With wedding costs soaring and everyone so focused on how they can save money on their weddings, is there really anything you should NOT save money on?

There sure is. In fact, I know of five of them.

1. Your one must-have item. This item varies by couple, but there’s undoubtedly one thing that you really want and if you don’t have that one thing you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. For some people, this means being able to invite all 200 of their closest friends. For others, it may be a particular wedding dress. Go ahead and spend the money. You can find ways to save from other places.
2. Food and drink. There are many ways that you can save money on catering costs for your wedding guests. But the one thing that remains constant is that if you’re going to have a wedding reception, you must at least serve something. Your guests have taken the time to come and they’ve very likely brought you a present. Feeding them is really the least that you can do.
3. Gifts for your wedding party. The people in your wedding party have worked very hard to make sure that your wedding goes smoothly and is as perfect as you hoped it could be. They deserve to be recognized for this. You don’t have to buy expensive gifts for them, but you do have to get them something.
4. Information for out of town guests. Your out of town guests are spending a lot of money to be with you on your special day. They may have to buy air tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars…all on top of your wedding gift. You don’t have to be responsible for paying these costs, but make sure that you make things as easy for them as possible. Take the time to put together a local information packet. Let them know the best hotels, how to get around town, and where all the good restaurants are. Your guests will really be flattered that you took the time to do this.
5. Thank you notes. Thank you notes simply need to be written. You cannot just say thank you at the reception. You cannot send an email. You cannot call them on the phone. It’s tacky. Thank you notes need to be hand written and sent in a timely manner. You don’t need to use expensive stationery, but you still need to send them. Your guests were kind enough to give you a present. You should be kind enough to give a proper thank you.

These are all small but important details that you cannot dismiss. You may be able to save money on some of them, but you cannot forgo them completely. They will make your guests happy. Happy guests give better presents.
 

Many people get so caught up by planning the wedding festivities that they almost forget about the rings! When they finally do start to look at wedding ring prices, they’re shocked at how much they can cost.

These 10 tips will help you to save money on your wedding rings.

1. Don’t buy platinum. These days, platinum is the most popular metal for wedding bands. But it’s expensive and you don’t need it. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference, and if they can…they probably don’t care. Opt for a cheaper metal such as gold, white gold, silver, or even titanium.
2. Diamonds aren’t a necessity. The diamond industry has done a good job of making you think that you need to have diamonds in your engagement or wedding rings. Other stones can look just as lovely without costing as much.
3. Check auction sites. You may be able to get a good deal on rings through an auction site. Not all things on auction sites are used. These days, many stores realize the wide audience they can reach by using auction sites and they use them to auction off brand new products.
4. Get a set. You may get a discount if you get your rings as part of a set or trio (two wedding rings and an engagement band). Check around for the best deal.
5. Use a family heirloom. If you’re lucky enough to have had jewelry handed down to you, there’s no reason you can’t use that. Using a family heirloom can be special and give the ring even more meaning.
6. Use a new jewelry designer. Sometimes your local college or art school can have a budding young jewelry designer who’s willing to sell their pieces at a deep discount in order to expand their portfolio.
7. Check for local sales. Many jewelry shops have big sales during Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Visit the stores during these times and you could get a great discount.
8. Choose a thin band. Wedding bands are often priced according to their weight. A thicker band will weigh more and thus be more expensive.
9. Check online sites. Make sure that you check online and see where you can find the best deal. You may also want to be on the lookout for coupon codes that can bring you even bigger savings.
10. Upgrade later. So you can’t afford your dream wedding bands now. No big deal. Get what you can afford now and plan to upgrade them for your 10-year anniversary, once you are more settled and have more money.

The important thing to note is that buying your wedding rings requires just as much planning and effort as planning every other part of your wedding. If you wait until the last minute, you’ll find yourself paying a lot more than you would have liked.

Are you wondering how to save money on flowers for a wedding? The cost of flowers can vary widely depending on a number of factors. Many frugal brides-to-be realize that the types of flowers that they choose to use in the their wedding can mean serious savings.

