The 9 Stress-Free Money Saving Tips You Can Use, NOW!
Hi everyone,
I was talking to one of our past client (we did her anniversary) who said she gave some advice to a friend who is planning on getting married, and her friend wanted to know how much her wedding cost...; it will be 11 years June 22nd since she has been married. Here is what she had to say:
"My wedding was lovely, and it cost us an arm and a leg. We took out a loan, at the time we didn’t think it was a bad idea, the loan is paid off, but it took us a while to do so... looking back, I would do some searching to find reasonable tips on having a beautiful wedding." Debbie R.13 years married
Here are her a few suggestions she shared with her friend and some we added to her list.
9 Radical Ways to save are
If you have wedding traditions that involve the exchange of currency, cash (here) or even cash equivalents such as gift cards, why not incorporate it into your event. This will help with your wedding budget.
K'Mich: #2 Cut down on guests
This is the easiest way to save money. Start cutting down your guest list liberally, if you can help it. You can invite as many guests to the ceremony. The reception is where you will spend more, depending on your menu, how much the caterer charge per person/per plate.
Make excuses that only close friends and family are invited to the reception. (This one is going to be hard to do). The number of guests will determine the amount you will spend on your wedding. To help you with this, use the five-year or five-minute rule of thumb. Here's how it's used: if you have not spoken to the people on your list in five years, then they should not be on the list. Or, if you can't stand to be in the same room with the people on the list for five minutes, then the same is true here, they should not be on the list.
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Guest: #3 Rent everything
Grooms and groomsmen rent their tuxedos, so why not have the entire bridal party rent their clothing? Will you be willing to rent your own wedding dress? Rent a cake? This comes back to keeping an open mind!
Guest: #4 Request contributions toward wedding accouterments in lieu of gifts
How about negotiating the gift of time, service or money towards your wedding event rather than actual material gifts from your friends and family? Some of them may want to pitch in to contribute for flowers, centerpieces, favors, food or even the honeymoon.
K'Mich: #5 Peg your wedding on an off-day
Shift your wedding schedule and try for the off-season or a weekday. I’d personally avoid bad weather months. Weekends are typically busy and very expensive.
Related: Weekday Wedding
Guest: #6 Use cardboard for part of your wedding cake
You’ve got a beautiful multi-tiered wedding cake so why not fake its bottom? Or just have a small cake with cupcakes surrounding your cake.
Guest: #7 Choose a free (or almost free) venue
Hold your wedding in a park or the beach or somewhere you can celebrate without spending an arm or a leg. You can try convincing a family member to open their house to your wedding party.
K'Mich: Make sure you find out if you need a permit to hold your wedding in any park. And see about having your wedding on a weekday.
K'Mich & Guest: #8 Keep your entertainment simple
Get talented relatives or friends to line up and do a performance for you. Maybe have some younger folks come up with some numbers. FYI: Check out your local college Arts Department and ask about their local talent. Great exposure for the students (credit towards their grades) and a source of referral for the college at the same time.
Guest: #9 Use the internet! Or an Event Planner
The web is filled with a never-ending list of stories, tips, ideas, advice, and products that you can access with the click of a button.
Research is king. My husband used K'Mich service to create a memorable one-year engagement dinner (theme: Tropical Island Luau, which was a surprise to me. The food and setting was great. The price she gave my husband for what he wanted was reasonable. I was very happy with the results.)
K'Mich & Guest: #10 Delay the wedding
How about this novel thought: plan your wedding once you’ve built up enough savings to fund it. DO NOT USE A CREDIT CARD OR TAKE OUT A LOAN, IF YOU CAN HELP IT.
Related: Tips on Credit Cards
The 9 Stress-Free Money Saving Tips You Can Use, NOW!
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