Weddings are usually expensive things. It’s true that you can get married for the price of a marriage license and the fee for the officiant, but most people want to have a party, too. Most of us want to have pretty dresses, flowers, good food, photographs, music, rings, and all the other trappings that go with getting married in modern society.

The thing is, trappings cost money. It can be amazing how much money these trappings cost once you start looking at price tags. You may be lucky enough to have plenty of cash to cover all your dreams. If so, fantastic! Enjoy! On the other hand, you may discover that getting everything you would like will leave you hugely in debt.

So what to do? Look for the most painless ways to cut costs possible.

See, the thing about weddings is that vendors all think their product is the single most important part of the experience, and most of us have so little experience with organizing weddings that we don’t know our priorities going in. We assume that bigger floral arrangements, bigger diamonds, designer labels, and more elaborate transportation will automatically make the day better or that people will think less of us if we don’t have all the trimmings.

The fact is, though, that most of the trimmings are just that: trimmings. They’re optional. They’re possibilities rather than marching orders. If you keep that in mind, it’s easier to figure out what is extraneous in your world.

Here are a few suggestions for things that can be drastically cut or entirely eradicated without dimming the excitement of the day or inconveniencing your guests.

Favors. Sure, they’re a nice idea. On the other hand, unless they’re edible you may find that a lot of them get left behind. They also add up surprisingly fast. Even if you’re only paying $2 apiece for them, if you’re inviting 100 people, that’s $200.00. You’re already feeding your guests, giving them a bit of pageantry to watch, and probably having some dancing, too. Toy prizes are really not going to make the difference in how the day comes across. This is a great place to save time, money and effort.

Oddly Sized or Shaped Invitations. Remember, if your invitation is larger or smaller than a standard size, or if it’s oddly shaped, it will require special handling by the Post Office, and that’s going to cost you extra money. So will extra heavy invitations, so think carefully about the weight of card stock you want and how many inserts to include.

Bridal Jewelry. I don’t know about you, but in addition to owning a lot of jewelry myself, I had dozens of friends and relatives with piles of jewelry just sitting around waiting to be worn when I got married. This is a great place to find your ‘something old’ and/or ‘something borrowed’ while honoring someone you already love. Heck, you could find your ‘something blue’ sitting in your own or your mother’s or your best friend’s jewelry box. Borrow grandma’s sapphire earrings, and have a dazzling threefer!

Fancy Transportation for the Bridal Party. Sure it would be cool to arrive in a string of stretch limos, a huge party bus, or a horse and carriage. On the other hand, any of these options will cost you hundreds and hundreds of dollars…if you can get them for under a grand. Is a grand entrance or exit worth over a grand to you? Only you can decide this, but it’s good to ask the question before you get your heart too set on something. After being in four wedding parties, I’ve still never ridden in a limo, a Hummer bus, or a horse-drawn carriage. All four weddings were great. All four marriages are strong.

Open Bar. This is not in any way to advocate cash bars. You invited people to your party, you do not ask them to pay for anything once they arrive. On the other hand, you don’t have to offer every possible drink in the universe at your expense. A dry reception is perfectly polite, as is one with limited liquor options. Keeping a bit of control over how much and what liquor is available is one way to save money without falling into Etiquette Hell. Really think about your crowd before you make your choices, though. Some groups run heavily to wine drinkers, others to beer. Some would be happiest with a choice of one or two cocktails, others will want something traditional to their culture (vodka for Russians, single malt whiskey for Scots, etc.). Pick carefully, estimate a little generously, and don’t ask your guests to pay.

Optional Printed Materials. Of course you need invitations, maps, and even place cards if you’re having arranged seating. On the other hand, things like programs, menu cards, and personalized cocktail napkins or match books are usually not necessary. If you decide you can do without them, you can save several hundred dollars without breaking a sweat.

Personal Grooming. Of course you want to look and feel your best for your wedding. I’m certainly not advocating showing up to your wedding with stringy, dirty hair or covered in dirt. I’m just saying bringing in a pro to do your hair and makeup (let alone for the whole bridal party) is an expense that’s worth taking a good hard look at before you choose it. Same goes for spray on tanning, mani-pedis, teeth whitening, and Botox injections.

Saving a few bucks here, and a few bucks there won’t make throwing a wedding cheap…but it just might make it affordable.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 1:35 pm 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.