Save Money on Your Wedding Dress

Your wedding is quite possibly the most important day of your life and you've probably been dreaming about it since you were about 12 years old. The dress you choose is ultimately going to be what people look at and remember about your wedding. That being said, you want to find the perfect dress that will make your guest's and husband's jaws hit the floor when you walk down the aisle. Are you thinking that may be unrealistic with your wedding budget? Think again! We have some of the best shopping tips in order to help you save money on your wedding dress. This way you can enjoy your wedding while maintaining a reasonable wedding budget.

1. Shop Around � Don't assume the first dress you try on is going to be the best deal or look the best on you. There are many dresses to try.

2. Discount Bridal Salons � Discount bridal salons often have sales of up to 75% off (especially on last year's merchandise) which can save you a lot of money in the long run. If you hear of a discount sale, make sure you know what you are looking for since many women go crazy at these events and dresses are often gone in a matter of minutes.

3. Have Someone Make Your Dress � If you have a talented friend or family member who you trust to make your wedding dress for you, you can save an enormous amount of money and still have a great dress for your big day.

4. Look on the Internet � the Internet is a great place to search and explore the many options of styles for your dress and you are guaranteed to find dresses which do not cost a fortune.

5. Bridal Salons � normal bridal salons (as opposed to discount) sometimes have sales which offer around 30% off last years merchandise. The salons near where you live are definitely worth looking into.

6. Borrow or Rent � Some women cringe at the thought of borrowing or renting a wedding gown, but others may not take it as seriously. Wedding dresses are really only worn for one day and renting or borrowing can really save you a lot of money.

7. Seamstresses � Contact a seamstress and ask for a quote. It's unlikely that a seamstress is going to charge you as much as a bridal salon. If you do this, make sure to ask about their experience in this area or past brides who you can contact. This will ensure they are reputable and there won't be any "mishaps" with your dress.

Finding the perfect wedding dress is important, but paying a ridiculous amount for one dress can be a waste of your money. Finding the perfect wedding dress for the perfect price, now that's a wedding dream come true!

Planning Your Wedding Reception Menu

When you are planning a budgeted menu, you must first know what your exact budget is when it comes to the food and drink specifically. Some people keep the food and drinks separate, but on average, the food and drink are a part of the same bill.

If you can afford the more expensive catering services, then by all means enjoy. However, if you are like most of us, you will likely need a little bit of help in creating a menu that is fitting to your budget.

If you are hosting an indoor reception in a hall and plan to have a dinner option, you have to make sure that you accommodate the needs of all of your guests which include vegetarians. You should request that the guests RSVP beforehand so that you can get the right amount of vegetarian plates.

The way that you choose to serve the dinners can vary. Here are some tips on how you can choose to serve the guests to make it a bit cheaper for you.

� You can serve the meals buffet style, with this option you have people forego wedding gifts in favor of bringing a dish

� You can offer vegetable, fruit an meat platters with dips and crackers instead of foods

� You can ask each guest to contribute a small amount of money to the reception or to make donations toward the reception rather than buying a gift.

� You can offer a soup and salad menu rather than a full blown entr�e

� Offer a limited bar which means that you offer an open bar only at certain times such as after dinner and during toasting etc. that way your guests aren�t paying and you won�t go broke, the rest of the time offer a cash bar

� Offer around the world appetizers instead of a meal. This will give you the opportunity to offer fill ups such as crab, shrimp. Etc. as well as casual appetizers like cheese sticks, chicken wings, and mushroom caps etc. the around the world motif will also provide your party with a variety of different tastes.

� Request that each immediate family member create a dish instead of a present

� Do not pay for extras like servers, bartenders etc. asking a friend or family member to do it instead as a wedding gift to you

Outdoor receptions give you much freedom when choosing your menu because you can serve anything that you want including barbecue, long group submarine sandwiches or pizza.

As long as you offer foods that will accommodate both carnivores and vegetarians, you will be fine. You can always find items to suit all of your needs and every budget as long as your budget is reasonable for the amount of people that you are planning to serve. If it doesn�t fit, you may have to trim the invite list.

Planning Your Wedding Reception

Great deals can be found when you know how much money you are working with. It really doesn�t matter how small your budget is for the reception because all budgets can be accommodated.

