Save Money on Your Wedding Ceremony and Reception

You are getting married and want a beautiful event, yet you need to stick to a tight budget. This is a problem that faces many brides. Don't worry; there are ways to have your dream wedding without breaking the bank.

Steps

 * 1) Prioritize! Make a list of the most important things you want for your wedding and have your fiancé do the same. Are you most committed to having gorgeous flowers, inviting 400 people, hosting the wedding at a particular location, or serving filet mignon and lobster? Knowing your priorities before the planning starts will help you decide what to spend money on, and what you don't mind doing cheaply or doing without.
 * 2) Trim the guest list. This is difficult but sometimes necessary if the cost per guest is going to break your budget. Cross off names on the list of guests who might feel obligated to come to the wedding if they are invited, but would not have their feelings hurt if they are not asked to attend. Think of inviting only relatives with whom you have a close relationship instead of everyone related to you.  Invite only the people who are important to you and your parents, rather than everyone you know.
 * 3) Reduce the number of people in your bridal party. You have to buy nice gifts for every member of your bridal party, and that adds up. Plus, traditionally, the entire bridal party plus their dates are invited to the rehearsal dinner. Seven bridesmaids and seven groomsmen, all their dates, ring bearer and flower girls, and their families, plus both sets of parents and all the readers in the ceremony, plus officiant could add up to 40+ people to feed!
 * 4) [[Image:Small flowers.jpg|200px|right]] Have your wedding ceremony and reception held at a hotel, and ask for discounts when family and friends are staying at same hotel. Reserve a block of rooms for your guests several months before the wedding for the best rates. Speak with the appropriate manager when asking for discounts and reserving rooms.
 * 5) Consider having a friend or family member conduct the wedding ceremony. This can save several hundred dollars which your minister may charge. See information on Becoming Ordained to set up your choice of an officiant.
 * 6) Consider a country or small town wedding. Venues, catering, and florists tend to be cheaper in small towns than in large metro areas.
 * 7) Stick to the schedule for your ceremony and reception. Musicians will charge more if asked to perform beyond the time stated in their contract. You will also incur additional limo charges if your event runs longer than planned.
 * 8) If you don't know any musicians yourself, call local college music departments rather then browsing the yellow pages. Students will be cheaper than professionals.
 * 9) Have your ceremony and reception in the same location to simplify things and save you money. There will be no need for limos to take you to the second location. Many churches have halls that are equipped to handle wedding receptions at reasonable fees - especially if you are a member.
 * 10) Ask friends to lend their talents by helping out with such things as invitations, flowers, and programs. Ask a friend with pretty penmanship to address your invitations instead of hiring a calligrapher. If you simplify your flowers and arrangements, perhaps a friend can assemble fresh or silk flowers which will save you hundreds of dollars. Some of the most attractive wedding programs are printed from a home computer and then creatively assembled with colored cardboard, tissue paper, ribbon, etc.
 * 11) Consider having your wedding any day but Saturday. Fridays are also popular wedding days but may cost a lot less than a Saturday event. For even greater savings, choose a weekday evening for your wedding.  Schedule the wedding to allow guests time to arrive at the ceremony after the work day has ended.  Many guests enjoy weekday weddings as this frees up their weekends for other activities. Choose a date between November and April to avoid higher peak season rates in many areas.
 * 12) Consider having your wedding during the day, such as a weekend brunch or a luncheon on Saturday or Sunday. The cost for the venue will be much lower and the daytime lighting is better for color photography.
 * 13) Consider altering tradition. If you are doing a round of toasts, guests can toast with whatever they are currently drinking instead of you having to purchase champagne for everyone.  Instead of a limo, consider a regular vehicle.  If you are happy with just serving beer and wine, skip the full bar and save a bundle on liquor.  Consider a lovely formal dress that isn't a traditional gown from a bridal shop.
 * 14) Professionally posed and properly lighted photographs are one of the few beautiful keepsakes you'll have from your special day, but getting them doesn't have to break the bank. Choose an EXPERIENCED photographer who will include ALL OF THE IMAGES ON A CD for one low price.  Then you can make as many inexpensive copies as you need rather than pay a huge reprint fee to the photogrpaher.  (99 cents each at Mpix.com for a 5x7 rather than $15 each from the photographer.)  Also, put together a list the group shots you want, make a detailed timeline for the day, and give a copy to everyone on the shot list.  Be sure to "pad" your schedule by 15 minutes so those who run late don't get left out.  Also, consider a private pre-wedding encounter for the bride and groom followed by all of the posed photography.  Completing everything before your wedding means you can spend the entire remainder of your day enjoying yourself and the company of your guests.  (Guests can't stand to be kept waiting between the wedding and the reception.)
 * 15)  #After looking at the final plan of your wedding, but before paying any deposits, decide where you can simplify the whole process. Consider whether you really need choral singers and a string quartet at the ceremony and a wedding singer and a DJ at the reception. Releasing doves or butterflies or having a candle-lighting ceremony are all wonderful, but may end-up costing a lot of money. Simplicity saves money and if done well, your wedding may seem more serene and awe-inspiring!
 * 16) Remember that the wedding is one day at the start of a life-long commitment. Look beyond the wedding day to the goals you will have as newlyweds.  If you want to purchase a house in the next few years, keeping that as a priority throughout the wedding planning process will help you to be prudent about how much you spend on that one day.

