When I was in college and even after, my dream wedding was to get married a grand old church or cathedral in NYC (granted I thought I would be living there) and then have the reception on the New York Harbor. I probably wated the Today Show weddings way too much. Then reality hits and you realize planning a wedding is not cheap!
I'm incredibly budget minded at my current age, so planning a wedding has not been too difficult. Here are a few tips to keep in mind about planning that perfect wedding but remaining within a tight budget.
Look for alternative locations for ceremony and reception.
D and I are getting married at our childhood church camp. We were limited because of our large guest list. Many venues that hold that many are extremely expensive. Our ceremony and reception will be at the same location but different venues.
Think outside the box as far as catering is concerned.
Order what you like to eat, not what your parents want. I don't want to ruin the surprise of our fabulous menu but catering can be flexible.
Wait to take a honeymoon.
We are waiting but not for this reason. Neither one of us has vacation but it is definitely saving us money by not going until January.
Hire friends and family to help.
We hired a family friend who does wedding receptions on the side as a DJ. We hired my cousin's wife as the photographer and my best friend and bridesmaid is doing hair and makeup. Not to mention that all the musicians are either family or close friends.
Design and print your own paper materials.
I bought a Living Social coupon for the save-the-dates, which save a lot of money and I designed them myself. I also designed the invitation and printed it at Staples. This was cost effective but I was hoping it would be cheaper.
And that's my two cents for now...
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