Your reception budget should consist of approximately 30% of your wedding budget or more. Most wedding receptions are so expensive due to the fact of providing meals, decorations, hall rentals etc.

For the purposes of this guide, I will give two different examples of common receptions and an idea for cutting costs on the food and drinks as well as give you the best tips for throwing your reception on a budget.

Renting a Hall

If you prefer to rent a hall or space for your reception, you must consider many things before making this decision. You will have to think of the prices for the hall rental, the cost of using their servers (most halls include servers in price and they are not negotiable), decorations, flowers, meals, drinks etc.

When you wish to rent a hall for your reception there are some things that the hall will include in your rental that you can�t avoid paying for such as: servers, decorations, and wine. However, some halls will give you the option to pick and choose the extras that you want.

Depending on the type of hall that you choose to rent, the costs can vary greatly. For example, if you rent a large hall, you could pay more than if you rented a legion hall.

You might also want to consider that if you are starting with a small budget, that renting a hall might not be worth the effort and money, or it may leave you with less options.

There are a few tips when renting a hall that could keep a great deal of your costs down. Let�s take a look at them.

1. You should only consider renting a hall if you have invited 50 or more people to your reception.

2. When renting a hall, you have to decide if you are opting for a cash bar or an open bar. A good compromise is to purchase a few cases of beer on your own and host a cash bar for those who want mixed drinks if you are trying to keep costs down.

3. Rent a hall that you can decorate yourself

4. If you must have servers, rent a hall that includes servers in the price of the rental or go with a hall that lets you bring your own.

5. Choose a hall that will cater to whatever your needs or budget is.

6. When it comes to the food, you should go with a hall that will allow you to bring your own food if you would prefer to not pay extra for catering.

7. Serving vegetable and fruit trays, as well as finger foods like finger sandwiches will be of great value in accommodating vegetarians

8. Opting for a casual reception will allow you to serve your food buffet style which will be predominantly cheaper.

9. Opting to tell people to forego giving you a wedding gift and serve a completely cash bar is a great way to accommodate guests and recover some of the money for the hall.

10. Opt for non-weekend dates because these are not peak hours for the hall and the prices may be cheaper

11. You should choose to host your event during the winter for the best rates

12. Negotiate a special discount by paying cash instead of credit card. Most reception halls will do this

13. Choose to go with a non-dinner reception offering instead snack foods and munchables

Hosting a wedding reception at a hall does not have to cost through the nose if you know how to get around the basics which I have just mentioned.

Most people would like to host their reception at a reception hall because they feel that it is more elegant than hosting it outdoors, however, this is not always the case. Sometimes, hosting your event outdoors is more fun and it is also much cheaper.

Planning your Wedding Decoration Budget

When it comes to your decorating budget it really depends on where the ceremony and reception will be on what decorations need to be present as well as what if any; themes that you are choosing.

For example, if you are planning an indoor dinner, you have to include centerpieces etc. The most common decorating choice for weddings and reception are flowers, and streamers.

While the streamers and various other decorations are generally inexpensive, the flowers can kill you. It is best when choosing your flowers for a wedding service and reception to use false flowers or paper machete flowers as they are cheap and reusable.

For those who would much prefer to use real flowers, it can be much cheaper to go with wild flowers and/or hand picked flowers. It is also a good idea to use them sparingly.

For example, rather than going all out and decorating everything with flowers just use a simple arrangement for the center of the table and place them in small vases or hand made crafts.

Of course you can also opt to keep the flowers strictly in the ceremony. Paper machete flowers re getting more and more popular as well as hand made roses that were created from tissue paper. When they are placed on green pipe cleaners or wires that are covered in green tissue paper they are quite attractive. It is a nice way to save money and spend some time with your friends and family in creating them.

When it comes to the decoration budget, this is a time when you will want the church, chapel or hall for the ceremony to cover them for you.

If that is not possible, the ceremonial decorations can be limited to those involved in the ceremony, such as their clothes. If you must, you can pin balloons to the areas where the guests will be seated or create some flowers out of tissue paper.

Streamers are always used, but there are other ways to decorate that are just as appealing. Here are some good tips for decorating at your wedding on a budget.

