Thompson Entertainment

COST-CUTTING WEDDING IDEAS

Congratulations! You just got engaged. We are so happy for you. Marriage is wonderful. Your joy, however, may quickly turn to panic and financial nervousness when you learn that the average American wedding costs $19,000 for an average 200 guests, according to USA Today (not including the average $3,500 for a honeymoon). This article will help you keep at least $9,500 in your pocket for other things! Use only the ideas you like, and the rest is history.

Get Your Friends Involved
You are smart and talented. You have smart and talented friends, and maybe you have smart and talented friends who would love to share their talents as a wedding present. Ask for their help in performing at the service, taking photographs, working as a bartender, or even videotaping the events - all functions that would normally cost you $500 - $2000.

Do-It Yourself
Have we mentioned how smart and talented you are? Put those talents to good use for your wedding. You won't be able to DJ your wedding reception, since you'll be busy cutting the cake, dancing with your parents, and being in every picture. But, that's why you have us and there are plenty of before-the-wedding things you can do yourself. Consider making your own veil (it is really just a headband and tulle); arranging flowers (since the cost is in the labor and not the blooms themselves); baking the cake; or writing out invitations in calligraphy or designing & printing them yourself using a computer. Most public libraries have everything you need installed on their computers.

Don't Buy "Wedding" Things
Anything that has the word "wedding" attached to it can instantly fetch a 25% or more premium. So when looking for Bubbles do not use "Wedding Bubbles". When looking for Shoes do not use "Wedding Shoes" and so on. Wherever possible, try to purchase a "normal" (a.k.a. "non-wedding") equivalent. You will be amazed at how much you'll save.

Wedding Dress
We are not suggesting that you don't wear clothes for your wedding , just strongly encouraging you not to buy a wedding dress. Wedding dresses are custom made in small lots, using expensive fabrics, all of which contribute to very high prices. There is a real danger in that, after a day of trying on $4000 dresses (of which there are many out there), $2000 will start to seem reasonable. $2000 is a lot. We recommend borrowing a dress from your mom, best friend or relative -- they will all be flattered, you'll be starting a family tradition, and these are all dresses that have been worn just once. Other sources are consignment shops or finding a beautiful formal dress that happens to be white or ivory. Several brides have already reported wearing a white or ivory bridesmaid dress.

Less is More
You are very popular. Many people like you, and you like many people. But, work very, very hard to reduce the number of guests. Starting with the average of 200, we recommend trying to cut 50 people. At $80 per person for food, wine, cake, napkins, and every one of your variable costs, this is the fastest way to save. And, there is an upside: a smaller wedding means you can spend more time with the people who mean the most to you. You will have time to dance with your favorite aunt. You will be able to celebrate in an intimate room where people will mingle, not in a cavernous ballroom. Consider cutting out co-workers, "and guests," distant cousins, and friends from college you have lost touch with. Every morning practice the refrain "we are having a very small wedding.". Don't worry, you can always share video or photos of your wedding and/or Wedding Reception with those who were not present.

Location, Location, Location
Orange juice in a Manhattan hotel costs $8 a glass, imagine how much beef en croute with coriander walnut filling will cost. As you and your fiance consider locations that are meaningful to you, the town you currently live in, your childhood home, your college town -- evaluate comparative costs of living. This is a direct cost to you, but it may also affect the lodging costs of your guests. Modern Bride estimates that the same wedding reception in San Diego costing $4,000 would cost $9,000 in Chicago & $15,000 in NYC just because of their location.

Time is Money
The easy complement to the Reception location is the date and time that you are considering. Having a Saturday night June wedding means competing with a zillion other couples for the attention of venues & vendors, which most of the time are going to the highest bidder. Ask your reception site or caterer what the price difference for a brunch or lunch, or another month would be -- it may make you reconsider a Saturday in June. Even if you are having a June wedding (can all those couples be wrong?), you can still take advantage of timing by choosing in-season flowers and in-season food ingredients. Tulips are cheap in June, but very dear in September.

No Tschotskes
No one leaves a wedding saying "I had a great time because I got a picture frame" or "They must be in love because I have some chocolates." Wedding favors are an easy line-item to cut out. Yes, we realize that almonds are very tasty but, be strong or buy yourself a box at the movies. This same restraint can also be applied to monogrammed cocktail napkins & matchbooks.

Have a Cake in the Back Room
The cost of a wedding cake is not the cake, it is the labor of decorating the cake. Decorating a big cake takes longer than decorating a small cake, and bakeries charge between $2.50 and $6 per person, per slice of wedding cake (which has a different pricing scheme than other cakes). You can cut that cost to $0.50 per person by having two cakes. Have a small, beautifully decorated cake to photograph, cut into, and to put on show. Serve your guests slices of plain sheet cake that is cut in the kitchen and they will never know that it didn't come from the pretty cake that is being displayed.

Eliminate Response Cards
Miss Manners feigns not knowing what they are when she finds them in an invitation. Response cards are small cards where guests can check a box indicating that they are attending. Etiquette dictates that a formal written invitation deserves a formal written response. Response cards are for lazy people. Plus, response cards, when they are printed, cost nearly as much as the invitation and will increase the weight of the original invitation. So, a vote for frugality is a vote for etiquette! Save & lose the Response Cards.

Congratulations, again from all of the staff at Thompson Entertainment. Have a wonderful time planning your wedding and celebrating your marriage. Pick and choose among these suggestions. Consider offsetting savings in one area so that you can splurge on something that screams "wedding" for you. Like all plans, wedding plans mean prioritizing and pursuing the truly important and wonderful. After your Wedding, please take a moment to contact us to let us know how these ideas helped you or if you have any other cost-cutting ideas that you feel would benefit future brides, feel free to email them to our Webmaster and we will gladly post them on this page.