Get bulk supplies

Consider taking a hand on direct approach to your wedding and order supplies in bulk, which consequently lowers the per item cost saving you money. For example, if you’re needing to order napkins for your wedding and know that the local supermarket stocks the ones that you want, ask them if they can give you a discount if you order in bulk quantities, this will probably mean ordering several cartons.

Contacting catering supplies store or local distributors direct is also a good approach as it cuts out the middle man passing on the savings to you. You can find many of these online doing a simple Google search.

Avoid renting ‘Wedding’ chairs

If you are needing to hire wedding chairs, look around before just hitting all the usual wedding rental outlets. Have you considered asking your local university or high-school if they can hire out their chairs? They generally have a fair amount of chairs for special occasions such as graduations and are happy to rent them out. These chairs can be perfect for park and other outdoor ceremonies. Also check out your local community centres as they usually keep back-up chairs for their functions.

If you are planning on hiring seat covers for the chairs, don’t be to worried if some of the seats have a few scratches, in reality the seats that are a little more worn out will be cheaper and the aesthetics wont matter because you will be covering them with seat covers.

Cut The Cost Of Your Wedding Cake

Don’t feel obliged to stick to the traditional tiered wedding cake.

A new trend emerging is the tiered wedding cupcake where the cupcakes replace the traditional wedding sliced cake. It’s cheaper and aesthetically pleasing.

Order a plain wedding cake and decorate it yourself. Search the internet, wedding magazines and visit bakers for inspiration.

Rather than opting for a large decorative cake, opt for a smaller sized one and supplement the extra pieces with inexpensive dessert dishes.

Home based bakers and small bakeries often are significantly cheaper as they have fewer expenses themselves.

Have an early reception

Everyone knows that Saturday weddings cost more as this is the day that most couples will likely wed. The reception venue will subsequently cost more as well. Find out if your venue will offer a reduced rate for an afternoon reception. You could have a morning ceremony with an afternoon reception ending at around 5pm The venue could then host another evening event and therefore be happy that their establishment has been booked for the entire day.

Trash The Dress

Wedding dresses once worn are preserved and carefully looked after by the bride, right? Well that’s not always the case; many brides are now trashing their dresses. They are going to the beach rolling around in sand, waiting for a rainy day and lying in the mud or splattering themselves in paint. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

(photo source: http://www.bluenaluphotography.com)

Frosted wedding cake + just add flowers

One way of achieving a stunning looking cake for a cheaper price is to order a basic frosted cake and then garnish it with fresh flowers. This can look especially stunning when the colours of the flowers are the same or closely resemble those used in the bride’s bouquet.

Wedding Cakes

I just love the wedding cake that Marcia Cross had at her wedding to Tom Mahoney. It doesn’t really look like anything that you would want to eat, but it is such a beautiful work of art that would be a striking inclusion at any wedding.

Get the Party Started

Picture the following scene. The music is on, it’s pumping, people’s feet are itching to get up and dance, but yet the dance floor is empty. Not all wedding receptions will have the traditional first dance between the bride and groom, so you may need to plant a few guests to start up the dancing.

Ensure the first few songs are ones that are recognisable (think top ten 10 hits) you know the type of songs that just make people want to dance. Ask your guests prior to the reception if they will help encourage guests onto the dance floor and start the dancing. It’s such a simple thing to do, but will help keep things flowing.

Use what you already have

Just because you are planning a wedding, it doesn’t mean that you need to go out and buy everything. Take a good and hard look around your house and see what you can use. Do you have a nice lace tablecloth that can be used for the guest book table? A great bouquet of silk flowers that can be used to dress up the venue? Expand your search wider to family and friends and see what you can borrow from them. You may end up saving a fair bit of money with just some careful pre-planning.

Consider adequete parking

When choosing a reception venue do take into consideration the parking, does the space allow for adequate parking for your invited guests? If your venue is isolated from a taxi service and public transport, consider organising a mini bus to transport guests to the venue and to their home. This is a good idea anyway, as your guests will likely be drinking, so this way they can have a good time and get a lift home safely.

Next Page »