� A really unique idea is to use glass containers and putting baby fish in them. It is very unique and attractive, and it is also cheap because the glass containers can be purchased at Wal-Mart and even a dollar store. The fish can be as cheap as you want them to be

� Good old candle holders and candles are always a romantic addition to any wedding decor

� If your reception is at night it is nice to add fireflies to a glass container with holes for air or even butterflies during the day

� False flower arrangements in a bamboo pot are a very nice addition and keepsake for guests

� Using white Christmas lights streamed through greenery is a beautiful decoration and is one that you likely already have available

� Chocolate and candy flower bouquets are sweet accents to the d�cor and they can be souvenirs for the guests later.

� Balloons, balloons, and more balloons are always fun

These are not the only decorations that are available but you are getting the idea. The best thing that you can do before choosing your decorations is to choose a theme first. Themes for weddings are just like choosing themes for anniversaries and birthdays. Once you can decide on a theme, you can decorate around that theme.

For example, if you are choosing to have your theme be tropical romance, you can use glass containers with sand etc. as centerpieces to your reception. Some extra and easy to afford themes include those that will be listed in the table below as well as some of the things that usually accompany them.

These are common wedding ceremonial themes that are used as opposed to the reception themes mentioned above; of course they can be used as reception themes too.

Planning a Successful Wedding

If you decided to have a traditional church
wedding then your order of wedding service
will normally run something like this.
Firstly you will usually meet with your local
church minister and discuss the different
options for your order of wedding service. An
order of wedding service might include just
the words of the hymns, or just the major
parts of the service. This helps your guests
to follow the order of wedding service
proceedings so they know what is happening
and save them from having to refer to hymn
books (particularly if they are not religious
people) during the service.

On your Wedding Day the ushers should
generally be the first to arrive so that they
can give out orders of service to arriving
guests and then show people to their seats.

The groom and his best man should also arrive
early to ensure they arrive in plenty of time
to allow for their photos to be taken before
the service. The bridesmaids will then arrive
and should wait outside for the bride. If in
a church, the bells start to ring and the bride
and her father generally arrive a few minutes
before the service to allow for photographs
taken and for the chief bridesmaid to have a
chance to arrange the dress and train and
organise the other bridesmaids for entry into
the wedding service.

When the bride reaches the front the groom
and best man should take their places on the
bride's right. The bride then hands her bouquet
to her chief bridesmaid to her left. After the
entrance of the bride, there is usually a hymn,
followed by readings and an address from the
minister. The vows are taken and then the best
man passes the rings to the groom or he can
give them to the minister on the face of the
prayer book and he will offer them to the bride
and groom.

The minister may then say a prayer and the
congregation may sing a hymn, followed by a
final blessing. The bride and groom follow the
minister to go and sign the register, usually
followed by their parents and the bridesmaids
and best man. While the register is being
signed and witnessed by two adults, a choir
may sing or the organist may play some music.
When the formalities are finished, the bridal
procession leaves the church as follows: bride
and groom, small attendants, chief bridesmaid
and best man, bride's mother with groom's
father and then groom's mother with bride's
father.

The order of service will run quickly and
usually runs far smoother than anyone expects
when they are first putting the order of
service together.

Planning a Special Wedding Shower.

The wedding shower is a traditional party of the marriage process. Often times the bridal party, or the people who have been asked to be in the wedding, will through the party for the couple. Or, other times, friends or family members will hold it for them. Making a wedding shower memorable starts with planning. First, you need to decide if the party will be formal or relaxed and laid back. Often times, large families will have a formal wedding shower for the bride and groom which may include a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant. Other times, some of the brides close friends will get together at a house and throw a small get together for them. Either way, once this choice is made, the planning begins.

Things to consider when planning a wedding shower are numerous. Start with taking a trip to an area craft or party supply store to get some wedding shower ideas. Look at what these places have to offer. The often have wedding shower decorations, brightly colored tablecloths, balloons, and streamers. They may have wedding shower invitations and wedding shower games. Some will have a selection of things to purchase to use as wedding shower favors. See if anything seems like a good idea or strikes you as something that bride and groom would like.

