Wedding Ideas on a Budget for Creating a Stylish Wedding

As mentioned in the first part of this series on Ideas for Creating a Stylish Wedding even when on a budget, couples often fear that a “low-cost wedding” is a “sad-looking wedding”. Well, it is far from it! You can achieve a stylish look without borrowing money from friends, family, and your bank, so you don’t start your marriage in debt. So, let’s put wedding ideas on a budget in perspective and look at more great suggestions for staying within your wedding budget that are primarily focused around the flowers and décor portion of your wedding planning.

• While most popular bridal flowers are available year-round, some traditional ones – for example, peonies and lily-of-the-valley – can be difficult to find and expensive out of season. Choose blooms that are locally available, rather than ones that must be shipped in from afar. Just ask your florist for help choosing blooms
• Keep in mind that approximately half of your florist’s bill will be for labor: try to select bridal bouquet ideas that are hand-tied (wrapped at the base with a ribbon matching your color scheme). Elaborate, cascading bridal bouquet designs will cost significantly more because they take more time to make
• For great bridal bouquet ideas without flowers, consider carrying candles, books, bibles, a rosary (like Melania Knauss-Trump did at her wedding), a single flower trimmed with ribbon streamers, wicker baskets or a decorated fan
• Talk to your venues and see if any other brides have booked for the same day. If the two of you can coordinate flowers and split the cost, you will save a lot of money. Just make sure that your styles match
• Make floral arrangements do double duty. If ceremony flowers are an appropriate size, they can serve as centerpieces on your reception tables; otherwise you can use them to decorate guest-book, seating-card, and favor tables. Bridesmaids’ bouquets will be perfect on the cake table
• Instead of decorating tables with large arrangements, float a few flowers in a variety of shallow bowls or glass cylinders filled halfway with water
• Reuse your pew markers to decorate doorknobs or other areas of your reception site
• Bowls or containers filled with seasonal fruits or vegetables can replace expensive floral presentations at a garden-style wedding
• For a winter wedding, mix berries, pine cones, and other economical non-floral embellishments with costlier blooms to fill out bridal bouquets and table arrangements
• As an alternative to traditional flower centerpieces, group favors together on the table. Wrap them with a paper matching your color palette or some of your stationery pieces (use a rubber stamp with your monogram, for instance)
• Flowering bulbs, such as amaryllis, narcissus, and hyacinth, often cost less than regular flowers and look great rising from a layer of stones set in clear containers
• Your florist won’t have to supply (and charge for) vases for your centerpieces if you have a collection of containers, such as urns that belonged to your grandmother, jelly jars or milk jugs. Filled with flowers, such vessels make pretty displays that tell about you and your family
• Consider renting large potted plants such as tropical palms or ficus: it is definitely less expensive than buying large flower arrangements. They visually fill a lot of space, and will enhance the setting at your ceremony site or warm up your reception. If you decide to purchase these large plants, you can use them in your backyard afterwards.
• Instead of costly escort cards, print a list of guests’ names and table assignments on elegant papers and display them in embellished frames, matching your color scheme
• Votives, tapers and lanterns are inexpensive, particularly when purchased in bulk, and they have an exciting effect on party décor. Place votives alongside your centerpieces to cast a soft glow, and add tapers to give the arrangements greater height. Rows of hanging lanterns are ideal for dramatically illuminating any outdoor path or walkway
• You don’t have to use those white tablecloths that come with your reception site. Some venues offer options: explore them and, if possible, select linens in a bright hue or with plenty of texture (stitching, beading and so on) to create a personalized look
• Raid stores like IKEA, Pier One and Cost Plus for things like candle holders and charger plates. It is cheaper than renting them, and then you can sell them online after your wedding
• Colored ribbons, tied around wine and champagne glasses and cake serving set for accent, add a distinctive touch without a greatly added expense
• Have a calligrapher letter only the cover of the ceremony program; print the interior pages using favorite fonts on your own computer. Consider creating menus, seating cards, and place cards with your computer as well

As you can see there are many ways to look at things for Wedding Ideas on a Budget and still create a stylish wedding. Check back for Part III where we go over money saving tips for the catering portion of your wedding plans, or better yet subscribe to YourWeddingDollars.com so you will be notified when Part III is published.

