25 Ways to Reduce Your Wedding Cost Without Affecting the Elegance of Your Special Day

by Karen O’Donnell Marshall

With wedding costs increasing annually, brides are looking for ways to reduce costs without affecting the elegance of their special day. The following tips offer substantial cost savings:

Attire

1. Visit bridal shops and explore their discount racks. You are likely to encounter exceptional deals. For example, a previous year’s model of a wedding dress, originally selling for $490, was on a clearance rack for under $100. Unfortunately, you can only choose from the dresses and sizes that are available on the rack. These dresses cannot be ordered in another size for the sale price.

2. Try to avoid dress shops that ask for your preferences and then find you a dress. They may have a less expensive dress that you like, but you may never see it. You only see what they show you. Instead, visit shops that have all of their dresses displayed on racks. This way you can see all of the options in your price range.

3. Ask bridal shops if they will store your dress for you for free until your wedding date. Many shops will do this if you ask.

Invitations

4. Send in every postcard for free mail-order stationery catalogs that appear in bridal magazines and search online for stationery companies. You can usually find the same invitation that you found elsewhere for substantially less money. You typically pay less with mail order, since you do not have to pay for the middleman.

5. Before you order your invitations, request an invitation sample from the company. This will allow you to examine the paper quality and determine if the invitation is exactly what you want before you place your order. This might save you the cost of reprinting invitations.

6. Consider including reception information on your invitations in the bottom left corner ("corner copy"). This will save you in printing and postage costs.

7. Consider thermographed invitations instead of engraved ones. Most people will not notice the difference.

8. Have several people proofread your invitation order. Most invitation companies will charge you full-price to reprint invitations if you made the mistake.

9. Do not order your invitations as soon as you create your invitation list. You are likely to revise this list in a few days. Instead, write your invitation list and then have both families look at it. Wait a few days and repeat this process. You will find that you will have a more accurate list. This can save you the cost of reprinting invitations if you need more.

10. When you do order your invitations, order 25 extra. This will only add a few dollars to your invitation bill. If you later revise your list again and add a few extra people, you will already have the invitations. Otherwise, you will have to pay full-price to order a few more.

11. Decide how many people that you can afford to attend your wedding. Then make two invitation lists-the "must invites" and the "would like to invites." Send out an invitation to a person on the "would like to invite list" every time you receive a "no" from the "must invite" list.

Reception

12. Make a list of the items that you need for your reception and include these items on your bridal registry. You might obtain most of what you need for your reception at your bridal shower.

13. If you do not receive most of the needed reception items as gifts, ask a married friend if they still have theirs. Many reception items, such as a cake knife and server, are not used often after the wedding, so they won’t be missed if you borrow them.

14. Consider purchasing some of your wedding and reception supplies (aisle runner, favors, etc.) through mail-order or Internet sites. Since the middleman is eliminated, you will often receive the same merchandise at reduced prices.

15. Consider a lunch reception instead of a dinner reception. This can be just as elegant for a fraction of the cost.

Photography

16. Instead of ordering additional gift folios for your families and your bridal party, consider giving these individuals a few of the photos that are already included with your photography package. Some "standard" packages give you more photos than you really need.

General

17. Consider getting married on a weekday instead of on a weekend. Many wedding professionals offer discounts for weekday weddings.

18. Consider getting married at an off-peak time of the year. During off-peak times, you may receive substantial discounts from florists and other wedding professionals. This can also reduce your honeymoon cost since you will not be traveling during "tourist season."

19. Consider getting married at your reception site. This can save you money on rentals and on decorations.

20. Shop around for your wedding professionals. Although it may be time consuming to call several of the photographers that are listed in the phone book, for example, your effort is usually rewarded. You may be able to find better quality at a reduced price than your first few estimates.

21. Talk to brides who have been recently married. They might be able to refer you to some wedding professionals who offer exceptional deals.

22. Let your friends and relatives know what supplies and services that you are still looking for. They might spot a "sale" in their neighborhood that will save you money.

23. Discuss your wedding decisions with your fiancÈ and with both sets of parents before you book anything. Otherwise, you may lose deposits and have to reorder invitations if you need to change your plans later.

24. Try to book as many of your wedding professionals as soon as possible. Many professionals will lock you in at the current rate. Otherwise, you might have to pay substantially more money for the same services as a result of inflation.

25. Beware of "final sales." You might think that a veil will match your dress, for example, but you really won’t know until you take it home. If you cannot return merchandise, you may have to purchase some items twice.

As you can see, you are able to reduce your wedding costs without jeopardizing the elegance of your wedding. It takes some effort to apply the above tips, but the payoff is great!