TIPS For Planning a Wedding and Reception On A Small Budget

The following are general tips on how you can cut some expenses as you plan for your big day. Always remember that looking for ways to cut some expenses does...See more » The following are general tips on how you can cut some expenses as you plan for your big day. Always remember that looking for ways to cut some expenses does not mean that your Wedding Day will not be elegant and beautiful. In fact, cutting expenses can often lead Brides and Grooms to come up with creative ways to make there Wedding Day different from other weddings leaving guests with something to remember. * One of the easiest ways to save a few dollars is to plan your wedding and reception in an off time of year. November, January, February, and March are the slowest months for the wedding industry. Many Vendors i.e. Halls, Caterers, DJs, and others will offer discounts during these months. So these non-peak wedding months are a great start to saving some money. * One of the biggest cost overruns in Weddings is the guest list. Do your best to keep your guest list within reason. It is easy to get carried away so be careful with the amount of people that you plan on having attend. * DJ?s can offer you excellent ways to cut costs. Bands are nice but can be quadruple the price of a DJ. * Hire a photographer that has unlimited time coverage on your wedding day. Some photographers will put you on an hourly time limit. If you exceed that time you will incur on overtime fee. This can get costly so make sure your photographer does not put you under time constraints. * Consider having your Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the same place. This will give you a package deal as apposed to paying two separate facilities on your Wedding day. * Consider having your reception at a facility that allows you to bring in your own food and beverage. Most Wedding Reception facilities make their money from the food and beverage they sell. Facilities that allow you to bring you own food and beverage are much cheaper and allow you to provide whatever you want. * Book your honeymoon as an all-inclusive package and stay domestic. National honeymoon destinations are often less expensive than exotic far out destinations. * Consider having your Wedding and Reception on a less in demand day or time. In other words having the wedding on a Friday or Sunday is a great way to book vendors at a discount price. Also the same holds true for Saturday afternoon Wedding and Receptions. * Decorate yourself. You can hire someone to decorate and spend a ton of money on fancy centerpieces, balloons, flowers, and various other items or you could do this yourself. Delegate a specific decorating item to a friend, bridesmaid, or relative. They will be thrilled you asked and they will put their heart and soul in to making things just right. * Make your own invitations. With the computer technology that we have today you can make your own invitations. Try to keep your invitations so that they fit a standard .37-cent envelope. Large or Square invites will often require more postage. We hope that the following cost cutting tips will come in handy for you. Obviously there are many more but these are the main tips that will get you on your way to having a great Wedding and Reception on a small budget.See less »