Tips for Planning a Wedding on a Tight Budget

Planning a wedding on a tight budget can be a difficult and stressful time.  Just planning the wedding itself can be a task in itself because there are so many things to remember.  You can plan a wedding on a tight budget if you allot your money appropriately.

Make a list of the things that you would like to have in your wedding.  Include in your list where you would like to have the wedding, as well as a guest list.  This will give you are a starting point.  If you are working on a tight budget, you will have to eventually make some cuts and changes from your list, but this will give you something to go off of.

Start with your wedding dress.  Do you really need a fancy designer gown?  There are a lot of bridal shops which offer deep discounts on wedding dresses at a fraction of the price.  You want to look elegant, but you also have to remember that you are only going to wear it once.

Another thing to consider is your guest list.  The more guests you have come to your wedding and reception, the more money it will cost you.  Consider having immediate family and close friends, which will cut down the cost a lot.  Certain places you may want to have your ceremony at will also have a limit too, keep that in consideration. 

Make a list of changes that you could cut out of your wedding ceremony.  For instance, if you are getting married at a church during a certain time of the year, they probably already have some decorations, and you would not have to spend any additional to decorate it.  Fresh flowers and baskets can add up quite quickly, making your money go down faster.

There are a lot of ways you can cut costs on your wedding reception.  As mentioned before, the larger the guest list, the more people you will have to feed and it will become quite costly.  Consider preparing the food yourself, or even have a small buffet.  These options are traditionally less costly than a sit down meal you pay per the plate.

Hire friends and family members you plan on having at the reception to do some of the minor work of decorating or even cutting the cake.  You already wanted them at the reception, and you could pay them a lot less and cut some costs.  Also, you can have a small reception at a home to save the cost of renting a hall.

There are a lot of ways to cut costs on your wedding and stick to a budget.  You have to be willing to cut some things, and put some time into planning.  The more that you do in your own time, the less people you will have to hire to do the work for you.