Many couples choose a wedding theme when they are planning their wedding. Themes are simply some sort of aspect that carries through the wedding linking the separate occasions. Some examples include a color pattern. The color pattern, or group of colors chosen will carry throughout the event. From the bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen's ties all the way down to the color of the napkins on the tables at the reception will often match. This theme, if one has been chosen should also be incorporated within the wedding shower. Or, the wedding shower theme can be something similar. Finding a theme that the couple would appreciate will be a great added touch to the wedding shower.

Whether you are looking for free wedding shower games or wedding shower favor ideas, the Internet can be a great resource. For fresh ideas, things your friends haven't done yet, browse through the hundreds of online retailers who specialize in the area. To find one, try using a search engine. Many companies will be available. Also, there are many message boards dedicated to wedding planning in general. You can find answers to your questions there as well.

By connecting all the pieces of the puzzle, and taking the time to plan, any wedding shower can be a great hit. Consider what has been done in the past and what you would like to try new. Adding games and decorations will add a relaxed feel and make the couple and their guests feel welcome and happy. These things combined will create a great memory for everyone involved.

Now You�re Engaged, How Do You Choose A Mens Wedding Ring?

So, you�ve just got engaged.

Whether you are a man or a woman you have an important decision to make

(amongst the myriad of other decisions) about mens wedding rings. It�s

this. Will the man in your relationship wear one?

Maybe that�s you, maybe not. But you both need to think about it.

You see it�s only since the second world war that modern men have

started to publicly display their marital status by the wearing of a

man wedding ring.

Prior to that it was rare for a man to wear a ring when he married. Men

were able to hide their marital status behind the tradition that

required a woman to wear a wedding ring, but not a man.

However during the war many US soldiers chose to wear mens wedding

rings as a public symbol of their marital status whilst away at war and

that has started a tradition for the modern man. Now it�s very common

for a man to wear a mens wedding ring, perhaps the norm.

So, what decisions need to be made? Well the first is this. Will he

wear one? That�s probably the hardest decision in the process.

For a woman there�s no decision. She�s engaged, she wants the ring. For

her she needs an engagement ring as well as a wedding ring, and an

expensive engagement ring at that. But for a man it�s not so straight

forward.

So a very important part of the process is for both of you to talk

about it. Do you both have strong feelings about the man wearing a man

wedding ring, either one way or the other? Does the woman feel that if

she is to publicly display her marital status then it�s only fair that

he do the same? Does he have any reservations about wearing a ring and

if so what are they? You both need to talk over your feelings about the

wearing of a man wedding ring. Establish the groundwork.

Once and if you have made a decision that he will wear a ring then

that�s just the start. It�s perfectly possible to buy a his and hers

matching wedding ring set. These are rings designed as matching sets

for you both so that both your wedding rings go well together. So are

you going to look for matching rings, or just buy him a ring and focus

on hers separately?

Next you have to decide what type of ring. There�s a whole world of

designs for mens wedding rings out there. An enormous range of styles

and materials. A man makes a statement about himself in selecting the

ring he will wear for his wife, and she is a part of that statement if

she is actively involved in the decision.

Think about his personality. Is he outgoing or shy? Is he outrageous or

conservative? Is he flamboyant? Understated? When he buys clothes what

does he select? Does he buy colourful flamboyant ties or ties which fit

in with the style of the suit? Would he wear clothes which make him

stand out from the crowd or does he prefer to meld in?

His men�s wedding ring needs to fit his personality. All these

characteristics, as well as many others, bear on your choice of ring. A

man with a strong flamboyant personality would be much more likely to

prefer a ring which stands out. Which sets him apart from the crowd,

which says �look at me�. On the other hand a man with a more

conservative type of personality would probably prefer to say �I�m

married but I�m not going to shout it from the rooftop� with his ring.

Similarly, think about his stature. Is he short or tall? Is he large or

small? Does he have long slender fingers or short stubby fingers? These

characteristics also bear on the style of ring selected.

So size up the man before making a decision on the style of ring for

him.

One of the most common form of mens wedding ring is the simple band

style. Often in gold or white gold, it is plain and unadorned. A simple

statement of marital status and nothing else. But even amongst simple

bands there are decisions to make. How wide? What colour? What type of

material? New materials such as Titanium or Platinum have broadened the

choices hugely. Mens black Titanium rings really catch the eye.

Or amongst the more traditional materials sterling silver men�s wedding

rings look stunning. Or brushed mens white gold wedding rings. The

range of choices now is enormous.