Weddings that tell a beautiful story: Yours. This is what Sabrina Cadini, Professional Bridal Consultant^TM, and owner of La Dolce Idea in San Diego, California, is passionate about. Each wedding should reflect the couple’s personality, and Sabrina adds that magic touch to make it an event that couples and their guests will always remember. By offering truly personalized service and money-saving solutions for every budget, she fuses creativity, Italian-style (where she’s from) and professionalism into impeccably planned celebrations. Find out more about Sabrina at www.ladolceidea.us

Wedding Ideas on a Budget that Still Create a Stylish Wedding

Couples often fear that a “low-cost wedding” is a “sad-looking wedding”. Well, it is not! You can achieve a stylish look without borrowing money from friends, family, and your bank, so you don’t start your marriage in debt. So let’s put wedding ideas on a budget in perspective.

More often, couples forget their wedding is, in reality, a celebration of their union. Today, most of the weddings we witness are full event productions, with extravagant décor, special effects, and impressive entertainment. But what about celebrating your love with just a few classic and stylish touches? We at La Dolce Idea always try to enhance each celebration with the couple’s personality: their heritage (Asian favors, for instance), their personal taste (a delicious papaya and mango cake), their favorite destinations (a European theme with signature monuments as centerpieces), and other elements about them. I assure you your guests will remember your wedding more than an aerial performance by acrobats dressed in royal blue, your “wedding color”.

For Wedding Ideas on a Budget, here are some general tips for saving money and having a wonderful celebration. More articles will follow, focusing on flowers and décor, and on the catering aspect of your special day.

• Always set a budget. You may have flowers as a priority, but you should first determine how much you can spend on the entire occasion, including engagement ring, wedding accessories, cake, honeymoon, etc. Avoid the little details that will be easily forgotten (those tossing petals might be cute but not necessary). Pay wedding costs with a credit card to earn frequent-flyer miles toward your honeymoon, but make sure you pay the balance in full each month in order to avoid incurring interest charges
• Negotiate - It never hurts to ask. People in the wedding industry are usually quite familiar with budgets and are willing to work with you. Explain your situation and maybe your florist will throw in a flower girl basket and lend you some accessories, but always be very respectful for the quality of products your vendors are providing
• Besides trying to keep your guest list to a reasonable number, try to keep the number of attendants as small as possible: the larger the bridal party, the more you will spend for gifts and flowers
• Instead of spending a lot of money on the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, be creative: an intimate BBQ at a relative’s house could be the perfect solution. Having a good time with some good company is the main goal, and your wedding party will definitely not remember the food they ate or the restaurant they went to for the rehearsal dinner
• Great wedding ideas on a budget would include not just look at wedding “venues” when you look for your wedding or reception location, but also contact local parks that have beautiful gardens or gazebos, historical sites, or museums. Sometimes places like that allow weddings for donations instead of expensive fees, and their natural landscape won’t need elaborate decorations or additional floral arrangements. Just make sure you always ask about the total capacity, restrictions about alcoholic beverages, whether rentals are included, and if they have a preferred vendor list. Also, choose a site that offers everything. You may think a raw space (such as your own backyard) will save you money, but the cost of all the rentals (tables, chairs, linens, china, a tent depending on weather conditions, etc) will set you behind… and you will be more stressed!
• When selecting your wedding invitation, choose one that will only require one stamp (no square invites, for instance), and purchase a package. A coordinated set of stationery has an elegant appearance, especially if the designs on each item are similar, not identical. If you can, try to have your reception information added on the ceremony invitation to eliminate the expense of the reception card. Instead of expensive letterpress printing method, opt for thermography or offset printing in one color (two shades of ink might match your wedding scheme but add printing costs). You can even print your own invitations: many stationery stores today provide beautiful sets of wedding invitations, including the invite, envelopes, RSVP cards and RSVP envelopes. Hiring a friend with a knack for graphic design to help can also save you money. Just remember to follow proper wedding invitation etiquette before printing your invitations
• Look for a dress at sample sales, trunk shows, and outlets; you can sign up for some designers’ sample-sale listings online and at all of your local bridal shops and salons. This will get you a discount on the dress, and you may even score some freebies like a veil or alterations, which can add up to hundreds of dollars in the long run. As an alternative, follow the Brides Against Breast Cancer Tour: you can find gorgeous wedding gowns at discounted price and benefit the Making Memories Foundation, dedicated to cancer patients. For your bridesmaids, you can try regular women’s clothing stores, including department stores. For a spring or summer wedding, use sundresses in your scheme colors and your bridesmaids’ sizes: they will thank you because they will have a dress they can actually wear again. You can also give bridesmaids a color and have them choose the dress in similar shades. You can follow the same advice for flower-girls: frilly spring and Easter dresses often work very well for them. Shoes can be found just about anywhere, not just at bridal stores.
• Be creative to come up with wedding ideas on a budget. For example, talk with your other engaged friends to see if there are any small wedding items that you can all choose together, buy together, and use at your own weddings, such as ring pillows and aisle runners. Some brides even share veils, and pair them with different headpieces, tiaras, or fresh blooms that match their bridal bouquet design.
• To make your ceremony extra-personal, ask a close friend or family member to officiate
• Choose inexpensive entrée items such as chicken and pasta for your reception meal, and then ask your chef or caterer to create gourmet sauces to make those meals extra-special (think about a pasta dish with a fabulous lobster-garnished sauce)
• Ask talented friends or relatives to help with your wedding. Your skilled friends could make cookie favors, make your bridesmaids’ wedding-day necklaces or bake a dessert for the rehearsal dinner as their wedding gift to you. It’s a win-win!
• Instead of hiring two bands and paying two separate fees, ask if a few pieces of the band that will be playing at the reception can entertain your guests during the ceremony and cocktail hour
• Hire a videographer to work just from the ceremony through the first dance rather than for the entire wedding
• Limo rental is another expense you can cut unless you get a really good deal. Borrow or rent a car, or check and see if someone has a classic car that you could borrow or that they would drive you around in
• Find well-priced favors on the Internet. There are tons of sites that offer anything you desire, from beach, to Asian, black-and-white, and vintage. Another great idea is to make a charitable donation in honor of your guests: they will definitely appreciate it
• After the event, donate your flowers to a hospital or nursing home; it’s a thoughtful thing to do and also a tax deduction
• Take a mini-honeymoon instead of the two-week Caribbean getaway. If your romantic plans far exceed your travel budget, consider setting up a honeymoon registry. These services eliminate the financial burden by allowing wedding guests contribute to your honeymoon budget online.  If you decide to pay for your own, choose a destination close to home for your first vacation as husband and wife, and you can plan the more exotic vacation later on. Many four- and five-star resorts throughout the country offer lavish honeymoon suites and packages that can easily compete with those in the Caribbean and other popular honeymoon destinations. Besides, you’ll save on airfare, especially if you book in advance. Cities like Chicago, Austin, Miami, and New Orleans are loaded with personality, charm, and endless possibilities for honeymooners who want to save money and stay close to home

