How to Stay on a Wedding Budget

When you are on a wedding budget you want your wedding to be nice and as inexpensive as possible without appearing cheap and gaudy. First you must decide what your first three top priorities are and plan the budget to include these expenses.

You know you want to invite all your friends, he wants to invite all his friends, your family, his family and the in-laws want to invite people too. But the budget just doesn't allow for all these people. You know to stay within the budget you must cut the guest list down. Rule number one is anyone under 12 must be cut. Rule number two is if you haven't spoken to them in a very long time, or you have never heard of the person on the list then they must be cut also. This way helps keep the list small and you stay on budget.

I know they look beautiful and glamorous, but cut out the glamorous and fancy food and decorations. This hikes up the budget a lot.

Use your own personal car instead of hiring a limo. This saves you a bundle in the budget. Also its more relaxing if driving your own car.

You will want pretty and fresh flowers for your wedding. Here you can plan to spend a little more just don't go over board. Make sure they are in season and bought from a local florist and not flown in. Allow this extra expense in the budget.

You can save on photographer expenses by having a family member video tape the wedding and have another one take still pictures of the wedding. Be sure they include cutting the cake too on both.

Scale down food costs by having fancy finger sandwiches someone has made for the wedding instead of catering. Set out pretty bowls of nuts, mints, and potato chips or any other snacks you may want. Place them on a cloth covered banquet table.

For the Bride and Groom toast bring out the expensive champagne for the toast then take it back and save it for the Bride and Groom on the honeymoon. Bring out the less expensive champagne for the rest of the evening.

To save expense on your cake. Have a small one made up with your colors the way you want it. Use it for the cake cutting. Have out in the kitchen several sheet cakes that have been cut . Bring these out and place on the banquet table for the quest to serve them selves. If some of your guests cant eat cake you can have sugar free cookies for them or have a very small sugar free cake made up just for them.