Wedding Cutting Corners

[Diamond Confused]

With the economy the way it is and my desire and non-negotiable need to have a designer wedding dress, the wedding budget is tight. I know that it's mostly the little things that end up adding up so I want to cut a few corners. What sort of things are you ladies doing to save some $$$. I've heard of getting a nice cake made but then serving sheet cake. Any other ideas?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Not having that many flowers (which was one of the most expensive things in my wedding). But I have been to weddings with candle center pieces or DYI flowers. You could do your own make-up. Not have a videographer. No favors. No programs. No extra linens. Just some ideas.

 

[Cleopatra]

Tacori made some great suggestions - especially with the flowers - Most of the time, flowers can be the MOST under-estimated expense of an entire wedding - I know people spend thousands on flowers - and to some, it''s worth it.

I managed to make my flower budget stay at $700 for the entire wedding - this included 12 DIY centerpieces and bouquets and centerpieces from a florist.

Cutting back on flowers is the easiest way to lower a budget.

And a huge ditto to no programs or favors - both budget eaters....Good luck!

 

[Diamond Confused]

Date: 9/29/2008 3:23:04 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Not having that many flowers (which was one of the most expensive things in my wedding). But I have been to weddings with candle center pieces or DYI flowers. You could do your own make-up. Not have a videographer. No favors. No programs. No extra linens. Just some ideas.

One of my bridesmaids is a makeup artist for MAC so the makeup is free.

I like the no programs or favors idea. Those things always end up left on the table and thrown in the trash.

What do you mean by extra linens? I haven''t looked into that stuff yet so I know nothing about linens.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 9/29/2008 3:11:42 PM
Author:Diamond Confused
With the economy the way it is and my desire and non-negotiable need to have a designer wedding dress, the wedding budget is tight. I know that it''s mostly the little things that end up adding up so I want to cut a few corners. What sort of things are you ladies doing to save some $$$. I''ve heard of getting a nice cake made but then serving sheet cake. Any other ideas?

Well we''re still deciding between big or small. But if we do big we''ve already agreed on the following:

We''re not doing STDs because that''s a cost that can go somewhere else.

We''re not doing engagement photos because while we love to stare at ourselves, especially in professional photos, the cost isn''t necessary.

We''re have a lot of DIY: invites, programs, decorations. The centerpieces will still be flowers but we''re actually buying wholesale and someone my FI''s aunt knows will put them together (as long as we invite her to the wedding LOL).

We''re not having a formal rehearsal dinner. We will rehearse and head back to my FI''s parents house for a barbecue.

The other suggestions I have is take a look at your contacts and see if anyone knows someone to do things for you. My mom knows a DJ, FI''s aunt knows people that can put things together, and I got a bunch of recommendations for photographers that are willing to negotiate prices just because I know some of their clients which is neat.

 

[Octavia]

Depending on the time of day, you might be able to get away with heavy hors d'' oeuvres instead of a full meal -- that can cut down on food costs significantly. Also, if you can cut down the alcohol selection and/or consumption, that can be great savings, too. I don''t advocate a cash bar, but having a limited open bar or only doing open bar during cocktails and then only beer/wine after that can definitely help. Of course, an alcohol-free wedding would be even cheaper but that doesn''t work for a lot of people!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I went to dress shops between seasons when they were clearing out there samples and got my dress 60% off retail, and it was my size too. That was a good deal! I got my own invites printed at a local print shop and assembled all the parts myself, that also saved a lot. I found a florist and a decorator who operated smaller businesses out of their homes, which was a lot less expensive than useing vendores with shop-fronts who have higher overhead.

 

[Diamond Confused]

Date: 9/29/2008 3:38:02 PM
Author: fieryred33143

Date: 9/29/2008 3:11:42 PM
Author:Diamond Confused
With the economy the way it is and my desire and non-negotiable need to have a designer wedding dress, the wedding budget is tight. I know that it''s mostly the little things that end up adding up so I want to cut a few corners. What sort of things are you ladies doing to save some $$$. I''ve heard of getting a nice cake made but then serving sheet cake. Any other ideas?

