Saving Money on Your Wedding It's true that we're in the midst of a global financial mess right now, but you can still have the wedding you've always wanted. One bridal magazine has stated that the average cost of an Australian wedding is $39,114. That means that a lot of couples start off their lives together with a lot of debt to handle. And because financial worries can be a major stress on relationships, it stands to reason that that's something you don't want to do. Therefore, one of the leading Sunshine Coast wedding venues offers tips that can help avoid just that situation if you're about to walk down the aisle. To get started: Decide who's going to pay for what, and set a budget so that you don't overspend. Make a list of everything you're going to need and set a spending limit for each item, too, based upon your overall budget. Decide on how many groomsmen and bridesmaids you need. And don't ask someone to be a bridesmaid just because you were one at her wedding. In fact, you may want to dispense with bridesmaids and groomsmen altogether. Perhaps just have a best man and maid of honour instead; sleek, sophisticated, and streamlined. Deciding on your dress: Here's a hot tip: If you don't have someone in your family or among your friends who sews, take your measurements and send them to someone who does just that on eBay. Wedding forums will tell you what you need to know about the best eBay sellers who sell their services making wedding gowns. You can hire a good and inexpensive person to make your wedding gown for a lot less money than it would take to buy one. And take some time to check out styles you like well before the wedding so that you have time to choose. Other options for getting your dress inexpensively: Shop at the end of a particular season and buy a dress on clearance. Or, check out online sites and auctions or outlet stores for bargains. One caveat with the online auctions or sites is that you're not going to quite know what you're getting, so be careful when you're shopping this way. But you can use the wedding forums to check out ebay sellers as chances are somebody else will have had some dealings with them. "Rent" your dress instead of buying it. It's cheaper, and it saves you the trouble of having to sell your dress later or keeping it (unless you are going to wear it again). Borrow your dress. If you and someone you know are the same sizes, why not? Again, much cheaper than buying your dress. Getting your jewellery: Borrow it; as the old phrase says, you should have, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" on your wedding day, so these are great items to borrow. And, it makes your day more special as well. Use just one piece of jewellery, like a necklace. This is especially important if your dress is very ornate because the simplicity of the jewellery will let it stand out. Hair and makeup: Have your hair and makeup done by students at a local beauty school. Make arrangements early and give them a trial run before the big day to make sure you'll be happy with the results. Do your own facial at home. Treat yourself to a "free makeover" on the morning of your wedding by visiting the cosmetic counter at a department store. Ask a friend or friends to do your hair and makeup on the morning of the big day. Choosing the flowers: Choose flowers that are in season, because they will be much cheaper than those out of season or those that are particularly exotic. In addition, a simple bouquet will look lovely and do the job just as well as an elaborate one, and it will be much less expensive, too. Pick a bouquet from your own garden, or your friends' or families' gardens. Use the bouquets from the ceremony as centrepieces at the reception. Or, to save even more money, have the ceremony and reception at the same place so that no special arrangements need to be made. If you get married during major church holiday, such as Easter or Christmas, the church may already have flowers in place that can simply serve in your ceremony, too. Make your own table decorations from "non-flower" items like confetti, balloons, pretty dishes of chocolates -- the list is endless. Be creative! Your wedding cake: Instead of giving you a wedding present, ask a friend or relative to make your cake for you. Have wedding cake as your dessert at the reception dinner instead of providing a separate dessert AND the wedding cake. Invitations, table cards and seating charts: You can make your own table cards, invitations, and seating charts. Better yet, take a special photo of you and your intended, and use that to make personalized invitations. E-mail your invitations to guests instead of sending them by post. Favours: Skip favours altogether. Most guests don't expect them anyway. Make them yourself. Homemade cookies are one idea that will be welcomed by your guests. Photography: It's a pretty safe bet that everybody's going to be taking videos and photos at the wedding, so you can set up a website and then give your guests a username and password; invite them to upload their own photos to it. Enlist the services of a friend to take the videos and have the professional photographer just take wedding party pictures before or after the service. This will save you considerable expense. The venue: Invite a small number of guests so that your food and alcohol bills will be small, too. Invite close family and friends to the reception dinner, and then invite everyone else to come to a larger party after the dinner. Make your wedding date either in the middle of the winter or in the middle of the week. Both of these times are less expensive than others. Instead of hiring a band or DJ, make your own CDs or use your iPod to provide music for the reception and dancing. Transportation: Borrow a friend's or family member's fancy car, or ask them to chauffeur you (t could also be their wedding present for you.) Use just one or two cars for the wedding party so that fuel costs for everyone are much less expensive. Wedding presents: If you already live together you don't need to set up a household, it's perfectly acceptable to ask people for money instead of gifts. The honeymoon: Ask yourselves, "Do we really need this?" It may be that your perfect wedding day together to mark your marriage is enough. If you do feel the need to mark the occasion with a honeymoon, perhaps a simple getaway together is enough. Travel agencies and other organizations often have last-minute deals that are much less expensive than having to book your honeymoon on a specific date. Keep an eye out for last-minute deals or be flexible and book your honeymoon at some point after the wedding, instead of immediately after.
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