Quick Words:

budget-wedding-save-savings

Full Text:

BRIDES (special section) Ways To Save Money That Don't Show

By Sharon Naylor

Copley News Service

You can have a beautiful wedding on an affordable budget without the savings

showing.

Not one of your guests will be able to tell that you got your lovely designer

wedding gown for, say, half-proce, and they certainly won't know that the

delectable horse d'oeuvres they are enjoying came at a steep discount...

unless you tell them! But you bank account will breathe a sigh of relief, and

you can start your new life without going into the red.

So just how do you pull off such a wedding miracle? How do you get an opulent

wedding for less?

1. Scale it down.

Rather than having 300 guests and paying up to several hundred dollars per

person, cut down your list to include only close relatives and friends. Rule

out friends of friends, teenagers' dates, your parents' clients, all your

third cousins twice removed, and all small children who most definitely will

not each $100 worth of food and cake but will still be counted by the caterer

in the per-person charges.

Since your reception is likely to account for half of your wedding budget,

this scaling-down process will save you a bundle.

2. Choose your level of formailty carefully.

An 8 pm formal reception is going to be far more expensive than an equally

beautiful celebration at 3 pm. The later time and proximity to the dinner hour

means a several-course champagne dinner. And that adds up to a higher price

per person.

Instead, choose an afternoon or early evening reception, and arrange with your

caterer to have either fewer courses, a wide variety of passed hors d'oeuvres

or just an elegant tea party. The choice is yours, and so are the unlimited

options.

3. Keep it simple.

Less is definitely more when you are creating an elegant, classic wedding.

Many wedding guests, when asked, did not even notice the sugar paste swans the

bride paid $250 extra for, and they were more likely to think an over-the-top

wedding was "gaudy," "tacky" or "just too much" -- and you certainly do not

want your guests to go home thinking that about your wedding.

So think in terms of elegant simplicity, and make your decisions accordingly.

4. Analyze your personal resources.

Do you know someone who owns or works at a banquet hall? Does your uncle know

someone who owns a limousine company? Does your sister play the harp? Your

coisin knows all about videotaping? Your college roommate does calligraphy?

Your aunt is skillful at flower arranging?

Call upon your friends and relatives to help as their wedding gift to you and

perhaps put together the elements of the wedding of your dreams.

Accept your friends' offers to help in any way they can. Make it their gift to

you, which gives them a break in the pocketbook as well.

Allowing them to participate also lends a special touch to your day (providing

your sister plays the harp well), while saving you money on your wedding

budget list.

5. Allow plenty of time.

The more time you give yourself to plan the wedding, assuming you haven't

hired a consultant, the more likely you are to find bargains. You have time to

comparison shop, to make deals, to find great sales. Plus, you will not be

rushed into making impulsive, unwise money choices just because the clock is

ticking.

6. Bargain down.

Haggle with wedding vendors. See if you can talk them down to a discount or

even one item free when you buy five. You don't get it if you don't ask.

7. Make smart trades on your contracts.

Ask if you can trade the extra desserts beyond the wedding cake for an

additional entree choice. See if you can trade the flashy table centerpieces

for free bouquets. Check if the photographer will let you trade the

wallet-size photos for an additional 11 by 14-inch portrait.

A good wedding vendor will be glad to accommodate your wishes, and they have

come to expect a little bit of contract tailoring.

8. Keet it in the country.

When possible, choose domestic over imported. This goes not only for

champagne, but for various foods, desserts and flowers. You would be surprised

at the price difference between a good old-fashioned tea rose and a Hawaiian

stephanotis.

9. Have great elements, but for a shorter time.

Arrange for a pianist or harpist to play during the cocktail hour only. Allow

the champagne to flow only during the first hour of the reception. Cut the

last hour off your five-hour reception.

Schedule the limousine to take you to the wedding location and reception only;

after the reception, you can hop into your festively decorated car and zoom

off into your honeymoon.

This way, you can afford to have all the fabulous elements you always wanted,

but you are not drowning in debt for them.

10. Stay organized.

The worst wedding budget mishaps are paying for something you don't use,

paying again for something you have already paid for and paying more than you

agreed to in your contract. All of these things can happen if you are not on

top of your wedding details.

Get clear contracts. Write down what you have done and when you did it. Record

all payments you have made. And have an exact head count of your guests when

it is time to submit the final numbers. Keep your details clear, and you will

get the most from your wedding shopping money.

It takes just a little work, a little time and some creativity to pare down

your wedding budget without the savings showing. And in the end, you will have

a fantasy wedding for a price tag that is also a dream.