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Smart
Brides Say...
Check out bridesmaids dresses for your wedding gown - especially if
you don't want a long train. They are considerably cheaper and often
come in ivory or white. Plus alterations are less expensive than with
formal wedding gowns.
Allison
Wedding October
7, 2001
My
husband and I were married December 23, 2000. It was not our first
wedding, but we still wanted something nice. We had the ceremony and
reception at our church. We ordered lunch meat trays from the local
supermarket, and served our mother's home-made pasta/potato salads.
The supermarket where we purchased the food also had bakery trays. We
ordered a brownie tray, and believe me, everyone liked that! We had
candy canes as favors, and the tables were decorated with green and
red bells on them. The church was decorated for Christmas with the
tree and lots of pointsettias. So, our wedding pictures have a
holiday look to them. My matron of honor wore burgandy. Her daughter
was my flower girl and she wore red. We all got our dresses at
regular stores - much cheaper than buying in wedding boutiques! They
got theirs at Sears, I got mine at the plus size store. At Christmas
time, there are a lot of pretty dresses and gowns to choose from in
regular stores, so that you don't have to get them from a bridal shop.
Angie
If
you don't have a lot of money to spend on food, but are worried
about hungry, grumpy guests, change the time of your wedding. Have a
late morning wedding so that the reception will be in the early
afternoon. Then just have platters of lunch meat, cheeses, crackers,
etc. Things will be much more laid back and people will be more
social. After the reception, invite your closest friends and family
to a nice dinner. Things will be much more relaxed and you'll have
the opportunity to spend time with those you love most.
Nicole Neumann & Fawad Syed
No date yet!
Washington D.C.
Money Saving Tip: Consider getting married in December. Most churches
are already decorated for the Christmas season and many reception
halls/hotels use holiday decorations in their banquet rooms,
including centerpieces! Great way to save on the cost of wedding decor!
Cathy C.
Wedding
December 29, 2001
 
If you are sentimental about your bouquet, definately have another
throwaway bouquet made for tossing. You can then get your bouquet
preserved after the wedding and keep it forever. I went to a wedding
a few years ago and caught the bouquet. I was so excited. I got it
dried and put it in a vase in my room and it was gorgeous. Then about
four months later the bride came to my house and saw the bouquet and
asked for it back, saying that she didn't mean to give it away. I
gave it to her but my heart was quite broken and I was, needless to
say, a little steamed. I mean, if you don't want to give your bouquet
away DON'T TOSS IT!! It is soooooo rude to ask for it back... so make
a toss bouquet!!
Teresa
I
am not getting married at this time, but am hoping to be engaged to
my boyfriend of many years -- soon. I have been scrollling through
this site looking for great ideas to aid me in my journey of
possibilites . I have come up with many ideas for myself and while
scrolling through have found very helpful hints from others. The tip
I'd like to offer is this: I have been a hairdresser for 12 years and
I have realized through the many years that the only times that I
have received the most fullfillment out of my trade is doing Wedding
Hair. It is the magical moment for a bride for a lifetime. The most
convenient and relaxing thing that you could do for yourself on your
wedding day is have your hair dresser come to you. Have
all of your bridesmaids, mothers of bride and groom, flower girls,
etc. meet at one location whether it be the church, hotel or
someone's home, to have their hair done. This cuts down on rushing
around trying to get your hair/makeup done at a salon and get back on
time to make it to the alter. This allows time for relaxtion, making
sure last minute things are taken care of and that your bags are
packed and ready to go on your honeymoon. This is a great treat for
any one on their wedding day! Additionally, you could also find a
massage therapist that may do the same thing for you - Boy, will you
be feeling grand when you walk down that aisle! Congratulations on
your engagement & good luck on your planning !
Tamara Rose
Waiting for
that proposal.....
Houston, Texas
 
Check out online auctions for things such as silk flowers, dresses,
receptions items, etc. These items are often new or slightly used and
can save you a TON of money!!!
Catherine Tom
& Matthew Getz
Wedding
September 1, 2001
North Augusta, SC
Research more than 2 or 3 vendors when planning. For example, after
seeing 2 different photographers, visit 2 or 3 more and view their
work. You don't want to settle for the first one you like. The next
one may be even better!
Melissa & Derek
Wedding Date
November 26, 1999
Westfield, MA
Whatever services you use for your wedding, make sure you get all the
details IN WRITING! I can't stress this enough. No matter how small
the detail, make sure it is in your contract. There is nothing worse
then expecting something to be available and not finding out until
the last minute that you have to pay extra for it or that it is
unavailable on your day. I got stuck quite a few times and I had to
alter my plans last minute. Don't worry about insulting these people,
after all they do it all the time every day for every other person.
It will be a little piece of mind during this hectic time and later
on you will be glad you did.
Jennifer & Steven
Wedding
September 2, 2000
Hudson, MA
Don't
worry about not being able to take a big fancy honeymoon. You have
the rest of your lives to make money and take big, wonderful,
fabulous vacations. But you only get ONE wedding. Do it well and be
happy. This is what we did and I'm so glad we put all our money into
that one gorgeous, magical, unforgettable day. Just my 2 cents.
Mrs. Julie M. Guy
Married 4/12/97
Seattle, WA
We
are going to make sure to have a couple of high chairs available for
those of my friends with babies - a lot of people don't think to do
this! Also, something my brother did at his wedding reception for the
kids that was cute was to put a few Fun Pads at their place setting
with some colored crayons. The crayons we're tied together with a
ribbon to match the wedding colors - it didn't stay that way for long
but it sure looked good! This kept the kids occupied and entertained
so that they didn't become fussy.
Mary Ann
Start
planning everything as early on as possible. You can never have
enough time! You'd be surprised how fast it goes by and how many
unforeseen factors get in the way to gobble it up. Expect the
unexpected and build in extra time so you can deal with whatever
comes up to slow you down!
Cicily
& Paul
Wedding Date August
1, 1999
Port
St. Lucie, Florida
If you are on a budget, it's never too early to start looking for
your dress. Figure out what you like, try some on, and then watch for
they style you like to go "out of style". That's when the
boutique will sell the dress directly off the rack for a much cheaper
amount. I know when I was looking, they had some $1000 dresses they
were selling for just a couple hundred bucks.
Diana
Wedding August
26, 2001
My daughter will be marrying in June 2001. We have already started
looking for wedding gowns, etc. While at a local dress shop, I
inquired as to specials given to brides. The bride is allowed up to
50% off the cost of her dress for the following purchases made in the
store: tuxedo rentals for the party = 20% discount for the bridal
gown; matron of honor, bridesmaids and flower girl attire and
accessories = 20%;discounbt for the bridal gown; bridal accessories =
5%; discount for the bridal own; and purchasing invitations = 5% for
the bridal gown. This certainly may help a young lady whose dream
gown seems to be much more expensive than she, or her family can
afford! Be sure to ask the boutiques you are shopping in if they
offer such incentives to their customers.
Anonymous
Mother of the Bride
Click
for some
of the BEST
Web Sites for
Planning
an Unforgettable Wedding!!!
If you want to save money when buying wedding rings, you might want
to check out the pawn shops and be prepared to barter. You could end
up paying less than a third for something you would otherwise spend a
fortune on. Also, consider having your wedding rings MADE,
particularly if you already have the gold.
Submitted by Anonymous
It's
never too early to start shopping for dresses! My wedding is
Saturday and my bridesmaids dresses just got here yesterday - and are
the wrong color. My dress just got here last week! We ordered them in
July. The manufacturer really screwed up! It's never too early!
Megan
Wedding January
20, 2001
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