If you thought weddings always had to be expensive think again. A wedding does not have to be expensive and extravagant and while most little girls may dream of a having fairy tale wedding fit for a princess, the adult reality rarely follows their dreams. It is entirely possible to have an affordable wedding that is still memorable and beautiful. Planning a small cheap wedding is easy with a little creative thought. First, give yourself plenty of time for the planning process. This will ensure you have enough time available to check around for the best prices. Comparison shopping is one of the best ways to save money on all your wedding needs.

Reducing the size of the event can make a huge difference to the costs. The first area where you can save is the venue. Since you are planning a small wedding, then a smaller location such as an attractive backyard can work perfectly as a wedding location. Even a public park or garden can be a beautiful yet affordable place to tie the knot. When shopping for your bridal gown, head to wedding apparel outlets and clearance sales whenever possible. You can sometimes save hundreds of dollars this way. For the photos, hire a photographer who’s just starting out. Someone new to their business will be more willing to work for less in an attempt to build their portfolio. Need a DJ? Rather than paying for a costly professional, recruit a music-minded pal to spin the tunes.

What about the decorations? This is another area where money can easily be saved. Try making them yourself rather than buying them pre-made. Something cheap yet beautiful for any table centerpiece is a pretty glass water bowl with floating candles on the surface. Or, make your own flower centerpieces with cheap vases and silk flowers. Balloons and streamers can bring a festive look to any event for a bargain price. When buying fresh flowers, choose seasonal blooms because they are usually cheaper but they will be appropriate for the season. Then there’s the wedding cake. If you have a friend or family member who is a hobbyist baker, see if they will make your wedding cake. If you must hire someone to do the job, choose a baker with a small home business as their prices will often be more affordable than a large catering company.

So, a wonderful wedding need not be a massive expensive event. As you can see, there are lots of great tips out there for planning a small cheap wedding. If you are good at bargain hunting, you can save money on everything from the invitations to the honeymoon. It’s a good idea to take some notes when comparing services and prices so you won’t forget anything when you sit down to make your decision. As a woman who had her own small, cheap wedding, I can tell you that it was no less special or memorable for me or my husband than if it had been large and expensive. What matters most is the moment a couple joins together as husband and wife in the presence of their loved ones — not how much money everything costs!

Tina Gold

When you start out to on planning a wedding many people like to prepare many months ahead and there is a lot to do so begin as early as possible. It can all be a little overwhelming when you start to think about what you need to do so here are a few wedding planning ideas that should help you think about what you want and what is possible.

The most important thing is to set the date of the wedding. When deciding on a date think about the season you would like to tie the knot in. The season can set the scene for your wedding and a spring wedding could incorporate spring flowers like daisies and tulips and use spring colors like pale pastels and natural shades such as grass green. For a summer wedding you might like to go for summery themes such as a beach on a tropical island using bright blooms and seashells as decorations. The fall gives you the opportunity to use deeper autumnal colors and to feed your guests you could go with a pumpkin flavored wedding cake frosted with faux autumn leaves. Winter weddings can have holiday themes with a wedding that features sparkling crystals and snowflakes.

With the date decided on and some ideas about your theme and color scheme the next thing to decide on will be the location. You may be planning a traditional church ceremony or go for something rather more casual with a ceremony in your backyard, at a park or even at a beach resort. Destination weddings are very popular and many couples are choosing to marry on the beach, in Las Vegas or somewhere even more exotic. Having chosen the date and the location you will want to get down to the practical details like choosing who to invite and sending out the wedding invitations. Make sure that your invitations include all the details of where and when the wedding will be held. If you would like to specify a dress code make sure you let people know in plenty of time and be sure to tell your guests of your plans for wedding colors and the theme of your wedding.

When you are looking for wedding planning ideas you will find it a great help to browse through some of the many bridal magazines available. Keep a notebook just to write down anything you read or hear about that you would like to include in your wedding plans. If you want to be really organized you could set out a timeline for all of the wedding planning processes outlining exactly when you must deal with the different parts of the wedding planning. If you can afford it you might like to think about hiring a professional wedding planner who can be in control of the whole process and make sure everything gets done on time. For some brides having a professional planner makes life much easier and less stressful but others enjoy all of the preparation and the planning on their own. Planning your big day is a very exciting but also daunting challenge and while it may get stressful at times, it should also be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Geraldine

Years ago wedding planning would be a simple affair. A few friends and relatives would gather and celebrate the happy couple making their start on life together.They were small and intimate affairs where mothers and blushing brides spent a year planning and dreaming about the special day. Most of their jobs consisted of calling the local florist who made very traditional arrangements and flowers for the wedding party, talking to the local minister, and choosing and writing invitations. Of course, they also had the thrill of finding a wedding dress and the dresses for the bridesmaids. There were other small details but nothing a determined mother-of-the-bride couldn’t handle. The reception was literally a piece of cake. The local bakery provided the cake and the church ladies added punch. Don’t faint but most brides used paper products so there would be no mess to clean up. The wedding and reception lasted around two hours and then it was off to the honeymoon. That was then but this is now and a lot more is expected of a wedding day.

The times are very different and planning a wedding today is not for the fainthearted or those who are not up for a challenge. When weddings developed into larger affairs and became extravaganzas, brides and their mothers began looking for help. They began to hire people to help them organize the big day and they invented the role of the wedding planner. The wedding planner becomes an indispensable part of the family for the duration of the engagement period.  Just to keep things simple we will refer here to wedding planners as female even though there are many men who are great wedding planners. It is important that the wedding planner can be a person who will be all things to all people. The tasks involved in planning a wedding mean she wears so many hats that she would have to have ten heads to park them all.

The start of the procedure is that the wedding planner needs to meet with the bride and her mother and the fiancé if he is interested, and is best if he is involved. Sometimes and bride and her fiancé plan the wedding alone especially if the couple is older. This first meeting is very important because the bride and her wedding planner must be a good fit. The first meeting is almost like a courting ritual because the wedding planner must exemplify faith and friendship to the bride as she will be helping to plan the most important day in the bride’s life. If the ‘date’ works out for all parties, then a contract will be signed. The wedding planner should make a list all of wedding planner duties and, of course, they must agree on a commission for the planner.  To discus the finance it might be best if Dad, or whoever is paying, should also be present for the first meeting. Generally, a deposit is expected after all aspects of the wedding are decided upon.

When you have agreed a deal with your wedding planner the actual planning can begin. Most brides have already done a bit of wedding planning ahead of time. Some brides already have a wish book to show her wedding planner. Together they need to decide on a theme. Yes, you have to have a theme to have a wedding. All of the planning revolves around the theme and, even more importantly, the budget. They also must come up with a color scheme, table decorations, reception arrangements, a wedding hall, church decorations, outfits for the wedding party, caterers, and a thousand other details. The list goes on and on.

The main task for the wedding planner is to take care of all those little details of the wedding both large and small. She keeps the bride from being stressed and makes every wedding perfect. She is the fairy godmother for every princess bride. Even though the job of wedding planner can be stressful the benefits are huge. One wedding planner I heard about said that she gets to spend her whole life helping people enjoy the happiest day of a their life by removing all the pressure of running the wedding planning. There may not be many jobs as good as that.