Do's and Don'ts to Having a Fabulous Wedding during a Recession

I came across some fantastic articles on msn.com regarding how to have an awesome wedding without blowing your budget (or having to take out a loan) during this recession. I had to laugh because half of the stuff in those articles were things I did in MY wedding two years ago(July 21, 2007 was the date to be exact).

I turned to my husband and would exclaim, "Babe, look at this article about how more brides-to-be are getting their wedding gowns at David's Bridal. That's where I got MY dress and people still tell me how they LOVED my dress."

His response? Well, no response.

Anyways, I laughed because couples overspend so much on weddings the way it is. When the big day finally arrives, guests are still bored.

Let's face it. I will quote Jerry Seinfeld during one of stand-ups on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He said, "I will tell you something that no one will tell you...No one wants to come to your wedding."

There you go. I will even say I don't always like going to weddings. I only go when they are close family or friends. (Sorry, folks) So, why spend tons of money on something people attend because they feel forced to make an appearance? (yep, I said it)

Whether it's a recession or booming economy, it makes sense to save money where you can. Of course, don't be tacky about it. There are other things on which to spend money like a house, maybe a vacation or for a rainy day.



Here are some of my Do's and Don'ts on how to save money:

Do's

-Have a cocktail reception: This was a HUGE hit at our wedding. We had our wedding ceremony at 7pm (so unless you're stupid you eat supper before the wedding) and it was immediately followed by a cocktail reception at the hotel. The food included chips and spinach articoke dip, brushetta (sp?), vegees, chicken kabobs in peanut sauce and more. Yet we still had money for everyone to have complimentary beer and champagne. All of the food and drink together cost less than doing a reception dinner.

Why was it a hit? Because it wasn't the typical chicken, green beans and a roll at the wedding. You didn't feel forced to stay in your seat. You could have your small plate of food and drink and walk around to mingle with guests. It's a party. You want people to have fun.

-Make your own centerpieces: You don't have to do those enormous flower arragements. Some of our tables included small votive candles in a glass bowl in water with flower petals. Other tables included small candles in glass candle holders surrounded by rose petals. You don't have to use real rose petals. You can use silk ones-pretty cheap.

-Create your own invitations and programs: It can be as simple as buying program and invitation kits at Target. Either you can print them off from your computer or have a place such as Kinko's do the printing for you. I might recommend choosing Kinko's for your own sanity.

- Hire a photographer for the ceremony ONLY: This saved us quite a bit of money. The photographer took photos of the groom and me, the wedding party, our parents, and other traditional wedding photos. I had a friend who did photography on the side so he took our photos during the reception and dance and charged me nothing. He put them on a disc for me AND filmed the ceremony for us. I think in many ways, I liked my friend Andy's photos more than the professional because they were more candid and showed our true personalities.

-Go to David's Bridal or other apparel store for your wedding dress: As mentioned earlier, I got my dress at David's Bridal. I think it was part of the "Resort" series. The dress was PERFECT. Taking my mom's advice, I purchased a $100 cathedral length veil. My dress was a halter style and straight-form fitting dress with a chapel-length train. So many guests commented on the dress. In short, I looked like a million bucks without taking out a mortgage.

Don'ts
I understand everyone likes to save a buck or two. However, some people are frugal while being tacky. Here are some things on what NOT to do.

-Paper plates, plastic cups and plastic silverware: This is SO tacky. Come on. It's a wedding: a classy affair. The bride and groom, the wedding party and guests are wearing nice attire (nicer clothes than what you would wear to church or place of worship) and you're eating on the same items on which you would eat at a camp-out. Take my parents, for example. They didn't have a lot of money when they got married in 1983 yet guests told them that it was the prettiest wedding they ever attended. The reception was in the church basement and they used the church's silverware, china and plates. What did they have for food? Cake and punch.

-Paper/plastic table cloth and table confetti: OMG SO F**KING TACKY. I have attended weddings where they had this. I felt like I was at a high school prom, not a wedding reception. Proms just SCREAM tacky.

- Dirty, No A/C reception halls: I remember attending a wedding reception in a well-known public building on its fairgrounds in JULY in the Midwest. Okay, you want your guests to be comfortable. The grandparents couldn't stay the entire time because the heat was so excruciating. Also, its common for people to kick off their dress shoes to dance. I remember doing this and looking at the bottom of my feet: BLACK. The carpet was filthy and ratty. The bathrooms were so disgusting I thought I was going to pick up an STD from sitting on the toilets. I think one of the toilets might have been not functioning properly at the time.

-Fake bouquets: Every bride deserves a fresh flower bouquet at her wedding. You can go to a grocery store or flower shop the morning of the wedding and buy a few nice flowers for a few bucks. You or a friend with a creative side can arrange the flowers beautifully.

Do you have your own list of do's and don'ts for planning weddings on a George Washington? Below are links from which I got some inspiration for tonight's post and from which I think has very helpful tips. Thoughts? I look forward to reading them.



http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/wal-mart-of-weddings-is-thriving.aspx

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articletkt.aspx?cp-documentid=18728080>1=32001