Wedding Kick

Ten practical wedding budget tips that will help brides stay within their budget and keep wedding costs down when planning for their outdoor wedding.

1. Pick a breathtaking location. Wedding by the lake, sunset wedding on a beach, wedding ceremony in a botanical garden -- the possibilities are endless. You don't need to worry about how to decorate the place. Mother nature already did it for you!

2. Determine a set number of guests that you want to invite and keep to your list. Invite only immediate family and intimate friends. This is a big factor in keeping your wedding costs down and stay within your budget.

3. Make your own wedding invitations. Look online and browse for Do-It-Yourself wedding invitations or you can go to your own local craft stores. You can also choose to make your own wedding invitations from scratch. My husband and I did our own. It was very involved and took a lot of time but it was worth it. Our guests were greatly impressed. Most of all,it helped us a lot to stay within our wedding budget.

4. Keep your centerpieces simple but elegant. Make them yourself, it is not hard. You can check for ideas from local craft stores. Look online for great deals, check eBay and other auction sites. Oriental Trading is a great place to start looking. They offer great items for so much less cost.

5. Look for inexpensive wedding favors. If you are getting married during spring or summer, you can have flower seed packets as favors. Another unique idea for favors is a personalized bookmark with a written poem, quotation or Bible verse that has a significant meaning for you and your bridegroom.

6. Buy a wedding gown that is on sale. Get one during off wedding season (usually September to February) when the bridal stores are slashing their prices to make room for new inventories. Another option is to look for wedding gowns at online auctions like eBay. Try looking at classified ads too. Be open and try other avenues. Don't think that, just because you did not get your wedding gown from a wedding boutique, the quality will be less.

7. Pick the bridesmaids dresses from a retail store as opposed to a wedding boutique or bridal stores, it is a lot less expensive. Your attendants will appreciate it too, since I am sure they have their own budget to consider also.

8. When setting priorities in planning for a budget, wedding pictures and video usually top the list. Most couples do not want to skimp on this. Be wise when choosing your photographer and videographer. Since you are going to have an outdoor wedding, make sure that whoever you choose is very experienced and can work with natural lighting. Ask to see a previous client's pictures and videos for proof of their work.

However, if pictures are not a priority for you and you don't want to pay too much for these services, then another option is to go to a local campus or university near you and ask a photography major student if he/she would do the service for you. Students charge a lot less than the professionals. Just be cautious and make sure that you are getting a good one. Ask if they can show you their portfolios.

Placing a disposable camera in each table for the guests to use during reception is another source of wedding photos. Just don't expect high quality pictures. From my experience, the resulting photos sometimes show poor quality, depending on the lighting available. If used outside with good outdoor lighting, the results are good. Pictures taken indoors show poor quality due to lack of good lighting.
bridal car

9. Rent a classic car or a convertible instead of hiring a limousine for a bridal car. Have a friend or family member have the privilege of chauffeuring you around. This could cut down a lot on your overall wedding costs.

10. Have your wedding events all in one place. Pick a nice country club for the wedding reception, set-up the wedding ceremony in their professionally landscaped lawn (they usually have gazebos too that you could use as a place to exchange vows) and have all the wedding party's photos in the same place too. This would save you a lot of time and effort, not just for you but also for the guests. After the ceremony, the guests can then proceed to the country club for cocktail while the wedding party can have their professional photos taken. Also, there will be no need to worry about providing transportation for the attendants since everything is done in the same location.

If followed, these wedding budget tips can really cut down your wedding costs significantly. There are a lot more ways that you can do to stay within your wedding budget, especially if you are willing to compromise. Be creative, think outside the box.

Houston, we have a problem. No bride wants to hear those words, but people do make mistakes in planning their wedding. Wedding planning mistakes can be costly, stressful and time consuming. Here's some top wedding planning mistakes and how to avoid making them.

Assuming your parents will pick up the cost of the wedding. Today's wedding couples are older and have been on their own for a long while. Mom and Dad are getting ready to retire. Don't expect them to foot the bill on a $30,000 wedding. Before you start planning your wedding, sit down with your parents and ask if they are planning to contribute towards the wedding costs and if so, how much. Don't expect that your parents will pick up the costs of the reception and his parents the alcohol, DJ and flowers. They may not be in any financial position to help you out.

Overspending your budget: You have a budget for a reason. Its the sum of money you have available to spend. With the current state of the economy, it doesn't make sense to overspend and and start your marriage in debt.

Being disorganized. Disorganization will make you crazy and stressed out. Its so easy to buy a wedding planner book or wedding software and keep records of your wedding expenses, guest list and the thousands of details you need at your fingertips.

Letting your guest list get out of control. Most wedding venues have space limits and you'll have budget constraints that will force you to keep your guest list to a target number. Threre will be a certain amount of guests that won't be able to attend, don't assume they won't attend and over invite.

Not hiring professionals. Too many couples in their zeal to cut their costs, will use an uncle to take pictures, a cousin to bake the cake, an aunt to help cook at the reception. A professional will make sure your pictures are well composed, perfectly grouped and the memories of the wedding will endure. The biggest regret I hear after the wedding is that they couple wished that they'd hired professionals to get the job done the way they envisioned.

Not making decisions in a timely manner. There is a certain amount of time it takes to execute a wedding. Wedding pros book up years in advance. Wedding venues book in advance. And it takes 16 to 20 weeks to order a wedding gown. If you don't make a decision, you risk disappointment. The church or the reception hall you wanted will be booked. The photographer is booked. You didn't allow time to get your dream dress. Make a decision, book your vendors and stop shopping. If you don't make a decision, another bride will make it for you.

Continuing to shop after you've purchased something for your wedding. (Just in case you might like something better.) This goes hand in hand with not trusting your decisions. Once you've purchased something, stop shopping, cross it off your list and move on. Trust your instincts Your first impulse is usually the best decision. If you continue to shop, you'll stress yourself and the others around you. Move on!

Trying to trump a friend or a family's wedding. Weddings aren't a competition. They are a joining of two people in marriage. The reception is a party. It is a milestone in your life, but you don't have to outdo your family, friends or friends you only know from the Internet wedding chat boards. Have the wedding YOU can afford.

Allowing wedding stress and wedding planning overtake your life. Wedding planning is stressful and it can take up a good part of your life. But your focus should be on the marriage and not the wedding. When you find yourself becoming stressed and turning into a Bridezilla, take a deep breathe, take a day off wedding planning and do something for yourself. Take the dog for a walk, do some aerobics or Pilates, get a massage, spend quality time with your fiance. And don't talk about the wedding. You'll feel renewed and ready to tackle the next job.

Trying to do everything yourself. In wedding planning, you have to learn to delegate. You can't do everything yourself, nor does anyone expect you do do everything yourself. You need to keep on top of your wedding tasks, but allow others to help you.

Failing to keep in touch with your vendors. You need to contact your vendors periodically to make sure everything is on schedule. Confirm times, dates and check their progress.

Not reading the fine print before you sign the contracts. Ask questions before you sign anything so there aren't any unpleasant surprises later. Make sure you are on the same page before you sign and make your deposits. And then continue to keep in touch with your vendors.

Take time to laugh and enjoy the planning process. Have a happy wedding and marriage.