Going overboard when planning your wedding and reception is very easy to do nowadays.  With all the hype about how lavish weddings are becoming and the wedding industry encouraging you to spend every last penny so your day is “perfect”, it is no wonder that the average cost of a wedding and reception is more than $20,000.  Here are a few mistakes that may cost you money in the long run.

Not using the Internet to plan your big day.  This includes using a “wedding website” to announce your wedding.  In today’s times, the Internet is used for anything and everything.  One in five couples use the Internet to send invitations, send save the date announcements, RSVP to the wedding and/or reception, and even for their registry.    Even if you prefer old-fashioned paper invitations and save the date reminders, using the Internet to compare prices on other items is sure to save on your wedding budget

Assuming you have to stick with tradition, you are the bride and groom and you get to decide just how you want your wedding day to be.  Just because mom and dad had a traditional wedding with a formal dinner and 5-tiered wedding cake doesn’t mean that is what is right for you.  Many couples are opting for a less formal dinner.  Maybe a buffet, or just a cocktail hour is what you had in mind.  Another option besides a huge wedding cake is cupcakes.  Traditional wedding cakes can start at about $5.00 per slice whereas cupcakes are about $2.50 – $3.00 each.  In addition, ever consider a doughnut wedding cake?

Another area to think about in saving money is an open bar.  Wedding guests love it, pocketbooks cringe with it.  How about splitting the difference and opt for an open bar to a certain time of the night, or with a limit on how many free drinks each guest is allotted?  If you are adamant about having an open bar so everyone is happy (except maybe you), then limit the amount of different varieties of liqours to choose from.  For example, you do not have to have 4 different premium Vodka’s.  Instead, have one premium and one shelf variety.  Survey your guests to get an idea what you need to have available.  If no one drinks Crown Royal, then do not have it as an option.  Another cost saver is to have a signature cocktail for the evening.  This can be one or two different drinks that are inexpensive (but wonderful tasting) to make.  Another thing to ask about is if your venue (or whomever you purchase your bar items from) will credit you back for any bottle that is not opened at the end of the evening.

Last but not least, do not be afraid to negotiate for better pricing.  When asking for a discount, don’t say “how much is this, this and this”.  Rather, say “this is my budget, what can you do for me”, and go from there.  Pretty much everything in the wedding industry can be negotiated.  It never hurts to ask for a discount.  The worse thing they can say is NO.

Think about these tips when planning your wedding.

Gone are the times, when getting married used to mean breaking the bank and spending lavishly to make the event grand. People are far more practical these days, and they are particular about on what they want to spend and on what things they want to save. If you are on tight budget for your wedding, and are worried that you will not be able to make a memorable wedding event, then you are wrong. With lots of creativity and ingenious ways to curb down the expenses, you can have a beautiful wedding, even on a shoestring budget.

Skip booking a hotel or venue and organize the wedding in your backyard

To begin with, the first money-saving idea would be to do away with the idea of booking a hotel or club and organizing your wedding in your backyard or that of your future spouse. In case neither of you have a backyard that you can bank on, then borrow the backyard of someone close to you. You can transform a dull backyard into a lavish wedding venue with a little creativity, just take care that it is big enough to accommodate your guests comfortably.

Cut down the guest list to suit your budget

To further curtail the wedding expenses, you should stick to inviting just the closest family members and friends; without whom your wedding is not possible. Trimming down the guest list will help you to not only save in terms of wedding venue, but also on wedding favors, invitations, catering and much more.

Opt for DIY wedding favors

If you are good with crafts, then there is nothing better than do it yourself wedding favors. But, if you are not among the talented ones, then simply browse through several DIY online websites to find some simple DIY wedding favors that you can do. They will not only be inexpensive, but will also allow you to add a personal touch to the favors, making them unique and memorable.

Go without catering service and cook yourself

Yes, you read it right. You can opt to cook yourself and even seek assistance of family and friends to save on the catering expenses, especially if you guys are as good as any chef and cook. If you can’t cook the entire meal due to time constraints, then at least try baking the wedding cake yourself, as the cake itself comprises a huge part of your food budget in the wedding.