Well we''re still deciding between big or small. But if we do big we''ve already agreed on the following:

We''re not doing STDs because that''s a cost that can go somewhere else.

We''re not doing engagement photos because while we love to stare at ourselves, especially in professional photos, the cost isn''t necessary.

We''re have a lot of DIY: invites, programs, decorations. The centerpieces will still be flowers but we''re actually buying wholesale and someone my FI''s aunt knows will put them together (as long as we invite her to the wedding LOL).

We''re not having a formal rehearsal dinner. We will rehearse and head back to my FI''s parents house for a barbecue.

The other suggestions I have is take a look at your contacts and see if anyone knows someone to do things for you. My mom knows a DJ, FI''s aunt knows people that can put things together, and I got a bunch of recommendations for photographers that are willing to negotiate prices just because I know some of their clients which is neat.

My sister had 25 invitations made for our engagement brunch and I can''t believe how much it was ($100). They are very simple, nothing special at all. I can''t even begin to imagine how much 60 nice invitations will be.

One of my mom''s long time clients owns an upscale flower shop in LA. They do arrangements for Hollywood folk all the time. She made 4 amazing centerpieces for my FI''s graduation party and charged my mom like $35 dollars. She already said she wants to do my flowers and I''m assuming she won''t charge much.

The cost I''m most worried about is the liqour. We have to have an open bar and so we need to do without other things to offset the cost.

 

[Cleopatra]

Can you put a cap on the open bar? Tell your bartender a limit and once it reaches the limit, the booze stops....

We did an open bar with beer and wine only - for 300 guests, our bill was $5K for beer and wine - I can''t imagine what it would have been for hard liquor!

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:04:21 PM
Author: Diamond Confused

My sister had 25 invitations made for our engagement brunch and I can''t believe how much it was ($100). They are very simple, nothing special at all. I can''t even begin to imagine how much 60 nice invitations will be.

One of my mom''s long time clients owns an upscale flower shop in LA. They do arrangements for Hollywood folk all the time. She made 4 amazing centerpieces for my FI''s graduation party and charged my mom like $35 dollars. She already said she wants to do my flowers and I''m assuming she won''t charge much.

The cost I''m most worried about is the liqour. We have to have an open bar and so we need to do without other things to offset the cost.

That depends on how much you want to spend. My friend made her own invites (75 in total). She bought the paper, ribbons, and some pearl pins. She had the invitation written on vellum and placed it in front of an engagement photo that she printed herself. When we calculated the final cost, it came out to $1.05 an invite. And her invitations were beautiful.

I hear you on the alcohol. We won''t back down from the alcohol costs (and the cake

).

 

[kittybean]

I agree on nixing the favors. I was just at a wedding this weekend and only now do I realize there were no favors. No one missed them at all.

As far as the small nice cake + sheet cake goes, be careful about doing this. Most "nice" cake bakeries will not allow you to serve someone else''s sheet cake along with their cake, the logic behind that being that the cake bakery does not want grocery store sheet cake to be passed off as their cake, hurting their image and business. Many bakeries I spoke with have this policy. I discussed doing the small cake + sheet cake with the baker I chose, and she told me it would be the same price to have a two-tier wedding cake + a large sheet cake or to have a four-tier wedding cake + groom''s cake, since she charges per serving (we obviously chose the latter). I''m not saying that you can''t do the sheet cake thing inexpensively, but I would just watch out when doing this with an upscale wedding cake bakery.

I would look into venues that package a lot of the vendors together. This can often lead to a much better deal than you could get pricing each vendor individually. Some venues will bundle in a photographer, cake baker, invitations, etc., and the best ones will give you a credit back for their cost for whichever vendors you don''t want to use. The only issue here is that you need to research the vendors they provide individually to see if you would want to have them, but if you do, you can save some money that way.

Some venues--generally the ones with caterers--have linens and china you can use, as well as vases for flowers, votive holders, and that sort of thing, which can also defray some extra cost.

