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The Most Important
Money Saving
Tips
You will save yourself an enormous amount of money if you
get married during the off-season months in winter.
Getting married on any other of the week other than
Saturday.
There is no official name for this disease but many brides
get it.
1st Symptom - around 3 months before your wedding, you'll
begin to second-guess your decisions.
2nd Symptom - You'll get scared and think about what you can
do to make your wedding better or more unique.
3rd Symptom - Then you'll ask friends, family, co-workers
and anyone that will listen to you, about what they think of
your new ideas.
4th Symptom - and most dangerous…you make a few phone calls
and start up-grading a few of your packages.
The Cure - stick to your original budget. As the wedding
draws near, your emotions take over…ignore them.
Vendors are well aware of the disease. That's why every
contract allows for you to upgrade a package at any time but
there are rarely loopholes for downgrading.
The Wedding Attire Search
If finances don't allow you to purchase a designer wedding
dress, consider renting. Look at it this way, if you're the
type who wouldn't even consider wearing your mother's dress,
why do you need one collecting dust in the closet.
Never mind buying an expensive silk gown. Stick to polyester
blends. They're cheaper, don't wrinkle as much and are
easier to clean.
The more beading and detail on the gown, the more expensive.
Most of the big bridal shops have huge sales once a year,
usually held at hotels or other big venues.
To take care of the something old-new-borrowed-blue, look to
family and friends for items you can use.
Go shopping for bridesmaids' dresses during prom season and
after New Years. There's nothing written in stone that says
you have to buy your bridesmaids dresses at a wedding shop,
and generally your prices will be a bit cheaper elsewhere.
Shop for those pretty little wedding shoes in the summer,
when white shoes are on the shelves of every shoe and
department store, or you'll have to buy them in a bridal
shop and pay their prices. Shop in the afternoon, your feet
swell during the day and they'll also be swollen on your
wedding day. FB prime advice ... try "Payless".
Men's Tuxedo rentals are pretty much all the same price no
matter where you go. The thing to check on is the condition
of the suits and accessories.
Flower Power
Unless you plan on keeping your bouquet on display in your
home, don't bother with a duplicate to toss.
Instead of tossing your whole bouquet, just pick one flower
to throw. We all know what condition the bride's bouquet is
in after 30 women (or more) start clawing at it.
Silk flowers save you a lot of money and they're already
preserved. The Bride can have fresh flowers, but there
really isn't any need for everyone else to go fresh.
If you're using flowers in your centrepieces, decorations or
large altar arrangements, go with silk. Would be nice if
your guests could actually use the centrepieces that they
just won again. You could re-use the decorations and larger
arrangements at home, party accents or resell them on the
Babbling Brides Board to another FB.
I Have No Idea How To Decorate!
To decorate the head table and save money buy vases, line
them up and place the bouquets in them on the table and
place votives in between.
Before shopping for candles and candleholders anywhere else,
be sure to check out a couple of dollar stores.
Dollar stores and chains like Wal-Mart and Zeller's also
carry many items that can be used to decorate your ceremony
or reception locations.
When decorating the church or reception venue use silk
flowers.
Check with your florist or garden centre to see if you can
rent plants, some places do.
Kill 2 birds with one stone and use your guest favours/bomboniere
as your centrepieces. Buy a raised cake plate and display
the favours on each table. Your MC can make an announcement
explaining.
How Can I Cut Corners on the Invitations?
To make your invitations more personal and less expensive,
do them yourself. There are a number of paper stores and
websites availabile where you can find original ideas and
ways to make your own invitations.
Order your invitations over the Internet instead of a
printing shop (it's a little cheaper). Mail order is another
possibility.
Order a plain invitation from a company and decorate it
yourself. All you need is a hole-puncher and some ribbon
and/or parchment paper.
I Don't Want to Spend a Fortune on Favours/Bomboniere
Please, go to a DOLLAR STORE first and check out their
selection of party favours.
Some bomboniere stores decorate the gift for free and some
don't, so make sure you ask.
Instead of buying a trinket that will be tossed into a
drawer, make a donation to a charity. This is a new trend
that many brides are choosing. Pick a cause that means
something to you. Your MC can say something like: "Instead
of favours, the couple has decided to make a donation in
their name to the Lung Cancer Society. The bride's
grandfather passed 3 years ago from this disease." Donations
always get a round of applause…ever see anyone clap for a
candy dish?
Wedding Cakes too expensive? No Problem!
