Shopping for your wedding can often become an expensive undertaking. It is important to be able to stick to your budget when you are purchasing what you need for your wedding.
The first step in staying within your budget is to figure out how much of your money can go into each aspect of the planning. If 50% of your budget is spent on your wedding dress you will find yourself having to cut corners in other places. The best strategy is to determine which aspects of your wedding are the most important to you. When you have your heart set on out of season flowers you will find you have less money to spend on the wedding dress, for example.
One way to do your wedding shopping on a budget is to shop for the dress during a sample sale. These sales are held once or twice a year by wedding shops and generally offer dresses at half price. They also often include discounted shoes, jewelry and other bridal accessories in the sale.
When it comes to purchasing the flowers for your wedding, obtaining them from a local nursery is often the best way to get them at a reasonable cost. While florists tend to charge higher rates during prime wedding season, nurseries are more likely to sell you the flowers you need in bulk, saving you money you wouldn’t save otherwise.
Even shopping for the food you will serve your guests at the wedding reception can be done on a budget. Rather than paying money to an expensive caterer, consider finding a local family owned restaurant and ask them to provide the spread for your reception. You can often negotiate a lower priced deal through a restaurant than you could through a caterer.
Along with food, you may want to serve alcohol at your wedding. With the right venue, you can usually arrange to provide your own liquor. This gives you the option of limiting the beverage choices to wine or beer, or having a signature cocktail created and serving that alone. Purchasing wine, beer and spirits from a discount liquor store will save you money, especially if you can negotiate with the store owner or manager to give you a bulk discount.
Wedding favors are one of those items that usually wait until the last minute, so it can be tough to find a good price. Consider buying something inexpensive such as sparklers for weddings to give your guests. They can be shipped within only a few days right to your house, plus your guests will have a great time using their sparklers during your wedding reception.
To provide musical entertainment at your wedding ceremony and/or reception without having to pay full price for a local band, one idea is to call a local college or university. Often they will have music students that are willing to perform for free. Colleges and universities are also a good place to look for amateur photographers that will likely provide much needed services on your wedding day for a low price or even for free in exchange for using your wedding photos in their portfolio.
These are just a few of the ways that you can save money on your wedding shopping and ensure you have everything you want and need without having to worry about going over your budget.