Money-saving Tips for Weddings

We have 5 and a half weeks left til the wedding. The best thing about having a short engagement--financially--is that you don't have alot of time to think about the "extras" so you save money! I'm not kidding! And sheer panic makes you look long and hard at what is really essential...and how to get the "look" you want for Less. I sound like a TJ Maxx commercial. "The look you want for less".

Anywho, I wrote about the deal we got on the dress. If you ever pay full retail again for a wedding dress, shame on you. SHAME ON YOU! Don't do it!

As we have been planning the rest of the wedding, we've dug deep on the internet, asked friends for suggestions, directions, and flat-out help along the way.

1- The Colorado Springs reception: Old friends directed me to another gal in the Stake who does wedding receptions, so I called her for suggestions. I told her the colors Dani has chosen: magenta, black and white AND our budget. She did a holiday wedding last year in those colors, and let me BUY from her all the magenta ornaments at 30% of her original cost! We're renting the table-toppers and little things from her with a discount too.

2- The Photographer: We're using the same photographer we used for a previous family picture in Salt Lake. I was thrilled to find her available and asked for her help in customizing a package that fit our needs: www.lightstrokes.com . She'll take the formal pics at the Temple, but for the receptions, we'll have family members take pics--every family has their own papparazzi-esque member, so use them! Also, if you want a professional printer instead of say, Walmart, check out this site: http://www.mpix.com/.

3- The invitations. This can be a huge expense, and it does help set the tone for the wedding but there are bargains to be found! By doing this, we'll spend HALF of what is considered "average" on announcements. You can go to http://www.formalinvitations.com/. And I am doing the calligraphy for them.

4- Flowers. I love Flowers...the same gal we bought the ornaments from is doing the flowers for us, at a considerably less price than a retail shop. Again, ask around. Make sure the flowers you want are "in season". If they aren't it's more expensive to ship them in to your florist.

5- The Cake. Talk to the Bakery gal at your local King Soopers, Albertsons or favorite market. We found out that while "fondant" cakes are great at presentation--noone actually eats the fondant. I didn't know that. Eww. (If you've experienced otherwise, let me know!). There are ways for "buttercream" to look very smooth for an elegant look, which is what Dani is going for: simple but elegant.

6- THE DJ for the reception is a long-time friend who actually does this for dances. (Thx Matt!)

7- The Bridal Shower. We're using the "Firsts" theme. First date night, first movie night, first firght, first illness, first Christmas, first Italian meal, first mexican meal, first family home evening, first road trip, first picture framing, etc. We came up with about 30 "Firsts". We printed our own invitations, and again, I calligraphed them. But you can save money by asking someone you know who has lovely handwriting to do that too, instead of buying labels and printing them. It may be quicker, but handwriting is more personal.

And that's all I got for now. One other bit of advice to the Mothers/Wedding Planners out there: Be sure to take a break from it all every day. Otherwise your brain will shrivel up and die. SO be sure to include your friends and your friends' friends. You'll be glad you did! (I love you Nannette & Kelly!)