General advice on how to have a nice wedding on a small budget:
* Consider keeping the guest list within reason – this is a major cause of cost overruns in most weddings.
* Have the ceremony & reception in the same place.
* Have the reception at a slightly lesser-known facility that can handle the catering. Packaging like this can often save money. See day and month recommendations below…
* Hire a DJ instead of a band. If the Cer & Rec are in the same place, have the DJ do the Cer music too.
* Have the wedding on a Friday or a Sunday. If it must be on a Saturday, have it end no later than 4 or 5pm. This enables your service vendors to do another event at night. The Fr & Su are considered “off days” and you can often get a better deal.
* Have the wedding in November, January, February, or early March. These are “off months” and you can often get a better deal.
* Make centerpieces and/or table decorations yourself. Have the favors be small bud vases with a little flower in each. You just decorated the tables and did your favors in one fell swoop!
* In general, make the most of your flowers. For example, have the bridesmaids, upon arriving at the reception, place their bridal boquets on the cake table. You just saved the expense of decorating the cake table!
* Have the photographer only stay for the first hour of reception. Have a photo taken w/ you two on the dancefloor (as if you were dancing your first dance… or dance your first dance right as soon as you are introduced in to the room! Very cool.), at the cake (as if you were getting ready to cut) and at the door (as if you were leaving for your honeymoon). Have all family and bridal party photos taken right after ceremony, as is usual. I know this all sounds a little cheezy, but, hey, the object is to save you money, right?
* Get your honeymoon in an all-inclusive package. Keep it domestic. If you live on the East Coast or in the Mid West, consider a honeymoon in Northern or Southern California. If you live on the West Coast, consider Florida or New York City for something different. Be creative!