Shop online for bridal items and accessories for incredible discounts

With lots of competition, online marketplaces are the best place to get amazing discount deals on bridal accessories. Be sure to deal with a renowned online store with secure monetary transaction feature to avoid any scams, and you will be just fine.

Choose wedding items that serve multiple purposes

You can select edible centerpieces for tables or make the wedding favors double as centerpieces for the tables.

Borrow the wedding gown from your mom

Wearing your mom’s wedding gown not only saves you money, it also makes your walk down the aisle more meaningful. You may choose to have some alterations done on the dress to make it more updated in terms of fashion style.

Be wise when selecting the wedding ring

Opt for white or yellow gold wedding rings rather than going for platinum or titanium options, if you want to go light on the price tag. Although, platinum rings are durable, the gold rings look as elegant as platinum ones and are less costly.

Select your wedding date in off-season

Getting married in off-season is the best way to lower your wedding expenses, as you will get everything right from catering, venue, flowers, wedding gown to other wedding essentials, at must less prices as compared to peak season.

Last but not the least, is becoming your own wedding planner to save on the expenses of hiring one. You can also take help from your friends and family to lower your burden.

If your wedding is around the corner, the only thing that is spinning your mind will be your budget. Weddings are the only time when we all plan to spend money extravagantly to make the event special and memorable. Thus, during this time, sticking to the budget is often the most difficult part and highly stressful. However, with a proper planning and realistic budget, you can save lots of money in your wedding preparation. When planning a wedding, there are several ways to cut costs without compromising on style and theme.  Read below to learn few useful tips on how to plan your wedding budget.

Before planning your wedding budget, make a list of things that you cannot do without and you can squeeze into your budget. For that, you should have plenty of time to shop around and buy things on sale, which can save lots of money.

The reception is an aspect that you should properly take care of when it comes to planning a budget.  So, if you want to cut cost of your wedding reception, plan it out smartly. For instance, instead of serving three to four meals, arrange a buffet style feast for your guests, as it is an inexpensive way of dinning. While considering location, rather then going for hotel or restaurant, organize it in park or public halls. Try to keep your wedding guest list as minimum as possible.

Buying a wedding dress is an expensive affair and nobody would like to cut cost on this. However, if a wedding dress is available at a half price than the rate of designer or shopping mall, who would not like to go for it. Look for the sites that sell wedding gowns at discounted rates and some even sell dresses that are as good as new and are worn just once. Visit your favorite designer’s factory outlets rather than the main boutique, as you will find a vast difference in prices. Moreover, if you or your mother or friends know the craft of stitching, you can create your wedding dress at affordable prices. If you are tight on budget, then getting the wedding gown from your mother will be a good idea, only if she is willing to give it to you though.

Decoration is the factor that can cost immensely and can sometimes take a toll on the wedding budget. Your wedding expenses depend hugely on your wedding theme. You can always create creative effects in your wedding at low rates, but for that, you have to do little research to find decorators that offer decoration arrangements at competitive prices. You can also implement ideas that are cheap and attractive at the same time. For instance, if you are organizing wedding at the beach, use paper lanterns, tea-light candles, fairy lights, etc.  These decorative pieces add romantic lighting effect in your wedding. You can get ribbons, place cards, tea light candles, centerpieces, etc from wholesaler at attractive discounts.

Wedding cakes are generally very expensive and can fall upon hugely on your budget, if you are ordering from the best bakery in the town.  If you are serious about saving money on it, then bake a cake yourself. You can look for assistance and step by step guide on how to make cake.

Following these ideas will definitely cut your wedding expenses and you can save huge sum of money for post wedding plans like honeymoon.

This article has been written by an expert associated with WeddingMuseum.com, a company providing wedding planning tips for today’s brides and grooms.

Let’s talk about your wedding budget. We’re pretty sure some of you already cringed at the mere mention of budgeting for your special day. We know it’s not the most delightful part of planning your wedding, but setting a clear-cut budget truly is the first step in your wedding planning adventure.