Hope those suggestions help!

 

[Diamond Confused]

Octavia - heavy hors d'' oeuvres sounds like a great idea. I don''t like eating at weddings anyway. I spend all that time getting ready; I don''t want to get greasy and ruin my make-up As far as the limited open bar... it''s not an option. That''s one of the things we can''t cut back and the reason why we need to cut back on other things. I know it''s really expensive but we both went to UCSB a huge party school and our friends are big drinkers. We want them to have a great time and they''ll all be looking forward to the alcohol. We don''t want to disappoint them. They''d rather us not serve food than not serve alcohol. I feel the same way.

D_D. I''m going to an Amsale trunk show on Thurs. I''m hoping I can find something relatively cheap.

Cleopatra - I think the programs and the favors are definitly out.

 

[kittybean]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:04:21 PM
Author: Diamond Confused

The cost I''m most worried about is the liqour. We have to have an open bar and so we need to do without other things to offset the cost.

From my experience, I''ve learned that to keep the liquor costs down, go with a venue that allows you to provide your own alcohol. (In my state, this usually means they don''t have a liquor license for the facility.) If you provide your own alcohol, it is possible to spend several thousand dollars less. You can order liquor, beer, and wine from your local liquor warehouse, and they will generally take back whatever unopened bottles or cases remain after the event. When I looked at having an open bar at some hotels, I was informed that the "house bar" (not even premium alcohol) would cost almost $70 per person for five hours. Buying our own premium alcohol is going to cost less than a quarter of that price.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

(BTW I love how I did not do any of the things I am suggesting

) I got chair covers and table clothes...those could have been cut (that''s what I meant). Rentals in general add up. Also getting married on a Friday or Sunday is cheaper. I think there is a wedding season. Not sure the exact months but the vendors will be cheaper off season. My MIL took our engagement photos. I DIYed our STD, invites (and programs). No one is going to see your shoes. Pick a venue that caters and provides a cake (otherwise you will be stuck BUYING a cake AND paying a cutting fee per slice). Skip the limos.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:30:56 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
(BTW I love how I did not do any of the things I am suggesting

) I got chair covers and table clothes...those could have been cut (that''s what I meant). Rentals in general add up. Also getting married on a Friday or Sunday is cheaper. I think there is a wedding season. Not sure the exact months but the vendors will be cheaper off season. My MIL took our engagement photos. I DIYed our STD, invites (and programs). No one is going to see your shoes. Pick a venue that caters and provides a cake (otherwise you will be stuck BUYING a cake AND paying a cutting fee per slice). Skip the limos.

That''s a good point too. Most of the venues I''ve seen provides the cake. If you decide to get your own cake they give you a refund of .50 a person (even though the new cake is about $4.50 a slice) and they charge you a cake cutting fee.

Also if you do decide to bring in your own alochol, be careful with corkage fees.

 

[ysj99]

We are not doing programs either. We are using the seal and send style of invitations, it was the best deal as far as considering price, time and labor we do ourselves. We are also having very simple centerpieces, clear cylindrical vases with quince branch, maybe 3 per table.

 

[marchswallowbird]

Another cost-cutting idea is to nix the limo. Do you have a friend or family member with a cool car that you could use? Or, alternatively, rent a sports car and drive yourselves away from the wedding (if you can, after all that drinking!

)

 

[kittybean]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:36:52 PM
Author: fieryred33143

Also if you do decide to bring in your own alochol, be careful with corkage fees.

Very good point--my venue did not have any, which was a selling point for me.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Also (I''m on a roll today) choose a photographer that will give you copy writes to your photos. That way you can print them at Walmart (or online) and save a TON of money! Prints from photographers are always expensive. Make sure you get a release form b/c some places (like walmart) require them if the photos are obviously professional.

 

[kittybean]

More money-savers I thought of (disclaimer: I have not personally tried out all these tips, so they are just ideas):

- Skip the "little stuff," like engraved silver cake-cutting sets, toasting flutes, pricey cake toppers, elaborate ring pillows, and the like.

