The Value in Planning Your Wedding Budget

Depending on who you listen to, recent estimates tell us that the average North American couple spends more than $22,000 (and many estimates place the total north of $26,000!) on the wedding ceremony and reception alone. That is great - if the individuals have the money for such a wedding budget. With that amount of money they could do so very much more than most brides ever achieve in while designing their dream wedding, but if they don't have the money...

Or if they have the money but could make better use of it some other way... To buy that first house... to start a college fund for the children... to have a more memorable honeymoon... to start a business... whatever the reason!

Can you have a gorgeous, memorable wedding for less?

Absolutely.

All that is required is a little research, a bit of time prioritizing, and some planning for a dream wedding to come together that is truly as unique as the people involved.

Why?

Simply because most brides simply gather rather than plan and end up purchasing elements that do not really fit the wedding they are putting together. Likewise, by not understanding how the wedding industry works they end up paying too much.

Towards that end I am currently working to polish a book on how each element of the wedding industry works. I wanted it too be finished by now, but alas...

I'll let you know as soon as it is ready. Check back soon.

In the meantime, here are some simple suggestions to save money when planning a wedding:

• Reduce the number of guests
• Limit the number of attendants
• Use grazing stations filled with favorite delicacies instead of a sit-down dinner
• Have an alcohol -free receptions. If you have to have bar, have a cash bar, or close the bar during dinner
• Consider an off-season wedding (November through April) to reduce costs for the reception site (venue)
• Consider having your wedding on any day other than Saturday to reduce costs for the reception site

There is nothing wrong with wanting to mount a wedding that all will look back on with fondness. At the same time there is everything right with being wise in the use of your wedding budget.

I'm Dreamin...

Of untracked snow this Christmas morn... Family and loved ones nearby... Oh, and romantic engagement stories.

The holiday season, for whatever reason, is perhaps the most prolific engagement season of the year. And why not. There is something magical about this time of year as we come together to celebrate.

If you are the expectant bride what is there to do? He has already purchased the ring or he hasn't at this point, so what is there to do since you don't want to put any money down on plans until everything is official?

The answer? Dream. Prioritize. A good wedding is put together not by collecting all the traditional elements -that just leads to too much money spent on a wedding that is just like every other wedding in the bride's community - but by considering how to customize the wedding to fit their unique setting, values, and personality.

One idea that bears consideration: For most people their loved ones are scattered over a wide swath of the world. Consider scheduling the wedding in such a way that you can have a second, more intimate gathering after the reception or a day or two before the wedding. My brother-in-law did this. He rented a local coffee shop for both sides of the family to get together the day before the wedding for a special family Christmas celebration (He was married just before Christmas). It was a nice touch. Most likely he will never have both sides of the family together again and as such it made the entire event memorable.

Green Wedding Odd's & Ends

As I wrap up this series on greening your wedding plans I find myself with a couple final suggestions that could make a significant contribution to your efforts to use less resources while maintaining a beautifully memorable wedding celebration.

• Something Borrowed, Something Blue…: Well something borrowed anyway… Borrowing Grandma’s, Mom’s, or big Sis’ wedding dress makes a lot of sense, both for your budget and world wide resources – especially since you only wear the dress one time.
• Hire a string quartet or singer and accompanist to provide music: Yes, I have touched on this one before, but I believe this bears consideration. After all, little will do more to add a touch of class and elegance to a wedding reception than a live sting quartet or swing band (acoustic) besides, a disc jockey and all his equipment uses a lot of electricity. A string quartet or a singer with a piano player (acoustic) requires no more electricity than enough light to allow them to see their music – if they even need sheet music.
• Go paperless: Create a wedding website and use electronic invitations. This can save you money as well as limiting the natural resources you use - both on the invitations and on the postage! Besides, it is a great way to get your groom-to-be to take over significant parts of your wedding preparations!

Really, just like every other part of wedding planning, the act of planning a green wedding can be beneficial - and not only because it will respect the world's resources more, but because it forces each bride to reconsider each element of the wedding day and decide what is most important to her. That is what will make a memorable day.

Crystals of Winter and Early Spring Weddings

I'm sitting by my window looking out as the snow swirls - just in time for Christmas - drinking hot chocolate and thinking about wedding plans. The sun sparkling off the snow crystals... so beautiful.

For brides planning a winter wedding, how about a ski lodge motif? Or perhaps an ice castle design? Many have had success using a color scheme of silver and blues accented with snowflake themed wedding favors and crystal wedding cake jewelry like flowers of ice adorning the cake.

Want some fun for your winter wedding reception? Try renting a spotlight and a fog machine and have the fog rolling in and the lights dimmed just before you make your big entrance at the reception highlighted by the wash of the spotlight.

For brides planning an early spring wedding who do not already have their venue, why not consider renting a ski lodge after the ski season is over? There is just something magical about looking out on the snow - and it is even better with the sun reflecting off the snow.