First, you will need to sit down with your fiance, and your respective parents, to figure out some wedding budget basics. For example, who will contribute to the wedding monetarily? It’s important to know if both sets of parents are contributing or not. You also have to know the magic number they each have in mind, and how much they can really afford. We know it can be a hard subject to bring up, but you want everyone to be comfortable with the amount they contribute to your special day. If you’re not sure about who pays for what — according to wedding etiquette — we found a great post about it. http://bit.ly/exUedj

Once a final number for the budget has been agreed upon, you will have to start thinking about what you envision for your wedding and decide which elements are the most important to you on your big day. If you’re looking forward to a big party with lots of champagne flowing, you would have to allocate more of your budget to the reception and try to save money elsewhere — forget about the fireworks, or the letterpress invitations. If you prioritize the things you really want, it makes it easier to cut costs in other areas. It can seem like a tiring balancing act, but it’s well worth all the trouble of not going over budget.

Now that you have an idea of how to spend your money, you will need to found a way to oversee all your wedding expenses. A great way to keep track of all your expenses is to use a free online wedding budget calculator. WeddingMuseum.com offers one in their wedding planning section. http://bit.ly/et99Ft

Another great trick is to hire a wedding planner to help you stay within your budget. They will track all your expenses for you, and they can also become the voice of reason when all your ideas and choices start to quickly add up. Also keep in mind that with their experience and invaluable insider information, they probably have found many ways over the years to save money that we, as the general public, would never have thought of, or be privy to.

In the end, budgeting for your wedding doesn’t have to be a painful experience. You just need to be prepared and realistic both in your expectations and in your budget. And remember that compromise is the key to marital bliss!

About the Author: Nadine Elliott, freelance writer for WeddingMuseum.com.

Although it may seem a little pessimistic to plan for the worst, pray for the best on your very own wedding day, this kind of approach is the only way to get through the event disaster-free.

Weddings are breeding grounds for all kinds of disasters, from fighting families and drunken best men to missing rings and photography problems. Of course not every wedding is a combination of catastrophes but given the amount of things that could – and very often do – go wrong, it pays to be prepared.

In today’s economy supplier failure is a major problem. Most couples will make their wedding arrangements months or even years in advance, booking out sought after venues, hiring bands, caterers and so forth.

Unfortunately, by the time it gets to the wedding day, many of these companies are in a very different financial state to when you met them. The economic crisis has been pretty hard on those within the events and wedding industry.

It makes sense to always have a backup plan. If your supplier does go bust, if the venue gets damaged, if the priest turns atheist – there are so many things that could happen that there is no reasonable option but to make a ’Plan B’.

Most wedding insurance policies will cover you if you have to change venues or postpone the event, particularly if something goes wrong with the suppliers. The amount of supplier failure coverage you will receive depends on the company and how much you are paying for your premium, as most companies offer tiered levels of cover.

Aside from suppliers, the next major area of concern is the guests. Wedding seating arrangements is an art, and the person who can get it right a mere genius. The key is to get all of the right people sitting together, people who will get along and not to separate friends as much as possible.

That’s the easy part. If you want to have a great wedding, it’s also important to evenly mix the two families and different circles of friends so everyone talks and gets to know each other. That’s the tricky part.

Wedding planning software is widely available online, both free and paid. Using software can help to ensure no person gets left out and everyone has a seat. It can also help to give a visual overview of the wedding and all of those attending, making it easier to plan seating.

Getting the seating arrangements right can really help to ensure the rest of the evening goes well. Combine this with supplier management and ‘pessimistic planning’ and you’re off to a flying start and, you never know, you may even get through the whole evening with barely a hiccup.

About:
Wedding insurance is increasingly becoming a key part of wedding planning. Although it won’t prevent any accidents from happening, it can help to sort out a lot of problems – financial ones at least.

The Collaborative Wedding Budget: Coordinating Multiple Parties with Ease

For husbands-and-brides-to-be with large, extended families, they often find that both sets of parents, and perhaps even grandparents, want to chip in to help defray the soaring cost of today’s weddings, which, on average, come in at a whopping $20,000. Many couples, too, are electing to pick up the rest of the slack. Corralling so many people who want to help with the wedding budget can be a virtual nightmare though. Before simply accepting their good wishes and checks, the very first thing you should do is to sit down with your fiancé and chart a course of action to ensure you’ve covered every element of your wedding that requires a significant contribution. Planning a wedding with a budget in mind comes down to knowing what you’re looking for in terms of venue, vendors, and necessities – this, however, can be easily put to rest with a systematic budget planning roadmap.