Buying a cake made with different flavoured tiers will save
you money as you wouldn't necessarily require a dessert
table.
To get away with not paying a cake cutting fee at your
venue, purchase their sweet table but serve your wedding
cake for dessert. This means you'll have to do your cake
cutting as soon as your wedding party does their entrance.
The staff will take the cake away and have it cut and plated
in time for dessert.
If you're having a dessert table, you really don't need to
buy an elaborate wedding cake, try renting.
Buy a plain wedding cake and decorate it yourself with silk
or fresh flowers.
What about my Hair & Makeup?
Try to hire one person or company that does both hair and
makeup.
Only the bride needs a trial.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $100 for hair and
$30 to $85 for makeup. Know that the more women you have
that need these services, the cheaper the cost per person.
If hair accessories are going to be put in anyone's hair,
make sure you buy them yourself. If you leave this up to the
hair stylist it'll cost more.
If you have sensitive skin, we suggest that you do not go
for a facial the week before your wedding. You don't want to
be all broke out for the big day.
Please get your nails done and make sure the groom's hands
are also manicured. More than likely you'll be getting a
picture that shows your hands and the wedding bands. People
will be constantly asking to see your rings.
Lastly, try to find a makeup and hair vendor that will do a
trial a few months before the wedding. It gives you time to
work out any areas you are not happy with and makes the
wedding day process much quicker
Using a Caterer & choosing a Reception Venue
Hire a caterer that supplies everything you need, plates,
glassware, table cloths, etc.
Make sure you're only charged for the services that you
need. Some caterers have packages that include decorating
and other items. If your venue is decorated already you
won't need the extras. Extras should be deducted from the
bill or replaced with something else you want.
Pick fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Stick to serving food that everyone is familiar with. Fancy
food is expensive.
Buffets generally cost a good deal less and give your guests
the opportunity to get up and mingle with the other guests,
and they can pick exactly what they would like to eat.
Make sure to read your contract and check to see if the
gratuity is included. This goes for all services.
Booking a venue that allows you to buy your own liquor is
more work but saves you money.
Depending on your culture and where you live in Canada,
having a cash bar is totally acceptable. This can be a huge
money saver.
Consider only serving wine and domestic beers.
Liquor (vodka, rum, rye, scotch) plus all the different
mixes you'll need adds to your expenses.
Liqueurs like Grand Marnier, Sambucca, etc. can put a real
strain on the liquor budget.
Do you really need that Champagne toast?
Common sense tip - the more guests the more cash you're
going to put out.
Holding your reception in a hotel has a lot of good points.
They usually decorate, have professional services, i.e. DJ,
can cater well to large groups, and most likely will include
the honeymoon suite, with discounted rooms for out-of-town
guests.
If you're having a wedding with 75 guests or under, consider
having your reception at your favourite restaurant. You will
already know the staff and how the food is.
Order child meals for kids under 11.
Order a teen meal (same as adults but no liquor) for ages 12
to 17.
Your reception is the biggest expense. It's also where you
can save the most money if you shop around and plan well!
Photographers charge too much!
Photographers equipment and workflow costs alone are huge.
Then there are batteries, flash cards, an assistant, wear
and tear on their vehicle, insurance coverage, and the hours
of work on and after the wedding that they factor into their
pricing. On top of that you then pay for the creative talent
of the photographer. You can save money on enlargements and
albums but don't penny pinch when it comes to the
photographer. After your wedding day, the only things you
have left are your pictures and your video. These are the
only 2 services that last a lifetime and can be passed down
to the next generation.
Biggest tip - hire a photographer that gives you your
digital high resolution files, that way you can make as many
copies of pictures from your wedding day as you want without
having to order them from your photographer.
If you choose a photographer that does not give you your
files, always find out how long they keep your files for,
and ask if you can obtain them when they are ready to
discard them. Most photographers in general don't keep
digital negatives past 3 years. Be prepared that some
photographers still may charge a fee for providing your with
the files. If its 3 years after your wedding, you can
prepare for that fee and remember again that its the only
memories of your wedding day.
$1000.00 for a photographer is a great price but if they
charge $40.00 for an 8 X 10, where's the savings. Don't just
look at the photo packages or wedding day shoot costs, ask
how much their enlargements and albums are.
If a package includes a couple's album and 2 parent albums,
ask how much that same package would cost without any
albums. Sometimes it's worth the savings to buy your own
albums elsewhere and sometimes it's better to take the
albums offered by your photographer.
