From the moment you begin your journey into the world of wedding planning you have opportunities to save money. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Stationery:
1. Make your own invitations, or have a friend or family member make them for you. Check out WeddingClipart.com for clip art and templates.
2. Instead of including response cards with the invitations, save the postage and include an e-mail address and/or phone number for responses.
3. Buy your invitations online. There is more selection online, which means it is easier to find invitations to fit your budget. In many cases you buy direct from online sources, so you cut out the middleman and the markup. Some websites to check are www.theamericanwedding.com, www.regencyinvitations.com, and www.paperstyle.com.
Attire:
4. If a fancy designer gown is not a must, consider renting a wedding dress or buying one secondhand. There are often wedding dresses -- some never worn -- advertised in the classified section of newspapers.
5. Buy a dress online. Sites such as eBay (www.ebay.com) can offer significant savings on wedding dresses, both secondhand and brand new. Sites such as The Bridal World (www.thebridalworld.com) offer warehouse prices on new wedding dresses.
6. Consider buying a discontinued dress from a bridal store.
7. If you are planning a casual wedding, check out the dresses at area department stores.
8. Do the guys really need tuxedos? Maybe suits would look fine.
9. A bride who's into crafts can make her own veil and headpiece. Materials are plentiful at craft and fabric stores, and instructions are available on the Internet and in books.
10. Buy inexpensive shoes. If the bride's gown is long, no one will see the shoes anyway. Ballet slippers can be purchased from a dance studio for a reasonable price.
11. Borrow a friend's crinoline.
12. Buy bridesmaids' dresses from a department store.
13. Do your own hair and makeup.
Excerpted from Intimate Weddings by Christina Friedrichsen. Copyright © 2004 by Christina Friedrichsen. Excerpted by permission of North Light Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
