How to create a beautiful reception on a budgetThe wedding reception is the most expensive part of any wedding. The reception is based on two fees: the cost of the food per person and the cost of the venue. This is generally broken down to one cost per person. This is the cost that you will then need to base your guest list on. When the cost of the reception is thirty pounds per person and you invite one hundred people then the cost for the reception will only be around three thousand pounds. When the cost per person is fifty pounds and you invite fifty guests the cost for the reception will be only be approximately two thousand five hundred pounds. These are great prices and depending on where you live you can possibly get the cost down this low. This may be a challenge is you live in a major city. However, you can always find a way to get the price that you can afford per person. Here are some suggestions on how to dig up the very best possible prices on a reception. You can call local restaurants and ask them if they have a space that they will section off for your wedding reception. They will be able to give you a price based on the selection of items that you pull off of their regular menu. For example, you can select one type of salad and two different plates (the invitation to the reception will allow the guest to select their preference) along with two side dishes and a desert. You can ask for a small area to be created for the first dance. The restaurant will usually cater to your needs and may even have the wedding cake be a part of the cost. Having your wedding reception at a restaurant will save you money on some other items as well, for example, you will not need an MC. You will simply have the quiet restaurant music in the background until the first dance. You can get a wedding reception at a local restaurant to cost less than twenty pounds a plate. Be sure to ask for prices on buffet as well, the cost difference may make this option worth considering. You can also create a beautiful and cheap reception by having the reception in a garden. You will of course need to find an attractive looking and available garden. You can have loved ones bring dishes and deserts. This will remove the bulk of the cost of the wedding reception. You will then need to rent tables and chairs unless a local church that you or a loved one are affiliated with will loan you some. You can rent plates, eating utensils and linens or you can purchase disposable items for an easy cleanup and an even cheaper cost. Such a reception could get the cost per person down to four or five dollars per person. There are several ways to save money on your reception and to get a cheap reception without losing the quality and beauty of the special day. Another hidden expense can be found in horderves and drinks. Be sure to compare the cost of these items before you determine if there will be an open bar or one or two hours of horderves before the dinner starts. Saving money on a reception takes planning and preparation along with a good dose of creativity, a cheap reception can still be beautiful, romantic and all that you have been dreaming of. Source: www.countywedding .co.uk

Wonderful HoneymoonsOnce the stress of the wedding itself is out of the way, it’s time to look forward to a relaxing honeymoon. Unfortunately for many couples the honeymoon needs to be on a budget – particularly if the wedding itself has been an expensive one. Luckily if you find yourself in this situation it doesn’t have to lead to a disappointing honeymoon; you can still have a great time if you think creatively beforehand. First of all remember that you don’t have to break the bank to have a sensational honeymoon. There are lots of destinations and possibilities for having a wonderful time without having to attach a huge price tag to it. Try and set a budget for your honeymoon in advance so you know what your limitations are, and then think about the type of holiday you would like to have. Once you have that budget in mind, think about where you would like to go. Do you have a particular country or destination in mind? Don’t worry too much about your budget at the moment; simply make a list of possibilities and then you can figure out how you can make your ideas into reality. When you find somewhere you like start looking round at the different types of accommodation that are available. You can save a lot of money here if you are careful. For example a five star room might be nice and luxurious, but how much time will you actually be spending in it? If you want to be out and about and experiencing what the area has to offer, downgrade to a three or four star room. This alone can save you a lot of money. You could also bring down the cost of your accommodation by opting for self catering or half board instead of full board. This is actually a really good idea as it means you are free to eat wherever and whenever you like. And you don’t have to worry about getting up early for breakfast either – you can lie in if you want! Don’t automatically go for a package either. You can often get cheaper prices by being prepared to do some of the legwork yourself. For example look for your flights first and then find suitable accommodation to stay in. It isn’t that hard to do and if you have plenty of time you can make some good savings this way. Of course if you really want to splash out and enjoy the finest honeymoon you can afford, you could always go for a one week break instead of stretching your money out to pay for two weeks. Not everyone will like this idea but you may prefer it to having to cut down in other ways. In the end you can look for discounts, find bargain rooms, stay in less tourist centred places and find lots of other ways to cut down on costs. All those tiny savings you make will add up to a significant saving all in all. Source: www.countywedding .co.uk

