Budget brides - Tips for a cheap wedding

 The idea of falling in love, getting married, living together under one roof and starting a family together is the ultimate goal for many of us. Love may be free, but getting married is definitely not...

 According to Cost of Wedding, the average American wedding costs $20,398! And that's not including the honeymoon and any extras like bridal showers. Don't let something as free and innocent as love tear apart your savings. Learn strategies that will make your wedding memorable without having to take out a second mortgage.

Here's our extensive list of tips for brides on a budget...

The invitations and "Thank you" cards.

• Order online- Budget Wedding Invitations' prices start at under $50.00 (For a certain design, you can get 100 invitations for $46.95, that less than 50 cents each!) RS2GURU offers hand-drawn and other specialty invitations at rock-bottom prices. They also have free shipping and envelopes. In the "hot sale" section, i found cards for $0.65 each.
• Bundle it up- Many companies offer discounts for buying the invitations and R.S.V.P. cards together.
• Skip the R.S.V.P. letter- Include two phone numbers, and an e-mail account for guest to reply to. Be sure to check them regularly.

The gown & tuxedo

• Go beyond the wedding section- When browsing in department stores and around the mall, don't pass the other dress sections. You can find a beautiful prom, cocktail, or special event dress with a smaller price tag simply because it is not marketed as a wedding gown. I can think of several occasions where I have seen a dress either at the store or on somebody's body and asked myself "Is that a wedding gown?.. but its just homecoming season"
• Secondhand- There are online stores that sell gently used and well cared for wedding gowns. Try Gently Used Bridal, Budget Bridal Gowns, and Pre Owned Wedding Dresses, (These sites also sell other used wedding accessories, like ring pillows)  Also browse though thrift shops, classified advertisements in your local edition of The Thrifty Nickle.(also available online) and Ebay.com where sellers often note that they purchased the gown, but ended up not getting married.
• Go traditional- It's a nice custom to wear your mother or grandmother's wedding gown, and it eliminates the cost of a gown from the wedding budget altogether.
• Rent it- If wedding photos and memories are enough for you, consider renting a wedding dress or tuxedo. Try Rental Bridal Gown, Wedding Dress Market, Tuxedo Junction, Men's Warehouse, and Jim's Formal Wear. Look up gown and tuxedo rental stores in your town at Yellowpages

The cake

• Get it from a student- If you buy a gourmet cake from a specialty bakery cost anywhere from four to twenty dollars per slice. (Not including delivery or any up charges). Get the gourmet look and taste by purchasing it from a local culinary institute or bakery college. These students are ambitious and often more creative than the bakers at the shops.
• Maximize the size- A small cake can be made to look bigger (read: more expensive) by adding flowers, fresh fruit, ribbons and other decorations.
• Think outside the box- Do something original. A tier of individual cupcakes is special and creative and also reduces cost and mess. I have heard stories of wedding cakes made from tiers of Hostess snacks and doughnuts! To really mix it up, alternate layers of actual cake with cupcakes.
• Just the decorations, please- Ask several bakers if they could just do the decorations for you. Save money by having a talented friend or relative bake the actual cake.
• or Just the cake, please- Order a plain white cake, and decorate it yourself with fresh flowers, cut fruit and pretty designs with candies

The reception

• Time matters- Because of the time, the price for renting the venue will be cheaper. For a brunch menu order fresh fruits, muffins, scones and cheeses with mimosas to drink. An early lunch menu could consist of deli meats, crackers, cheeses, fruit and vegetable trays and an assortment of lunch wines and beers. To go even cheaper, schedule the reception between meals so just desserts or appetizers would be served. Any way you go, these four ideas are going to be cheaper than a dinner menu of expensive meats, side dishes, and liquors.
• Consider head count- The more people attend, the pricier it will be. Be selective about who is going to the reception. To avoid hurting anybody's feelings, meet up for cocktail hour another day.
• Get only the entree catered- Order only the main dish from the catering company or restaurant. You can make your own complimentary side dishes (pasta salads, mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, side salads) at home, or pick them up from the grocery deli.
• Get close to the caterer- Ask him questions, and compare prices. Would it be cheaper to pay per guest, or to be served buffet- style? What exactly is in that green and purple dish anyway?. That way you won't end up wasting money by ordering a plate of something impalpable, like ginger pickles.
• Limit the alcohol- Spirits are a huge part of the cost when it comes to the reception. To cut these you could do one or more of the following: Have a "B.Y.O.B." policy (guest bring their own beer, wine and liquor), reconsider the "open bar". You could also go shopping for alcohol and mixers yourself, buying 1-2 bottles of nice wine and the rest decent, having an assortment of liquor bottles and soft drinks and fruit juices for guest to create cocktails and an assortment of beer. Just remind everybody when its gone, its gone.
• Be sneaky about reducing the amount guests drink- If you set it up so people are apt to drink less, it helps too. Have your reception during daylight hours, people drink less when the sun is out. Make sure there are teas, sodas, and coffee readily available. Serve free beer, but have a tab on the bar for mixed drinks, wine and speciality drinks.  Use smaller cups, around 8 ounces, to minimize waste.

