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How to Get Married Without Going
Broke
By: Sara Wilson
If
you’re like many brides-to-be, you may have discovered that some aspects of
your dream wedding are just too big for your budget. The good news is, you
don’t have to settle for less. You can still have your dream wedding without giving
up the dream. Here’s how:
The
Invitations:
·
Make and print
your own! The cost of materials will be far less than what you would pay a
company to do custom printing for you. Plenty of stores carry wedding
invitation kits that include blank cards and matching envelopes. All that you
need to do is add the copy and print!
The
Dress, the Veil, & the Accessories:
·
Look for close
out sales. It may sound like a cheap thing to do, but a lot of quality wedding
stores go out of business every year and offer their merchandise for 50-75
percent off of the original retail price. The best part is that most stores
that specialize in weddings don’t just offer dresses, but also cake knives,
guest books, feather pens, garters, bride and groom champagne flutes, and
more! In one stop, you could save yourself literally hundreds of dollars and
get most of your accessory shopping done.
·
No one said that
bridal jewelry had to be real. Your groom is the only one who is going to get
that close to you on your big day and your jewelry is probably the last thing
that he’ll notice. Consider buying convincing-looking costume jewelry as
opposed to the real thing. It will look just as beautiful and no one will be
the wiser.
·
Another place to
shop for wedding dresses that you might not have otherwise considered is party
stores. A lot of party stores carry a small collection of wedding gowns at
competitive prices.
·
Try to purchase
a wedding gown that is your size and requires no or minimal alterations.
·
As far as your
flowers are concerned, if you shop carefully, faux flowers can appear
deceivingly close to the real thing. They cost significantly less, they never
die, and you can keep your bridal bouquet forever.
The
Talent:
When it
comes to various talents and services at a wedding, calling on friends and
family who are qualified or talented in any of the following areas could save
you a bundle:
·
Singers.
·
Those who play
instruments.
·
Officiates.
·
Photographers.
·
Videographers.
·
Florists or
those who have done floral arranging.
·
Seamstresses/Tailors.
·
Hairdressers.
·
Bakers/Cake
Decorators.
The
Location:
·
Outdoors is
best. If you or someone you know has a sizeable back yard, that would be
ideal. It’s quaint, it’s intimate, and there are absolutely no fees for use of
the property.
·
Some churches
offer the use of their building for free, if you’re a member. If you belong to
a church, you may call your church to inquire.
The
Rehearsal Dinner:
·
Rehearsals are
traditionally very formal and so are the meals that follow them. Why not
change it up a bit? After all, these are your friends and family and you’re
getting married the next day! It’s a time for celebration! A great
alternative to the rehearsal dinner tradition that is oh-so-friendly to your
budget is to host a homemade rehearsal dinner. If you’re getting married in
the summer, this could be an informal barbecue at a park. If you’re getting
married in the winter months, a cozy meal of chili followed by hot cocoa would
certainly warm your guests up. Be creative with it and, by all means, recruit
a friend or family member (or several) to help in setting up and cooking. You
might even host a potluck! Your wedding party is sure to remember how personal
and warm your rehearsal dinner was.
The
Reception:
·
Try to schedule
your reception around 2 PM. It’s in between lunch and dinner and, as most
guests have eaten by then, you need only provide cake and punch.
·
To save money on
your wedding cake, consider purchasing one from a supermarket bakery. They
usually have catalogs that you can flip through, to find a design that you
like, and their prices are generally far below those of professional bakeries.
·
As with the
wedding ceremony, the least expensive place to hold your reception is
outdoors. However, if that is not an option, a lot of churches will allow you
to hold receptions in them, for free, if you also have your ceremony there. If
that doesn’t work for the two of you, try getting price quotes from unlikely
venues, such as hotels or your local activity center. Any place that has big,
open spaces likely also rents said space out for events. Since most people don’t
usually think of these places for receptions, they’re often not booked up and
offer reasonable pricing.
There
you have it: plenty of ways to have the big, beautiful wedding that you’ve
always dreamed of without the enormous price tag. Working within a budget doesn’t
have to mean sacrificing what you want, just as having a wedding doesn’t have
to mean going broke. A little creativity and a lot of resourcefulness will
ensure that your big day is as special and as beautiful as you want it to be
and that the two of you will remember it as long as you both shall live.
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