How to Cut Wedding Costs

When I got married five years ago, I was shocked at the cost of things when I planned my wedding. I decided that I was not going to burden my parents with an expensive wedding, and because I knew they couldn't afford it. Come on, ladies, it is one day in your life. Why do people feel the need to spend more than $25,000 on one day when there are starving people in the world?

Well, to make a long story short, I ended up spending less than $5000 for my wedding, and that included my dress! Here are ways to cut the costs for unnecessary spending and still have an absolutely gorgeous wedding. I am also a photographer's assistant at weddings, and have seen everything under the sun.

-Flowers die! People spend hundreds, if not thousands, on flowers that will more than likely be dead by the end of the day. If you go to certain craft stores, you can get silk flowers that look incredibly real! They are a little pricey, but still less than the real thing! The best part, keep your eyes on their sales. Often times, they have sales that are up to 50% off on their silk flowers. We did all of the flowers at my wedding and paid a little over $200 for my bouquet, six bridesmaid bouquets, all the boutonnieres and corsages, plus a few centerpieces. Now that's savin' some money! If you're not sure how to make a beautiful arrangement, take a class or ask a friend that is good at it to help you out!

-Rent! Another way to save on wedding costs is to rent everything you can! We rented a beautiful column set to go on the "stage" of our wedding, then we rented ferns and other plants to stage the alter! It looked incredible! The man even delivers and picks up the plants, so you have little to no work!

-Centerpieces aren't often remembered! If I think back on weddings that I have attended, I don't remember any centerpieces at the receptions. NONE! So when I realized that, I decided mine would be simple and I wasn't going to waste money on them. So what we did, we went to a dollar store and bought candlestick holders for $.50 a piece. We tied a toule bow and ivy around each candle stick and sprinkled the table with rose petals. We made sure we had nice, tall candlesticks, so the table looked very elegant.

-Favors. I think that favors are honestly very silly things. A complete waste of money. If you're going to do favors, save money and make them yourself and make sure they are incredibly unique. If you're gonna put chocolates in a box with your names and wedding date on them, just save your money. Even people that leave a candle for each seat, what a waste. When the wedding is over, they always have about half of them left! I married a deaf man, so we made "I love you" hand suckers and tied a saying around it that I made on the computer that said, "Words are never necessary to say I love you." We didn't have any left, and people thought it was a darling touch.

-Groom's attire. First of all, shop around! I cannot stress than enough! Also, most places offer the groom's tux for free when all the other tuxes are rented there. Another alternative I have seen is just ask the groomsmen to have all black suits, white shirts, and black shoes, then you supply all of them a tie.

-Cash bar is the way to go! I found a hall that had a very cheap cash bar. I wasn't going to pay to get everyone drunk. I didn't hear one complaint from a guest that I had a cash bar. Liquor is very expensive and if you get a keg, there is no guarantee it will get drank, then you've wasted your money.

-Don't scrimp on a DJ or photographer! These two things are where you need to spend your money. I had beautiful pictures! My DJ was worth every penny that I paid him, because my guest said it was the funnest reception they had every been to! The dance floor was full the entire time. Those are the signs of a fabulous DJ.

-Consider getting married on a Friday or Sunday. Many venues will slash costs so that they can have their venue rented out! The venue where I had my reception told me that they discount by 25% if you have a Friday wedding!

-Unity candle...It is the BIGGEST waste of money, as are aisle runners! WHY????? No one even notices when you don't have one.

These are just a few ways to cut costs on your wedding. Make sure you spend money on the important things...beautiful pictures, dress, and making sure your guests have a blast! Keep your costs low and spend money on a honeymoon or house!