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Marry at the church that you have attended, possibly the one your parents or his parents were married. You save on excess fee for the location, because you or he or your parents are memebers of the congregation, and you have a meaningful ceremony in a beautiful location with wonderful music by professional church musicians. You can even have a lovely, tea reception in the fellowship or church hall, saving fees for the location, and saving money on the reception menu by not having a sit down meal or alcohlic beverages. You still have a wedding avoiding many extra expenses.
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Ingrid
d.
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It can be stressful planning your wedding, Always remember... It is your big day and it only happens once so dont worry about the small stuff and look at the big picture... Your getting Married!! Yeaaaaaay :-)
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Christine
I.
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Definitley make a budget and stick to it. Look at different wedding websites and make a budget that will FIT your wedding. Try DIY websites, see what you or your bridal party can do yourselves. But 1st and foremost...DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!!!
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Tara B
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DIY, DIY,DIY... Why pay for menu cards, petal cones, pomander balls, monograms, labels, etc?, when you can do it yourself. There are many templates and blogs with templates that are very easy (even I can do them) to achieve. THis way you can save money and add the personal touch yourself. You can even call your girls to help, pop some popcorn and have a Girls DIY Bash!
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brandy
b.
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Look around at various websites to get ideas for decorations. See what you can make yourself because you can usually make it for cheaper than what they sell it for. This is also a great way to personalize your wedding and reception. Don't just copy ideas on websites, make the decorations your own and change them to your own personal style.
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Carrie
G.
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Use silk flowers for aisle runners, flower girl petals, and plants against the wall for decoration. They are cheaper and no one will be able to notice.
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Hayley
O.
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The fabric of your gown needs to be one of the factors in making it ‘the one’. Lightweight fabrics like chiffon are the best choice for warm-weather weddings. If your nuptials will be in wintery-weather consider heavier fabrics.
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Alfred Angelo
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Make a list, make it nice,
Check it three times, not just twice.
Do some research, call around,
So when you're done, green can be found.
Compare the cost of this and that,
Good job; now give your shoulder a pat.
Make reservations in advance,
So on your wedding you may prance,
Up the isle and down again,
With your new husband, hand in hand.
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Amanda
L.
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Create a budget - if you set a budget you will most likely keep within the budget rather than getting out of hand.
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Monica
H.
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We plan to have four bridesmaids, four groomsmen, four junior bridesmaids, four junior groomsmen, and a flower girl in our wedding party. If we were to have each lady carry a full bouquet, it would cost a small fortune. In order to save money, we are going to have each of our bridesmaids carry one beautiful flower. This saves of the cost of four bouquets, which is huge!
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Breann
H.
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Ask! You never know if a fiend of your aunt's bakes wedding cakes or if a college friend does photography. Be creative with your contacts as well . Many art, culinary, and cosmetology students will provide services for a fraction of the cost.
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Jessica L
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There are so many cost saving tips that I am using for my wedding it is hard to pick just one! I would have to say that my biggest cost saving tip is in two parts. One, I chose to have an appetizer reception starting at 7:30pm to allow guests to have the option to get dinner or something light before the reception started. Appetizer receptions can still be expensinve if you are hiring a caterer, look on the internet and ask around friends. During these economic times, there are some fine dining chefs who will do catering work on the side to supplement their income, and at a significant discount. On a popular online classified site I was able to find a chef available for our wedding date, explained to him that my budget for the wedding was only $3,500 and how much I wanted my day to be special. He then was able to offer to buy the food at his restaurant cost (including large sheet cakes to cut in the back at 4 of them for $25!) My contract total is currently $800 for 8 differe
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KaCee
B.
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Keep a spray bottle handy for small wrinkles. Spray the area lightly and use a hairdryer to dry the area wrinkle free.
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Alfred Angelo
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Buy any reception/ceremony decor, etc USED! There are sites where brides re-sell their decor trying to recoup some of the money that was spent.
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Amber
H.
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Try a DIY project such as designing your own invitations and having them printed online for about half the cost as professional invites.
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Carla G
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This may not work for everyone, but for those of you with a big family.... ask them to help out with everything. And I mean EVERYTHING!! My mom's sister is catering, my father is preforming the ceremony, my cousins are singing in the wedding. We are doing appetizers and desserts instead of a meal, therefore, we only have a few sit down tables for older guests, and for guest with children. We mostly have stand up cocktail tables. We cut corners with basically every aspect of our wedding. The only large expenses that we have are the tent (t's an outside wedding) and the photographer. We also made our own decorations, which are absolutely beautiful. We bought lavender, victorian lilac, and white fabric and cut them into strips, tied them together, and hung them everywhere. Our wedding would have cost us over $25,000.... We only spent $9,000!
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bethany
p.
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Using your networks can save you a lot of money. Think back on who you know with special talents. I have an aunt makng my cake and a friend of my sister as the DJ. If you ask around friends and family may be able to help, or know some one who can. Even look for people who are just starting to come into the wedding business. They are usually looking to make a portfolio and will give a better price to you since they are also benefiting from the deal. The wedding of your dreams is always in reach as long as you begin to look for it!
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Paula
R.
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If your wedding is 6 months or less away and you have your heart set on a particular photographer, videographer, or band that your budget doesn't allow for, negotiate prices with them. In this economy, and with only 6 months or less left to go, they are probably not going to get booked if they havn't already. Rather than have the day go with no business, they are sure to give you a great price. You can get iit down even lower if you offer a cash deal; that benefits both them and you. Good Luck!
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Jenny
R.
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In lieu of giving wedding favors at the reception, we decided to make a donation to a foundation that was established by one of our guests (in honor of her daughter). A note will be added on the back of the seating cards to acknowledge this.
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Sharon
C.
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I thought having my wedding at my dream location would be impossible on my budget, but by having an early ceremony and a brunch reception I am able to afford my waterside wedding!
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Tricia
M.
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