I remember sitting down to try and think of every one that both families would want to have at the wedding.  To my surprise (and dismay) The first draft was 500!  Even at bargin basement prices the price tag was $10,000, just for the food.  Now came the hard part ,who to take off the list.   I found that if you have not seen the person for 1 year or more … off they come ( and this goes for family, as well as friends.)  Next look for people that most likely will not come,  people that you work with, and friends, and family.  We all  know that we have these people on the list.

One option to help sooth ruffled feathers is to consider doing a wedding anouncement for these people.  This can simply be a simple card that you design and print from your own computer that states that … you were married on the date and where, and where you are living.  ( Remember some may still send cards and gifts.

After this had been done we were down to 175 for guests and had saved $6500!!!

For our wedding, the savings at this point had reached $$7300, dollars.

Next time The food and drink.

Who to have in the wedding party and who not to have…. that is the question.  We all have had the nightmare of  trying to make every one happy, include every one that is important to the family, but this is not what may make us happy.

You are the bride and groom, so pick the one person who is most important in your life for the maid of  honor, and best man. If you feel that you need more people in the wedding, because they are important to you, then fine, otherwise find other areas that these important people can help you with, master and mistress of ceremony, cutting the cake for you,( save twice on this idea, as many times this is an extra charge to you, and is charged by the person), guest book and many other areas that they could help.  Very simply at bargin prices, going from five attendants each to one each you can save at least $350, just on flowers.  You will also save on gifts for the attendants.  The other savings come in for your attendants, remember they may be trying to save money as well( or can not afford it at all, and do not want to hurt your feelings by saying no.

Next time the wedding guest list, let me know how this works for you.

One of the most important things to do to save money on your wedding is to set up a budget.  Knowing how much you want or can spend on each item is a great way to keep track  of the money.  I suggest that you set up a budget of what you want to spend  on each item.  Buy a 3 ring binder to place and organize your information. Seperate it into neat sections.   Then have one for each hall, church ,  caterer,  and so on, place these  into the binder under the category that it falls under.  You now have all the prices and choices in one spot for fast and easy reference, and you can throw the ones that you are finished with.

I found a great and FREE one that you can print out as many times as you would like at pashweddings.com

Let me know how this works for you.  Next time we will start saving money by how many freinds are to many in the wedding party!!

Bad economy and all brides are still going to say yes! Those four words, “Will You Marry Me?” will still be asked. The question and answers come with hesitations though. Not because of lack of love, rather because of the price of having the perfect wedding. Instead of saying “no thank you, we can’t afford it”, the future couples for life are looking for cheaper alternatives. According to an article on Fox Business, Brides on a Budget: 75% of Weddings Being Scaled Back, 77% of respondents to a David’s Bridal survey said that the size of debt was more important than having the biggest and best wedding.

Couples are getting more creative with controlling costs. Jennifer Mae Fletke and Chris Watters from California decided to barter with businesses that provided services that they needed. Armed with skill and knowledge of videotaping and editing, this couple decided to offer their services in exchange for everything from wedding coordination to Jennifer’s wedding dress. You can read more on how they did it on CNN, (She bartered her way to a dream wedding).

Brides and grooms all over are now looking for those cheaper wedding ideas, wedding flowers, reception and ceremony decorations, wedding transportation, and cheap wedding reception meals. Over the next few weeks follow us as we discover and review great inexpensive wedding ideas, products, and services. We’ll scour the Internet for the best and most affordable and provide them to you.

A little while back we had a great question from one of our readers, Angela.  Angela writes:

“Hello, I am in the process of purchasing some gerbera daisies for my centrepieces. My colors are fuchsia and rose pink. I was wondering what flowers can I use for the bouttoneires?  The bridesmaids will also be using gerbera daisies but I think that flower will be too large for the groomsmen”

Although I did post a response comment, I thought better about it and have decided to feature and answer some our reader’s question directly in a post! 

Angela,

You could always use a smaller sized gerbera daisy flower for the boutonnieres.  However, if you can’t find a daisy to your liking, I would suggest a small, bright, and cheery flower such as freesias, sweet peas, or baby cosmos in the same shade as your other wedding flowers.  You could even incorporate these blooms into your bouquets if possible!

I hope this helps!

         
Freesia                                              Sweet Pea                                       Baby Cosmos