As you can see there are many ways to look at things for Wedding Ideas on a Budget and still create a stylish wedding.  Check back for Part II, or better yet subscribe to YourWeddingDollars.com so you will be notified when Part II is published.

Weddings that tell a beautiful story: Yours. This is what Sabrina Cadini, Professional Bridal Consultant^TM, and owner of La Dolce Idea in San Diego, California, is passionate about. Each wedding should reflect the couple’s personality, and Sabrina adds that magic touch to make it an event that couples and their guests will always remember. By offering truly personalized service and money-saving solutions for every budget, she fuses creativity, Italian-style (where she’s from) and professionalism into impeccably planned celebrations. Find out more about Sabrina at www.ladolceidea.us

Wedding Budgets Keep You in the Black (and White)!

Wedding costs vary regionally from around $25,000 in the Midwest to $50,000 and more in the Northeast. The average wedding in the United States costs approximately $28,000, not including rings or the traditional expenses of the bridegroom’s family.

Because they are expensive, because you want a beautiful wedding and because you don’t want to go into serious debt, the first step in planning any wedding is a practical one – establishing a budget. Bridal budget woes will put a damper on one’s outlook and a strain on relationships. A good budget is the foundation of a joyful wedding day.

Asking For Help

Depending on the ages and circumstances of the couple, family members may be interested in contributing to the wedding budget. There is no law that says parents must pay for any or all of the wedding, but it is a good idea to ask if key family members want to participate financially.

” . . . impress your parents and prospective in-laws (to say nothing of your fiancé) with your practical and effective approach to planning a lovely wedding.”

