Planning a Wedding Budget

It is essential that you start planning a wedding budget before buying anything for your wedding.

If you do not have a budget it is highly likely that your cost will blow out of proportion. A wedding budget will allow you to get what you want and spend your money wisely. Any money that you save in the process is an extra bonus.

Some things to consider when planning a wedding budget.

Who is paying? -Most couples pay for their own wedding these days however if you are expecting to receive some financial help it is good to sit down with the parties offering the help and discuss the budget. If you are not expecting any help then make sure you plan a budget that is realistic and affordable for you.

Be organised - Buy or create a comprehensive wedding planner that will help you make sure you have included everything. You will use this throughout your entire wedding planning process.

Do research - Never guess how much you think things will cost. Weddings are expensive and things tend to cost more when the word wedding is mentioned. Make sure that you do some research into prices. If your wedding budget is nothing more than a rough estimate then it is likely to cause you some real headaches.

Shop around and negotiate -Don’t be afraid to shop around and bargain and be prepared to walk away. If something is too expensive see if the company are willing to negotiate as many are. However if they are unwilling you must be prepared to keep looking for other options.

Be educated – Talk to other brides and read up on wedding tips. This can help you find out how others saved money and stuck to their wedding budget.

It not a competition – Just because your work colleague, cousin or friend had a wedding that cost more than your car does not mean that you have to. It is your special day and it is about what you want and what you are comfortable with.

The debt will not disappear – Your wedding day may be beautiful but if you rack up a debt to pay for it this will be around for some time. Think long and hard before over committing yourself. After all do you really want to start your married life with wedding day debts?

These 7 tips will make help you with planning your wedding budget and keep you organised and in control throughout the wedding planning process.

The Top 5 Cheap Wedding Favor Ideas

There are many cheap wedding favour ideas; these are the top 5 cheap wedding favour ideas.


1. Sea Shells

This idea works really well if you are having a beach wedding. You can buy shells very cheap in most bargain shops or you could always collect them. Wrap the shells in tulle. You could always use the shells as a favour and the place card holder. Just paint the guests name on the shell or tie a ribbon around each shell with the name attached. It will be a special gift for them to remember your wedding.

2. Flower or Plant Seedlings

This is a lovely idea as each guest will get to plant flowers or a your favourite plant variety in hour of your big day.

3. Chocolate or Candies

You can buy very cheap chocolates and candy and add divide them into tulle pieces and tie a ribbon around each piece of tulle. You can get all different shapes and sizes. Some favourites are hearts, butterflies and shells. To save even more money skip the tulle and just add the candies or chocolates into the wine glasses of the guests.

4. Donate to charity

Donate 1 dollar from each guest to a charity and place a card on each place setting with the details of your chosen charity. At least the money will not be wasted and your guests will feel good about their contribution. Add details of where to donate as some guests may wish to donate more. Get in touch with your charity of choice they may be able to provide you with cards to give to the guests.

5. Wedding Cake

Don’t be afraid to give guests the wedding cake as the favour. As each guests leaves ask your bridesmaids to hand out cakes to them. Buy something for the guest to store their cake in such as tulle, noodle boxes or napkins. This is a particularly good idea if you are serving desert and wedding cake.

Remember that if you are on a budget wedding favors are not essential your guests will appreciate the wedding without the favours, but most people do like to give out favors so at least these cheap wedding favour ideas will not break the bank.

Inexpensive Wedding Ideas That Don’t Compromise Your Big Day

People spend a lot of money on wedding but there are some inexpensive wedding ideas to save you that will not compromise your big day. There are inexpensive ways to make your wedding looks as though you spent a great deal of money to ensure that everything is perfect. The average wedding costs over 25 thousand dollars. This is a lot of money for young couples. Knowing how to spend your wedding money wisely will get you everything that you need for the perfect wedding day without paying off the debt for the next 10 years.

The Dress – Most women will tell you that the dress is so important. That is right but to have a beautiful dress does not mean that you have to spend thousands. Be smart about your dress, if you really don’t have the money for a designer dress then avoid heading into the designer bridal boutiques where you are in danger of falling in love with a dress that costs more than your car. If you do fall in love with a dress that is too expensive then think about ways that you may be able to have a similar one made. You may know a friend who could make it for you or you could use less expensive material. Also remember there is nothing wrong with buying an inexpensive dress and spending some money or customising it. This way you will have a unique dress for half the price. You could try adding lace, crystals or accessories to turn something plain and simple in spectacular. It just takes a little imagination. Another option is purchasing a second hand dress and customising it. This will save you lots and if you have enough patience and can scour through the racks you could end up going down the aisle in designer after all. Above all remember that while it is your big day you will only wear this dress once so remain realistic about the price.