- Downscale the bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts. Give something from the heart that shows that you appreciate them, but don''t break the bank. Write a heartfelt letter to each telling them how important they are. In return, don''t expect them to break the bank giving you gifts or throwing you lavish parties.

- Make your own veil, or ask a crafty friend to do it.

 

[havernell]

Invite less people. This is the #1 way to save money. I know it''s hard not to invite everyone you know, but this is just one day. You will be able to see people after the wedding, and reasonable people will understand when you tell them "we are keeping the wedding small- only immediate family and close friends".

Instead of a hiring a DJ or band for the music, you could rent some quality speakers and use your laptop and itunes. Just be sure to test the system out first and have a backup laptop in case of an emergency. Also, ask a friend or family member to do the necessary announcements (introduce the bridal party, announce cake cutting, etc...)

Skip the videography- just to photography (and take Tacori''s suggestion of getting a photographer who will give you rights to the negatives)

Search for your designer dress on preownedweddingdresses.com, www.sabrinaann.com, and other such sites. Just because it''s designer doesn''t mean it has to break the bank. I found a $3000 dress for $400 (a sample from a bridal salon that was going out of business).

Serve only inexpensive stationary hors d''oeuvres like veggie and fruit displays (not expensive meat-based passed hors d''oeuvres)

If you can select your own caterer, find an ethnic restaurant that can cater for a party your size (i.e. Thai food, Chinese, Mexican, etc...) They are often cheaper than traditional wedding caterers that do the normal beef and chicken.

 

[Izzy03]

1. No programs: No one misses them
2. No limo: My fiance has a big fancy Hummer, so we will be using that. Otherwise we would rent a fancy car ($60 car rental as opposed to hundreds $$ for a limo)
3. Informal rehearsal dinner: the point of the rehearsal dinner is for everyone to be together, especially out of town family. We would have much more fun at a backyard BBQ than at a formal restaurant.
4. Cake cutting utensils: Seriously? I''ll borrow my mom''s
5. Wholesale flowers: My moms friend is fantastic at designing floral arrangements
6. DIY Invitations: You can get really pretty kits online or at Michael''s. Take your time and do your research, and you can get big bang for you buck!
7. Small wedding party: We are not having any bridesmaids or groomsmen. Not only has it cut back on costs, but also time and stress! We will instead have two flower girls and two ring bearers, and the best part is no one''s feeling were hurt!
8. Lunchtime Reception: Venue rates were cheaper for lunch events, plus lunch sized entrees are less expensive, and we are only beer and wine (I think liquor is a little heavy for lunch) so that saved a ton of money on the bar package!
9. Selling my gown: I made the decision to sell my gown before I even picked one out. Everyone I have know that has been married at least 5 years tells me that they don''t understand why they had their gowns preserved and saved. Now that I found "the one" it will be easier said than done, but it helped to prepare myself before falling in love. Besides, with my family, it wouldn''t surprise me if people ask to BORROW my gown so they don''t have to buy one. Unless you are my sister or longtime best friend, that won''t fly! Buy your own!

 

[Izzy03]

Oh, and NO videographer! I care about photography, my mom can video the ceremony!

 

[jstarfireb]

Pretty much all of these have been suggested, but here''s what I''m doing to cut costs:

1) Keep the guest list down - OK, I''m not actually *doing* that because my parents are paying for the catering and insist on inviting almost 200 people. But if my parents weren''t involved in the planning and the paying, I''d have 50-100.

2) Have the ceremony and reception at the same place. This means no need for transportation from site to site, and generally lower site rental fees.

3) Have your wedding on a Friday or Sunday. Most reception venues and caterers as well as DJs offer a big discount for non-Saturday events. Interestingly enough, photographers don''t tend to do this...

4) Keep flowers to a minimum. I''m having calla lilies as my flowers, and while these tend to be expensive flowers, my minimalist style is keeping costs down. My bouquet will be 3 callas, bridesmaids will carry a single calla each, and boutonnieres/corsages will be given to a minimum number of people. The centerpieces are candles, not flowers. Also, check out Costco.com as a source of flowers - they have some great packages.