If they are interested, have ideas about the wedding and rough costs before meeting with them. Read magazines, attend a bridal show, visit bridal retailers, call vendors for budget ideas. Many parents make a flat contribution or specifically cover costs of photography or the wedding dress, for example.

Some budget items will be “hard costs,” not reflective of how many people will attend. Example, your $2,000 wedding dress will cost that much no matter how many people attend. The cost of a photography package or video won’t change with the number of people being photographed and entertainment costs are the same no matter how many people dance. To estimate these in advance, call at least three vendors for prices.

Again, don’t delay the budgeting portion of your wedding planning-start there. Failing to do so works against you by reducing options and, possibly, the wedding fund. Once you have a complete budget picture, prioritize items requiring the longest lead time, such as finding the site. As you proceed, you will make decisions about “soft costs”- those items which fluctuate, often with the number of people to attend, including the catering, beverages, cake, flowers, etc.

The Art of Compromise

Most brides thoroughly hone their prioritization and compromise skills during the wedding planning process. To accommodate a few more guests, she may switch from exotic to local flowers to avoid changing the exquisite wedding cake. This is also an important day for the groom. Is a compromise needed to let him know he is important, too?

Early Brides Catch the Bargains — and Bogus Bargains

Be cautious about bargain-rate vendors. Once a contract is signed, hidden costs can threaten your budget. Catch the add-ons by asking several prospective vendors what’s included in the price so you can compare values.

Booking and executing contracts twelve to eighteen months in advance guarantees your rates. Some vendors offer prepay discounts. Except for customary deposits, only prepay if you know the reputation and stability of a vendor. You can ask about making a reasonable deposit and regular monthly payments.

For most couples budgets are a big part of their life together, so the wedding budget can be a great learning experience. With or without their help, following a budget will impress your parents and prospective in-laws (to say nothing of your fiancé) with your practical and effective approach to planning a lovely wedding.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried & true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream Wedding. Robbin is the premier wedding planner in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision into a perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine, Your Wedding Day, Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines and ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin Montero’s expressed written permission.

Weddings – Who Pays for What?

Dowries no longer exist in our culture. Also long gone by the wayside is the old notion that the bride’s family is financially responsible for the entire cost of the wedding and reception. Having your parents bear the entire expense of a wedding and reception is not a birthright. Their contribution is a gift and, with the skyrocketing cost of weddings, is has become commonplace for both sets of parents and the bridal couple to share in this major expense.

“Having your parents bear the entire expense of a wedding and reception is not a birthright.”

When setting your wedding budget, start by asking what amount, if any, your parents are willing to contribute. They may wish to cover some, if not all, of the services and items on your list. When it comes to weddings, who pays for what still shows modern tradition observing the following financial allocations:

Traditional expenses of groom and/or groom’s parents

The groom’s parents (and/or groom) are responsible for the cost of the bride’s and bridesmaids’ bouquets, all corsages for the ladies and boutonnieres for the gentlemen. The groom bears the expense of the marriage license and officiant’s fee, but not the church or ceremony location charges. The groom or his parents pay for expenses associated with transportation of the bride and groom to the ceremony and reception, and transportation to the wedding night room.

The entire cost of the honeymoon and the bride’s ring is the responsibility of the groom and/or groom’s parents, as well as any gifts given to the bride. Accommodations for the groomsmen, whether arriving from out-of-town, or if a destination wedding is planned, are also the responsibility of the groom. The groom pays the cost of rental or purchase of his tuxedo.

Always an optional expense for the groom’s family, it is commonly expected that the groom’s parents are financially responsible for the rehearsal dinner. Depending on circumstances, the groom and groom’s parents can also offer assistance for a next-day brunch, or they can choose to pay for particular wedding items, such as the photography, champagne or cake.

Traditional expenses of the bride’s family

The bride’s family is responsible for all other expenses, which include the engagement party and the rehearsal dinner (if the groom’s parents do not pay). They will cover the entire cost of the reception, including the site rental, catering fees, beverages, wedding cake, all other flowers and decorations for the site. The bride’s dress, invitations, music for the ceremony and reception, cost of the church or ceremony site, photography and/or videography, wedding coordinator, party favors, guest transportation (if needed), and a trousseau for the bride also come under the responsibility of the bride’s family. They are also responsible for the cost of rooms for the bridesmaids at destination weddings, or for the rooms of women in the bridal party who are arriving from out-of-town.