And it�s not necessary to decide on a single material. Mens two toned

gold wedding rings, utilising white and yellow gold, are popular.

Perhaps match the ring material with gemstones such as rubies or

sapphires or even diamonds to create a stunning effect.

It�s perfectly possible to get custom made rings or even design them

yourself. The internet offers a big range of choices and also offers

rings and other jewelry dramatically cheaper than your traditional

bricks and mortar stores. Several online jewellers offer a design your

own mens wedding ring service so that you can design a ring that�s

unique to you.

And if you want something really different why not consider celtic mens

wedding bands?

The range of choices is endless, enough to satisfy even the most

discriminating couple.

And remember that for a man this ring may be the only jewelry he will

ever wear. The choice of man ring that you both make is a big one.

So, now you�re engaged, spend a little time thinking about what you are

going to do about a men�s wedding ring. Start talking about it with

your partner. The more time you spend on it the happier you will be

with your final choice.

Need Help With Your Wedding Ceremony?

When it comes to your wedding services alone, nobody wants to spend an arm and a leg on this and still have to foot the bill for the reception. Really it depends on where you want to your wedding to be and what type of service that you are hoping to have.

There is a way to satisfy all types of weddings as long as you know what your options are. Let�s take a look at the different types of ceremonies that you can choose from that can save you a great deal of money.

Church Ceremony

When you want your ceremony to be in a church, you will often have to pay for the rental and the priest or minister to perform the ceremony.

Some churches will decorate for you while others will not. If this is an issue, be sure to ask first. How much money you will pay for the ceremony will vary and will depend on how the policies of the church.

Here are some tips on how you can save money on a church ceremony.

� Look for a church that offers complete services or all inclusive packages rather than separate fees
� Try to bargain deals for outdoor weddings
� Rent the church alone and hire your own minister
� Have your services on a day where there are no church services because it may be cheaper
� Decorate the church yourself
� Offer to volunteer at the church for awhile in exchange for a discount
� You can save some money by hosting your ceremony in the church basement rather than in the worship center.
� Churches will often offer more inexpensive prices if you are a member of the church.

Outdoor Ceremony

You can save a great deal of money by hosting your ceremony outside like in a beautiful park, at the beach, on a hilltop or even in your yard.

Of course, having the ceremony in your backyard is the cheapest. Here are some of the formalities that go with having an outdoor ceremony that can save you money all around.

� The best way is to have the service in your backyard
� Choose an open public forum that does not generally have a great deal of people trying to access it, and get the right permits etc. beforehand
� Opting for an ordained minister rather than a priest etc. is often cheaper. Just be sure to check that whoever you choose can legally perform wedding ceremonies in your area.
� You can forego the chairs and have the guests standing as long as you host a short ceremony. A nice white or themed linen on the ground for guests to stand on is an elegant touch
� When going with outdoor ceremony, people often opt for the portable arch because it is easy to transport and just as elegant
� Of course, you can always host your ceremony at city hall and save your money for the reception. Record the ceremony and host a viewing during the reception

Outdoor ceremonies open the door to many themes that can greatly reduce the cost of your wedding and reception. Hawaiian themes and beach themes can help you save money on formal wear, and decorations etc. because people having an outdoor wedding are often casually or island dressed.

It makes the ceremony more comfortable for the guests too because they are also dressed casually.

Outdoor ceremonies can immediately switch from ceremony to reception which saves some extra money on travel fees too, such as limos etc. The Hawaiian theme will be a great way to have a luau or pig roast reception.

You might want to consider a theme that lets you have a picnic for your reception party or a beach party or bonfire, but I will get into themes in more detail in a later section.

All of these tips were designed to help you find deals and discounts. You can also choose to have your ceremony at a courthouse or city hall building; record the services and play the recording during your reception instead. It is a nice way to share your vows with your friends and family without spending a fortune on the ceremony.

Wedding Chapel

When most people think of wedding chapels they think of Las Vegas style chapels, but that is not all that chapels are. If you are a religious person, it is very easy to solve the question of a wedding chapel because you can choose to get married in your usual place of worship.