5) No videography. You shouldn''t skimp on still photography, but go with a photog that will let you have co-ownership of the photos and a high-resolution DVD of all the photos. That way you can do reprents at Walmart, Costco, or wherever! You can save money on an album now and buy one later, or just make your own.

6) For the dress, check out David''s Bridal, Alfred Angelo, Da Vinci Bridals, Mon Cheri Bridals, and Mori Lee, just to name a few designers that have most of their dresses under $1000. Or if you must have a designer dress, don''t buy from a boutique; instead, go with an online vendor like Netbride (I got a designer bridesmaid dress from them for a decent bit less than what the boutiques were charging; tax and shipping included in the quote).

7) Do the DIY invitations thing. I found mine at AC Moore for less than $1 apiece! People mentioned not having programs...I''m doing programs (because I really want the bridal party''s names and the titles/authors of the readings to be seen), but no Save The Dates. Instead, I have a wedding website that I direct anyone with questions to.

Do your own hair and makeup. I do it myself for any other occasion; why should the wedding be any different?

9) Have a small decorative cake and sheet cakes in the kitchen rather than a large decorative cake. Sheet cakes can be half the cost of decorative cakes! Or do a fake cake that''s made of mostly styrofoam with icing, with the top layer a real cake that you cut during the reception. Then they take the cake back to the kitchen and cut both the top layer and some sheet cakes for serving. Or go with a cupcake tree instead; I priced one at $158 total to serve 150! Also, go with buttercream icing rather than rolled fondant. Try to negotiate away the cake cutting fees...although I wasn''t able to do this...

(rant ahead)
My venue charges a cake cutting fee even though they don''t EVER make cakes. You are expected to buy one and then pay them 50 cents a person to cut the cake! And even worse, I asked them about a cupcake tree, in which no cutting utensils, servers, or china would be used, and they STILL charge the freaking fee! How WRONG is that?
(OK, end rant)

10) Have your DJ go a little overtime and play your ceremony music rather than hiring live musicians. The DJ may charge something like $100/hr for overtime above 4 hours; musicians tend to charge more. I wouldn''t skip the DJ and do the ipod wedding...while it works for some, I really needed a DJ to act as an MC and move the reception forward.

11) Have a stationed/buffet meal rather than a plated dinner - fewer servers to pay by the hour.

12) My rehearsal dinner is going to be a BBQ at my parents'' house, and my parents and their friends offered to put up the bridal party in their houses, avoiding the cost of their hotel rooms.

13) Don''t have an open bar, or if you do, keep it open for a limited amount of time, then go to beer/wine and soft drinks only. Depending on the state you''re getting married in, you may be able to BYOB. This is kind of annoying to have to worry about, but it''s cheaper! I''m having beer and wine (probably by the keg and box - gets around the corkage fees) only, or maybe beer, wine, and a signature drink or two.

14) No need for fancy cake cutting utensils, champagne flutes, etc. They just sit in your cabinet later and collect dust. Don''t get fancy chair covers or linens; white tablecloths are classy enough.

15) Read the book "Bridal Bargains" - it''s really helpful!

And that''s all I can think of for now!

 

[AllieLuv83]

I am DIY like everything. I joke around that Fiance and I have champagne tastes on a beer budget but I like being crafty and it feels good to be putting a part of your self into your wedding. I am making my own Invites, STD, flowers, programs, invitation seals and favor tags, pomanders for the ceremony, signage, favors, etc. I started early and have been taking my time. We booked a place on a Friday, and they allow you to BYOB and your own caterer, I found a caterer that includes cake in their pricing. We are skipping the videographer. I am however splurging (well not really) on photographer, getting my hair and makeup done, and suite for the night before and night of the wedding. It is still an HUGE amount of money but what is keeping me sane is thinking about how much more it would be if I didn''t DIY so many things!