Of course, times have changed and many brides are professional women who, along with their groom, contribute considerably to the expenses of the wedding. Some are capable of and desire to pay for their own weddings, splitting costs with their future spouse.

Other expenses

Bridesmaids are responsible for the cost of their dresses, any alterations and accessories.  They also pay for shower and wedding gifts, as well as the expense of hosting or co-hosting the bridal shower(s) and bachelorette party.

Groomsmen are responsible for renting their tuxedos, any alterations and accessories.  They also pay for wedding gifts, and hosting or co-hosting a bachelor (or coed bachelor/ bachelorette) party.

When it comes to your wedding who pays for what can be determined by discussing your wedding up front with everyone who might participate in covering the expenses. Doing so will help you make the most of a realistic budget so you can have the touches you feel are important to your celebration of marriage.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried & true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream Wedding. Robbin is the premier wedding planner in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision into a perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine, Your Wedding Day, Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines and ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin Montero’s expressed written permission.

Professional Wedding Consultants – Important Even When on a Budget!

Professional Wedding Consultants are no longer just for couples with unlimited budgets; they have become indispensable today to many brides and grooms who find their services well worth the expense. Being experienced in negotiating with all the other wedding vendors, they can save the couple precious time and money. Professional Wedding Consultants are not there to make decisions for you, but to guide and assist you in making those decisions. They guide you through the planning process and the wedding itself. They can help you create a style/theme and develop a color palette based on your vision, connect you to the appropriate vendors, advise you on proper etiquette, and suggest the best ways to use your budget wisely. Besides keeping your schedule on track, Professional Wedding Consultants also create a wedding-day itinerary and make sure all the details are in place.

What one question should you ask your Professional Wedding Consultant to get you the information you need? “How can I save money and still have the beautiful wedding I have always been dreaming of?”

Today, more and more brides decide to plan their own wedding; that way they feel their celebration is more “personal” and they feel they are more in control. However, do not take the value a Professional Wedding Consultant lightly.  Any advice you can glean from these professionals who have created weddings from start to finish thousands of times will pay you back two-fold.  But if you just can’t, or don’t want to, take advantage of ALL that a Professional Wedding Consultant can do for you, then try to find one that offers their consultation on a limited basis.  Even just being able to pick the brain of a Professional Wedding Consultant can help your planning process immensely, and one of the great parts about this type of arrangement is you can work with any Professional Wedding Consultant who offers this type of service no matter where they are located because it can be done by phone or computer (technology today lets us connect with everyone in the world)!

As our company offers this kind of service, we would like to help you understand what you should expect/get for this type of consultation:

In a short cost-effective 2-hour meeting with a couple, you should be able to discuss all the main aspects of your wedding such as what kind of event you envision, the color scheme or a theme, and how much you want to spend. A good wedding consultant will attempt to glean a lot of “personal” information from you such as your “story,” your personalities and your heritage. With all that information they should then be able to create something like our “wedding concept report” that should include details such as a summary of your vision, a color scheme with inspiring pictures, ideas on décor elements that will make your day as unique as you are, a personalized checklist with deadlines, and a customized budget analysis based on your preferences. If you are using this service from a wedding consultant that is in your local area, they should also be able to provide a venue/vendor referral list based on what your budget and dreams are, and most importantly direct you to the right combination of professionals who match your vision and style.

Of course, even when you choose to take care of all the planning yourself, either not using the full services of a wedding consultant or using the limited services as outlined above, we strongly recommend you hire a professional wedding consultant to coordinate your wedding day and to make sure everything runs smoothly. Keep in mind this cost should be part of your budget, not an extra expense (you should include this category in your budget as soon as you start planning). This coordination would include tasks such as the preparation of a timeline for your vendors, supervision of the setup at both ceremony and reception sites, gathering your wedding party for pictures, making sure all the seating cards are in place, checking that the flowers and food are exactly what you ordered, and at the end of your reception collecting all your wedding items (such as guest book, toasting glasses and cake serving set).

I stress the fact on the word “professional”! Don’t ask your mother, your cousin, or your best friend to supervise everything at your wedding; they will not know how to manage the day from the “I Do” to cake cutting, or how to deal with emergencies in case something arises unexpectedly. In addition, they were invited to the wedding as guests; therefore, they should enjoy the day as much as you.

