How To Keep Wedding Costs Down

By Lizbeth Nathaniel


While many people spend as much as $30,000 or more on a grand wedding extravaganza, many couples prefer a more modest affair. There are many ways to create a beautiful wedding on a strict budget. Here are a few tips and tricks that will bring down the cost of your special day without sacrificing the romance.

About $1,000 or more are sometimes spent on the bride's wedding dress and this is quite expensive, especially considering that it does not include costs for alteration, shoes and your special veil. Renting a dress or opting to buy used ones from Craigslist, eBay or some local stores on consignment can be great. Instead of a veil, you can put your hair up and embellish it with little flowers to look cute.

Invitations are another item that eats up the wedding budget unnecessarily and these days, you can create your own simple, but pretty invitations online for about $1 per invitation or less. You could even simply conserve the paper and send out an online invitation. These are typically free and allow you to track who is come or not coming rather easily. They also send reminders out to guests, which can be quite helpful.

The wedding cake also can be quite expensive, and some are more than $1,000. Rather than shop at a wedding cake designer's shop, check out your local bakeries and even grocery store bakeries. They often have much lower prices than a custom cake designer. You also could opt for a small pretty cake for you and your spouse to cut and serve cupcakes or sheet cakes for the rest of the guests or even a buffet with candy, brownies, cookies and other homemade goodies. As long as it tastes good, guests are sure to enjoy their dessert.

Maybe you can consider holding your wedding and reception at home or at a friend's abode for you to save. You can then rent some tables and chairs and place orders for floral centerpieces from a florist in San Clemente. Most of the florists these days have their respective websites catering to orders you can place online and have them delivered in a matter of minutes. Perhaps it would help if you check out florists in nearby Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Carlsbad for possible great offers. Great deals might be awaiting you for a package of floral centerpieces, bridal bouquet and some more add-ons.

To cut costs for the reception, limit the amount of alcohol you serve and consider opting for a hearty buffet dinner rather than a sit down meal that must be served to guests. You can set out trays of simple appetizers such as fruit and cheese plates to tide guests over before dinner is served. If you wish to serve alcohol, consider just serving wine, beer and one type of cocktail rather than having an open bar.




About the Author: