Planning a Cheap Wedding That You Can Afford

February 10, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Budgeting Tips, Featured, Wedding Planning

These days the whole world seems to be worrying about financial problems and planning and discovering how expensive a wedding can be might leave you wondering if you will ever be able to afford one. But costly weddings don’t necessary mean the best or the happiest of days.

If you’ve been adding up the costs for a huge wedding with the most expensive of venues, and are considering borrowing or taking your credit cards to their limit, think twice, then think about planning a cheap wedding. Your marriage needs to get off to the best possible start without huge debts. There are beautiful weddings prepared by simpler means and you deserve a beautiful and happy wedding with the least amount of financial worry.

Over 50% of the budget for a wedding is spent on the reception or banquet venue and the catering and decoration for it. This is where you can cut costs with a little re-planning. Depending on the time of year, you could consider a more natural setting outdoors, like your garden or the garden of someone you know. When planning a cheap wedding saving on one thing allows more for another.

With carefully chosen lights, banquet tables, balloons, and lots of flowering big pot plants, you could decorate an open space your own way, even have a summer theme where the female guests wear sundresses and flowers in their hair, and you could cater for everyone with a special wedding barbecue.

Consider a beach wedding, or a forest wedding with filled picnic baskets provided. Catering halls are cheaper on weekdays, and out of season wedding bargains can be found. For indoor venue savings, consider between October and April when planning a cheap wedding because you might find a great offer.

Decorating the venue yourself and asking the local catering college to meet the challenge of providing the food for your reception are all great money savers. Find all that you need to easily make your own invitations at http://www.lcipaper.com/weddingens4.shmtl and make your own favors with little boxes filled with hearts. Your wedding will be a great success.

Steps to Planning a Wedding of a Lifetime

February 10, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Budgeting Tips, Wedding Planning

To make your wedding day the individually special event that you want, careful planning is essential. If you have enough time before the date, you can organise everything by creating a schedule that will enable you to ensure certain things are ready, prepared, or organised, over a period of time, which is usually about 18 months to 2 years before your wedding day.

How much planning often depends on the size of your wedding party, of course, but large or small, both types of wedding follow similar planning and you can still schedule quick, basic steps to planning a wedding if you have less time.

Firstly, you should budget for your wedding rehearsal dinner; reception or banquet; catering and cake; clothes and flowers; hairdressers; transport; photographer, printer; rings; and someone to provide music. Next, arrange a meeting with whoever is performing your ceremony to arrange a date and discuss your vows.

Once you know the wedding date, draw up a provisional list of guests, and reserve a venue for your reception as most venues require at least 8 months notice for a small party and a year for a large one. These are the first steps to planning a wedding, the foundation steps.

When broken down, these steps detail the tasks you need to take, step by step. For example, four to six months before your wedding day, you should contact the caterers to decide the menu and service and you should know by now the exact number of bridesmaids/ushers you have.

Any clothes to be rented should be arranged with agreements made for final fittings for no less than 3-4 days before the day. Hairdressing appointments should be made now too for both bride and bridesmaids. This is the beginning of the more detailed steps to planning a wedding. Your invitations, place cards, thank you notes, should be printed now, and arrange your honeymoon too.

Three months before, mail invitations, buy your clothes and wedding rings, and arrange accommodation and gifts for your wedding party. Organize photographers, florists, and musicians. Then, one month before, have your bachelor boy/girl party.