 

[mimzy]

aside from everything everyone has already said (great suggestions!) EBAY and CRAIGSLIST everything that you can. gown slips, shoes, flower girl/ring bearer stuff, candles (sometimes), containers, veils (although it''s certainly cheaper to DIY) and a million other things can be found for so much cheaper online. a lot of brides on craigslist will sell all their non-floral centerpieces, so you can get a lot of great glass containers etc for cheaper than you could buy them.

and never underestimate the power of a can of spray paint.

 

[CrownJewel]

You ladies have given great suggestions. I also vote for no programs. I spent about 2 hours the day before my wedding, designing and writing our programs. Then my bridesmaids had to cut them, fold them, and tie ribbons onto them. Most of them ended up in the trash. Over half of them are left over and sitting in my apartment.

Flowers, DIY or go to Whole Foods. All you do is pay for the flowers ($17.99 will get you 24 beautiful roses in NYC) and they do all the cleaning and arranging for free. They''ll do boutonnieres, bouquets, etc...and all you have to do is pay for the flowers. We did both...Whole Foods and online flower wholesalers. You get more selection from on online wholesaler, but you save a lot of headache having someone do them for you. Saved at least $1,000. But it took much more time than if a florist did it all.

Get creative with your centerpieces, even if you have flowers. We had very few flowers but everyone loved the fact that they were in teapots. Teapots cost us $6 each from Crate & Barrel outlet store online.

We rented a mini Cooper and I drove to the wedding in it. Then my husband drove us to our hotel afterwards in that car. So convenient and cute. Bridal party already had their own cars and we couldn''t care less about being driven in a limo. That saved us over $2,000.

There are places online to get inexpensive invitations, no matter what method of printing. I got letterpress for insanely cheap.

Have a small bridal party. Saves you money on hair, makeup (if you''re paying). Saves you time for getting ready in the morning. Saves money on gifts, bouquets, boutonnieres, etc.

Good luck! After you''ve saved all this money, you''ll be so proud of your work and that''s a memory in itself!

 

[dogmama]

Sorry to threadjack, but Crown Jewel which Whole Foods did you go to in NYC?

I am seriously considering that avenue and I want to know more about how far in advance you needed to reserve/order, and how was the service, etc.

Let me know if possible!

Thanks!

 

[CrownJewel]

hi lily!! I went to the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle. I''m not sure if I''m allowed to give the names of the florists that worked on my arrangments but if you call and ask for the floral department director (there''s only one) and tell her that the bride with the teapots sent you, you''re all set. She''s so wonderful to work with and her assistants are lovely.

I, um, went to place my order about 10 days before my wedding. They prefer that you go 1 month in advance (but I was misinformed by one of their employees, who said 3 days is enough notice. WRONG!). Their service is soSO great, obviously, because they accomodated me during a very busy holiday week - ask for the same girls that worked on my flowers. Check my wedding thread for photos of the BM arrangments - they were gorgeous.

I gave them 12 teapots. One was broken but I didn''t really care because I gave them 2 extra. My bill came out higher than I expected but DH forgot to ask for an itemized list. I called today to ask for one, and she said no problem. I would suggest getting an itemized price quote before you give them the go-ahead. Good luck!

 

[lovethejewels]

Get a check list with all the expenses of a wedding (you can find one in bridal mags usually). Then look at areas that are important to you and areas you can cut or get creative with. There''s only so much money, right?

Here are some things I did to help with cost:

1) Have the wedding on a Friday or Sunday as it is less expensive.

2) Consider booking in the "off season" just after the peak time. We were married in Santa Barbara and the summers tend to be a busy time. We opted for Sept which is still a wonderful time of year--but less in demand, meaning all the vendors tended to be more flexible in their pricing.

3) Consider using a website for invitations instead of mailing them. I know it may not seem like it, but there are some really nice ones. I have had several friends ask me for the name of the one we used. We were able to post info on how we met, how he proposed, engagement pics, pics of our friends, info on the day of the wedding, an RSVP section, where to stay, etc. We also put our wedding pics on the site after for everyone to see and guests were able to leave comments. Plus we were able to get a CD with all the info as a keepsake in the end. Do many people really keep invites anyway?