Planning a Wedding with a Budget in Mind

An itemized wedding budget detailing the specifics – such as the dress, food/drinks, venue, flowers, and band – will ensure you’ve covered all the major aspects of your wedding day.

At the top of your worksheet, spreadsheet, or what have you, list what you’ve decided is a reasonable amount to spend on the wedding. On the left hand side, make each specific and significant element that you must or would like to have a line item. For instance, the ceremony, which encompasses the venue/place or worship, wedding officiant, and any licenses, would be listed here. Decide on a true and honest estimate of what you’re willing to spend planning a wedding on a budget, and then, at a later date, add what you actually spent so that you can keep accurate track of your finances. Other items in the left hand column should consist of things such as the reception (food/drinks, cake, favors, venue, etc.); wedding attire (bride’s clothing and shoes, makeup, hair, groom’s clothing and accessories); rings/jewelry; flowers (for the entire party and at both venues); music/band/DJ; photography; transportation (if applicable); invitations and signage; and anything else that would cause a significant dent in your wedding budget. Remember to include such essential fees as tips for vendors (about 15 to 20%), trial hair and makeup sessions, and dress/tuxedo cleanings and pressings.

As far as planning a wedding on a budget with your parents, his parents, and any other well-wishers (step parents perhaps), show them your finalized wedding budget at an informal, yet constructive meeting. Discuss costs and who can realistically afford what. In days past, it was common – and expected – for the bride’s parents to pay for everything, a modern dowry in a sense. Today’s weddings no longer involve such a considerable sacrifice, though it is still carried out by many traditionalists. At this meeting, you’ll want to discuss how the payments will be made; maybe your parents would like to split something or pay for one segment of the wedding entirely. Will they be giving you one lump sum in a check or visiting vendors with you to pay upfront? Such concerns about planning a wedding on a budget should be dealt with by a frank talk that involves all parties.

Many wedding budget planners suggest opening a separate wedding account at your bank that’s not linked with any of your personal accounts. This simple action will help you more carefully figure out what’s been spent on the wedding and where the funds are going. You should also set aside an additional 5 to 10% of your overall wedding budget should mishaps arise. The likelihood that you will go over your budget is almost a given; the amount to which you do can be controlled, in most instances, by careful wedding planning, and that budget of 5 to 10% extra you’ve stashed away will come in handy. Scaling back from the get-go is a huge help; this includes things like not having a buffet (wasted food), having fewer bridesmaids, and offering just wine and beer at the reception (alcohol is a major expenditure). Still, if these are must-haves, just be cautious of vendors who try to upsell you to some better, improved service that you probably don’t need. Research is a crucial part of planning a wedding on a budget, so make sure you do your fair share before visiting vendors and venues.

Fine-tuning Your Wedding Budget for Success

Far too many couples forget about planning a wedding with a budget in mind and have a bang-up, blow-out bash that ends up putting them in the red. Add that to any other debts, and you’re starting your marriage – which should be thoroughly exciting – with a gray cloud over your heads. A well-planned wedding budget that’s done from the start – with nothing unaccounted for – will ensure that you can mosey off to your honeymoon with nothing else to worry about but enjoying yourselves.

About the Author

Cherie Johnson is the founder and owner of Creative Wedding Favors, the premier site for unique anniversary, baby and bridal shower, graduation, quinceañera, and wedding favors. Her wedding ideas have also benefited readers of many websites, including Women Of, Wedding Lenox, and The Wedding Guide. Before establishing Creative Wedding Favors in 2006, she worked as a professional wedding photographer, capturing all the special moments of the nuptials and ceremony. Search for fun, festive favors by visiting www.CreativeWeddingFavors.com.

