Tips For Saving On Weddings

[funnyvalentine]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

An unusual location can set the stage for many other details that can cost less. If you think outside the box, you'll discover that there are many things about weddings that are not engraved in stone.

A setting in a public park, museum, other unusual site (I've done two in drive in movies!) can make a lot of less expensive options appropriate, as far as flowers, clothing, music, etc.

[MairGrif]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

An unusual location can set the stage for many other details that can cost less. If you think outside the box, you'll discover that there are many things about weddings that are not engraved in stone.

A setting in a public park, museum, other unusual site (I've done two in drive in movies!) can make a lot of less expensive options appropriate, as far as flowers, clothing, music, etc.

As I am currently planning my wedding, and have watched two friends plan in the past year, I have two comments on some of the recent postings:

1) An unusual location can often be just as expensive, as you need to rent everything separately - often nothing but the location is included, literally.

2) This may be different in other areas, but in the NYC metro area while costs to the caterer are the same no matter what time of year the event is held, many places can and DO charge more for weddings than other events, and charge more for weddings during the 'wedding season' than in the off season. Having researched both kinds of events, I have the paperwork to prove it.

There are many ways to cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding. I think it is a matter of setting priorities, doing research and remembering that the wedding last one day, the marriage lasts the rest of your life.

[funnyvalentine]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

There are several very good reasons why wedding cost more than other events, not the least of it is the emotional importance to the family and the time that goes into planning and coordinating it on the caterers' side of things. There is infinitely more detail, and the planning typically takes multiple meetings, not just a phone call. There is the very real notion that the event is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime party, and everything has to be right the first time. There is much more scrutiny of food and staff.. There is not other type of party, at least at my company, that demands the attention and concentration of our staff, pre party, chef staff, and on site. There is very often at least one tasting and an on site visit, all of which spelll out staff time. During "wedding season", there is also the expense of bringing in more staff, renting more equiptment, and seasonal increases in wholesale food. Most of my wedding sites also demand extensive insurance, which as we all know, is costly.

I'm not saying that anyone should be prepared to just through infinite amounts of money at a reception, because it doesn't make it a better party in most cases, but a couple should have a realistic budget and be prepared to be flexible about things that really are not of top importance to them.
2) This may be different in other areas, but in the NYC metro area while costs to the caterer are the same no matter what time of year the event is held, many places can and DO charge more for weddings than other events, and charge more for weddings during the 'wedding season' than in the off season. Having researched both kinds of events, I have the paperwork to prove it.

There are many ways to cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding. I think it is a matter of setting priorities, doing research and remembering that the wedding last one day, the marriage lasts the rest of your life.[/QUOTE]

[neatdesign]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

My theory is that most wedding guests are pretty much interested in 5 things:

- Having fun and celebrating the couple's marriage
- Eating good food and having nice drinks
- Listening and dancing to good music
- Going to a lovely setting for the ceremony/reception
- Having the option to buy beautiful, professional photographs of the event

If you can offer them that, then that's what really matters.

What wedding guests DON'T care about or remember within two months after your wedding:

- Whether "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" was played by a harpist or a boombox as you walked down the aisle
- Whether a personalized unity candle was used during the ceremony
- Whether you had one, two or three bridesmaids
- Whether the flowers used in the bouquets and/or boutonnieres were real or silk
- Whether you passed out personalized matchbooks
- Whether you used personalized napkins
- Whether you gave knicknack wedding favors (keyrings, photo frames, etc.)
- Whether you had a band or a DJ
- Whether birdseed, rice or rose petals were thrown, bubbles were blown, or doves or butterflies were released as you left the reception

It's little things like this that kill a budget. THEY'RE NOT IMPORTANT!

~ Jenney

[funnyvalentine]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

I think that a personalized, articulate, moving ceremony is one of the things that people remember, and should be built into the budget, rather than renting an officiant who will open a form, put your names in it, and call it quits. After all, the marriage is what the party is about....

[lynclarke]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

OK- this is probably not a popular thought but when we got married our criteria for the guest list was - who would we turn to if we had emotional, financial, or spirtual problems? Or conversely who had we turned to in the past? Well, that narrowed down the list!

Spend the money on the marriage not the ceremony. The important issues like family time, thoughtful vows, and a stable life without debt is a whole lot more significant than whether or not your mother's co-worker said the flowers were pretty or one of your college buddies (who you will never see again) enjoyed the party. IMHO lynclarke

[gakline]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

If you are a gal, shop last seasons dresses, mine was 400, down from over a grand.

I agree on the dress part. I recently got engaged and 2 1/2 weeks later on a lunch hour on Friday I went to Filene's Basement for their annual Bridal clearance event. I wasn't really expecting to find anything. Instead I found a beautiful dress for $249 that is brand new, no flaws and will require almost no alterations. The original price was around $1200. This was all in under a half hour. We don't even have the hall reserved yet!

[lynclarke]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

Not to be a pessimist but do remember that the divorce rate is OVER 50% now!! For a lot of people the debt from the wedding/honeymoon lasts longer than the marriage.

I watched one of those Bridezillas shows the other night. The bride spent $60,000 on a VFW hall looking, do-it-yourself kind of weddings. It would cost nearly $700 a month for 10 years to pay off that kind of debt (at 7%). There must be some rich daddies out there.
lynclarke

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: Tips For Saving On Weddings

I watched one of those Bridezillas shows the other night. The bride spent $60,000 on a VFW hall looking, do-it-yourself kind of weddings. It would cost nearly $700 a month for 10 years to pay off that kind of debt (at 7%). There must be some rich daddies out there.
lynclarke

Ya know I've even heard of someone renting coach buses to transport everyone from the ceremony to the reception hall. That rental probably cost more than my entire wedding did.

[jennyroberts]

My biggest recommendation on an inexpensive wedding? Go rural!

My husband and I were faced with multiple family expectations for our wedding. We priced a church wedding with catered reception for approximately 100 guests in Austin, Texas - the cost would have been over $10,000.

Instead, we chose a small town halfway between our respective hometowns of Austin and Dallas - thus limiting the drive for some of our guests. Across the board, costs were signifiantly less than they would have been in the city. Costs for catering and the cake were less than half that quoted in the city - we actually had several choices, and the quality was comparable. Likewise, there were minimal fees associated with the reception hall, and the church allowed us to use their premises for free (with a close family friend of the same denomination officiating) And since we were married just after Christmas, the church was already beautifully decorated with 8 large christmas trees with lights across the dias. Costs for hair styling and manicures/pedicures for the entire bridal party the day of the wedding? $20 per person! We purchased beautiful flowers for the bridal party - but the local florist offered to reuse flowers from a town function the day prior for a minimal fee to decorate the church. We rented out two nicely appointed ajacent bed and breakfasts (8 rooms total) for the wedding party for two nights for approximately $850. Included in that price were all the fixings for the rehearsal dinner - my husband and his best man provided the steaks and we had a cook-out (we still have guest tell us how enjoyable that meal was!).

In the end we had a bigger wedding, were able to splurge on a wine bar and DJ for the reception, and still spent a fraction of what we'd expected....just by being flexible and planning our wedding outside of the city.

[ScrimpAndSave]

I dunno...my wedding budget is TOTALLY out of hand...