So you’re planning a wedding and don’t know where to start and you don’t want to hobble your first steps into your new life together by wrecking your finances over some lavish, frivolous party that most of your family and friends will get far too ..ummm HAPPY (yes that's the word) at to remember anyway!On the other hand, you want to have a fun, classy and memorable day that will still be everything you ever dreamed your wedding would be. How to merge these two seemingly polar-opposite philosophies into one, may seem like an impossible feat, but never fear! There are a million ways to save piles of cash on your wedding day and I’m going to show you how.Ultra Low-Budget -Board A Boat! - Grab 2 bottles of “2 buck chuck” and head for the docks! That’s right! A Captain of a sea vessel has the authority to marry your thrifty butt!
By the way, one bottle is for the Captain, the other bottle has a dual purpose - first, to drink of course. The other purpose is that you can use your bottle as a weapon which you will need to get off the boat once the captain realizes you stole his bottle too!
Super Low Budget - Find A Judge -March your betroved buns down to the courthouse, sign some papers, pay about fifty bucks and get married by the Justice O’ the Peace!
Actually, this is what my wife and I did initially (we held a larger celebration a year later on the same date). Our service at the courthouse actually turned out to be a very special, intimate, unexpected, impromptu, personal and private moment in our lives which we will always treasure and remember … and then my lunch break ended.
Somewhat Low Budget - Elope To Vegas -Hey, who doesn’t want to run off to Vegas and get hitched by a hologram of ELVIS !? Hotel rooms are still somewhat reasonably priced and you’re already at a great honeymoon destination! If you don’t gamble - even better! There’s tons of free entertainment to take in at most hotels on the strip from the bird shows and aerial acrobatics at the Tropicana to the opera and marching gondoliers at the Venetian to the free circus acts at Circus Circus to the sexy Sirens Of T.I. At Treasure Island. Let’s not forget the fountains at the Bellagio and last but certainly not least - the M&M Museum where you can take in a free 3D motion simulator movie on a quest to find Red M&M’s lost “M” (which he lost shooting craps).
Low Budget - Throw A Picnic -OK, now you’re really going to think I’m cheap, and actually you’re right. Exactly one year to the date after my wife and I were married at the courthouse by a judge on my lunchbreak, we figured we couldn’t get away with lying to our Mothers forever so we decided to throw a picnic wedding on the same date the following year (thankfully it fell on a Saturday). We reserved a cabin at a park from the city Department of Parks and Recreation ($800), got a keg of beer, a few boxes of wine, some deli trays from the grocery store, drove a car up onto the lawn and popped the trunk for the ceremony music, got a Wiccan priestess with some sort of power amulet around her neck to do the service (about $100) and hired a band of some friends for a couple hundred bucks to play music nobody was familiar with and fewer actually liked. Somebody bought a cake for us and quite honestly I can’t remember the rest (keg of beer…) except that we drove to Vegas the next day and got re-married by a hologram of ELVIS (and saw some horrible 3D movie about M&Ms while nursing a horrible hangover).
THROWING A “REAL” WEDDINGOK… Had enough of my bargain-basement loser tips and want some cost-cutting tips for a REAL wedding? You’re in luck because I am a professional wedding vendor (I coordinate entertainment usually, but work very closely with event planners and other vendors). Here we go…
When to Get Married -The off-season times are always the most cost-effective. January, February, March and November are the best months to save. Also, most weddings are held on Saturdays so go for a Sunday instead.
Where to Get Married -Renting a facility from your city’s Parks and Recreation Department can be quite a savings usually since the location is already partially subsidized with taxpayer money.
Perhaps you have a friend with a beautiful home who would be willing to host (you should pick up the cleaning tab and take them out for a nice dinner later of course).
If you belong to a church, consider having your ceremony and reception there if they will allow. I’m sure it won’t be free, but it could be a way to save some money and also tithe to your church at the same time.
Getting the Duds (Wardrobe) -I have no idea why brides want to always keep their wedding dress. Their daughters don’t want to wear a dress from 15 years ago (do the math and get the joke…) and it just sits in a box for the rest of their life.
I would recommend renting a dress, but if that’s just too tacky to consider, try doing your shopping just after prom time and just after New Years when formal dresses are less expensive. Also, avoid silk. Polyester blends don’t wrinkle as much and clean up is a bit easier. Also, keep an eye out for blow-out sales which most larger bridal shops hold annually.
As far as men’s tuxedo’s go - Guys really couldn’t care less what they are wearing on their wedding day, most rentals run about the same and nobody’s looking at the groom anyway. He really is just a stage prop on this day and most of his time will be spent under the beer tap, so if anything, get something that will repel liquids and clean up easily, like a bib. (The equation is actually quite simple: Groom = deer, Wedding = headlights, Marriage = truck!)
Save Some Blooming Bucks! - (Flowers)Of course the bride should have fresh flowers, but consider silk for the rest of the decor and centerpieces. Some wedding planners will provide silk arrangements which can later be returned instead of purchasing outright.
