how to budget wedding

Most women developed a vision of an ideal wedding when just a girl. The dream day involves an abundance of beautifully arranged flowers, delicate lace, and ribbons. When the girl’s actual wedding day arrives, she may have other concerns. Although her vision of her ideal wedding is still present in the back of her mind, she may want to incorporate ideas that represent her, the groom, and their relationship. She wants her wedding to be current and on-trend. And she is probably considering costs and sticking to a budget when selecting decorations for the big day. No newlyweds want to spend time paying off the debt of the wedding day. Therefore, the happy couple needs to carefully consider what wedding details to skimp on and what to splurge on. Here are a couple of options to think about when selecting wedding details.

1. Make the decorations your own
Incorporate your own interests and hobbies into the decorations. This will allow your guests to see parts of you they may not have known, allow for use of less obvious, more personalized decorations and ultimately cut costs. One example, if the groom is a photographer, use pictures from the collection to decorate the reception site, on the invitations, and as favors for guests to take home.

2. Look into renting
Although it’s an obvious choice to rent items such as chairs, tables and linens, consider renting other items too, such as vases, arcs, and centerpieces. Ask your wedding coordinator or local wedding rental businesses if these items can be rented and at what prices.

3. Keep music costs down
For ceremony and reception music, check out a college band or a DJ. Also, consider loading downloaded songs onto a CD or your mp3 player to be hooked up and played through speakers.

4. Share the love
Instead of footing the bill for the decorations yourself, find out of there is another couple getting married at the same place on the same day. You may be able to contact the bride and arrange to split the cost of some decorations or equipment, effectively cutting the price in half. The bottom line is that getting married doesn’t have to break the bank.

5. Keep catering costs down. Check out local cooking or culinary schools and ask them to cater for just the price of the food or just a little more. Alternatively, consider having a potluck with family members and good friends bringing something. Family and friends love to feel like they are helping out with the wedding while you get free food provided.

6. Increase engagement party guest list
Most engagement parties serve cocktails and appetizers, which is significantly less expensive the full dinner usually served at a wedding reception.

7. Consider the children
Weddings can be boring for kids and often couples will seat kids at tables with adults and then buy games or books to entertain the kids with. Instead, seat all the kids at one table and let them entertain each other – for free.

8. Personalize the ceremony
Individualizing your wedding will make it special to both you and your guests, regardless of how much money was spent on the wedding. During the ceremony, incorporate your families and any children from previous relationships.

Ultimately, marriage is about the union of you and your spouse and the celebration portion of a wedding is only secondary. Your wedding photographer will show you just what that means on the photos from the wedding. Don’t worry too much about what your guests will think and instead focus on the fact that your friends and family are there to witness your love and not to critique the details of your wedding.