Tips

 * Never tell the place you're going to rent that its a wedding unless you absolutely must, they always ask for more money. Tell them its a party nothing wild.Most places gouge weddings. You can enforce the idea the flowers must be on time etc., just do not drop in wedding, same with the catering and drinks. If its a formal wedding tell them, its a very important formal business party.
 * Ask for deals when negotiating the costs for your cake, flowers, and reception hall. For instance, if you are able to pay up-front, you should be able to obtain a 20% discount on your cake, which can add up to hundreds off your cake!  This is also useful in negotiating your flowers.
 * Take independent businesses seriously. Individuals are more willing to cut a break than say, your grocer's flower department.
 * When planning your ceremony and reception at a hotel, ask to speak to a manager who is in charge of these services. A manager should be in a position to offer the best rates for the hotel’s services.
 * Cut out the travel (and limo fees) between the chapel and reception hall by having the wedding on the same location as your reception! Also, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper price for using more than one service provided at a particular location.  This also makes it easier for out of town guests, since they won't have to drive to two locations.  They will appreciate it greatly!
 * Consider getting married during an off season, such as Lent, September through November, or April. You will be able to negotiate rental prices with reception halls due to decreased demand and business.  For instance, if you marry during Lent, you may be able to negotiate a bigger reception hall for the same price as a smaller one.  Also, off season weddings allow for more flexibility because in the off chance you have a 95% return rate on your wedding invites, you will be able to scramble for a bigger room, cake, or food order more easily and often at less cost than during the summer months.
 * Consider a centerpiece that doubles as something else. For example, instead of one big wedding cake, put a small cake on each table. The cake is the dessert and the centerpiece! Or, if you are doing favors, put the pile of favors neatly stacked in the middle of the table. Or, create a beautiful table number, possibly decorated with a photo of the couple or a photo of a city the couple visited together, and use that as the centerpiece, surrounded by inexpensive votive candles.
 * Ask the manager to throw in extras. Use hotel house linens instead of renting others. Hotels and catering halls have their own props and centerpieces that they are happy to loan. Always ask for at least 10% off stated rates.
 * Another way to reduce the costs associated with weddings is to not mention that the item or service is for a wedding. For example, if you are renting a venue for the wedding, indicate the room will be used for a "family gathering." This approach can also be helpful for wedding cakes. A regular cake is generally priced much lower than an identical cake which has been identified as a wedding cake. If you plan to have a simple flower scheme (like gerberas and green poms) you can avoid a large markup and the need for an appointment by not mentioning the wedding.
 * For couples with many friends, have a small, family-only ceremony. Then have a large, informal reception on another date. Decorations, location, dress and everything else can be very informal and not terribly expensive. Be gracious though, and serve good food!
 * Use a tuxedo place that gives you the groom's tux for free when you order others at the same time.
 * Borrow a veil or buy one off eBay. The bridal stores charge outrageous prices for veils.
 * Have bouquets made of dried flowers or nice "silk" flowers instead of costly, fresh flowers. Cloth or ribbon flowers are also a lovely and durable option. Having the arrangements made days or weeks in advance can save time, money and stress.
