Weddings are much more costly than they were in the “old days”, as you might hear from couples who have been married for twenty or more years. If you Google ™ the wedding statistics, you will find that researchers have estimated the wedding industry to be in the billion dollar range. With the average guest list number ranging from 150 to 200 people, the average cost of an American wedding today costs $25,000 to $30,000. For some Americans, this could be a year's worth of income spent on one day!
Before I reveal the cost cutting corners, lets take a brief look at what all adds up to be 25 or 30 grand when it's all said and done. The first big purchase will most likely be the wedding gown. About $300 is about the cheapest you may find for a wedding dress in a bridal store. Most brides spend between $700 to $2,000 on their wedding dress alone, not including the veil, tiara, and other accessories. The cost of wedding day flowers range from $800 to into the thousands depending on the season, the types of flowers chosen, the number of flowers needed, and assembling bouquets, corsages and boutonnières. The price tag on wedding catering is inevitably into the thousands. The absolute cheapest you may ever find is $5 per person, but depending on the dinner menu you have chosen it could be $20 or more per person, and that does not include your drinks or your cake! Wedding cakes cost an average of $300 and way up! So lets say you've spent $700 on your dress, $800 on flowers, and $15 a person for your 150 guest wedding. You have already reached $3,750, and you have yet to add in the cost of your ceremony and reception sites, the cost of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages to be served at the reception, the cost of your DJ, table and chair rentals, dance floor rental, favors, decor, invitations and stamps. Now you can see how the price tag of a wedding can reach $30,000 or more!
As a recent 2007 bride myself, I am not ashamed to say that I am thankful for my mother! For any bride who is close to her mother, I would definitely suggest letting her help with wedding planning; especially if you share the same taste! Moms can be great wedding planners on the house! My mother is a great bargain shopper. On any given Saturday morning she is out around the town at garage sales. Believe it or not, much of the décor at my wedding reception was found at garage sales! She found many antique vases and bowls for which we used to put fresh flowers in. She purchased many sets of wine glasses for which we used to make lamps with tea light candles and velum paper. All of these cost her $0.05 to $0.50 each! At a store, it would have cost $2.00 or more each.
Another cost cutter we used was our wedding cake. As I mentioned earlier, the price of a wedding cake is outrageous! There is no way I was going spend a fortune on a cake that I only got one bite of! We purchased my cake from a local grocery store where they had a catalog and a price list. There was actually a 3-tiered princess birthday cake with pink frosting. We asked that the frosting be white and plain and that we would decorate it ourselves. We did not mention that it was for a wedding and the total was $100; much cheaper than a “wedding cake” normally costs. So the moral of this story is: Lie (or omit the truth), don't mention that this is a wedding cake, because people will jack up the prices for that reason!
To save mullah on the wedding day flowers, use your resources! If you know someone who knows how to put bouquets together, have them help you. This way you can buy your flowers at the store for much less than what you would pay at the florist.
My last suggestion is to be sure to visit local bridal shows when they come to town. You can find out when and where they are by looking it up on the Internet or your local bridal shops might have a booklet or brochure on this year's upcoming bridal events. This is where you can find many vendors for you wedding. Many times you may also find good discounts. This is how I found our DJ who did a great job and gave us a deal just because I found him at a bridal show.
You may not be able to barter down the price of your wedding attire, invitations and stamps, but cut the corners where you can. Have the talented people you know help you! Do your research to find the best prices, and if its cheaper for you to buy than rent, then buy it! Because of my wedding, my mother has a whole storage room of glassware decorations, tulle, and wedding lights. She is now able to rent them out to other people and it is well worth what she spent!