4) If you can bring your own alcohol in that can be a huge savings. Many venues will not let you do this as it is a big money maker for them. We had an open bar, but limited the time it was open, ie during the reception only and then we switched to wine at dinner.

5) Have the wedding and reception at the same venue so you don''t pay costs twice as well as transportation costs.

6) Consider a country club. We looked into high-end resort hotels in the area, but they were very expensive and also did multiple weddings at the same time. I did not want to trip over another bride the day of my wedding and I didn''t want hotel guests standing on their balconies watching my wedding. We had the whole country club to ourselves. Venues that are privately owned tend to have more flexibility in pricing.

7) I also wanted a designer dress. I found "the one" at Saks for $5200; I re-sold it for $2400 online. If you are set on keeping the dress do the reverse. What I mean, is find someone like me who paid full price and then buy it for less than half and keep it. This was my original strategy but I had to nixed the idea when I couldn''t find the dress I wanted that way. In the end, I was able to recover some costs and wear the dress I wanted.

Buy shoes, tiara online, guest book, etc online. Online stores don''t have the overhead and buying from an individual can be a substantial savings. I bought shoes I tried on in a B&M store that were $200 for about $65 at an online auction from a bride who decided to go with a different pair of shoes for her dress.

9) Ask for a discount on everything! You''ll be surprised. Just ask this one question, "Is there anything you can do to reduce the cost"? Only ask this question AFTER you have agreed on what you want and you have gotten a price quote. I was able to get a 10% discount at the Country Club for paying cash. I was able to save 5% on the wedding dress at Saks by opening a Saks credit card after I asked how I could reduce the costs. I was able to get the photographer to throw in the video if I agreed to let him try and publish the photos in a bridal magazine. Be creative. Look for ways to help your vendors in exchange for the discount. On a side note, I would not recommend skipping the videographer. I know this is tempting, but in the end the only thing you have to remember the day by and share with others is the photos and videos. Yes, photos are a must, but think about how much more is captured on video. There are moments you just can''t get via photo; video also allows a greater ability to see someone''s personality.

10) Look for the "up-and-coming" star in your vendors. Everyone emphasized to me how important photos were since that is what you will have left at the end of the day. The photographers I was looking at were really great, but very expensive. I found a fantastic, up-and-coming photographer for about just over 1/2 the price. Also, I found a make up artist who had done a fair bit of print work for well-known models and movie stars. She had recently switched to brides because she was a new mom and wanted a schedule that would allow her not to be far away from her daughter for photo shoots. So she was about the same as the higher-end make up artists, but I felt I got a better deal because of her print work experience. She did a great job! Interview multiple vendors. Remember to save money but also pick people you know share your same vision and are easy to work with.

11) We opted for a honeymoon website instead of gifts. We already had all the household stuff we could use and we paid for the wedding ourselves. A honeymoon website allows your guests to "buy" you things you list for your honeymoon. For example, we asked for a romantic dinner, a bottle of wine, a hotel night, etc. Really whatever was bought was given to us as cash and we used to money to pay for our honeymoon. We needed the money more for the honeymoon than the fine china. LOL. If someone is paying for your honeymoon you could use the money to help of set the cost of the wedding.

12) Do a destination wedding where less people will come and the dollar is worth more. For example, Costa Rica is lovely and we could have done the wedding for about half the cost as in the US.

13) Switch" this" for "that". Ask your vendors what you can substitute for a lower cost and still get the effect you are looking for. Our florist was very helpful in helping us find flowers that were in season (less expensive) but still gave us the look we wanted.

14) Consider vendors in a near by area. We were married in Santa Barbara, which is an affluent community, but we found someone to make the cake from Ventura (about a half hour from Santa Barbara and less expensive of an area). She charged us about a $100 dollars less and delivered the cake free of charge. Also, she had just split from her partner in the baking business and was willing to give us a better deal as she was establishing her new business.

Hope this helps. I may think of more later.

Congrats!!!