Unless you're doing a formal shoot at the bride or groom's
house, you don't need a photographer there. Your wedding
party and family will have their cameras out anyway.
A great idea is to not have the photographer stay for the
reception. Saves a lot of coverage time. If you want to do
this, simply do your first dance and cake cutting when you
are introduced. The photographer can stay to capture that
and leave at the point that you sit down for dinner.
You don't need your photographer to stay until 1am. Once the
bouquet and garter tosses have taken place, there are no
more major events to shoot. Your 1st & last dances look the
same on film.
I think I'll just forget about a Video
Some couples think that having a video is a waste of money.
How many times will we actually watch it? As necessary as
still pictures are they can not capture the mood, movement
and sounds of your wedding day like a movie can. One of the
biggest misconceptions is that you have a great memory and
you'll remember everything about your day. You won't, you
can't, there are too many things going on and you're on
cloud 9. Keep this in mind.
Go for packages with one camera coverage
Pick a package with limited editing or none at all.
If you can't afford a professional video, ask a friend or 2
that own their own video cameras to shoot the day for you.
Putting an unfamiliar camera in someone else's hands is
useless. Professionals know what to shoot and how to shoot
it. So, give your friend a list of events that you want
footage of and how you want each shot, for the entire day.
Example:
Pre-Ceremony: Close-up footage for 10-seconds of the
different decorations.(altar arrangements, pew bows, wreath
outside and unity candle)
The guys waiting. Ask the groom what he's thinking about.
The guests arriving (especially immediate family)
Do I Have To Pay a Fortune for Transportation?
Shop around, there are so many limousine companies out
there. Prices do vary.
There is no rule anywhere that says, "You have to have a
stretch limousine." The smaller the car the cheaper.
Other than the car and uniformed chauffeur, you really don't
need any other extras.
You can also save money by renting your vehicles from
Budget, Hertz, etc. They all have new model luxury cars,
sports cars and SUVs.
You really don't need the limousine to take you home after
the reception. Late-night pick-ups cost $100.00+
Before the ceremony, have the limo pick up the bride and her
bridesmaids. The groom, groomsmen and parents can take their
own vehicles to the church. After the ceremony, the bride
and groom can take the limo and the bridesmaids can hop in
the groomsmen's cars.
You may already know someone that owns a Cadillac or
Lincoln, a fancy sports car or for fun a Beetle or an
antique car. Give this person a call.
Some couples need more then one limo. If this is the case
for you, compare the cost of 2 to 3 limos vs. the cost of 1
limo bus or Chartered Bus.
Choosing Your Music Service
Common sense, the least amount of people providing a
service, the cheaper.
Ceremony - An organist is cheaper than a string duo, which
is cheaper than a trio
Reception - A DJ is cheaper than a band
The least amount of extras the cheaper. Lighting, smoke &
bubble machines, other props, costumes, give-aways,
fireworks, the list is endless, all cost money. It's up to
you.
A really expensive package doesn't mean that your party will
last longer or that your non-dancing guests will feel the
need to shake their booty for the first time in their life.
But a crappy DJ or band will ruin your reception.
Do I really need a Wedding Coordinator or Planner?
Let's face it, the ONLY service you need to get married is
an officiant.
Most wedding coordinators can save you money because they
know…
about all the tips mentioned above plus more
what to say to and ask your vendors
They have connections in the industry.
You really don't need a coordinator at your reception once
the dance floor is open to your guests. That usually happens
between 9-10pm.
You could hire a wedding consultant to help with the final
stages of your wedding; creating a detailed wedding day
itinerary, making up a checklist for items at the ceremony &
reception locations, and confirming with your vendors. While
she won't be in attendance at your wedding, she has planned
the day smoothly on paper. As long as you follow the times
closely (not exactly) and do the events in the same order as
the itinerary states, you'll be fine.
You can appoint a friend or family member to be your
honorary coordinator. Give her an itinerary, checklists
(ceremony & reception items, photo and music list) and phone
numbers for all your vendors. The honorary coordinator
should be someone that's organized, the more
obsessive-compulsive the better and not scared to open her
mouth when something goes wrong.
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layout design included. picture shown are actual design
done. copyright lovelyvictorian.
*album
layout design included. picture shown are actual design
done. copyright lovelyvictorian.
*album
layout design included. picture shown are actual design
done. copyright lovelyvictorian.
*album
layout design included. picture shown are actual design
done. copyright lovelyvictorian.
*album
layout design included. picture shown are actual design
done. copyright lovelyvictorian.
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