101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 4: Food & Drinks

101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 4: Food and Drinks

Here are 15 ways (Saving Ways numbers 25 to 39) to cut your food and drinks at your wedding reception. The biggest percentage of your wedding budget will go to food and drinks.  Choose your menu wisely and decide if you are going to offer alcoholic drinks in your reception.  Cutting down on alcoholic drinks will slash you food and drinks budget, saving you money on your wedding reception.

Food and Drinks At Your Wedding Reception

25. Go for the buffet. By selecting a buffet instead of a plated meal, you’ll save not only on the meal but on the servers as well. This is also a bonus for your guests who don’t have to decide ahead of time what they’ll want to eat that day, and can fill their plate however they want.

26. Skip the filet mignon. Chose chicken, fish, and pasta as your options. Consider including pork or less expensive cut of meats. Steak may seem like a very formal option but it will run up your bill more than it’s worth.

27. Serve fewer courses. You can serve a higher quality three course meal for the same price as a five course meal. There’s no need to over complicate things.

28. Skip the bar. Don’t feel obligated to provide your guests with a bar. Soda, tea, and water will often do just fine. If you have your reception at a hotel there is often a bar nearby that your guests can get drinks from on their own that won’t cost you a cent. Letting your guests pay for their drinks is usually frowned upon by the etiquette police.  Let your guest know that there will be a cash bar through “word of mouth” before the wedding so they would not be surprised when this happens.  They are coming to join you in your wedding celebration; not to have “free” drinks.  Another option, have a reception earlier in the day – during brunch or lunch is often a good excuse to have a dry party.

29. Have friends and family cater. If you don’t mind going for a less formal affair, you can have friends and family cater the reception. If this isn’t quite in line with your reception plans you can also consider doing this for the rehearsal dinner.

30. Have an informal rehearsal dinner. You can save a bundle by having a casual rehearsal dinner. Plan a cookout, potluck, or barbecue. Your guests will still have a great time, and probably enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

31. It doesn’t have to be dinner. If you move your wedding to an earlier time, you can have the reception at brunch of lunch time. This will allow you to go for cheaper menu options, like fruit and tea sandwiches. If you want a buffet, consider setting up an omelet bar!

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101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 3: Flowers

101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding- Part 3: Flowers

Here are 5 ways (Saving Ways numbers 20 to 24) to save money on your wedding flowers - from your own bridal bouquet to your bridesmaids and flower girl’s  flowers, is to do them yourself.  There is no need to panic even if you have not done a single flower arrangement before.  Read on and find out how you, too, can make these beautiful bouquet with a little bit of practice and step-by-step instructions.

WEDDING FLOWERS

20. Make your own bouquets. You can purchase a wide variety of silk flowers at any craft store. These won’t wilt so you can take your time creating the perfect bouquets. Time your purchase during sale months, usually after Christmas or in January when craft stores want to get rid of their older stock to make room for their new ones.  If  you want to use fresh flowers, visit farmers’ markets or  grocery stores that offer floral products.  Their fresh cut flowers will cost much less than what your florist will charge. You can also save money by buying flowers wholesale.

If you are not sure you can make  pretty flower bouquet for you and your bridesmaids, here is a book I recommend: Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make by Terry Rye.

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101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 2: Invitations

101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding- Part 2: Invitations

Here are 8 ways (Saving Ways numbers 12 to 19) to save money on your invitations and announcements.  The first of our money saving ways is to cut down your guest list.  You probably heard this before and it is worth repeating.  The guest list not only dictates how many invitations and/or announcements should you buy or make, it also dictates how much food and drinks you will need, not to mention the size of your reception venue.  All these costs M-O-N-E-Y!  So, do keep this in mind.  On to our money saving ways for your wedding preparations:

INVITATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

12.    Cut down your guest list.  The quickest and easiest way to save money on your wedding is to cut down your guest list.  Have a small wedding with only family, or only invite very close friends.  Cut the people you never talk to, or all of your coworkers from the list.  If anyone is offended explain that it was a very small and intimate affair.

13.    Skip engagement announcements and save the dates.  These extra touches are cute, but no longer completely necessary.  Take the time to make a personal phone call to the most important people in your life and let work of mouth do the rest.  Or, if you must get the word out, use an email instead.