Guest Favors -Truth is, nobody cares about the favors and nobody really wants them. But if you are going to bother, make it something fun that will liven up the party like noise makers or bubbles (my wife’s idea and what we did. The bubbles were actually a lot of fun.) Shop at dollar stores and don’t stress over this one.
Invitations to the Celebration!
Get some nice parchment paper and envelopes and print up invitations at home in your printer. If you’re not handy with design, have a friend who is good at Photoshop or even just Microsoft Word whip it up for you.
Taking the Cake !Have a Betty Crocker baking party and make your own cake, hit it with the white frosting, throw some silk flowers on it and viola! It will probably taste better than anything you’re going to buy from a boutique. Or buy a cake from a grocery store. Seriously! Some of these cakes are insanely good! Just get it plain white and then decorate it yourself by placing silk flowers on and around it. You can buy cake tiers at most party supply stores for super cheap and can sometimes even find them in dollar stores.
Hair and Makeup -Ladies, if you’ve made it far enough through your life to the point where you’re getting married, odds are you already know how to do your own hair and makeup and the guy already likes the way you look. Nuff sed. Save the money.
Catering to Your Tastes (choosing a Caterer)Choosing a caterer is actually important because if the food is bad, that WILL be something everyone remembers.
Be sure to try and choose foods that most people will like and avoid really exotic things like raw camel meat. Be sure to have some vegetarian options available as well. There’s always at least one vegan in every bunch.
Be sure that your caterer supplies everything you need like table cloths, plates, glassware, napkins, etc.
Buffet style is usually best because not only do you not have to hire people to hand serve your guests, but they can get up and choose exactly what they want. This gets people up and moving and generally having a bit more fun interacting with one another.
Wine is normally a given at a wedding. Better yet, put cheap champagne at every table which can also be used for the toast and give everyone headaches and move ‘em out faster at the end.
Beer and Liquor (now we’re talking!) - Having a cash bar for beer and liquor is almost always perfectly acceptable.
Picture This! (photos and video)Want to have a lot of fun, get photographs that will be much more personal and fun and save a ton of cash!? Put disposable cameras on all the tables and let your guests snap away! You already know close family members will have their own cameras at your wedding anyway, so foregoing a professional photographer should not even be a concern.
If you must hire a professional photographer, make sure they come with strong references and you get to keep the negatives so you don’t have to go to them every time you want a copy.
As far as video goes - Have a few friends bring their video cameras and let them know the parts you would like to have and don’t shoot a bunch of extras. If you want editing, most people with decent video cameras will also have some editing savvy. Just take them out to a nice dinner in exchange or take the footage to a professional editor who will make it all look nice.
Fancy Schmancy Transpo! (Limo ride)If you are having the ceremony and reception in the same place, you really don’t need any special transportation at all, and limos cost bucks. Besides, your old jalopy with some cans tied to the back and “Just Married” written in soap across the back window is a helluva a lot more fun and charming anyway!
Choosik Your Musik! (Live music or DJ?)As a professional musician and wedding entertainer myself, I can tell you upfront that it is a misnomer that a DJ is less expensive than a band. There are exceptions to this of course. There are bargains to be found with DJs and with bands due to the competitive nature of the business, but usually a professional DJ will charge about the same as a 3 or 4 piece reception band (around $1200 give or take a few hundred).
You may want to go with a DJ if you want a lot of different styles of music. Some people have concerns about the volume of the music and sometimes it is easier to control the volume of a DJ than a band. Professional bands should have no problem controlling their volume, but if you are really bargain-hunting, odds are you will end up with a less professional band with less polish and experience controlling their dynamics and fewer styles to offer, whereas with a DJ, all they have to do is turn down one volume knob.
One thing to look for with choosing live music - You may wish to consider hiring live entertainers who can provide music for both ceremony and reception. Most people would not want a DJ for the ceremony, but live musicians can often include both ceremony and reception as a package deal and will often include any desired Emcee services (wedding party announcements, bouquet toss, etc) at no additional charge. This could save money over hiring live musicians for the ceremony and also a DJ for the reception. (Shameless plug, I am personally a professional guitarist, vocalist AND DJ, so I can often provide live for the ceremony and DJ for the reception and save my clients a significant amount of money over having to hire multiple providers! Here's my website:
http://www.neil-smith.com )
Coordinate This! (Wedding coordinators)A good wedding coordinator can be worth their weight in gold as they take the bulk of the intricacies off your plate. BUT if you are watching your budget, consider using just a "Day of" coordinator to simply keep your vendors and the timeline on track so you can enjoy your wedding instead of worrying about whether or not the announcements are made on time, or if the food is coming out on time or when the first dance or the cake-cutting is.
I wish you all the best for a wonderful wedding and would like to leave you with one last thought:
HAVE FUN! This is the absolute most important thing you can do on your wedding day. Don't get caught up and stressed over every minor detail. I have NEVER been to a wedding where the timeline stayed exactly on track or something somewhere didn't go exactly as planned, but if everyone is having fun and keeping things loose and high-spirited, it is always
A SMASHING SUCCESS!You may learn more about my wedding and event music services at my website http://www.neil-smith.comAnd for more great money saving and also entrepreneurial-themed articles, please visit my financial blog at http://www.letsgetahead.com !
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