Photos by Anna Kim Photography
How to Stay on Budget for Your Wedding: Written by Tori Rogers, Lead Planner and Owner of Celebrations by Tori.
Hire a wedding consultant to do the dirty work for you. Wedding consultants can help you save time and money especially if they have a lot of experience and are experts in their field
PUT IT IN WRITING!
Be sure to get everything in writing. Read every contract. Search for hidden interest rates or hidden costs. Be sure that you keep a separate file for everything.
BEG, BORROW, & BARGAIN!
Be willing to accept help from family and friends. Don’t turn down their help if they volunteer to pay for your wedding dress or help out with the cost of the photos. Borrow married friends’ items (toasting flutes, ring bearer pillow, veil, etc.). Ebay, Weddingbee Classifieds, Cragislist & other sites have items for sale from other brides. Find out if there is an event at your venue the day before or after your event. If so, perhaps you can save on rental costs for tables, chairs, lighting, tents, etc. by sharing the costs of rental, delivery & set up.
CUT THE LIST:
Do not invite more guests than you can afford. Limit your attendants and guest list. You could save hundreds on the boutonnieres, bouquets, centerpieces, etc.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
With every detail planned, someone is going to try to up-sell you. And, those TV shows only provide more temptation. You probably did not win a free wedding by David Tutera. If you don’t have a platinum budget, then forego the extravagant items that create the platinum wedding. Don’t crack under pressure!
IT’S ALL IN THE TIMING
Select a weekday instead of a weekend. You’ll be in a better position to negotiate rates with your venues and professionals. Consider your wedding to take place during the day instead of the evening. Marry in the off-season. High season for events are from May to October, so planning your event to take place during the off season may offer a better chance of finding vendors who will drop their rates. Avoid having your event take place on a holiday. Also avoid high season (May through October).
WORD TO THE WISE
The best price does not always mean the best vendor or venue.
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