Keeping your wedding costs within your budget

Tougher economic times have left many people watching their spending and weddings are no exception. It is a delicate balance between making your wedding the most amazing and beautiful day of your life, and not spending beyond what you can afford.

There are a number of ways to cut down on costs without compromising quality, and in a recent forum on a bridal club website a number of Brides gave some useful tips. Ideas included:

Purchasing publisher software such as Microsoft Publisher to create your own invitation and “Thank You” cards. You can achieve a professional look for a small part of the price of having them printed.

Buying a bottle of wine with your shopping every week to bring down the big spend at the end!

Trading professions and time with friends. Offer to help them in return for their help on your wedding day.

Doing nibbles and drinks, or platters after the ceremony instead of a meal.

Having a small reception for very close family and friends but inviting everyone to ‘dessert and drinks’.

Purchasing Bridal Wear, decorations, accessories etc. from auction websites. There are a number of auction websites specifically dedicated to weddings such as www.weddingauctions.co.nz in New Zealand. As well as saving on items for your wedding, you can sell the items you don’t want to keep after the wedding to recover some of the cost.

Ask people to pay for their meal instead of bringing gifts.

Using the same venue for the ceremony and reception. Venues will often give a discount or provide a ‘package’ for using them for everything.

Another idea would be to have your wedding in winter, or on a weekday. Having your ceremony and reception outside of the peak seasons and days can save you a lot of money.

Although your own finances maybe feeling the squeeze, remember that wedding businesses are also feeling the same pressure and they are keen to get your custom. With a little bit of shopping around and getting quotes from a number of places, you may be able to get some good bargains to help drive your cost down.

For a small amount of effort, and some good forward planning there are many ways to keep your wedding to a budget and still make it the most amazing day of your life.

About the Author: Ron Schepers of www.nzweddingdirectory.co.nz in Nelson, New Zealand.

Simple Money Saving Wedding Planning Tips

Planning your wedding day can be fun and exciting while at the same time stressful especially when it comes to the financial aspect. Let’s face it, most engaged couples are working full time jobs and will pay for the majority of the wedding themselves. Unless money is truly no object you should establish a realistic budget and stick to it. Here are a few tips that’ll help you get started with planning your glamorous wedding day.

1. Research: Before you even begin to plan your special day, take time to research the average price of wedding services in your area.
2. Set a Realistic Budget: By setting a budget early in the planning stages you have a realistic idea of the amount of money per guest you can afford to spend.
3. Trim that Guest List: Limit your guest list to family and close friends. Don’t feel compelled to invite everyone you have ever known.
4. Plan Early: Start planning as early as 18 months in advance. This allows you time to save up money and pay in full. Ask vendors for discounts if you pay in full and with cash.
5. Off Peak Months: Avoid the peak wedding months and consider an off peak month such as February, March, or April.
6. Friday or Sunday. Saturday is the most popular wedding day. Most reception venues offer a significant discount for Friday or Sunday rentals.
7. Buffets. Choosing a buffet style dinner over plated service will save a significant amount of money especially if have over 100 guests to serve.
8. Prioritize: Decide which elements of your wedding day are most important. (i.e. venue, food, entertainment, décor, etc). Commit more of your budget to the element that will please both of you.

About The Author:Tiffany Graham is the owner of Elegant Events by Tiffany, LLC a wedding and event planning company located in the Washington DC metro area. Established in 2007, Elegant Events by Tiffany has grown to be one of the finest and sought after wedding and event planning companies in the Washington DC area.

Sharon and I are on a financial stability kick lately. We are seeing a financial adviser to help plan our retirement and want to make the most of our money. We heard about credit cards that offer rewards but never really investigated it. We have friends who paid for their Disneyland vacation all from their credit card rewards.

Well, we did some investigation and there are credit cards that offer rewards for specific companies, like Disneyland. There are credit cards that offer rewards for airline miles and credit cards that offer rewards from a multitude of businesses.

Wow! What a great idea! You can accumulate rewards points when paying for your wedding. Most items are high ticket items that, if you’re like us, end up on the credit card anyway. The good reward plans offer 1 point for every dollar spent. Hello! That’s 30,000 points for $30,000 spent on your wedding.

