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.

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!

Cinderella Wedding Arrival Style

Cinderella wedding themes have been popular for a long time and I suspect they will continue to be popular for a long time to come - precisely because the theme resonates so deeply with how we feel about the beauty of our love. Toward that end brides often try to build a Cinderella themed wedding by giving out Cinderella themed wedding favors and using castle cake toppers. They commission castle shaped ice sculptures (as pictured to the left) and rent a sword for the groom and groomsmen to wear on their hip during the ceremony.

But... What if there was a way to take the Cinderella wedding theme to the next level? And what if by doing so you were also helping to cut back on the carbon footprint of your wedding?

Imagine arriving and later pulling away in a gorgeously restored enclosed carriage with yourself and your new spouse waving to your loved ones from behind the privacy of heavy velvet curtains and the driver sitting high atop the carriage. Or perhaps an open carriage is more appealing? Would that not make you feel truly like you had your fairytale ending?

Personally, I would choose a petite carriage pulled by a pair of adorable miniature horses. True, it is not as regal as a carriage drawn by Clydesdale's but the cute factor is way over the top and it would make the event one of the most memorable in a long time.

What better way to build a Cinderella themed wedding and reduce your carbon footprint than to use a horse drawn carriage for your arrival and get-away as horses burn zero fossil fuels!

Military Brides Save on Wedding Dresses

I only just learned about this myself or I would have written about it sooner... Brides Across America http://www.bridesacrossamerica.com/ has arranged an opportunity for Military Brides to recieve free wedding dresses in honor of Veteran's Day. In most cases the event is held tomorrow, November 11th, but in few cases it is already past and at least one is not until the 16th according to their website.

Of course the wedding gown give-away has requirements and limitations. Be prepared to show your military ID including deployment papers. I have heard that they require that either the bride herself be in the military OR that the groom be deployed to Iraq or Afganistan, but I have not been able to verify that. Of course, you can be certain that they will want some assurance that the bride actually be a bride - in other words, that she is engaged.

As this is a give away, remember that stock might be limited so if you are interested do not delay as you can be certain everything is first come, first served. Still, this sounds like a great way to reinforce to our military personel how much they are valued by helping at least a few miltary brides to stretch their budget with a free wedding dress.

Tomorrow I will continue with the current series on ways to prepare for your wedding and protect your budget at the same time.

How Weddings and Funerals Really are Alike

Well, I'm back. Sort of... Grief is like a wedding, the event is only the beginning. In the case of a wedding it's all about growing the relationship and creating something that is as beautiful (or more beautiful) as the wedding itself. Grief is about cleaning and healing the wound afterwards - but even that is something like a wedding, because in the end we all want to see stronger, healthier relationships as a result of our efforts and experiences.