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Put on a Memorable
Wedding without Spending a Small Fortune
(ARA) - A wedding is perhaps
the most expensive endeavor many people will ever face. Some
couples get lucky and the bride’s parents agree to pick
up all the expenses, but more often, the bride and groom are
footing at least a portion of the bill themselves.
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Once you start adding up the
cost of invitations, the reception location, flowers, entertainment,
food, the cake and mementos for your guests, the numbers can
become astronomical. According to Bride’s Magazine, the
average cost of a wedding today can easily exceed $19,000.
Since most couples have a tight
budget for their special day, they end up improvising, and don’t
necessarily achieve the memorable celebration they have dreamed
about. “A wedding is the most important day in a couple’s
life and should be a joyous event, not something that breaks
the bank,” says Loann Campbell, a wedding buyer who works
with Michaels Arts and Crafts stores -- one of the nation’s
largest providers of wedding supplies. “There’s so
much you can do on your own to save money and Michaels stores
around the country have the little details, as well as the ideas
and inspiration to help you create the perfect wedding.”
Among the possibilities: you
can create your own invitations, place cards, thank you cards,
decorations that will adorn the reception hall and cake, wedding
favors, and even the bride’s veil. |
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* Invitations
The style of your wedding invitation
will set the tone of your wedding, letting guests know if it’s
an elegant, formal affair or a more casual gathering. According
to “Bride’s Millennium Report: Wedding Love & Money,”
you can expect to spend about $327 on invitations, announcements
and thank you notes if you purchase them from a custom printer.
Making them yourself will cost just a fraction of that amount
and allow you to express your personal style.
“We have a large selection
of decorative papers, inks and rubber stamps at Michaels that
allow people to include a personal touch on their invitations,”
says Campbell. “You can create something yourself that will
have a custom look, at a fraction of the cost.”
Depending upon the type of paper
you choose, including card stock, sheer vellum, or hand-made
styles, you can get 50 invitations and response cards for as
little as $30. The invitations can either be hand-written, printed
on your home computer, or stamped, eliminating the need for an
expensive printing service.
* Flowers and Decorations
With the improved quality and
wide variety available, silk flowers are a great option for brides
today. Instead of ordering live flowers, which cost an average
of $750 for a wedding, consider purchasing silk ones. They won’t
wilt, don’t need to be kept in water, and look great in
everything from bridal bouquets to table centerpieces and cake
decorations.
In addition to flowers, many
brides choose to include candles on the tables. The softness
and warmth of candlelight has an incredible effect on floral
centerpieces while providing a soothing atmosphere for guests.
“Votives placed in plain glass candle holders can easily
be etched with the couples names and the wedding date, which
makes for an inexpensive yet wonderful, personal touch,”
says Campbell. * Bride’s Gown and Veil
One of the most frequently overlooked
areas to save money is on the bride’s wedding gown and veil.
Check out consignment shops for vintage or second-hand wedding
gowns. If you find one there, you can expect to spend between
$200 and $600 versus $800 minimum for a new dress.
Bridal veils can be created inexpensively
with a minimum of time and effort. Combine a length of tulle
with a beautiful tiara or headpiece to create a picture perfect
bridal veil for one-tenth the retail cost of a pre-made veil.
Beads, silk floral picks and ribbon can be easily added to any
veil, made or store bought, giving the bride the opportunity
to include her own style.
“Making a bridal veil not
only saves money but also gives you the chance to design the
perfect complement to your dress,” says Campbell.
* Mementos for the party guests
It is customary for the bride
and groom to leave small tokens of appreciation on each table
for their guests. This is another place where the bride can add
her own personal touch. Among the more popular do-it-yourself
favors: handmade soap nicely wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon,
etched champagne glasses, embossed candles, and reusable picture
frames, which can be personalized with a removable photo of the
bride and groom, or used to hold place cards. Look for more innovative
favors and decorations at www.michaels.com.
* Keeping the Memories Alive
The wedding day is the culmination
of months spent researching, planning and scheduling. Brides
not only pour their heart and soul, but also a little blood,
sweat and tears, into creating the event they hope to remember
for a lifetime. Wedding planners agree that photography is one
area of your wedding where quality should come before budget.
Photographers capture unique, memorable moments on film, giving
the bride and groom and their family keepsakes of the momentous
celebration.
When it comes time to preserve
all the memories of your special day, consider custom framing.
Custom framing offers many benefits over traditional store bought
frames, such as a wider variety of mats, glass and frames, as
well as conservation glass and acid free mats if you choose.
These custom details will seal your wedding photographs from
moisture and prevent yellowing over time. To ensure that your
photos are preserved appropriately, select a certified custom
framer such as Michaels to handle your treasures. In addition
to ensuring your photos are handled appropriately, certified
framers can also help you select from an extensive selection
of innovative frames and mats, to help you create the perfect
wedding masterpiece.
One more way to capture all of
the important moments of the wedding day is to create a personalized
scrapbook of the entire event. Scrapbooking is a unique way to
capture not only the pictures from the wedding but also lets
the bride preserve the feelings and emotions from her special
day, utilizing handmade papers, decorative details and the use
of handwritten journaling.
The Average Amount You Can Expect to
Spend on a Wedding according to Bride’s Millennium Report:
Wedding Love & Money
- Invitations, Announcements,
Thank You Notes, etc., $327
- Bouquets and Other Flowers,
$756
- Photography and Videography,
$1,311
- Music, $830
- Clergy, Church, Chapel, or Synagogue
Fee, $232
- Limousine, $393
- Attendants’ Gifts, $308
- Wedding Rings (Bride and Groom),
$1,016
- Engagement Ring, $3,044
- Bride’s Wedding Dress,
$823
- Bride’s Headpiece/Veil,
$166
- Bridal Attendants' Apparel (5
attendants), $790
- Mother of the Bride's Apparel,
$231
- Groom's Formalwear (Rented),
$95
- Men's Formalwear (Ushers, Best
Man), $449
- Wedding Reception, $7,635
- Grand Total $19,104
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