The Blissful Bride's Budget:
Achieving an Affordable Wedding
Congratulations, you're engaged! Now you must plan what will likely be one of the most memorable, important, and expensive days of your life—your wedding. You will be inundated with advice on all the elements of a perfect wedding: gorgeous gown, fragrant flowers, mood-setting music and a church packed with loved ones. The average U.S. wedding runs $15,500 (not including the honeymoon). That's a lot of money—your money. Since perfection is unattainable, how do you achieve an affordable, yet wonderful wedding? With a budget.
THREE STEPS TO SETTING UP THE BUDGET
1. Know What You Want. Make a wedding wish list. "Don't buy into the idea that your wedding must compare with everyone else's wedding," says Rachel Shreckengast, creator of Wedding Frugality Site, an on-line wedding guide for The Mining Company. "Your wedding should reflect the values and tastes of yourself and your partner." Knowing what you want will also ease and streamline the planning, booking and buying process.
2. Know the Market. Now it's time to price the market. "You need to shop and research before you can establish a bottom line figure," says Deborah McCoy, author of The Elegant Wedding and the Budget-Savvy Bride. McCoy sees many brides go into sticker shock, something she experienced when she planned her step-daughter's wedding. "I based my budget on what I thought everything would cost. Then I started to interview vendors and I was blown away. I was so far off-base!"
3. Set Priorities and Price Limits. Reassess your wish list, deciding what items are imperative to you, what you're willing to cut corners on, and what you can do without. By basing your budget on your priorities and the ballpark figures you gathered, you can plan for a wedding that is meaningful and still avoid a financial fallout. If there is a disparity between what you can afford and what you want, take heart. You can still stretch your budget.
FIVE WAYS TO STRETCH THE BUDGET
1. Timing Is Everything. Use time to your advantage. The date and time of the wedding can have a huge impact on cost because of supply and demand.
"Prices are at a premium for a Saturday night in June," says Alan Fields, co-author of Bridal Bargains. According to Fields, scheduling your wedding for an off-time such as November, January, or February, or an off-day such as Friday night or Sunday afternoon, can save you 20% or more.
"Vendors have to pay their mortgages 12 months out of the year and will often knock down prices and throw in freebies just to work during an off-time," he says. Additionally, your favorite vendors are more likely to be available.
Having plenty of time to save, plan and search for discounts can also bring your wedding price down. "Leave enough time to plan well," says Fields. "Discount ideas can take longer."
2. Consumer Rules Apply. Be a savvy consumer by researching, shopping around for the best price and quality, negotiating the vendor contract terms, staying organized, and resisting pressure to spend beyond your budget.
"Many couples often forget that they are the consumer," says Shreckengast. "So they spend more than they like, or buy items they don't want." Wise wedding consumerism means bargain hunting, which can cut costs across the budget. The bargain hunt should include nontraditional avenues for wedding spending.
"You need to think outside the box," says Fields. "There are a variety of places you can have a wedding, such as public sites and historic homes, that don't include catering. This can give real savings because you can comparison-shop for a better deal on food."
To find other bargains, Fields suggests ordering through the Internet and catalogs. "Stores that carry a lower overhead pass those savings on to you," he says. Dresses, flowers, invitations and many other items can be ordered on-line or through a catalog, with significant savings. Try discount stores, and look for discontinued, off-season, and sample merchandise. You may even want to glance over the classified section in your newspaper. Bargain availability is limited only by your effort and ingenuity.
3. Control the Guest List. The guest list has a direct impact on wedding costs, so controlling it is key.
"Keeping the guest list small is the secret," says McCoy. "With a small guest list, you can more afford to do what you want. When it gets out of control, you need more of everything—more centerpieces, more seating, more food."
4. Do It Yourself. You can do almost everything in your wedding and do it for less—centerpieces, decorations, invitations, bouquets, bridal attire, and food. Even the craft-impaired can do many things themselves by following the precise instructions of an expert. Along with various books detailing how to make wedding items, your local craft store may offer free classes.
"If you are planning on trying to do things yourself but are unsure if you have the talent, you can always do a test run, buying enough supplies to make one item," says Shreckengast. A prerequisite for doing it yourself is desire, time and persistence.
5. Rent, Beg and Borrow. Anything you plan to buy, you can probably rent. This applies to bridal attire, foliage, decorations, tables, chairs, servingware and more. "When you rent, you are sharing expenses with all the other people that make use of those same items," says Patsy McDonald, author of Weddings, Let's Make Cents of It! "Rent everything but the groom!"
Borrowing and enlisting help from willing friends and family is another avenue. As long as you approve of the quality, using the skills and resources of your loved ones can make wedding preparation less costly and more meaningful.
PUTTING IT INTO PERSPECTIVE
Weddings can be as varied as the individuals who participate, and the available ways to spend and save money are endless. The bride and groom who are willing to plan according to a value-based budget can make their wedding meaningful, memorable, enjoyable, and affordable. While the wedding lasts just one day, what you learn planning lasts a lifetime.
"Planning a wedding is a boot-camp financial exercise," says Fields. "It includes budgeting, planning, and executing. Everything is applicable later."
Planning an affordable wedding also involves a lot of communication, compromise, and compassion; important ingredients in your forthcoming marriage. And that's what the wedding is all about anyway: your lifelong love and commitment to each other. 
- 10 ways to save on your wedding | Bankrate.com
- Seven hidden ways to cut wedding costs | SmartMoney
- Articles to help you save on everything from diamonds to the gown | TheKnot.com
- Does wedding insurance make sense for you? Also includes links to other financial articles. | WeddingChannel.com
- Browse through cost-cutting tips submitted by recent brides, or link to articles on topics like setting a wedding budget. | USABride.com
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