Here are some ways that you can save money on flowers for a wedding:

1. Use in-season flowers. Flowers that aren’t normally available during the time of your wedding are going to be more expensive. Instead ask your florist which types of flowers will be in-season and base your wedding planning around that.
2. Buy your flowers wholesale and DIY. If you or another member of your family happens to be creative, you can order flowers wholesale online and make your own arrangements. If you choose to do this, make sure that you have a cool place to store the flowers. You don’t want them dying before the wedding.
3. Chose a date when the venue will be decorated. Many churches and other wedding venues are beautifully decorated during certain parts of the year. If you plan your wedding near Christmas or Easter, for example, the church should already be decorated and you won’t have to spend money on your own flowers.
4. Use fake flowers. Yes, some fake flowers look cheap. But there are many artificial flowers available that look quite real. Using fake flowers has an added bonus that they will never die and you can keep your bouquet forever.
5. Create a simple bouquet yourself. There’s no need to have 50 roses in your bouquet. Instead, why don’t you pick some wildflowers and create a bouquet out of those? A bouquet like this can fit in with a wide variety of wedding themes.
6. Have less people in your wedding. Everybody who’s in your wedding needs to get flowers. Bridesmaids need bouquets and groomsmen need boutonnieres. If you reduce the number of people in your wedding party, then you’ll reduce the amount of money that you have to spend on flowers.
7. Carry a single flower. Instead of carrying a large bouquet, you can carry a single flower. This can look very chic and will save you a lot of money. If you still want to carry a bouquet, perhaps the bridesmaids can carry a single flower.
8. Choose a beautiful venue. Many venues are known for their natural beauty. A garden or beach wedding, for example, won’t need much in the way of additional decorations. Their beauty stands alone. If you select a venue that is already beautiful, then you can avoid spending money on flowers simply to make things look pretty.
9. Don’t use flowers. Who said that flowers were required? Do your own thing and carry a candle. Or don’t carry anything at all. There are many different things that can decorate a venue just as well as flowers that aren’t as expensive.
10. Pick an off-season time. There are certain times throughout the year when flowers are known to be more expensive. If your wedding is close to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or during the wedding season (May-September), then you can expect your wedding flowers to be costly. Frugal brides never schedule their weddings during these times.

In addition to these suggestions, speak with your florist and let her know what your budget is. She should be able to work within that budget.

Whether you choose to limit your selection, or forego flowers altogether, you can save money on flowers for a wedding.

Wedding catering is undoubtedly one of the most expensive costs of a wedding. It often eats up over half of the budget! Is all this spending necessary? No! With a bit of creative planning, you can drastically reduce the cost of your catering.

For example, the time of day that you plan your wedding will greatly affect the amount that the food costs. Lunch menus will be significantly less expensive than dinner menus…even if you are serving the exact same thing! If possible, try to plan your reception for earlier in the day so that you can serve lunch instead of dinner.

Another possibility is to hold your reception during a time of day where people wouldn’t expect to be fed a full meal, such as during the afternoon or late in the evening. You can serve only hors d’oeuvres and wine, or dessert and coffee, for example. An afternoon tea party is a great theme that would reduce your catering costs. These types of receptions may not be as common, but they are catching on in popularity and they can be just as elegant.

If you do choose to serve a meal, you can save some money by offering a buffet instead of a sit-down meal. Buffets can be a great alternative because your guests are able to choose what they want to eat. This is almost always less expensive than a meal that is served directly to guests. Most caterers offer this type of meal.

You may also want to consider the types of drinks that you serve wisely. Alcohol costs can really add up, and choosing not to serve it could cut your catering bill in half. It’s up to you whether you want to serve alcohol or not, but if you need to watch your budget, then you might want to consider serving less expensive alternatives such as beer and wine.

If possible, you can reduce the amount of time between when the reception starts and when the meal is served. If your reception is held at the same location as your wedding ceremony, there’s no real need to wait a long time to serve a meal. By doing this, you will save money from not having to pass hors d’oeuvres around.

