|
...
Go Back
Start your party off
right with fun party ideas!
- Find party supplies
for your theme to the right
=========>
- View all party ideas
below
Planning A Wedding On A Budget
by Mike Collins
Weddings are expensive. I learned this myself three years ago
when my wife and I were married. We only had about 60 guests,
but when you add up the ceremony, reception, music,
photographer, video, limos, tuxedoes and dresses, we still
ended up spending over $15,000.
If you are planning on getting married in the near future, you
should begin thinking about what is most important to you now.
Sit down with your significant other and make a list of
everything that you would like to have and rank them. Decide
what you could live without, what you would really like to
have, and what you absolutely must have. This will help you
prioritize when it comes to allocating money.
Here are some things to consider if you are planning a wedding
on a budget:
Food - Price and quality do not always go together when it
comes to food. I've been to expensive weddings with horrible
food (we once left so dissatisfied that we stopped at Burger
King on the way home). And I have been to low budget weddings
where the food was delicious. It's very important to ask around
for opinions and if possible go for a tasting before choosing a
caterer. Also, buffets are generally less expensive than a sit
down dinner.
Location - If you are looking to save money, consider having
your ceremony in a park or other outside area, even a friend's
backyard.
Time - Weekend evenings are the busiest time for weddings and
you will pay a premium for them. We got married on a Sunday at
noon and it cost us half the rate of a Sunday evening wedding.
We could never have afforded the evening wedding at such a nice
place.
Music - DJs are generally much cheaper than live bands. Or if
money is especially tight, consider not having music or just
playing your own. A friend of our's had a sit down dinner for
about 20 guests when she got married. There was no dancing but
we all had a great time.
Flowers - Prices for flowers can vary wildly from florist to
florist. It really pays to shop around. Also, if you use
flowers that are in season and available locally you will save
money. Out of season flowers have to be shipped from other
parts of the world and you will pay considerably extra for
them.
Photographs - Pictures are a sentimental memento of your
wedding day and I encourage you to have pictures taken. But the
cost can be prohibitive. A professional photographer will cost
several thousand dollars. Prices will vary depending on the
size of your package.
A less expensive option is to buy a bunch of disposable cameras
and leave one on each table so your guests can take pictures for
you. The downsides are low quality and lack of the ability to
control the pictures taken. If you use a professional you can
give her a list of the photos that you can't live without.
Video - Prices and quality vary with videographers as well. My
wife watches our video all the time so it was well worth the
cost. But if you are planning a wedding on a budget you can
probably live without it.
Limos - Skip the Hummer or Rolls Royce models and stick with a
standard limo and you'll save considerably.
|x||x||x||x|
Do You Have Ideas
For This Or
Other Themes?
Contact Us
& You Can Find Your Ideas Here. We allow first
name and state listed if needed.
|
|
