With the economy in the toilet, many brides and grooms are opting to forgo the huge expense of a wedding and get hitched in destinations like Vegas. If that is what you want to do, then I say cheers to you. Vegas weddings can be as beautiful as a huge hometown wedding (not all Vegas weddings are cheesy drive-thru chapels or officiated by Elvis impersonators).
If you choose to stay at home, there are still ways you can have the wedding of your dreams and not go broke while doing it.
5 ways you can save money on your wedding
1. Minimize your guest list. Contrary to belief, you don't need to invite everyone you've ever come into contact with to your wedding. Invite the people that mean the most to you and leave it at that.
2. Cut out the favors. Wedding favors are nice little trinkets, but aren't really necessary. Think about it. Is cousin Jimmy going to save your little silver bell with colored M&Ms and a personalized ribbon with your names and wedding date on it? No. Like the wedding cake, most favors wind up in the trash. Why throw your money away?
3. Be on the lookout for bargains. No matter where you are or what you're shopping for, always be on the lookout for items and services that you may be able to use for your wedding. You may be at the local hardware store and find potted trees on sale that you can use to decorate the reception room. After Christmas white light sale at Target (50%) off--these savings are for you.
4. Remove the word wedding from your vocabulary. I'm not kidding. As soon as a vendor hears the word wedding, the cost of the item goes up. Instead of walking into the bakery and saying, "I'm looking for a wedding cake," say something like, "I'm interested in pricing a cake."
5. Use your skills and the skills of people you know. Chances are good that you or someone you know is crafty. Use these skills to your advantage. I once tied 100 tiny little chiffon ribbons around 100 tiny little wedding thank you scrolls for a friend. I also made hundreds of tuxedo strawberries for another friend's wedding. Cost to them: totally free. The bride and her bridesmaids (me included) hung out, drank some wine or beer, and put our skills to good use.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Elope or Hometown Wedding?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Wedding Cake: Good Investment or Waste of Money?
Why?
Believe it or not, many people do not like cake. Even if they like cake, they may not like the flavor of the cake you've chosen. So why spend hundreds of dollars on a sugary delight that is only going to be delighting the trash can?
Two ways to save the wedding cake (and your money)
1. Have the bakery or cake designer create a beautiful cake--making only the bottom layer real, making the other layers fake. You only cut into the bottom part anyway. Since your cake is taken into the kitchen to be cut and put on plates for guests, nobody will be the wiser.
Buy sheet cakes to be sliced and served to the guests. With a sheet cake costing in the neighborhood of $20, you can literally save hundreds of dollars that can be put toward covering the cost of some other wedding aspect.
2. Forget the cake and choose a dessert bar. Again, many guests do not like cake, so why not give them the option of choosing their own dessert. You can buy a variety of cakes, pies, and pastries from your local bakery, and simply by removing the word wedding from your vocabulary, you'll spend a lot less than if you opt for the wedding cake.
Friday, January 2, 2009
I Have the Best Proposal Story Contest
In honor of the new year--welcome 2009--I'm running a contest. This is a shout out to all you newly engaged or old married couples who have fabulous proposal stories. Whether they are romantic, funny or catastrophic, we want to hear from you!
And what will you win?
1st Prize Set of champagne flutes
2nd Prize A wedding, anniversary, or personal website
3rd Prize $25 gift certificate to Card Goddess
How to enter:
Post your story in the comments section below. Please note, comments may be edited or altered to make them easier to read, or to remove profanity, etc. You can only enter once. Please be sure to provide an email address so I can contact you if you win!
Contest dates:
January 2 - January 30
Contest winners:
The winners will be chosen by readers of this blog. I'll put up a poll for visitors and readers to vote. Entrants can send family and friends to the blog to vote on their story. The three stories with the most votes, win! Winners will be announced on February 14th in honor of the day of love--Valentine's Day!
So start posting your stories today.
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