Every soon-to-be bride knows exactly how she wants her wedding to look. Special floral arrangements, a beautiful banquet hall dining room, a catered dinner with an open bar and so on are all part of the dreams of many engaged couples. The problem for many couples is finding the money to be able to have everything they want on their special day. Luckily, there are things you can do to cut down on the cost of your wedding day – here are some tips about lowering the price tag:
- When you are picking the date you’d like for your ceremony and reception, consider looking at months outside of “wedding season.” Not only are off season weddings less expensive, but they are also unique and offer you and your guests the opportunity to celebrate during an overlooked part of the year.
- Most of us have been to weddings with a ludicrously large dessert buffet. Keep it simple at your wedding. Focus on your wedding cake, coffee / tea, cookies and maybe some ice cream for the kids. This will save you a chunk of change.
- The majority of wedding costs come directly from inviting too many people. In most cases you’ll end up inviting some distant friends who are asking themselves why they are there in the first place. Cut down your guest list and watch the savings grow.
- Everyone enjoys an open bar at a wedding. While this is usually a luxury that all couples choose for their reception, try to set an amount of time that lowers the cost per head. If your venue allows you to bring your own alcohol, pay them for the bartender only.
- Pick flowers and food items that are in season. Having yellow squash in winter will cost you more than it’s worth. Be reasonable with your choices.
As the holidays passed us and the New Year came and went, I wonder if any of you were like me – just waiting for the all of the 2012 wedding trends to start emerging. If you are a soon-to-be bride or groom, you need to know what the hottest items and themes are for your upcoming wedding, especially if you are getting married this year! Here are some of the trends that you might want to embrace at your impending nuptials:
As the holiday season ends, it is time to take stock of all the things that happened. Looking back on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, I’m sure a number of your Facebook feeds sprung up with news of engagements. What do you do if you are one of these soon-to-be brides? Don’t worry – I have some tips for you:
With New Year’s Eve coming up in just a few days, there are a lot of people scrambling for places to go on the big night. This is not to say there isn’t a ton to do before 2011 says goodbye, it’s just really hard to choose how you want to celebrate. If you’re anything like me, standing out in the cold waiting for a big ball to drop is not your idea of fun, so instead think about making the last hours of your year a classy affair.
The quickie wedding is synonymous with the bright lights of big cities like Las Vegas and Reno. Long have couples moved from being engaged to getting hitched in the blink of an eye on a night of questionable decisions in Nevada. Just look at Britney Spears, who famously married a childhood sweetheart this way, only to annul the union 55 hours later. Although you may think that Atlantic City also allows weddings in under a half-hour, the east coast’s version of Sin City requires a three day waiting period for wedding license approval. That is about to change.
If you have the party at your actual office, there may be some rules about what you can have and can’t during the festivities. If you can serve alcohol, don’t just assume that everyone will be partaking. Ensure that you provide non-alcoholic holiday punch for those people who prefer to keep things on the straight and narrow. For those people who do drink, arrange for a few taxis to be available at the end of the night.