Beautiful wedding..... But cheap!Planning a gorgeous wedding on a budget is possible. You can create your ideal wedding for less money than you might think. You can save money on your wedding by utilizing creativity and pulling on the talents and skills of friends and family. The average wedding cost in 2011 is a little over £18,000. This is the average across weddings from the most grand to the simplest. The grandest of weddings can include many hundreds of guests and they require extra help in planning which also can add to the expense. When you start out with a budget you are better able to control the cost of the wedding, here are some budget saving ideas that will stretch your money further than you imagined. The easiest way to keep the cost down is to keep the guest list at a minimum and to select an affordable venue. The reception can be held at a hotel, a local restaurant or even in a beautiful garden. Compare several venues and the cost and taste of their food as well. The food should taste good, the room should look great and the atmosphere should be perfect. Keep the list of who will be invited under control by determining how many people you can afford rather than who you want to invite. Once you determine the number that you can afford to invite, create the list of who you would like to attend. Another way to save money and to still invite everyone you desire to invite is by inviting the original uncut list of friends and family to the wedding ceremony, where you can have a tiny meeting area set up for after the ceremony. Everyone can enjoy eating finger foods and mingling for about an hour while you have your photos done. They will then enjoy seeing you leave the church and head off for a more intimate reception with just a few of your closest friends and relatives. This is socially acceptable and can create a warm, loving atmosphere for everyone while you keep the budget to a minimum. Purchase your wedding dress and the bridal party gowns off the peg rather than ordering them. There are larger department stores and bridal shops that sell dresses right off the peg and this can save you money when compared with shopping in a bridal boutique where you will be paying for the extra attention and the store atmosphere. In these larger stores you will be able to search through dresses based on your actual size rather than having to try on a larger size and order your size (because these smaller stores tend to have only one of two sizes in the actual store and all others must be ordered). At a store like this you may be able to purchase a wedding gown that would have cost five hundred and fifty pounds for only ninety two pounds. The savings on the wedding party dresses can also be quite substantial. A word of wisdom: focus on the wedding gown and the bridal party dresses on separate occasions because shopping for both at the same time can be overwhelming and detract from the pleasure of the day. Buying gowns and wedding dresses off of the peg can save you a lot of money and it helps you to select gowns that need fewer alterations and that look great. Alterations can be hundreds of pounds so be sure to select a gown that fits great and needs very little adjustments. You can save even more money if you know someone who sews they could do the alterations as their wedding gift to you. You can stay in budget by using online wedding planners rather than hiring a personal wedding consultant. You will need to find a site that offers wedding planning tools such as budget spreadsheet, a RSVP manager, a seating chart, gift registry, and a calendar with each important timelines. You can also save money by asking a friend who has recently prepared or created their wedding to give their planning services to you as a wedding gift. Planning a wedding on a budget really is possible, beautiful weddings can be created with the help of loved ones with skills in cooking, sewing or even in wedding design and coordination. Do ask for the help of others and plan a day that you will never forget. Enjoy utilizing your wedding budget to the maximum and get those pounds to stretch and stretch. Source: www.countywedding .co.uk

Budgeting!Weddings can cost thousands of pounds. It can be difficult to stick to even the most generous of budgets, so it is vital to make sure you stick to it if money is tight. The first task is to make sure you keep track of everything. If you don’t make notes you will find it extremely difficult to keep up with what you are spending. You might think you have made significant savings in several areas, but when everything is added together you might get a shock. You will also find it easier to stick to whatever budget you have if you give yourself as much time as is possible to organise the wedding itself. The shorter the time span you have available, the more likely you are to panic buy. Time is as much a pressure as budget, and trying to do too much in too short a time can be a very expensive way of planning a wedding. You should also get into the habit of shopping around for everything. You may well fall in love with the first wedding dress you see, but there is almost certainly going to be something even better which could come in at a much lower price. Make notes, take phone numbers and details – but walk away. Give yourself time to break out of that impulse buying mode and your budget will thank you for it. You can also think about using the services of friends and family to keep your costs down. The success of this method depends on who you know and what they can do. For example, do you have someone in the family who is a hairdresser? If you do it will save you the cost of hiring a hairdresser on the day. The same applies to anyone who is good enough at baking cakes to provide your wedding cake for you. You may still have to pay them, but you will probably get a much better rate than you would from a traditional shop. It is also important to remember that if you spend a significant amount of your budget on one specific thing, it will greatly reduce the amount you have to spend on other parts of your wedding. Think about the areas where you can reduce costs a lot. You can make your own wedding favours for example, buying everything individually to make up into boxes or bags yourself instead of buying them all ready made. Many things can be made cheaper if you are willing to spend a little more time instead of money to get them just right. And remember that enlisting the help of family and friends to help with specific tasks will also help you to keep those costs down. Sticking to a budget isn’t easy, but it can be an exciting challenge. You just need to be sure you approach it with the right frame of mind. Source: www.countywedding .co.uk