FAMILY & HOME
The Perfect
Budget-Friendly
Wedding
W
edding days are filled with love, happiness and
celebration.
But if you are not careful while planning
for the big day, you can get caught up in the
celebration without realizing how the costs
can add up. Here is a guide to keep your wedding on budget. Valerie
and Stephanie Chin, the designers of Moonlight Bridal’s “Moonlight
Tango,” share some tips to help brides create the perfect budget-
friendly wedding.
Flowers
Flowers add romance and beauty to any celebration, but they can be
one of the most expensive elements of your wedding. Be sure to consult
with a florist for inventive ways to use local and seasonal blooms, which
will help reduce costs because you won’t have to pay for the shipping
and storage fee for out-of-season flowers. For example: You love
peonies, but they only grow in the summer. Some great alternatives
would be carnations, cabbage roses or ranunculus. They give you the
same full-petal effect without the hefty costs.
Also, speak with your florist to see if they can use the flowers from your
ceremony and maybe even your bridesmaids’ bouquets to decorate your
reception tables. This will be a great cost-saver and a good way to get
more out of your floral arrangements. Members of the bridal party will
most likely ditch their flowers once the reception starts, so repurposing
them into an additional centerpiece works perfectly.
Location
Finding a venue that has a ceremony space and reception space will
save on transportation. If you select a venue that has an outdoor space,
you may be able to save costs on decorations because it will take less to
create a beautiful setting. You can get creative, whether it be a family
34
GAZELLE STL
member’s backyard or a local winery. You don’t have to get married in a
typical venue, so be sure to see what options are out there.
Season
The time of year is important. Most venues are the most expensive
during summer months of June through August. If you choose a date
in the spring (March to May) or fall (September to November), more
venues and vendors will be willing to offer better packages or deals
in the off-season because of less demand. Springtime weddings are
beautiful because you don’t have to worry about your guests getting too
hot, while fall allows for more ways to creatively use seasonal elements.
Guest List
Don’t let your guest list get bloated. Make sure you discuss with your
partner and respective families who the “must-haves” are on the list. It
is a day of celebration, and you should be surrounded by the people you
want to share this special moment with. So be sure to check your guest
list and discuss beforehand to confirm it is complete before sending out
Save the Dates and invitations.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the things many people look forward to at a
wedding reception. But when drinks are free, some guests can go a little
overboard. To avoid spending an astronomical amount of money on
alcohol, you can limit what your guests have available to drink during
certain times of the event. Maybe during cocktail hour, you serve only
sparkling wine and a signature cocktail. Then, during dinner, you serve
wine only. Then have an open bar only during the reception to help
keep costs down. Open bar is usually charged by the guest count and by
the hour. Be sure to research what your options are so you can get the
best plan that works for you.