Planning A Stylish Low Budget Wedding

Planning a low budget wedding? You do not need to sacrifice style for those few extra dollars saved from your budget.

If anyone understands the stress of planning a wedding it is me. They say some of the most stressful things you can do in life are planning a wedding and having a baby. I did both of those things all in the same year. In fact I was planning my wedding while I was pregnant.

When my husband and I decided to get married we agreed to keep it simple. We were not really into the idea of a big elaborate ceremony. You know; the church, the expensive frilly dress, loads of flowers and the big reception party.

So we were off to plan as simple a wedding as possible. We would stage a very simple ceremony with a justice of the peace. We would only invite our very closest of friends and family. We would not throw a huge party but simply make reservations for a semi quiet dinner at a nice restaurant. Well this is how we dreamed it would happen, and intended on it to happen, but it is not how it all went down.

Once we got our parents involved it all went down hill from there. Word spread like wild fire throughout the families that we were getting married. The more that heard the news, the more people we were obligated to invite. Don't get me wrong - it is not that we didn't want them there but the more people invited the more money it would cost and we simply did not have it. A handful of guests turned into flying in cousins from seperate corners of the country. It basically turned into inviting the entire family! Soon there were no restaurants to fit the crowd of people we were to invite. And no small venue for the ceremony either.

While I was busy endlessly searching for someplace nice (not to mention free) to stage the ceremony at, the family had started to take things into their own hands and start planning parts of the wedding for us. Before I knew it there were halls for the reception booked, cakes ordered, and a D.J. for the big party.

OK so on one hand it was a nice thought to try and take some of the stress and pressure of planning this wedding off of me, but while they were helping to plan the wedding what they weren't planning on was what all of this would cost! And boy oh boy does it cost! Caterers, bartenders, cake, dress, decorations just to name some! It all adds up fast. I'll tell you at one point I was very close to calling it all off and eloping. Eventually every little detail did come together (after much agonizing) and the wedding went off without a hitch. It was absolutely beautiful and we had so much fun!

I managed to pull it all off by cutting a few corners (and costs). I made my own decoration, centerpieces, and wedding invitations. I became a bargain shopper!

One phrase to keep in mind - make it your mantra; keep it simple!

Here's a few ways I cut corners and dollars:

* Where to hold the ceremony is one thing that could actually not cost you a dime! Search out a public garden or park. Lakes and beaches can be a good location also depending on the theme of your wedding. Keep in mind that some public places will require permission from the city or town. I held my ceremony in a gazebo at a public beach. I contacted the town hall and had to fill out papers for a permit to use the gazebo for the day.

* Save money on flowers by holding the wedding at a garden.

Another way to save on flowers would be to split the cost of flowers with another bride having their wedding on the same day. I lucked out on this as it just happened that there was a wedding earlier in the day on the same day as our wedding. They decorated the gazebo that morning. All we had to do was show up.

* If you intend to have a Justice of the Peace marry you then make sure and hire someone from within the town you hold the ceremony in. Most charge a substantial amount less if they do not need to travel outside of town lines.

* If you are going to rent a hall or venue for your reception ask around before you pick a place or even start looking. Chances are that you might know someone who knows someone who can help you out with a discount. My reception was held at a V.F.W hall. Just happened that a family member knew someone who worked there and gave us a deal!

* Do some bargain shopping and come up with your own decorations for the reception. I wanted flowers arrangements for the centerpiece of every table, so I made them all myself. I bought vases candles and candle holders VERY CHEAP by shopping around. I then visited a flower shop. I talked to a sales girl and they were willing to give me a cheaper price since I was going to buy alot of the same flower. It was just like buying in bulk. They included baby's breath and greens so I could make my own arrangements. The caterers were providing all of the linens so all I had to do was put my centerpieces together and place them on the tables.

* Make your own invitations! I made all my own invitations, R.S.V.P. cards and printed little cards to fit into the inside with directions to the ceremony as well as the reception. Making your own invitations is not as hard as it sounds although and with the help of a good desktop publishing program you can create invitations that are every bit as stylish as those you could buy through a commercial printer and far less expensive. Check your local paper or office supply store as well as craft supply stores for materials. Making the invitations yourself also ensures that you get exactly the invitation you want to match your wedding theme.

Follow these tips and hopefully you will have just as great a wedding as I did while keeping it well within your budget. After all the most important thing is that you and all your guests have a great time and a day to remember forever!