 * Buy your centerpiece flowers at a wholesale warehouse. Wholesale warehouses often sell products in bulk and cheaper than normal stores. You can often get 30-40 small centerpieces for less than $100 if you are willing to ask friends and family to help.
 * Ask for assistance from friends and family! They are FREE and often happy to help.
 * Instead of flowers and ribbons to decorate the church, try large potted ferns up at the altar with simple candles. They're inexpensive and very elegant. (Keep the ferns back from open flames, safety first!)
 * If you do decide to go with fresh flowers, choose flowers that are in season. Possibly grow them yourself or buy the flowers in bulk at a Farmer's Market and arrange them yourself. Or, some trade schools that train florists will arrange wedding bouquets for the cost of the flowers.
 * Check at the chapel to see if there's another wedding the same day. Sometimes you can split the cost of decorating with the other couple - if you're both willing to choose neutral colors and whoever goes first makes sure no well-intentioned relatives "clear things up".
 * Instead of a catered event, you can serve it as a 'Pot Luck' style for the meals and can save you money.
 * Also, ask if someone might be willing to purchase the wedding cake in lieu of giving you a wedding gift.
 * Use an online service for RSVP and simply include the web address on your invitations, saving the need for RSVP cards and extra postage. Consider including a phone number for those who may not have Internet access.
 * Consider a sheet cake instead of a tiered cake, it will save you enough that you could get a fancier recipe or fancier cake decorations if you really want and still spend less.
 * Look for a dress at a thrift or consignment store or eBay and then have it altered if necessary. Even consider non-traditional dress, perhaps just something you feel looks great and you could wear it again after the wedding too.
 * Take the flower arrangements from the ceremony to the reception, this might halve your flower budget. Consider having less flowers and less expensive flowers. Buy loose flowers and have the venue personnel or a talented friend place the flowers artfully in tall glass vases. (the arranging is usually done for free, but check first!)

Warnings

 * Sometimes Do-It-Yourself projects cost just as much as buying or renting the finished product. And the time costs can be enormous when you have so much else to do.
 * Don't forget to include postage costs in your budget. After invitations (usually at 60 cents), reply cards (use postcards instead of envelopes), and a zillion thank you cards, it really adds up.
 * When you are considering the cost of postage check with the Post Office to find out if there is going to be a rate increase. This can blow your budget.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make a Cupcake Wedding Cake
 * How to Lower Wedding Cake Price
 * How to Have a Small Private Wedding
 * How to Obtain a Prenuptial Agreement
 * How to Choose a Wedding Florist
 * How to Personalize Your Wedding
 * How to Plan Your Wedding
 * How to Buy Wedding Invitations
 * How to Defend Traditional Marriage
 * How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
 * How to Choose a Wedding Chapel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
 * How to Clean a Wedding Gown
 * How to Arrange Flowers
 * How to Choose a Gift for Your Friends
 * How to Know Where to Sit at a Wedding
 * How to Make Bridal Earrings

Sources and Citations

 * http://www.discountbridal.org/
 * http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/311176/how_to_save_money_on_your_wedding.html
 * http://www.projectwedding.com
 * Have a Special Friend or Family Member Officiate Your Wedding