The cheapest of all ways to feed your guests is to design your reception as a potluck meal. This works best when the majority of your guests are not traveling from out of town. Every guest can bring a special dish that is shared between everyone. If you’re going to opt for this, you need to make sure that the venue allows you to bring your own food. Some venues do not permit outside food.

It is possible to reduce your wedding catering costs, but you need to decide what is important for you and where you can make cuts. Once you know what can go, the rest is easy.

You might have noticed a trend in the past few years of people forgoing hiring the traditional wedding band or wedding dj in favor of putting together a playlist on their iPods or other mp3 player devices.  This is completely workable, as playlists can last as long as five or six hours, or even more!  Also, the device can easily be paused to complete reception activities such as cutting the cake.

There are a couple of reasons that couples might choose to go this route.  First, it might be a budgetary decision.  Hiring a disc jockey is a significant expense that can be bypassed in favor of a digital playlist.  Another reason couples might opt for a digital playlist is if they have a very specific taste in music, much of which is somewhat obscure. 

If you do choose to use a digital playlist instead of a DJ, there are few things you are going to want to make sure of.

First, you need to have a speaker system in place that is going to fully address your needs.  You want it to be powerful and clear.  You want to make sure that it will be able to get loud enough to fill your reception space without losing clarity.  The last thing you want is for the music to be full of static for the entire reception.  For this reason, it is best to research speaker systems in person even if you eventually end up ordering the system online.  Ask the salespeople to turn it up so you can hear the sound at higher levels.  You want to be absolutely sure of the clarity of the sound before you purchase a system.

Secondly, make sure that the system you are considering is compatible with the type of mp3 player you own.  Many of the most popular speaker systems are proprietary systems manufactured for iPods, so if your mp3 player is another brand, you want to make sure that the speaker system you purchase will function with it.  It’s not a bad idea to take your own mp3 player into the store and try it out on the speaker system right there to make sure it is compatible and hear the sound from that particular player through that particular speaker system.

Another thing to consider is the playlist.  This is your day and you will want to choose music that represents you as a couple – music that is meaningful to you as well as pleasing to your ears.  However, even though it definitely is your day, you should also take into consideration the fact that your guests will also be there listening to the music.  For that reason, any decision to play music that is extremely esoteric should be very carefully considered.  You can’t please everyone, of course, but you will want to consider whether your music choices will be alienating a large portion of your guests.  You invited them to share in your joy, and you do want them to have a good time.

In the interest of saving money and expressing your individuality, opting for a digital playlist rather than a live DJ can be a great choice.

Are rising wedding costs bringing you down? Choosing an off-season wedding may be just the thing you need to have the wedding of your dreams and still stay within your budget.

The most popular wedding dates are in the late spring and summer. Unfortunately, these dates also come with a hefty price tag. Wedding vendors are well aware that this is the busiest season and they can charge much higher rates during these times and brides and grooms (or their parents) will happily pay for them. Often, wedding venues will have a minimum charge for weddings held during the peak season months.

Wedding vendors are also busy during the peak season and you may have a hard time securing your favorites. Many well-known photographers are booked months ahead of time for the popular wedding dates. If you are not organized about this, you may miss out and not be able to get the wedding vendor that you truly want.

But frugal brides know that having an off-season wedding could save you fifty percent or more off the cost of your wedding!

Because wedding venues are so desperate for your business during the fall and winter months, there are likely to be no minimum charges. They are also more likely to throw in a few extras such as a room for the couple (if at a hotel), or an extra bottle of champagne. You also have more bargaining power. A venue’s space is likely to go unused during the fall and winter months (with Christmas and New Years being an exception), so they may be more willing to negotiate a lower price for you.

Furthermore, other wedding vendors are less busy during the off-season and they too will fight for your business. Photographers, caterers and musicians in particular will try to underbid each other. You are likely to get the exact vendor that you want for a fraction of what you’d pay during the peak season.

You also will not have to fight for your guests’ attention. Spring and summer are busy times for almost everyone—it’s when most people plan their vacations and have a lot of weddings to go to. If you hold your wedding during a fall or winter month, your guests are more likely to be able to come.

