How to Afford the Wedding of Her Dreams Without Going Broke

Your daughter comes home all excited and looking radiant. Her boyfriend has proposed to her, giving her a beautiful engagement ring. Her mother and you both ohh and ahh over it. It truly is a beautiful ring. You hug her and congratulate her. You really are thrilled for her. After all, her new fiance is a hardworking young man who is currently holding down a full time job and attending school part time. He is close to graduating. And so is your daughter. You couldn't be prouder and happier for both of them.

And then your wife asks if they have chosen a date for the wedding. They have. It is less than six months away. A June wedding right after they graduate is their choice. "Oh, my!" your wife states. "That doesn't leave us much time to plan the wedding."

And the race is on. From that moment forward, every waking moment seems to be about the wedding. As your wife and daughter go shopping for a wedding dress, you sit down and go over what you suppose will be the cost of the wedding of her dreams.

The dress itself is not that bad. They find one she really loves for just over six hundred dollars. But then you have to add in the veil and shoes to match. She finds some beautiful costume jewelry to finish out her attire. You exhale in relief when the total is a mere nine hundred dollars. Not bad for the perfect dress and accessories for your little girl's big day.

She wants to get married at your church. The pastor agrees and the church is reserved. Things are going really well. Then your wife and daughter start talking about the reception. Your wife thinks the local country club would be perfect. But you happen to know for a fact that a guy at work's daughter had her reception there. It cost him almost eight thousand dollars. Of course, that included the food, drinks, and music. But for that price, it should have included the honeymoon.

You gulp as you think of all that money. Money you simply don't have to spend on one day. As they start talking about decorations and flowers, the wedding cake, and an open bar for the guests, you just want to sink through the floor. It's your daughter's wedding day. You want it to be as perfect as possible, but...

It's time for the cold hard facts. Quietly, you remind them that you were out of work for several months recently. Money is tight. Your wife narrows her eyes and you square your shoulders in preparation for the battle you know is about to begin.

And then your daughter speaks up. "Dad, Bob and I were discussing that. We both want to keep the costs down for the wedding. And we have been checking out some places where we could have the reception." She smiles at you. "We actually checked out the community center and the Holiday Inn nearest the church. However, we decided that the best place to have the reception was here in our back yard. And we talked to a couple of other couples about ways to save money and they gave us some great ideas."

And with those simple words she just saved you thousands of dollars. You smile gratefully at her and relax. You truly are blessed with a wonderful daughter.

Then she proceeds to outline some ideas to you and her mother.

1. The reception. By having the reception somewhere inexpensive, she can spend extra on decorations. The community center and nearby motels or hotels were two places she checked. Her friends suggested relatives' homes, the church basement, a lodge or state park's rental places. She decided she wanted her reception at her home.

2. The flowers. One friend suggested going to a nearby nursery and ordering fresh flowers. Most nurseries will deliver fairly large orders. Have them delivered the morning of the wedding and arrange them in white pots with ribbons to match the wedding colors. The bridal bouquet and flowers for the wedding party can be ordered to match. By only ordering the wedding party's flowers from a flower shop, you can save hundreds of dollars.

3. The cake. Check with different bakeries and with local bakers. Ask them to email you pictures of some of their cakes. The cake doesn't have to be all that elaborate. With the wedding cake topper, most cakes look spectacular. And you can decorate the table around the cake to add color and excitement. So keep your costs low on the cake.

4. The photographer. Some photographers charge hundreds to thousands of dollars. Your daughter called a nearby photography school and talked to several students. Just for being invited to the wedding, after all, it's good food and good fun, two of the students agreed to take the photos. All your daughter has to pay for is the film. Talk about a good deal. Another idea that was suggested by one of her friends was to leave disposable cameras on the guests' tables. They could take pictures and then leave the cameras for the bride and groom to have developed. This is a great way to get a great variety of pictures of that special day.

5. The food. One of your daughter's friends was actually going to school to be a chef. He talked to the director of the school and they agreed to fix all the food needed for the reception as the day's cooking class. Your daughter agreed to pay for the food and ingredients and the students got the experience of catering a wedding. Several of the students even volunteered to deliver and set up the food. Another of her friends suggested asking family and friends to bake or fix desserts to add to the menu.

6. Drinks. Yes, everyone you know will probably want to celebrate with a few drinks of some kind. Your daughter says she will order a keg of beer. And a limited amount of liquor for mixed drinks. However, it will be a help-yourself bar. And of course there will be soft drinks and coffee for the non-drinkers.

7. Decorations. Your daughter's friends and family agreed to all show up the night before to set up the decorations. And she plans on keeping the decorations simple and expensive, justs some balloons, ribbons, and the flowers.

8. Music. Your daughter called the local radio station and got the name of one of the djs who moonlights at weddings. He agreed to play until midnight for two hundred dollars and free food.

9. Invitations. Your daughter informs you that she is even going to design and print her own invitations. That way she can add personal touches without extra costs.

As she finishes up her plans, you lean back in your easy chair. Yes, indeed, your daughter is going to have the best wedding ever. And the best part of it all, she is planning it like she is paying for it. Now that's a good daughter. Boy, did you do a good job of parenting or what?