Marriages don’t just stop in the middle of a poor economy. These days many people are looking for cheap wedding ideas that will still provide a romantic and memorable experience while staying within a reasonable budget. If you have just gotten engaged and are looking for cheap wedding ideas for your special day, you might find some of these tips useful. In almost every component of a wedding and reception there are low cost ways to accomplish what has traditionally cost a fortune. Don’t fall for the marketing hype of the major wedding specialty shops!
Location
Often you will find that you can save a good amount of money by having the wedding ceremony and the reception at the same location. Obviously this will not be possible if you are getting married in a church or other religious building, as most of these venues will not offer a proper space to host the reception or will have restrictions on things like alcohol for the guests. However, there are many beautiful multifunction buildings that will fit the bill when you are looking for cheap wedding ideas.
Everyone lives nearby something beautiful in nature. Check out your local forest preserves, beaches and lakes, and state or national parks and you may find a beautiful unique spot to have an outdoor reception for a very inexpensive fee. Make sure you do your homework when considering these types of locations, as many will require a special permit to host an event and possibly a license fee to serve alcohol on the premises. There may also be noise ordinances to consider, and if there is not a plentiful supply of electrical outlets you will want to budget for a generator.
Flowers
A wedding without flowers feels like a day in traffic court. Flowers symbolize new beginnings and hope for the future, and they are absolutely required at any proper wedding ceremony and reception. But it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make your wedding flowers spectacular! You can find lots of cheap wedding ideas for your floral decorations and bouquets.
A traditional wedding package includes:
- One Bridal Bouquet
- Attendants Bouquets
- Two Mothers Corsages
- Four Grandmother’s Corsages
- Twelve Boutonnieres
- Two Arrangements for the Altar
- Flower Girl Basket
You will probably want to include additional items such as arrangements for the reception and centerpieces for the head table and guest tables. You do not have to pay a professional florist for all of this stuff if you use your creativity. There are many private gardens happy to loan or donate plants and flowers, and you might even find luck if you are bold enough to ask your neighbors for any nice looking blooms from their garden.
Wedding Attire
When looking for cheap wedding ideas, turn your attention to the attire. Wedding dresses and bridesmaids gowns are a huge expense when purchased brand new from a specialty shop. You can still look radiant without having to pay for a designer label.
The cheapest way to get a beautiful wedding dress is to borrow one from a friend or loved one. The only cost of this option is the price of alterations, which can usually be done for under $100. If you do borrow from a friend, make sure she has been married at least a year or else you are making too big of an imposition by asking for her wedding dress. It is also proper etiquette to have the gown altered back to its original size after you have worn it, which means carefully recording the exact measurement a seam is taken in or out.
Other cheap wedding ideas for your dress include renting one, which is very inexpensive compared to buying one new, or converting a lower cost formal gown (such as a prom dress) to a wedding dress by adding decorative sleeves and other alterations.
What will stick most in your guests mind is the beauty of the ceremony and the overall décor and style of the reception. There is no need to spend a fortune! With some careful planning and creativity you should be able to replicate many of the fancier, more expensive wedding components with alternative cheap wedding ideas.
