Planning your Planning your Las Vegas wedding is one of the most fun and exciting times of your life! However when you have a limited budget, that excitement can quickly turn into stress. To make your planning a little easier and work within your budget, here are a few tips to help save money during the planning process.Las Vegas wedding is one of the most fun and exciting times of your life! However when you have a limited budget, that
excitement can quickly turn into stress. To make your planning a little easier and work within your budget, here are a few tips to help save money during the planning process.
Planning your Las Vegas wedding is one of the most fun and exciting times of your life! However when you have a limited bget, that excitement can quickly turn into stress. To make your planning a little easier and work within your budget, here are a few tips to help save money during the planning process.
1) Determine Your Budget Before Doing Anything
Before you begin any planning, you need to first establish what your wedding budget is. If you have relatives who will be contributing, you’ll need find out exactly what that amount is and if you and your husband-to-be are going to need to contribute as well.
Also, be sure to keep track of all your expenses and projected costs. You can simply use an Excel spreadsheet and mark all the costs so you’re able to view your progress and identify where you may need to trim down.
2) Attend a Bridal Show
Attending a bridal show is not only a fantastic way to gather ideas and inspiration, but you can also get great rates from the vendors at the show. Many of the businesses will offer special pricing, gifts, and/or upgrades to those who book their services directly at the show.
3) Selecting Your Date and Location
After you’ve determined your budget, you can then begin looking at dates and venue locations. This is an area where you can save a lot of money! Try selecting a date during the off-season in winter or early spring. Often times wedding venues will offer discounted pricing during this time. If you have your heart set on a summer wedding, then try selecting a day other than Friday and Saturday.
Also, hold your ceremony and reception in one location to cut travel time for vendors who you pay by the hour.
4) Limit Your Guest Count
Although this is one of the hardest things to do, reducing your guest count is a guaranteed way to save big! Caterers generally charge per person – so if you have 200 guests at $75 a person, that’s $15,000 just on catering! Cut your invite list down to only your closest friends and family and you can easily reduce the cost to a more manageable number. Plus, you’ll have fewer invitations to buy.
5) Save on the Wedding Gown & Bridal Party
Consider purchasing a sample gown. Samples are the dresses that other brides try on while shopping and there’s generally nothing wrong with them that can’t be easily fixed. Plus, most bridal salons will sell them at a discounted price. You can also try purchasing a bridesmaid dress in white or ivory. These dresses will be a little simpler, but will cost significantly less than a bridal gown.
For the bridal party, try to limiting the number of attendants you select (both for the bride and groom). Each attendant brings in additional costs, so limiting this number to only your closest family and friends will help cut costs.
6) Keep Your Ceremony & Reception Simple
After you select the wedding venue, ask your wedding coordinator where there are opportunities to save costs and make sure they are aware of your overall budget at the beginning.
If available, you can save on the catering by limiting the open bar, only serving beer and wine, and offering fewer and/or simpler hors d’oeuvres before dinner. You can also select a smaller wedding cake and offer alternatives such as cupcakes, cake pops, dessert shooters, etc.
To help save on the décor, be sure to choose flowers that are in season and ask if you can repurpose the ceremony flowers for the reception. Also, include non-floral décor, such as lanterns, twinkle lights and even framed photos as your centerpieces.
Lastly, consider excluding the small details like napkins with your names and wedding date and overpriced wedding favors. Although these little elements are nice to have, they add up very quickly and won’t make or break your wedding.
For more wedding planning tips and information, please visit http://www.bridalspectacular.com. Also, be sure to save-the-date to attend our Autumn Bridal Show August 16 and 17 at Cashman Center!