14.    Design and print your invitations at home.  You can buy blank invitations at any craft store, Target, Wal Mart or online. Here is a site I found that gives great step by step instructions on how to make your own invitations: Do-it-Yourself-Invitations.  This next site sells cheap, but elegant DIY Invitation kits that starts at less than a dollar a piece: Formal Invitations.   If you or someone you know is handy with Adobe Photoshop or graphic design you can even create a very personal picture or logo for all of your wedding correspondence.

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101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 1: Planning

101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding - Part 1: Wedding Planning

With the cost of weddings spiraling upwards of $27,000 (depending on where you plan to have your wedding), and the unstable economy, many engaged couples are looking for ways to save money on their wedding.  Over the next few days, We, at Completely Weddings,  will share with you 101 ways to cut your wedding cost and thereby saving you money to use somewhere else such as your honeymoon or savings for your first home.  As we publish each part, we will add a link at the end of this article to enable you to have a complete list of our 101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding.

WEDDING PLANNING

1.    Set a budget.   Before you begin shopping and planning, set a goal for yourself of how much you want to spend.  You would not want to start your married life with debt, so do not over spend.  Use cash, if you can.  But, if you are going to use a credit card, get or use one that charges the lowest interest you can find.  Pay the loan as soon as possible.  To give you an idea of a wedding budget, download our “Wedding Expenses Table“. The percentage are not set in stone.  They are merely suggestions and you can change them depending on our priorities (see #2 below). Once you determined the percentages,  download our “Wedding Expense Record” to keep track of who pays for what and how much does it cost per item.  Make an effort to keep your costs in your budget, and remember that any additional money you save can go towards your honeymoon or your first home together.  Here is a “Planning Calendar Checklist” to keep your wedding planning activities in a timely manner.

2.    Determine your priorities.  Sit down with your fiancé and determine which area are most important to you.  Do you both value traditions or could you do without a lot of them? Is a DJ the most important thing to have at your reception, or is it a full meal?  Chose where you want to cut costs and what things are too important to you to skimp on.

3.    Make your own traditions and ditch the old ones.  If there are certain traditions that you don’t enjoy, such as throwing the garter and the bouquet (especially difficult if you have a very small wedding), don’t feel obligated to include them.  You can create traditions all your own.

4.    Don’t hire a wedding planner.  If you are planning a small event especially, you don’t need a wedding planner.  Invest in an accordion file and a wedding planning book from a bookstore and do it yourself.

5.    Keep your eye out for bridal shows.  Bridal shows are a great place to get freebies, gather information, and enter contests.  The least you’ll walk away with is a better idea of what you want in your wedding, so find your next local bridal show and mark your calendar!

6.    Order online.  For everything from dresses to flowers to favors, you can get some great deals when you shop online.  Do your homework before you make a purchase at any store and see if you can’t find the same thing cheaper on Amazon, EBay, or Overstock.com.

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Wedding Trends 2009: Color

The Hottest Hues of 2009

The next debate in the wedding industry right now is what the hottest hues of 2009 will be. While the last two years have seen a plethora of pinks and browns, along with the stark contrasts of black and white, the newest wedding trends seem to be mixing it up a little.

Grey is the New Brown

There has been several predictions that gray will enter the scene as the new neutral of choice – taking the place of brown. This fits well with another popular prediction that bright bold colors will be popping into the scene with force. The most popular selection may well prove to be a combination of the two. Muted shades of gray can bring a cool, classic feel and offset brighter, more daring accents.

When pairing gray and other bright colors, they key is to use the brighter hues in your accessories and other details. Muted gray bridesmaid dresses with a splash of color in the sash and a bright bouquet can bring just the right touch of color without seeming overwhelming. Use bright colors in the trimmings on the cake, the centerpieces, and the place cards, but stick to gray for tablecloths and other larger features.

Viva la Pink!

Pink has always been a popular on the wedding scene. The beauty of this color is in its versatility. You can select everything from a pale pastel hue to a screaming neon. Hot pink is slated to be the most popular hue in the upcoming year. Pairing this shade of pink with a dusty gray can give your color palette the perfect sense of balance. Black is too stark of a contrast, and bringing in another bright color can be overwhelming. [Read more]

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