This may be a church, synagogue, mosque or other religious temple. However, if you have not had a religious upbringing, are marrying someone of a different religion or culture, or simply would rather select a different venue, it is important to discover what wedding chapel options are open to you.

If you would still like a ceremony in the style of a particular religion, most chapels have a host of different officiates who can provide the appropriate wedding ceremony to suit your own specific needs.

The majority of wedding chapels are designed in the style of churches. Most couples seek this traditional type of scene, even if they do want a non-denominational ceremony.

Chapels advertise features, such as stained glass windows, oak flooring, historical buildings, chandeliers and more. If you would prefer a modern building, it is possible to find chapels that are less traditional, such as those that are located in art galleries but you will need to research them well if you want to get a good deal.

Wedding chapels come in various sizes, and you must calculate how many guests will require seating at your wedding before committing to a particular chapel.

The majority of chapels seat between a hundred and a hundred and fifty guests, but there is one to suit every size of wedding. In Las Vegas, for example, there are chapels just large enough for the Bride, Groom, officiate and witness.

The location of your wedding chapel is key. There are numerous choices in cities and towns, but you may opt for a more natural or dramatic position. There are wedding chapels located anywhere from the Smoky Mountains to Hawaiian beaches, from Lake Tahoe to Disneyland!

If you have connections to the military, you could consider holding your wedding in a military chapel on a military base. There are long waiting lists for these facilities, but they are usually free (except a charitable donation).

Some facilities offer a choice of chapel depending on your religion, and it is possible to find Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chapels. However, there may be restrictions on decoration or numbers of guests.

There is also a vast array of novelty, or themed, wedding chapels springing up everywhere these days. The first themed chapels originated in Las Vegas, but it is now possible to find outlandish chapel designs anywhere.

Aside from the ubiquitous Elvis chapels, there are options such as a neon wedding at the luminous chapel in New Orleans, or a Cowboy chapel in Nevada. Try to incorporate the theme into other aspects of your wedding, such as your attire, the music and food. Some chapels even supply costumes for the guests which can really make your day a great deal of fun.

Money and Marriage 101

Q. Is a prenuptial agreement necessary?
A. Legally speaking, marriage splits your combined assets and liabilities right down the middle. Everything gets shared. Therefore, a prenuptial agreement is sometimes very necessary, particularly when a married man or woman has assets or liabilities that will greatly exceed that of his or her spouse. To make a decision that is right for the both of you, consult with a financial planner who is familiar with the marriage laws in your state.

Q. What about opening a joint bank account?
A. Since all your money will in essence be merged together, opening a joint bank account can make paying bills much simpler. This is particularly true of bills for things that you own and share as a married couple, such as a house or insurance. However, it is also a good idea to budget some spending money to put into your own personal accounts.

Q. What is the average wedding cost?
A. Marriage preparation can be really hectic and stressful, depending on how fancy you want to get. Add the stress of trying to stick to a wedding budget, and you could be in for a rocky beginning. The average wedding cost is more than $15,000. This may be comfortable for you, or maybe not. Set a realistic budget taking into account your debts and your income.

Q. My spouse is a spender and I�m a saver. Will we ever agree?
A. A good marriage is about finding balance; but most of all, it is about survival. That means being less selfish, being willing to negotiate and to compromise. If you find yourself at odds about your spending habits, get premarital counseling. Couple counseling can open the lines of communication. In the long-run, good communication is the key to successful financial and family planning.

Saving Money as a Newlywed Team

As a newly wed couple, you may not always agree on things; however, when it comes to financial survival, the both of you will need to put your heads together and make some decisions with regard to money management.

For this reason, it is always wise for a married couple to seek financial marriage advice. A financial planner can help with matters such as whether or not to get a prenuptial agreement, and what percentage of your income to put into a joint bank account, and some wise investments to start out with.

Other decisions are best made between the two of you. What are your spending habits? Who will balance the checkbook? Who will pay the bills? What investments do you wish to make? What are your financial goals and what is your plan to reach them?

Another aspect of marriage that may require planning is your wedding budget. That would include everything from the price of engagement rings all the way to the actual wedding cost.

Planning your financial future together is crucial for a healthy marriage. If the both of you choose to undergo premarital counseling, take a few sessions to communicate about your financial issues. Get started early, and continue with couple counseling after tying the knot, as well.