Almost every girl has a picture of her ideal wedding in her mind. She may dream up something that she can visualize when reading fairy tales that end with “…and they live happily ever after.” She sees flowers, ribbons and laces.

However, when her wedding day comes, she may have other considerations on her mind. She still dreams of her ideal wedding but she starts incorporating other subjects that represent her and her groom. Not to mention that the bride also considers the current trends in wedding fashion and decoration. And the most important subject to talk about when choosing decorations – the cost.

Nobody wants to spend the first few months of being married paying of debts made during the wedding preparations. Therefore, the groom-to-be and bride-to-be should be very careful what to spend on. Here are a few things to consider.

* Personalize the decorations. Not only does this add a personal touch to the celebration but this also cuts down on the cost. For example, if the bride or the groom is a photographer, they may choose having photos from their collection made the main subjects for the reception design. The photos may also be used for invitations and keepsakes,

* Consider renting. Most of the items that will be used for decorations will not be used again. These include the centerpieces, the vases, the arc ways and the artificial flower arrangements. So ask your wedding decorator for options to rent these pieces.

* Kids can get bored during the wedding reception. So instead of having kids seated at the same table with the adults, you can have an area where kids can be more casual and can have a small party of their own.

* Marriage is a union of families. During the wedding rites, if possible, you may alter some of the practices to include the children of the bride or groom from previous marriage or the parents and families of the couple. Having them perform a special union rite will signify that the wedding is not just a union of two people but also of two families.

* For the food during the reception, you may inquire with cooking or culinary arts schools. They may agree to cater for the reception for just the price of the food, or perhaps, a little more. You may also have a pot luck by asking family members and close friends to cook a dish.

* If you wanted to cut down on the cost for the wedding party, you can just invite more people to the engagement party. Usually, only cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are served, which cost less than the full set of meals for the wedding reception guests.

* For the music, you can look for a local college band or DJ. You can also have your favorite songs just downloaded from the Internet and saved to an mp3 player or CD to be played over the speakers during the reception.

* When considering the cost of church decorations, check if there will be another couple that will get married on the same day. They may want to coordinate what decorations can be used for both wedding ceremonies to lessen the need to change decorations before or after the wedding and to split the cost.

Getting married should not be expensive. After all, the essence of marriage is in the union and not in the celebration. You shouldn’t also try too hard to please the guests. Your family and friends are there to rejoice this wonderful event with you and not to criticize your wedding.

Don’t leave your shopping to the last minute. The more time you have to shop around, the more you can negotiate. It’s difficult to find bargains under pressure, so leave plenty of time to work with wedding vendors. Never hire the first vendor you meet. You should always make your decision based on several vendors.

Avoid a Saturday wedding. Saturday is the busiest wedding day of the week, and the most expensive. If you can try to have a Sunday or Friday wedding.

When you pay your bills use a credit card with a reward program. You have 30-days to pay the bill, in addition, you might earn enough miles to cover your flight to your honeymoon destination.

Avoid the busy summer wedding season. You might be able to get better deals during the fall and winter months.

You might be able to wear your mother’s or your grand mother’s wedding dress. In addition to saving a bundle, but you also might make you mother very happy. Buy a sample wedding dress or rent your wedding gown.

Hire businesses you know to get a great deal. If you have a friend who is a musician, a photographer, a caterer, try to work out a deal with them.

If you want to save a lot of money, hire a non-wedding photographer. Almost any good photographer should be able to do a good job photographing your wedding.

Buy your wedding accessories from non-wedding professionals. Many of your wedding accessories might be available at non-wedding vendors. Shop online. You can more effectively comparison shop online than trying to visit your local bridal shops.

Work with a wedding reception venue that allows you to provide your own alcoholic beverages. In addition to the obvious savings, you can return the unopened bottles to the store.

Work with an airline to get a group discount on the plane tickets for your wedding guests. Your wedding guests will appreciate the savings, and you might save on your plane ticket to your honeymoon destination.

Wedding Planning Guide: Bride1

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