Flowers & Decor

• Go for whatever is in season- Picking flowers that are easy to get will keep the cost down.
• Save money and order online- The downside is you are responsible for keeping them alive, transporting them and clean-up, but you can save a lot by ordering from websites like The Flower Exchange and Online Wholesale Flowers.
• Pick somewhere where the flowers already are- Botanical gardens and and city parks are already filled with flowers and foliage. No clean up required!
• Be honest, now- Talk to your florist about your budget, and be honest about how much you are willing to spend. Don't let them talk you into exceeding your budget.
• D.I.Y.-  Make your own bouquets using flowers from your own garden, or silk flowers (which you can later take home, and use to decorate your new home!)
• Mix it up- For a large centerpiece use mostly cheap flowers like carnations, mixed with your favorite, more expensive flowers.
• Use candles- They are inexpensive, and reusable. At Wal-Mart, you can get a six piece "gift set" with different sizes for around ten bucks.
• Jars and stones- Use pasta sauce jars, fish bowls, decorative candle holders and any other unique glass to hold stones for an inexpensive and classy centerpiece at each table.
• Use fruit- small and colorful fruit also makes a great table centerpiece.

Photography

• Go back to school. Talk to the students and teachers of photography classes at high schools, community colleges, and universities. Try to catch an undiscovered star. Some students may be so excited and passionate about their photography, you won't have to pay them a dime.
• Leave disposables laying around- Place a disposable camera at every few tables, and major gathering points. Tell the guest before hand, and encourage them to take pictures of the event all day long
• Have the guest lend a hand- Most guests that own a digital camera would be more than happy to help a pair of newlyweds capture snapshots on their wedding day. With a few cameras going around, your bound to find that perfect shot in the mix somewhere.
• Cut the time, cut the price- If you do decide to hire a professional photographer, have them attend only the actual wedding ceremony, instead of both the ceremony and the reception.It'll cut the price of services by a large percent, maybe even in half.

Music

• Get a D.J. - Deejays are great because they change the music a lot to avoid monotony, they are more personal, and much cheaper than a traditional band. Oh, and much, much cheaper.
• Consider location- Depending on the locale and formality of the wedding, different types of live music may be appropriate. For example: a tropical beach wedding would be fine with one person playing an instrument, as opposed to an entire band.
• Keep it in the family- Make it special by having offering guests and family members with musical talent a chance to play a song
• Put it on "loop"- Make a preset playlist for the occasion, plug in your mp3 player and let it work its magic through the night
• Take turns- Have guests take turns playing deejay.

Wedding favors-

• Cheap favor bags- Don't get too fancy here. Regular birthday party favor bags in either the wedding, or clear will be great. Make it fancy by wrapping the finished and filled bag with curled ribbon
• Candy filled baggies- Small ziplock bags (cut off the zip part) filled with pretty drugstore candies like M&MS, then tied off with assorted ribbons are sure to please
• Soap- Small decorative soaps in heart, seashell, or seahorse design are pretty, inexpensive, and easy to find (Look in the housewares section)
• Bubbles- You can get tiny bottles of bubbles in 8-10 packs for very cheap at the dollar, party supply, or hobby & craft store.
• A single indulgence- Splurge on a few packages of gourmet chocolate, such as Godiva and put a single candy in each bag.
• Incense sticks- They smell great, everybody loves them, they are super easy to use and are around $1.00 for a pack of twenty. Need i say more?

General Advice

• Get the license A.S.A.P- Ensure that you have it ready to go the day of the wedding to avoid stress. Anticipate delays and apply early as possible.
• Mail out the invites on time- 6-8 weeks before the wedding is ideal.
• Plan for bad weather- If your wedding and/or reception is scheduled to be held outdoors, set up a plan B to avoid panic and stress should it rain, hail or snow.
• Great wedding toasts- Not sure what to say? Get help at Instant Wedding Toasts.
• Wedding Registry- Make sure you fit every guests budget. Pick items that are in the $20-$150 price range. Fill them out at different stores like Target, Sears, Crate and Barrel, Wal-Mart and online at Amazon
• Pairs of flower girls- If your flower girl is very young, or very shy consider having two. This increases confidence (and cuteness).