How to Interview Potential Professional Wedding Consultants

Always interview a few potential wedding consultants in person. A positive chemistry between you and your consultant is very important.  You want to feel comfortable with them and make sure that they completely understand what your needs are.  Depending on the level of assistance you require, you might be spending a lot of time together planning one of the major rites of passage in your life.  During the interview (after you checked for references) find out how long they have been in business and how many events they do each month (you will want to be sure they have enough time for you).  Look at their portfolio, focusing on how much attention was paid to detail, rather than whether the style matches yours. Also, ask if they belong to any professional associations such as the Association of Bridal Consultants (“ABC”).

ABC is the oldest and largest training organization for wedding professionals in the world and their members agree to uphold the ABC Code of Ethics and Professional Standards of Membership and are required to attend periodical conferences and seminars to keep up with the latest trends in the wedding industry. As ABC says, “Our behind-the-scenes professionals can manage the hard work for you, so you can spend more time with your family and friends – and truly Be a Guest at Your Own Wedding.”

Remember, this is your most important day, and you can’t afford to have it ruined by your cake being delivered to a different ballroom, or having the wrong song played during your first dance. There are no repeats for this even like at a holiday party, where you can do better the following year. Make sure everything is planned carefully, and a professional is in control. It will be well worth your money. Let your dreams come true at your wedding, and say “I Do” with a relaxed smile on your face!

Weddings that tell a beautiful story: Yours. This is what Sabrina Cadini, Professional Bridal Consultant^TM and owner of La Dolce Idea in San Diego, California, is passionate about. Each wedding should reflect the couple’s personality and Sabrina adds that magic touch to make it an event that couples and their guests will always remember. By offering truly personalized service and money-saving solutions for every budget, she fuses creativity, Italian-style (where she’s from) and professionalism into impeccably planned celebrations.  Visit her at www.ladolceidea.us

How to Save Money Planning Your Wedding

Beautiful weddings don’t have to be costly. How much fun can it be to have a fabulous wedding and then worry how to pay off the debt? Anyone can have a lovely wedding within their means by setting aside some money, planning ahead and prioritizing their choices. With some simple wedding planning, these money-saving tips can also help you stretch your dollar, without sacrificing quality.

Professional Help: If for no other reason than the money-saving opportunities, consider hiring a wedding planner and coordinator to expertly plan and orchestrate your wedding from beginning to end. The planner will help you develop a realistic budget. This expert has already sourced the vendors and knows the best values in the market. They can uncover hidden costs and surprises in contracts. Discounts that would not otherwise be available to the bride and groom can be passed on to the couple through the planner. Then, while you enjoy a special day, the coordinator will make sure your wedding day runs smoothly and without overtime charges.

“Understand what’s included in the price and be wary of hidden costs.”

Wedding Sites: Book your site at least 18 months in advance to secure the better-valued locations and vendors and to avoid “panic buying”. Look for off-season, Friday or Sunday discounts. Save thousands in decorations by choosing a site with existing style and decor. Understand what’s included in the price and be wary of hidden costs. Most country clubs and hotels offer package deals that include table and chair rentals, making them an excellent deal.

Guest count: The cost of invitees accounts for approximately 40-50% of the wedding budget, depending on the location and site. For substantial savings, cut back the number of guests.

Wedding Caterers: In some cases, buffets are usually the better value with the most variety. Double-check with caterers to see what is included with the price you are quoted. What sounds like an inexpensive price quote up-front, may not include items such as staff, china, linens or silverware.

Wedding Photographers: Choose discounted package deals. Items such as parent albums are almost always extra.

Wedding Videographers: Again, stick with package deals. Couples who cannot afford a “storybook style” video can consider having only the ceremony videotaped for a lot less money.

Wedding Florists: Ask the florist to focus on seasonal flowers to avoid the costly imports. If you love Calla lilies, consider using one lily as the focal point and surrounding it with inexpensive filler flowers or greenery.

Wedding Gowns: Utilize a full service bridal salon. End-of-season discounts usually run from October through January. For bridesmaid dresses, you can check local stores for end-of-season discounts.

Wedding Cakes: The towering, exquisite cakes in the magazines are beautiful and costly. Have your cake and eat it, too. For weddings of 100-150 guests, consider displaying a smaller decorated cake for 75 on a cake table, and back it up with a sheet cake for 75 in the kitchen. Note that some bakeries will not charge less for sheet cakes, so get quotes.  Also, opt for buttercream icing instead of the higher priced fondant.

