Gorgeous Wedding on a budget

I met Lauren on HCW. She writes for the Examiner.com. You can read it here. She wanted to hear some of my tips and tricks for making it work. So I am writing this for her and hopefully some of you can use this.

Our first cost cutting began when we decided to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. This cuts costs on guests driving around town and keeps us at the location with our guests. If we were going to marry in a church, we would've donated $150 plus had to pay for the reception location. Doing it this way we are saving the $150.

Don't be afraid to contact your local parks. Many parks have self service building and can be beautiful. We originally picked Pattison Park in Owensville, but, decided against it because it was "not us".

The centerpiece of the wedding is the brides dress. I got very lucky on my dress and I absolutely LOVE IT! I bought a brand new $1300 Allure Bridal dress for $106 (including tax) at my local consignment store. They bought out a boutique that was closing and I scored BIG! Another option is Ebay! I tried on several dresses at bridal stores in my area and went on Ebay. I was going to purchase a David's Bridal dress for $150 with shipping before I scored the BIG deal! You can also get on wedding forums and buy or rent a dress that someone recently wore for their wedding.

We are not having a traditional wedding cake. We are catering our wedding and included in the price is sheet cake. Jason, my Fiance, loves cheesecake. I am ordering 3 traditional cheese cakes and putting them on cake stands to serve as the visual. We will cut the cheesecake and also serve the sheet cake.

Another way to save a few hundred dollars is to bargain with your photographer. I found several well known photographers who would spend 4-5 hours the day of the wedding, take any pictures that I wanted along with the normal ones and would give me a HI-Res Cd with rights to print my pictures. Most of the photographers charge between $400-$600 for this option. Just because this option is not listed on their website, doesn't mean they can't offer it to you. This is what I wanted because I can make my own albums. I don't need print credits and can print the pictures that I want.

I am going to be purchasing my flowers at either Sams or TheFlowerExchange.com and making the arrangements and bouquets myself. I am also going to be making my own centerpieces (although, I don't know what I am doing for those yet!)

Having a fall or winter wedding is a lot less costly. This is the time that the vendors are slow and are willing to work for less to get a paycheck. Another biggie I have learned is not to mention the word "Wedding". I am saving $165 on the cheesecake and I am picking it up. I am also purchasing soda, water and apple cider for beverages and going to have a cash bar. By purchasing my own beverages and cups I am saving over $100.

If you have any other ways to save, please feel free to comment.