In the meantime, sit back with a cup of steaming hot chocolate and watch the crystals of snow dance as you think through all the details of what will make your winter wedding unique.

Greening Your Wedding: Think Light

Daylight, that is. God supplies us plenty of lighting through the sun - especially during the traditional wedding seasons of the spring and fall. Make use of it.

• Plan a garden wedding
• Plan a beach wedding
• Get married by the lake or river
• Rent a hall during daylight hours with ample windows so that a minimum of lights are required

Finding a location or facility that works in this way is not as hard as it may seem. I know a church whose north facing back wall of the sanctuary is mostly glass, looking out onto their own private garden. This facility rarely needs general lighting during daylight hours.

Of course, there is nothing like an outdoor wedding for beauty and unless the wedding or reception is held in the evening, there is no need for lights. Instead, time your ceremony so that the two of you are literally riding off 'into the sunset' on your departure. It is a picture perfect way to complete the public celebration of your wedding and begin your private celebration.

Greening Your Wedding: Think Local

Another way to naturally green your wedding is to think local. Here are a couple ways to do so:

• Choose a facility in the neighborhood where you and your loved ones live so most, if not all of the participants can walk. This will save gas and congestion issues. In urban communities like the boroughs of New York, and in small towns across America where families tend to live close to one another, it makes a lot of sense to find a local spot where a beautiful wedding and reception can be put together without requiring everyone one involved to travel across town.
• Invite only local guests: In our mobile society this might not be practical. However, less travel means a smaller carbon footprint.
• Commit to choosing neighborhood wedding professionals and resources such as flowers and produce where possible. This will save gas and congestion in your community, build relationships within your community, and will help your local economy.

For those of us who grew up in a mobile society, the idea of limiting our celebration to the local community seems extreme. But a wedding that celebrates the contributions and distinctives of its local community could be a truly memorable event!

Think Intimate

Those who want to reduce the carbon footprint of their wedding should think in terms of an intimate wedding celebration. Is it really necessary to throw a bigger party than that bride did last year? Instead show how much you care by thinking small - and local. It will save you money and resources. Besides think how much more you could do if you don't need to pay to feed (and in some cases, house) a ton of out of town guests.

• Perhaps you could rent a string quartet or a swing band (brass, reeds, etc)
• Save money and gas by personally delivering the invitations via bicycle or horse drawn carriage
• Build a gazebo in a family member's yard for the wedding and years of memories
• Create a wedding garden that you can enjoy for years to come
• Come up with a creative way to arrive at the wedding - can you say, rickshaw?

Have fun. An intimate wedding can be every bit as memorable as a big wedding and perhaps more. At the same time, the potential is there to cut down on the use of resources, traffic congestion, and the money you have to spend all at the same time.

Greening Your Wedding

One word: Plants

There is nothing greener than... well, greenery - live that is. It's beautiful and healthy for the environment. Here are a couple ideas to incorporate plants into your wedding celebration:

Buy live (potted) plants as centerpieces and accent pieces and then arrange for them to be planted afterwards: Have guests take the live centerpieces home. Give the larger accent plants to members of the wedding party who have room to plant them in their yard or maintain the potted plant in their home.

Have a planting ceremony: If you are getting married at a location where you can get permission, say Uncle Joe’s mini ranch that has an unused portion of the property or a long driveway, purchase saplings and have all each of your guests plant one after the new couple plants a special tree to symbolize the strength and vitality of the new relationship. It will beautify the property and after a few years maybe Uncle Joe will have a family Christmas Tree Farm!

Give seed wedding favors: Even if the situation does not allow for live plants in the wedding celebration, seed wedding favors are a great way to help to green the wedding. There are a number of options available but they range from specially shaped papers with seeds embedded that the guests simply covers with soil and waters for a floral burst, to seed packets.

Happy greening!

Reduce Your Wedding's Carbon Footprint

There has been much talk about this issue recently. And really, who doesn't want to take good care of the planet we live on? At the same time, we want our wedding to be a special time when we can pull out all the stops and celebrate.

How do you balance the two? Do you? Do you simply forget about the environment on your wedding day because, 'it is a special, once in a lifetime event?' If being a good caretaker of the earth is important then being wasteful seems a little selfish. Doesn't it?

No one person can do everything, but over the next few days I want to continue to throw out some options that could both protect the beauty of the planet and add a fun or personal touch to your wedding.

Today's option:

Arrive & Depart Cinderella Style: Reduce the carbon footprint of a wedding by arriving and departing in a horse drawn carriage. Imagine pulling away in a gorgeously restored enclosed carriage with you and your new spouse waving to your loved ones from behind heavy velvet curtains and the driver sitting high atop the carriage. Or perhaps an open carriage is more appealing? Personally, I would choose a petite carriage pulled by a pair of adorable miniature horses. The cute factor is so over the top that this one touch alone is sure to make certain the wedding is something that will be looked back on with fondness for a long time.

Sure, it is a small thing, but a few small things tend to add up!

Want more right away? Check out my article on creating a Garden Wedding!