The Reception – The most important thing with your reception is that you shop around and get quotes. Make sure you read all the fine print as you need to ensure everything you need is included otherwise you may find hidden costs such as tablecloths and chair covers popping up. When looking at venues use your imagination, it may look drab but add some lights and decorations and it could transform into an elegant room. Don’t be afraid to have a backyard reception either. This saves a lot of money and if you or someone you know has a nice and large enough yard then you can turn it into a beautiful setting.

The Photographer – Photographers are expensive and the packages can turn into thousands to get all the shots that you want. Why not ditch the photographer all together and have family friends do it. If that is a little too extreme try to book the photographer for a small amount of time. This will limit the shots they take and then try to sell to you and will give you some beautiful professional pictures. Once the photographer has left, arm your friends and family with cameras and get their shots from them. You will be amazed at how nice some of the natural shots can be.

The Flowers – Try do it yourself wedding flowers. The flowers are beautiful on their own so do not stress too much about the arrangement. This can save you lots of money.

Above all remember that incorporating some inexpensive wedding ideas into your big day will not compromise how lovely it is or how much fun your guests will have.

I was shocked when I read this amazing fact.

You may heard that the average cost of a single
wedding is around $27,000..

Now get ready for this one.

Can you believe that the average cost of a SECOND
wedding is around $12,000?

In other words, the first timers (probably without any
experience) spend more than twice of what the second
timers spend.

That tells me that having experience can save you more
than $10,000.

Of course, there may be other factors like number
of guests and wedding qualities. But I guarantee that
experience and know-how's are the main factors.

If you want to know how you can save $1,000's or
even $10,000's for your wedding, I strongly recommend
that you read Erica Yoon's Amazing Wedding Planning
guide. She has saved over $10,000 on her wedding and
reveals just exactly how she did it.

And she will also layout the process in easy to follow
step-by-step so you can duplicate the process.

For more information... visit her website

Erica's Website

Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Book

Do it yourself wedding flowers are a huge saving so if you do decide to do your own wedding flowers have a look at this book as it is really helpful . It can help you learn the art of flower arranging and will make sure your flowers like like you paid hundreds for them.

Do It Yourself Flower Book

Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Ideas

Flowers are one of those essential things at a wedding but they are very expensive why not try some do it yourself wedding flower ideas. This can save you a lot of money.

There are a number of places where you can find budget friendly flowers. Supermarkets and markets are always a good option. The only downside is that you may not be able to get the exact flowers that you are after, however just check with the market provider or your supermarket manager and see what they are able to do for you.

Remember that the flowers that you can chose from will depend on what is in season. If you have your heart set on flowers that are not in season you may pay a premium to have them shipped in to you. Do your research on your local flowers and seasons and try to keep an open mind. You may find that a bouquet of tulips, irises or carnations will be just as beautiful as the traditional roses or lilies, but far less expensive.

You should also think about arranging your own flowers. While it may seem like a lot of work it will save you money. You can do floral arrangement courses or purchase books that will teach you how to arrange flowers. This could be a great skill to use later on down the track anyway.

A big thing to think about with do it yourself wedding flowers is that you will need to organise to have the time to arrange them and get the flowers sent to where the wedding and reception will be held. Do not try to take this task on yourself. This is why you have bridesmaids. A nice activity for you and your bridesmaids would be the flower arrangements. You could even all learn together.

Ask a responsible family member or friend to be in charge of having all the flowers taken to the wedding and reception venues and draw a plan of where you would like them placed.

Another really great tip is to keep an inspiration book. Cut out floral arrangements from magazines that you like. Have plenty of practice before the wedding. If you are doing it yourself try not chose an arrangement that will be impossible to complete. Simple is nice and will make things run more smoothly and stress free for you.

Keep an open mind with your wedding flower ideas and remember that do it yourself wedding flowers are a big money saver and will still be beautiful.

Planning A Wedding on a Budget

Traditionally weddings are really expensive. Most people spend what could be a large house deposit on their weddings. I have helped many of my friends with planning a wedding on a budget. I am myself will now be planning a wedding on a budget this year. I want to help people understand that your wedding can be beautiful and look expensive but not break your bank. I have some recommendations of some products that I have used to give me some money saving tips when it comes to weddings and I have plenty of hints and tips to share with you. You will be amazed at what you can do on a budget!