Societies fascination with elaborate Hollywood weddings seems to have affected our expectations about weddings in general causing many couples to go into debt to finance their wedding.

Would you be surprised to learn that a wedding where the bride and groom each have three attendants and 100 invited guests that consists of a reception buffet can cost anywhere from $6000 up to $10,000?

The reality is that most weddings are somewhat larger than that. The average wedding has around 200 invited guests. A formal wedding of this size can easily increase the cost to anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000.

Now you may be wondering why the range of costs. The main reason is there are so many different choices that can be made and each of them will have an effect on the cost of your wedding. An example is the flowers you select. More commonly used flowers are in stock at most florists and are lower in cost. Selecting flowers that are in season also has a huge impact on the total you will pay for flowers.

A wedding cake is another of the items that has lots of different factors that will determine the final cost. The size of the cake is one factor. A cake that serves 50 people will cost less than a cake that will serve 150. Then there is the matter of whether you want fondant or to have your cake frosted with butter cream, and if you want filling that will add to the cost as well.

Even though every bride wants her wedding to be wonderful, you don’t have to spend money like a Hollywood celebrity in order to have a fantastic wedding.

The reception is usually takes the largest chunk of the wedding budget. You can control the expense of the reception by the choices you make as to when to hold the reception and what type of food to serve.

Generally evening weddings have receptions that feature a meal. This meal can be buffet, a full sit down meal or heavy hors d’oeuvres. Morning or afternoon weddings receptions can be lighter fare, perhaps finger food or a brunch for a morning wedding.

When deciding whether to serve a meal or hors d’oevres be sure to do a price comparision as sometimes a full meal can be less expensive than heavy hors d’eoevres. The reason for this is with hors d’eovres you pay be the piece and you will likely have several different types of hors d’eovres.

Generally a reception that is held in mid afternoon will be the cheapest as far as food goes. Why? Your guests will have already eaten lunch and it will be too early for dinner. Because of this most people won’t be hungry meaning they won’t eat much so you won’t need as much food to start with.

Always keep in mind, planning a wedding on a budget is possible. The most important thing is to think outside the box and find creative ways to make your wedding special.

And remember, you will be just as married whether you spend $1,000 or $10,000.

Smart planning will allow you to save money and at the same time still manage to have a wonderful wedding. There are several areas that are especially important to look at because it will be very easy to overspend in these areas without careful planning.

The first is the wedding venue. It should go without saying but the fancy hotel in town will definitely cost you more than say holding your wedding at a local park. You need to decide the type of wedding you want to have, formal, semi-formal or casual and then choose a venue that fits with the formality of your wedding. Of course a formal wedding will require a more formal venue, but even if that is what you choose, you can shop around to find a good location for the least amount of money.

Flowers are another area that can quickly add up to an enormous expense. Be aware that flowers within season will be less expensive than off season flowers, and that exotic flowers will be the most expensive of all. Ask to see different varieties of the same types of flowers for example roses. There are rose varieties that will be less expensive that may suit you just as well as the more expensive varieties of roses. Also remember that while a flower like a calla lily may be expensive, they are large and you may have your attendants to carry a single stem so the costs would not be as much.

Your choice of food for your reception will be one of your greatest expenses. The time of day of your wedding will play a part in what types and how much food you should have. For an afternoon wedding for example you could get away with finger foods instead of a full sit down meal which would greatly reduce your costs. This is something you should take into consideration as you plan the time to hold your wedding.

Remember that a wedding on a tight budget can be done. Keep these things in mind when you are planning a wedding on a small budget and you should be able to cut your costs dramatically.

To keep your planning organized purchase an inexpensive notebook and some of those clear plastic pockets to keep all your research material in. By keeping everything in this notebook, your research will be more efficient and you won’t have to wonder what did I do with the name and phone number of that caterer I was going to call.

One of the first things you should do after becoming engaged is start your wedding education. By this I mean research any and everything to do with weddings. A cost effective place to start is your local public library. (Yes, I know you probably haven’t been there since you were in grade school, but it can be an excellent resource.)

Browse the selection of wedding related books at the library and check out a few to take home and study. While you are at the library, check out the periodical section, they may have bridal magazines that you can look through and if you find ideas you like make a copy of the page using the copy machine. Take the copies and file them in your research notebook.

Ask your friends and relatives for the names of the various vendors they have used. This is a great way to find reliable caterers, photographers, florists and such, as your friends and family will be sure to tell you if they were happy with the services they received from these vendors.

If you want to have a low budget wedding that will make people think you spent a fortune, start your notebook and get busy with that research. The wedding of your dreams is within your budget.

Research, research, research. Did I mention you should research? Ask everyone you know for recommendations on wedding related vendors. Pay attention to the answers and you will often find that certain vendors are recommended by several people. Vendors that are highly recommended are sure to do quality work, otherwise they would not be recommended. That is not to say that you shouldn’t look outside the recommendations you receive. Often you can find an excellent vendor that your circle of friends just haven’t heard of.

While you are trying to save money, don’t shop based on price alone. The phrase you get what you pay for was coined for a reason. You can save money on many, many wedding related items, but you shouldn’t ignore a possible vendor simply because you think they may be too expensive. Get quotes from all vendors you are interested in and then compare what each offers. Make your decision based on value for your money.

Get everything in writing. Don’t make the mistake of leaving a vendor that you have decided to use, without a signed detailed contract in hand. You don’t want to find yourself at the last minute trying to replace a vendor because your wedding date is already booked. You would be surprised how often a bride thinks she has booked a vendor, but never signed a contract. You also don’t want any surprise charges. Make sure that everything that you discuss is in the contract.

You want to have a beautiful wedding and that is entirely possible without spending tens of thousands of dollars. Do your research, don’t shop on price alone, and get everything in writing. These three budget wedding tips will go along way in helping you keep your wedding costs under control.

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