In our last article "Fabulous Weddings", we wrote about the wedding budget and the wedding "brain".

A little thought and creativity in the area of wedding savings will definitely go a long way to help you have a wonderful wedding. There are so many ways to cut wedding costs without sacrificing your dreams. Stay true to yourself while you consider all the options.

We have 10 wedding money saving strategies to help you stick to your budget and have the wedding you always dreamed of!

1) Priorities

Make a list of priorities depending on the level of importance to you, your fiancé, family and the wedding party. Is it the location, ceremony, the dress, the food?

2) Pre-Wedding Savings Plans

Systematic savings always works the best, especially if you've got the time in which to do it. Try to save as much as possible in the months before your wedding. Open an account in a credit union, money market funds, or CD's, and try to get higher interest rates on your savings.

In addition, set up a reserve account. That money is for the needed extra expenses. Somewhere along the line, something is going to cost more than you had expected. Don't go over the amount in your reserve account.

3) Bridal Loans

Some banks offer wedding loans that can be paid off over a long period of time. The interest rates vary from bank to bank but are generally less than credit cards. If you are lucky enough to own a house, perhaps you can get a better interest rate on a home equity loan.

4) Tapping your Family Resources

Today, everybody is involved in paying for the wedding, since the average wedding costs at least $25,000. That includes the bride's parents, the groom's parents, and very often, the bride and groom themselves who may pay a large portion.

If an engaged couple wants the groom's parents to pitch in, the right etiquette is that the groom does the asking. Also, if both sets of parents are paying for the wedding equally, both of their names should be included in the invitation.

5) Sponsors.

Engaged couples might ask wedding vendors to solicit free or discounted services in exchange for advertising their name on the wedding program. 
It helps both parties as word of mouth is one of the best ways to market services and bridal couples can offset their wedding costs. Be prepared to put in some time and energy make sure you have a written agreement with the vendor.

6) Discounts

Make sure you ask for a discount when doing your bridal shopping. Many brides don't realize that almost everything really is negotiable, but you do have to ask for what you want. This might not work as well in wedding specialty shops or major department stores, but it can work in craft stores, decor stores, invitation and other favor type locations.

7) Quotes

Make sure you get at least 3 quotes per service that you are interested in. Prices can really fluctuate between vendors, so it pays to shop around.

8) Timing

Have your wedding off-season and not in the usual wedding months. This can be the slow season for vendors and planners and they can be more willing to offer and negotiate discounts for services. During holidays, these services often raise their prices, especially at Christmas. The same can be true for holding your wedding on a day other than Saturday.

9) Calls

Keep in touch with all the wedding vendors you have secured for the wedding by phone. Every so often a vendor may go out of business! You want to be prepared for any possibilities and not lose precious money, time and memories over a bankruptcy or other problem with a business.

10) Contracts

Keep records of all conversations, appointments, phone calls, contracts and receipts, just in case you don't get everything you paid for, or in case you are overcharged. Make sure all of your questions have been answered and write notes while talking it over with the vendor. Read it carefully and remember, this is a legally binding document that you will be signing, so make sure everything is covered in writing before adding your signature.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you and your husband will be married and ready to begin your lives together.

The day after your wedding, you will wake up and all that's left of the wedding are the photos, the gifts, the leftover cake and the beautiful memories.

Do you need to spend a lot of money to create beautiful memories?

Ezine Expert Authors:

Sandra Reid MA, CHT, financial, life, weight coaching, reiki, EFT

Mitta Vicki Wise  RN, CHT, abundance coaching, EFT, TAT, reflexology

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