Saving On a Wedding! (Mine!)

OK Folks, I am about to embark on one of the MOST spendy-ist occasions EVER!   I am going to get married next September!  

Here is some back ground:

My honey and I have been together for over 7 years now but I have been dragging my feet.  I was married before and it was not a good place for me.  I had to be sure.  I have been sure for some time (a long time) now but life kept getting in the way.  I did not want to get married when we found out that I had a surprise blessing because that seemed to be just plain tacky to me. 

The first time he asked me to marry him he was separated from his now ex, but the divorce was not fully final.  Then the next time he asked me he wanted to just run down to the JP and I didn’t want that so I said no again.   I was married the first and only other time I was married we just went down to the court house.  I guess I knew without knowing that it was not really that important.  I even wore black a borrowed dress!  I knew that THIS time it was real and my honey was the perfect one.  He is my soulmate, and I his.  We call each other Anamchara, which is soulmate in Celtic.  It was meant to be.

We were talking the other day and he and I both said that we didn’t even realize at the time when we were married before how miserable we were!   Now we know that what we had before with our exes was just nothing in comparison to the true love we have now.  So now I plan the wedding not of my dreams but the wedding that was meant to be! 

As I go I will share with you the ways I have found to save to make this event so perfect for me.  That is the cool thing about weddings to each their own.  The more you tailor it to suit you the more special it will be. 

First off I have picked a dress!  Yes!  I said “Yes” to a dress!   This was fun because I have never been to a bridal shop before and it was a very surprising emotional experience!  I went to David’s Bridal when they were having a HUGE sale hoping to find a $99 dress.  I spent a couple bills more and got a $299 dress.   Unexpected costs were a $10 bag for the dress and alteration fees.  So if you are planning your wedding figure those costs into your budget.  But the great thing about David’s Bridal is that they also have a layaway program and other payment options available. 

The old taboos about wearing white are just that old.  There are so many women waiting to get married until after their career now it is OK to wear a nice white dress if you want to.  If this had been my 5^th wedding I may have chosen a different color, but technically this is my first REAL wedding!   I wanted to have a REAL wedding and this time since it is to my soulmate I am going to do it!

OK secondly the location.  To save the most amount of money you want to pick a location or a venue that does not cost a ton.  A family member’s back yard, a park, or a local place that holds small private events are your best bet.  I went with a tiny little Pioneer town park that has a cute little chapel in it.  The chapel is small and they also throw in for just $100 more a reception area that includes tables and chairs!   Shop around but you will know what you want for your wedding and have some sort of idea of what it should look like. 

Shop around!   The best things come to those who shop around!  So give your date time to make all of those arrangements and inquiries! 

I have been thinking of planting some flowers at my home to use at the wedding to save even more.  Next I have to settle on a date I have picked the month, September of next year but I need to settle on one specific Saturday.   I am 40 years old and I feel so silly giddy like a young girl!  It is amazing what a wedding can do to you!

I am designing my own invitations and going to give everyone a card with my email address at the wedding to email me all of their photos they take.  I am hoping to save on a photographer that way.  We have decided to go after the wedding and get our pictures taken together that will give us the perfect wedding photo to cherish forever.  But I bet once I get all the photos back I may find those perfect photos from my family and friends. 

My next plan is to pick a bakery for the cake, and to decide if I am going to have it catered or to kind of cater our own?   I will keep you posted and if you have any fun fabulous and frugal ideas please feel free to let me know!