Find a Wedding Location on a Budget

So you are engaged... congratulations. Just about every girl has dreamed of what her wedding will be like. You can have that wedding without having to take out a second mortgage. You can plan your dream wedding for a fraction of the price, without your guests knowing that you "cut corners".

First, choose a location. This is the biggest part to helping decide on a date. You don't want to get the invitations printed with the date if you haven't secured your location.

When trying to plan a wedding on a budget, be sure to think outside the box. Sure, you can have the wedding in a church and rent out a reception hall, or you can have an intimate and beautiful wedding by being creative.

A lot of cities allow public parks to be rented for a low price. Is there a local college around you that has a nice garden area? What about a museum or hotel? A lot of places will rent out their space for your events, a wedding doesn't have to be in a church. You can decorate these venues with some DIY decorations to make it as beautiful and stunning as you want, or as minimal and elegant as you desire.

How about some more tips on how to cut the budget? Saturdays are often the most expensive day of the week to have a wedding. Think about doing a Friday evening wedding, or even a Sunday mid morning / afternoon wedding. A lot of venues will offer discounts for these days and times, as they are usually not the most sought after time slots. They need money to operate just like any other business and renting out these days that would normally be left open are a good opportunity for them to make revenue, while giving you a place to hold your celebration!

A lot of places that host weddings will also sometimes include tables and light decorations. Having tables and chairs be included can help cut down on the cost to rent these items from a party rental store, and every penny helps! They may even have some centerpieces and lighting available. Speak up and ask if they include these items. Also, be sure to ask if they have special rules. Sometimes places will only allow a certain caterer, or they might not allow rose petals, or bird seed. If you specifically want some of these things, be sure to ask. It is better to find out up front before a conttact is signed and it is too late to back out.

Feel free to ask for references and pictures of past events held at the location. This will give you a good visual, as well as let you talk to other brides that have used their services.

After you have made your decision on a place, be sure to get everything in writing. This will prove to be beneficial should your main point of contact no longer work at the venue when your big day finally comes. You do not want a new manager telling you that there will be an additional charge for clean up, or for those tables when it was supposed to be in the original agreed price. You want to avoid as many last minute surprises as possible.

Remember, this is all for your special day. You have the right to ask the hard questions, be frank and up front. When you are planning such a huge life event, you want everything to go right. Take your time and make notes. It is helpful to be able to look back on these things as you start interviewing different places and people for the wedding.

Try not to get to overwhelmed. While it can be stressful to plan a wedding, it should also be a happy time for you!
Congratulations and good luck on getting that ball started!