If you want to investigate for yourself, check out a site we really liked. WE ARE NOT AN AFFILIATE. It’s just a cool site that offers good information about comparing credit card offers and rewards……. www.creditcards.com

Why not benefit from paying for your wedding with credit card reward programs?

Easy Ways to Slash your Wedding Reception Costs

Keeping costs within budget is a struggle for every bride, so here are five top tips guaranteed to keep you on track.

Keeping costs within budget is a struggle for every bride, so here are five top tips guaranteed to keep you on track.

Tip 1 – Trim the guest list
Keep the guest list down to just the people who really matter to you. This will reduce your costs as well as allowing you to lavish more food and wine on each person.

Tip 2 – Cut your alcohol costs
The largest portion of any wedding cost usually goes on food and drink. You can reduce your alcohol bill by hosting a daytime event, as people tend to drink less during the day. Alternatively, choose a BYO (bring your own) venue so you can supply your own alcohol at bulk-buy discount rates.

Tip 3 – Decrease the cost per head
Choose cheaper meal alternatives like chicken or pasta. You might also like to check which local delicacies are in season, as these are often much cheaper than you would normally expect. For example if you’re marrying in an Australian coastal town you’ll find seafood is much more affordable than it is in a large inland UK city.

Tip 4 – Limit your reception guests
Another way to cut costs is to invite everyone you know to the ceremony, but only close friends and family to the reception afterwards. This will let you enjoy a large ceremony with all your friends whilst limiting the cost of food and drink.

Tip 5 – Take the cake and tea option
If you’d rather celebrate with everyone but are seriously short of cash, choose a beautiful old church or historic ceremony location and keep the festivities simple. Invite all your friends to the ceremony and then to the church hall or local gardens afterwards, where they can share wedding cake, tea and a glass of sparkling wine with you afterwards to celebrate.

About the Author
Want a fairytale wedding without going bankrupt? For free cost cutting tips, wedding ideas, red hot promotions, giveaways and your wedding ‘tip of the day’ visit Jessica Howe’s site www.loveandcherish.net , home of the highly acclaimed One Stop Wedding Kit.

Newlyweds and Insurance

Insurance issues between newly married couples is an area that is best reviewed prior to the wedding reception. Who’s policy covers the wedding gifts? If either the bride or groom has renters, homeowners, condo or mobile home insurance, wedding gifts would be covered under their policy. In a case where neither the bride or groom has any type of homeowners insurance, coverage would depend on whether or not the bride or groom has been living with their parents prior to the wedding. If either of them has been living with their parents, coverage would exist under the parents homeowners policy. The conservative way to approach this would be for the bride & groom to purchase homeowners insurance prior to the wedding to be sure there is no question as to coverage for wedding gifts and other combined personal property (furniture, appliances, etc). The nations largest homeowners insurance company, State Farm, provides a wedding gift endorsement, which can be added to an existing homeowners insurance policy to provide coverage.

Jewelry requires an appraisal to be properly insured. Most insurance companies add jewelry to a schedule, specifying the item by value, cut, clarity, color, etc. Since most engagement rings are valued in the thousands of dollars, it is advisable to insure the ring at the time of purchase. Who should insure the engagement ring? Once the ring is given to the future bride, most companies require that the bride-to-be add the ring to her insurance.

In addition to insurance for personal property, newlyweds should also combine their auto insurance policies and homeowners insurance policies since multi-car discounts and multi-policy discounts will usually develop the lowest combined prices. Couples should use some caution prior to combining policies since most companies now use insurance credit scoring to determine rates. Couples may want to combine vehicles and personal property onto the policy of the individual with the best credit. Claims history, poor credit or a bad motor vehicle record will negatively affect merging insurance policies.

To help protect assets and to develop a long-term financial plan newlyweds should also consider the types of life and disability insurance that best fits their needs and budget. Visit with a local insurance agent to get policy recommendations and coverage ideas.

About The Author: Dave Dionne has been a disc jockey in Maine since 1975 (www.djsmaine.com). He is also a licensed Property-Casualty & Life & Health insurance agent in Maine.