Save Money On Your Wedding

It’s wedding season, and the biggest thing to keep in mind is that your guests don't care about the marriage part of it (that’s for your parents). Your guests just want an open bar, and good food at the reception... Which can be pricey. It’s not Kittellian to deprive people of these needs (that would be cheap). If you don't drink, and feel alcohol might be inappropriate at your reception... Just don't serve booze. Stick to your morals and let people judge you as they see fit. Cash bars are more insulting than no bars. Here are other ways to extend your wedding budget.

Do your own flowers:

If you get married in the winter, you're pretty much screwed paying a florist. An early summer wedding budget can benefit from inexpensive tulips, or gorgeous lilies. An August wedding can be dressed up with dahlias. If you have a farmers market nearby, making arrangements directly with vendors can fetch you huge savings. I went to a dahlia farm in a neighboring town and picked out flowers with my fiancé. On the day before the wedding we picked them up in 5 gallon buckets. Then the ladies in the friends & family network assembled bouquets the night before over bottles of wine. And these flowers don't need any accompaniment; they look perfect bundled in vases by themselves. We spent under 200 bucks on our flowers, and that covered all the bouquets, boutonnieres, aisle decorations and reception table settings.

Choose one flavor of cake:

If you select two flavors of cake, each guest will try both flavors, and will end up eating twice as much cake. This will result in you having to purchase more cake than normal, or running out of cake. In the latter case, your guests won't remember you fudging your vows; they'll remember not getting cake. While cupcakes are kitschy and cute, another way to save with the cake is to have a small round-tiered cake made for the cutting ceremony (and for clogging your freezer for a year), and then have a huge sheet cake for the masses. Preferably with some witty quote like: “Most of your gifts will be returned to pay for this damn cake.”

Limos are lame:

Most of us know someone with a bitchin' car. And that person is probably already coming to the wedding. In trade for a wedding gift, have that person drive you from the chapel to the reception. The car owner will get a kick out of being included, and the newlyweds get to add some spice to their wedding album. From Bentleys to Barracudas, bitchin' is totally up to you. My bride and I rode in a blushing 1940 Ford convertible. Luckily, the 50 bobby pins in her hair kept everything together.

Wedding favors:

...are totally lost on most of the drunks leaving your reception. Most of the favors will go home with you, because people don't really care. Unless the goodies are cookies, cash or ibuprofen… just save yourself the investment.

Remember, nothing is more threatening to a marriage than financial struggles. Start your life together on the right foot. Live long and Kittellian!