HOW TO HAVE A STYLIST WEDDING FOR LESS: Your Low Budget Wedding Ideas

Inexpensive weddings? Sounds like an oxy-moron, doesn’t it? Well it’s the wave of the future. Spending your life savings on your big day wedding is crazy. You can have elegant, beautiful weddings without breaking the bank. Even low budget weddings can take a huge bite out of your savings and often end in huge debt obligations.

Wedding Reception

The reception alone will bust your wedding budget if you're not careful. Why there's the location rental, dinner, beverages, music, wedding cake, guest favors, and photography. Of course, the most obvious way to save money on the reception is to keep it small. Where you host this grand occasion could make or break your savings account.

Your low budget wedding remedy? Find a reception location that's free or low cost.
A free location may include your home, or a friend or family member's home. A low cost option might include the Church reception hall, the local fire department's reception room, club hall rentals, (town clubhouse, Moose Club, Knights of Columbus, etc.). Most will have a kitchen area for preparing and serving food.

If you are planning to host on a popular wedding reception venue, host your wedding mid-week for the best value. Friday nights and Sunday evenings are most times less expensive than Saturday night. Call around to venues to ask for pricing.

One of the most popular ways to cut wedding costs is destination weddings, package deals that generally cost a third of the price of a hometown wedding. Held in places such as Las Vegas or cruise ships, they include nearly all of the wedding necessities and involve a smaller guest list.

Photography

Use a less expensive kind of paper. For example, matte paper doesn’t cost as much as metallic paper but still yields nice photos. If you want professional photos, limit the photographer's services to a minimal package to include a few individual bride and groom, wedding party, and family shots.

With today's digital cameras and video recorders, do-it-yourself photography is always a great low budget wedding option.

Ask friends or family members to volunteer as photographers for casual photos at the wedding and reception.

Flowers

Avoid choosing off-seasonal flowers. Instead, choose flowers in bloom on the season. Also, avoid buying flowers during the holidays, when they’re more expensive.

Invitations

Shop on the internet or a local craft store to find do-it-yourself invitation kits. Etiquette tip: do not use printed address labels. Major faux pas. Use the scripted font that most resembles handwriting if you are going to use your printer to address. Best is to hand address. Get a bunch of friends, such as the bridal party, together and make a night of it.

Other ideas include:

a.) Create your own invitations.

b.) Use recycled paper.

c.) Consider using twine instead of ribbon.

Food and Wines

a.) Use food stations instead of served dinners.

b.) Having a mini-bottle of wine for each guest.

c.) Rather than trimming the people you want at your happy occasion, think about trimming say, two courses from your five-course meal. Then get rid of the fully stocked bar and offer a signature cocktail. Have a fabulous cosmopolitan or vodka bar, but don't have every single top-shelf liquor. This keeps costs down because you'll have less.

Wedding Dress

The wedding dress will likely be a large portion of your wedding budget. If you're not lucky enough to have one donated or passed down to you, you will find low budget wedding dresses at wedding bazaars or bridal shows. These include resources such as thrift stores, on-line auctions, consignment shops, retail clearance and closeout racks, on-line clearance and closeout suppliers. Be sure to check closeouts and clearance prices at all your local bridal shops.

Wedding Rings

Always opt for the plain wedding band for optimal savings. Most merchants will automatically show higher priced items first. Look for "clearance" or "budget" links. If none are available look for "wedding bands" rather than "wedding rings."

You can buy online. Online resources don't have the huge overhead expense of retail space rental and usually offer deep discount pricing.

Bridal Accessories

Jewelry is becoming an essential part of the wedding. Women have a strong passion for jewels. Since ancient times, jewels have been used to adore a bride. In the ancient times, jewels worn by the bride constitute heavy jewels.

Your wedding day is one of the most memorable believes of your life and you want everything to be perfect from the ceremony to the gown to the jewelry. Selecting the perfect wedding jewelry can not only make your wedding day more memorable something that you can treasure for the rest of your life and also has an annual to pass down to your children for their wedding day.

Pearls and diamonds have always been lady’s love. Art jewelry laced in number of beautiful patterns can be easily purchased from any leading store.

Pearls are truly a bride’s best friend. Pearls never go out of style, but this season they aren’t just in style, they are “hot”.

Not only are they “hot” they are very versatile. Pearls have been worn by fashionable women for ages. You can choose to spring for cultured pearl or purchase quality imitation pearls for a fraction of the cost.

As you begin your search for your wedding jewelry there are a few things you must keep in mind. The wedding jewelry must actually contrast your wedding dress, however ironic it may sound. If your wedding dress is fancy and gaudy try to stick to simple and understated jewelry.

The best way to choose earrings is to try them with your gown. The best styled earring will depend on the neckline of your gown, the type of necklace you are wearing, and how you will be wearing your hair. You want your earrings to be seen but you do not want them to be overpowering.

On the other hand if you're wedding attire is simple, try to liven it up with a bit of showy jewelry. The next thing, it must compliment the way you wear your hair. If you are wearing the hair in an up-do, then larger earrings will make you look a stunner with your dress. For those of you who prefer wearing their hair down, go for small studs or miniature hoops.

When buying pearls you will need to choose a strand length that enhances the neckline of your gown. The best size pearls to choose are in the 5 to 7 mm range. There are many length choices with pearls.

A pearl collar is usually made of 3 or more strands and measures 12-13 inches. A pearl collar will hug the middle of the neck so it works well with a v necks, plunged necks or off the shoulder gowns.

A choker measures 14-16 inches and is the most versatile length to own. It will work with any gown neckline. The 17-19 inch

Princess with either very high or very low necklines. There are longer lengths of pearls available however they are not very suitable for wedding gowns.

Wedding Cake

Down-sizing the wedding cake. Rather than one huge multi-tiered cake, use a modest tiered cake and then several (as many as you need for your guests) sheet cakes. Or, consider using a pre-cut cake with smaller-than-usual slices. Serving will go faster this way as well.

Guest List

Cut the guest list. I know, obvious tip, but, the fact is, the less people you invite the more money you save. Really, you should only invite those closest to you anyway so resist the urge to fill a room with second cousins and coworkers with whom you have no relationship.

Ultimate Cheapest Solution

The only way to avoid the costs is simply not to have a formal wedding. If you're footing the bill yourself and just can't see yourself starting your married life with a financial burden, you could always opt for a courthouse ceremony and intimate dinner.