Weddings On a Budget

In the January, 2008 issue of Hartford Magazine there is an article about weddings and planning. I really found this to be an interesting article and found it even more interesting that I cut out some of the things they suggest in my wedding to help control costs. Here is some of the advice they have to offer:

1. Know what your budget is before you talk to anyone.
2. Set your budget and stick to it.
3. Tell your vendors what your budget is and ask that they not show you anything that does not fit within your set budget. The example they use is: If you were looking for a house in the $200,000 bracket, you wouldn't go look at a $350,000 house.
4. You may have to make concessions (i.e. fewer guests or choose flowers that are in season (i.e. you would not have tulips in January in CT.))
5. Guests remember certain things, napkins, centerpieces, chair covers and favors are not among them.
6. What leaves a lasting impression is the bride and groom, food and drink, the music and how much fun they had. Remember this is the first event you are hosting as husband and wife.
7. Do not skimp on location, they also say not to cut out an open bar. Maybe limit your open bar to beer, wine and less expensive liquor.
8. You can also cut corners on the gifts and eliminate the limousines.
9. Choose an off peak period to get married.
10. Splurge on what is most important to you and your spouse to be.

Finally my most favorite quote of advice: "First and foremost, it's about your marriage. So many couples lose sight of that. You are getting married. You are making a commitment and everything after that is second fiddle." WOW, how true. You get so wrapped up in the planning and details, you need to give yourself a pulse check and remind yourself what you are planning and what it means.

I found it helpful that my reception site had a lot to offer and had a wide selection of options to help control my costs. My reception was the most expensive part of my wedding, but EVERYTHING was included. I had my wedding at the Glastonbury Hills Country Club and the cost per person was $71.00, this is considered their Premium Package. It included 5 hours of open bar, champagne and wine guest greeting, the champagne toast, assorted cheese display during the cocktail hour, self serve coffee bar throughout the reception, 4 hot-hand passed hors d'oeuvres, an appetizer, salad, 3 entree choices (beef, chicken and fish) and the wedding cake. The staff was amazing, the site was beautiful, the food was great and we have received many compliments about our wedding.

Here is what I cut out of my wedding to help with costs: I really wanted chair covers and felt it really made the room. When I started pricing them out I realized I was looking at an additional $600+ and felt this just wasn't necessary. I also wanted a limo and when I started pricing those out, I just couldn't get myself to pay that much money for what they call 3 hours of service. The 3 hours consists of picking up the bride and girls at the house, bringing them to the church, after the church bringing them to take pictures and then to the reception. Everything for me was in the same town so I would not have even needed 3 hours. My husband and I priced out Cadillacs through local car rental companies. We ended up finding one for around $70. He and my good friend picked up the car the morning of the wedding and then my good friend, Ronnie, who was also in our wedding was my driver. It was very special and saved us so much money. Then when the wedding was done, we drove the car to our hotel room and returned it the next morning at the airport. This really made it a lot easier for everyone.

I was also able to save money by buying as much as I could online and not settling for the first thing I found. Shopped around and waited for sales. I also used the reception sites centerpieces but dressed them up a bit to make it more personal. We got married in November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In meeting with our priest he suggested that we not get flowers for the church as it would still be decorated from Thanksgiving. He also was not keen on us using a runner. We decided that his ideas were great because we left the church exactly as it was and it became more about the ceremony than all of the decorations.

I have many more ideas on how to save money and will share them in my future blogs. Hope this helps someone and look forward to sharing more of my ideas. Happy planning!