There’s no getting away from the fact that the economy is in the tank right now. Stocks are down, jobs are being cut left, right, and center. This is a bad time to dream of a lavish wedding day unless you’re a trust fund baby whose portfolio has avoided the worst of the market tumble.

That means chances are that you’ll have to get creative to have the wedding of your dreams. Luckily, you’re getting advice from a woman who put together a great wedding with live music and a groaning buffet for nearly a hundred people on next door to nothing.

Having a nice wedding doesn’t have to break the bank, even as broken as the banks are right now. How to do it? Take a look after the cut and see.

1: Prioritize carefully. Which is more important to you? The meal or the music, the flowers or the invitations, the wine or the guest list? The gown or the favors? When you can’t do everything to the extent you’d like, you need to decide what’s the most important to you. Pick no more than three priorities. Be ruthless with the rest. Remove, reduce, or re-imagine them until you can fit everything you actually need into your budget.

2: Anything that does double duty is your friend. Try to find a site that will cover both ceremony and reception needs. Chances are it will wind up costing less than renting two different places, plus you can adapt part of the ceremony decor for the reception needs. When choosing this site, get the prettiest place you can afford, and you can save a ton on decorations, too. After all, a place that’s already pretty can get by without much extra while a place that’s ugly may not ever be made pretty, even if you drop a lot of dough trying to tart it up. Oh, and be sure the basic look doesn’t clash with your vision. If you’re having a goth wedding, it would be silly to pick a place that’s painted pink. And if you’re having an Art Deco theme, high Victorian just won’t do the trick.

3: DIY is your friend. Anything you can do by hand is something you don’t have to pay someone else to do. Even if all you can do is tie up the ribbons on the favor bags, that’s one thing you don’t have to pay for.

4: If a competent person offers to help out, don’t be afraid to accept their help. Just be sure the person offering is up to what they’ve offered. If your aunt who runs a custom tailoring shop offers to sew the bridesmaid’s dresses, that’s probably worth taking up. If your friend who had one semester of Home Ec in high school offers, tell her thanks but you’ve already made other arrangements. If possible, offer her another project she can help with…such as those favor bag ribbons.

5: Alternate sources are your friend. As soon as the word ‘wedding’ or ‘bridal’ is slapped on an item, the price seems to double. The fact is that you can get most of the same goods for a lot less if you go somewhere they aren’t called wedding items. Also, do not shun the lowly consignment or thrift store, the garage sale or flea market, or even the odds and ends you’ve collected over the years as sources for some items. And never forget sources like eBay or Craig’s List.

6: Know when alternate options are not your friend. Sometimes when an item or service is priced too low, it’s a sign that it’s not good quality. When a deal seems too good to be true, be extra vigilant about getting references and/or seeing samples.

7: Just because a bridal magazine or tv show says it’s expected doesn’t mean you have to do it. You can throw the bouquet you carried down the aisle, wear comfortable shoes you already own, do without a reception dress, and cut the cake with a knife you have sitting in your cutlery drawer. If it’s optional and doesn’t mean anything to you, it’s a good thing to cut out entirely.

8: Keep track of your budget. If you go over in one area, find another to cut back on. Put your receipts and contracts right where you can find them and consult them on a regular basis. If you know what you have and what everything has cost, you won’t let the budget get too out of hand.

9: Speaking of those contracts, read them carefully before you sign them. Know what is and isn’t covered in them, and what your options are if the vendor doesn’t come through with something that was promised. Signing sucker contracts can cost you a bundle. Never sign on the dotted line until you understand what’s in the fine print.

10: Always remember that the most important things about a wedding don’t cost more money. A joyful couple behaving graciously toward their guests will leave a good impression money can’t buy.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 8th, 2009 at 8:30 am by Twistie and is filed under Advice, Budgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.