Honeymoon: Check with your agent for off-season honeymoon locations, which can save you anywhere from 20-50%.  Keep in mind that off-season usually means fall and winter weather.

Always read the entire contract, including the fine print. Look for any extras that weren’t included in the initial quoted price. Make sure everything is covered to your satisfaction in writing.

Though you are on a budget, the old saying “You get what you pay for” certainly applies to weddings. Using family and friends can create tensions and wedding day problems. Start planning early so your budget will allow you to hire quality professionals. In the long run, doing so will save you time, money, and stress.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried & true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream Wedding. Robbin is the premier wedding planner in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision into a perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine, Your Wedding Day, Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines and ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin Montero’s expressed written permission.

Why Weddings Cost So Much

One of the biggest hurdles for parents planning a wedding is that thirty years may have passed since they last planned a wedding. To say things have changed in that time is an understatement. Back then, brides were often unaware of the costs and the mother of the bride often made all the plans.

To give perspective, I often tell couples and their parents to consider the cost of medium-priced cars then and now. Then, a car cost about $3,500, the same as the cost of a wedding. Today, a wedding with all the trimmings still costs the same as a mid-priced new car, which can be around $25,000 to 50,000, depending on the locale.

Calculating the scope of expenses

Before you argue that sounds like too much money, remember the cost of the wedding is much more than the ceremony location and food and beverage expenses. Couples frequently underestimate their wedding expenses by calculating only the cost of the reception. The cost of an officiant to marry them, the ceremony music, reception music, flowers for the ceremony and reception, invitations, and announcements are significant expenses that cannot be overlooked. There’s also transportation, a wedding dress, tuxedos, a wedding cake, a photographer, a videographer, party favors, and the rehearsal dinner. Regardless who will bear these costs, they are all factored into the total cost of a wedding.

“Many of the costs of a wedding are the same whether you will have 50 or 500 guests.”

Though often not figured directly into wedding expenses, I’m sure the bride does not consider the costs of hair styling, make-up, manicures and other personal services in preparation for her to look her best to be minor incidentals. They are also real expenses unique to the wedding party, which will have many such extras.

Couples are also prone to miscalculating the number of guests. Some costs (wedding dress, ceremony, reception music, photography, flowers, for example) remain the same regardless how many guests attend. Many of the costs of a wedding are the same whether you will have 50 or 500 guests. Known as “hard costs”, they will be spread over the number of guests. Food, beverages, cake, rental equipment, and favors are among the costs that vary with the number of guests.

Choices that can cost or save

Most weddings take place between April and October, with the majority being scheduled for summer. Couples may pay a premium for popular sites and services during busy wedding season. Since most weddings take place on weekends, they may also bear extra labor expenses.

Many vendors only get to book weddings on weekends and, often, only one wedding per day. Vendors have a limited time to make their money. They don’t work weddings seven days a week. High-demand photographers, bakers and florists are able to charge premium rates that can inflate your expenses.  Any bride who can consider booking her wedding on “off” days -Fridays, Sundays or mid-week- can explore favorable pricing opportunities.

Naturally, the cost of doing business varies by location and region. Metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City, are much more expensive places to marry than Kansas City, Missouri. California and New York also have a relatively high cost of doing business, as do popular destination cities commonly selected for weddings.

If you stop to think about all that goes into planning a beautiful wedding, and the number of vendors who will contribute to the day, it is easy to see why weddings cost so much. This is not like any other party you’ve hosted. However, if you decide what is most important to you before you commit to purchases, you can make choices that will help keep the cost of your dream wedding in line.

“Stress Free, Leave the Details to Me,” is the tried & true philosophy of Robbin Montero, California Wine Country wedding planning expert and owner of A Dream Wedding. Robbin is the premier wedding planner in the Northern California Wine Country, transforming any vision into a perfectly designed wedding creation. Robbin and her weddings have been featured in The Knot, Brides, Elite Magazine, Your Wedding Day, Vine Napa/Sonoma magazines and ImportantOccasions.com. Travel & Leisure magazine calls Robbin, “The expert wedding planner in the California Wine Country.” www.a-dreamwedding.com

This article cannot be reprinted without Robbin Montero’s expressed written permission.