants and everyone else involved.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] >>