Spring and summer are indeed great times to have a wedding, but when you compare the cost of having your wedding during the peak-season vs. off-season, the fall and winter start to not look so bad.

Does paying $12,000 for a dress that you’re going to wear just one day make you reconsider your decision to get married? Don’t worry. With a little bit of careful planning and effort, you can find the cheap wedding dress of your dreams. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg.

There’s no real need to get a traditional poofy white wedding dress. Many other dresses look nice and do not come with a wedding dress’ price tag. Before you spend a lot of money on a wedding dress, take a look at other dresses that come in white. Depending on the theme of your wedding, you may not even need a white dress at all.

The biggest obstacle to getting a cheap wedding dress is the fact that most discount sources are located online and you cannot try the dresses on.  This is incredibly nerve-wracking for most women as trying on wedding dresses is very important. You need to make sure that a particular style looks good on you. Also, wedding dress sizes can vary greatly from the sizes that you are used to buying in the store. You need to have a good idea of what you are looking for.

To do this, visit wedding stores in your area and try on many different dresses. Many stores will not let you take notes because they don’t want you to try to find the dress elsewhere. If there’s a particular dress that you just fall in love with, try to remember the designer. At the very least, by trying on different dresses, you’ll get an idea of what styles you like and what looks good on you.

After you have an idea of what the dress you want is, search online for the lowest price. Some good resources are:

1. www.froogle.com
2. www.ebay.com
3. www.craigslist.org

Not all of the dresses on these sites are used. Many are brand new dresses that you can buy directly from the wholesaler.

Feeling guilty about wasting the time of the people at the wedding dress shop? Once you have a better idea of how cheaply you can get your wedding dress through online sources, you may be able to bargain with them. Let the shop know what the other prices you saw are and tell them that you’d prefer to work with them. They may be able to reduce the price in order to get your business.

The downside of buying your wedding dress online is that you still will probably need to have it altered. Make sure that you find a reputable seamstress in your area. It’s best if you can get recommendations from former brides. Your wedding dress is important and it’s pointless to save money getting it online, only to have a seamstress ruin it.

Just remember, the most important thing about your wedding is that you’re making a promise to be with the man you love forever. The dress that you’re wearing pales in comparison to that.
 

With the rampant spending that’s going on with your wedding planning, do you really need to spend a lot of money on your wedding favors? Even a favor idea that seems cheap when it’s just for one person quickly becomes quite expensive when you multiply it by the number of guests that will attend.

The necessity of wedding favors is one of the most overrated parts of wedding planning.  The fact is, there is nothing wrong with using cheap wedding favors.  Why?

Nobody really cares. Wedding favors are not the detail that makes or breaks a good wedding. People are more likely to remember how beautiful the bride looked or how delicious the food was. Saving money on wedding favors allows you to have more money to spend on the things that really matter to your guests.

They don’t want to take it with them. You may have many guests that are traveling from out of town. These guests do not want to take a bulky wedding favor back home with them. It’s best not to waste your money.

Homemade is better. One way you can save money on wedding favors is by giving your guests something that is homemade. When you give people something that you’ve made yourself, they will appreciate it more because of the time and effort that you put into it.

They don’t have to know. There are many cheap wedding favors that don’t look cheap at all. Look online for some great deals. With a little bit of effort and a little bit of luck, you’ll be able to find a wedding favor that looks much more expensive than it really is. Your guests don’t need to know how much you paid for your favors.

You’ll have more money for food and drink. When you save money on one thing, you can use that money to get something better. Food and drink are usually one of the most memorable parts of a wedding. If you save some money on wedding favors, then you can spend more on these things.

Call me a tight-fisted miser, but I firmly believe that you should use cheap wedding favors.  When planning for my 500-guest wedding, many of the guests really didn’t bother to take the favors home.  When I asked my guests what they remembered most about my wedding, the majority of them remembered the food.  Next was the entertainment.  And lastly, it was the decor.  Many of the guests didn’t even remember what my wedding favor was! This is definately one area of the wedding where it can cost the most.  Therefore, going cheap on your wedding favors can mean big savings.