A Debtless Wedding

Based on what they say, the 'average' wedding in my area of the country is between $18,114 and $30,190.  This is not including an engagement ring or the honeymoon.  The median income per household member in that same area of the country is $40,645-52,352.  This means that folks are spending a great deal of cash on a day that they have set aside on the calendar to marry.  Whether these funds are coming from family support, savings, a couples sacrifice, or lottery winnings - I can think of quite a few things to use my hard-earned money on that is not making the pockets of those who are in the wedding-pimping service industry rich.

I think that Deal may be my middle name (no affiliation to Nathan), so my wheels are constantly spinning on how I can save more than a few bucks.  What are a few of the things that are going to be easy cost cutters in order to cut down the bottom line of this affair?  If you start out with creative ideas about how you can honestly save cash, then you will go into your planning sessions with realistic ideas.  If you go ahead and plan to spend top dollar on every line item, it will be a lot harder to talk yourself out of having the vendor that you just fell in L-O-V-E with at the Bridal Show and can't imagine your day without it/them/those!
In my case, I am coming up with some creative ideas for decor, there will be no flowers.  Instead, I will have peacock feathers, but they are much cheaper and not based on season.  I have also made plans to have the ceremony and reception in the same area.  Not only does that cut down on a desire for formal transportation and traffic woes, but it also will mean that we do not have to deal with staff at two seperate locations, decorations are easily transferrable, and the cost is streamlined.  I am not afraid of a hot glue gun, paper-cutter, or a craft store, so creating my own invitations and announcements will be a cinch.  Mr. RoBo is actually entirely too excited about making his own programs and invites, so someone may need to calm him down a little.  We have also come up with a pretty funky idea for what we will call a Picture Bar that will serve as a station for guests to share their photos almost instantly and allow those guests who would normally put those annoying cardboard box cameras in the middle of a shot do not have digital cameras to have access to the same photos as the rest of the group.

I really enjoy the idea of having a pretty large wedding.  Several people warn that if you increase the number of guests, then you increase your costs.  But, being the business student that I am, I have noticed that the economies of scale will tip in your favor at a certain point.  When you look at the basic line items of a budget, there are several costs that are set, regardless of how many guests you have, as long as you plan to have an event: photo/ video, attire, decor, music, ceremony and reception rental, wedding rings, transportation/ hotels.  The increase comes perhaps in the size of the ceremony and reception rental, and the food costs.  With that being the case, we have found quite a few caterers that offer their food at extremely reasonable costs.  Their price cost for the more expensive meals are cheaper than the lowest cost that many other 'Name Brand' caters charge, you know the ones who are at every Bridal Show and on the 'preferred vendors' list of your swankier venues?  And, I have found that their food actually has flavor, imagine that at a wedding...

Of course, we'll be back with plenty of other cost-saving tips, perhaps through in some specifics.  But, keep in mind that I can't share my details until I have a contract... Can't have anyone stealing my dates for my financially peaceful vendors!

Ms. RoBo