Wedding Budget: Saving Money

Wedding Budget SAVING MONEY on All Aspects of Your Wedding SIGN UP FOR MAILING LISTS. By signing up for the latest news and updates from your favourite designers, you'll have the advantage of being first to know when sample sales and trunk THE shows are announced. DRESS GO THE PRE-OWNED ROUTE. Don't knock this one! If someone was willing to pay thousands of pounds for a dress they wore for a night, you can be rest assured that they're going to take good care of it. HIRE A SEAMSTRESS. Already found your dream dress but not quite within your budget? Hire a seamstress to recreate the frock in a less expensive fabric or with less detailing. But be careful! Do your research first and find a seamstress who knows exactly what they're doing. THINK OFF-SEASON. NOVEMBER The most popular – and thus most expensive month to get married is June.? So choosing say a September or December wedding instead could save you some serious dough! THE UENUE SAY SAYONARA TO SATURDAY. Saturday is the June of days of the week when it comes to popularity. Scheduling your wedding on a Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday could save you up to 50%.3 CHECK FOR HIDDEN FEES. Some venues charge fees for services like cake-cutting and champagne toasts. Avoid those fees if at all possible. DIY INVITATIONS. Who says you can't make your own wedding invitations? If you're worried about them looking tacky and unprofessional, don't be. There are plenty of simple templates you can find on the internet that are tasteful and elegant and can be easily personalised. THE Congrat DECOR BIGGER IS BETTER. Go for bigger tables so that you'll need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.5 SHOP THE OFF-SEASON. For accent pieces such as vases and other decorations, you can shop black on sale after Halloween, red, green, gold or silver after Christmas, pink after Valentine's Day, and pastel colors after Easter5. THE FLOWERS SUPERSIZE. Flowers are one of the most expensive parts of a wedding. But you save a lot by adjusting the size. Bigger buds mean fewer stems and fewer flowers means less money spent. STAY SEASONAL. Buying in-season flowers can also help cut prices. Staying seasonal is a lot cheaper because there's more supply and less demand. THINK SIMPLE. Stick to one or two kinds of your favourite flowers and use more greenery to fill in.5 MAKE IT A BUFFET. A simple way to cut back on food costs is to serve the main course buffet-style. You don't have to sacrifice quality for quantity. THE HAVE A SIMPLE DISPLAY CAKE. Order a smaller one or two-tiered cake and then FOOD cute pieces from a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).5 CUT THE CAKE (FIGURATIVELY). Most guests don't even touch the cake. So try swapping a fancy tiered cake with your favourite dessert. Think brownies and cupcakes. THE DRINH BYOB. See if your venue will let you purchase your own alcohol. That way you don't have to pay ridiculously inflated prices and can return any bottles your guests don't drink. SERVE ONLY WINE AND BEER. Limit the alcoholic beverages to just wine and beer so you won't have to pay for liquor. SERVE ONE SIGNATURE DRINK. If you really want to serve liquor at your wedding, consider serving one signature drink as well – you could choose yours or your fiancé's favourite. 150 money-saving tips. (n.d.). Martha Stewart Weddings. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/231226/50-money-saving-tips# 22The Knot unveils 2010 real weddings survey results. (n.d.). XO Group Inc. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from http://www.xogroupinc.com/press-releases-home/2011-press-releases/2011-03-02-2011-real-weddings-survey-results.aspx 3 Just how much do you save by holding your wedding on a Sunday instead of a Saturday night?. (n.d.). Glamour Magazine. OQuickQuid Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/07/just-how-much-do-you-save-by-h.html 4The wedding report. (n.d.). Bridal Association of America. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from http://www.bridalassociationofamerica.com/Wedding_Statistics/ 5 Wedding budget: 30 ways to save money on your wedding. (n.d.). TheKnot.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-budget/articles/30-ways-to-save-money-on-wedding.aspx