Your wedding will be one of the happiest, most romantic, and most expensive events of your life. Before you walk down the aisle, make sure your big day doesn’t outweigh your budget. Save thousands with several cost-cutting tips I picked up while planning my own nuptials.
By Stacy Rapacon
Produced by: Amy Pollak

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6 EASY WAYS TO SAVE $10,000 ON YOUR WEDDING

Watch out for service charges and taxes that can drive initial price quotes much higher. While shopping for venues, my fiancé and I realized that one place’s $156-per-person rate – which included a 20% service charge and New Jersey’s 7% sales tax – was actually less costly than another venue’s seemingly lower $140-per-person price quote that excluded those charges.
Also ask about ceremony and rental fees, any discounts for minors, and cost of meals for children and vendors such as band members and photographers.

Savings: $4,360 for 200-guest affair at the first venue

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VENUE

We found the perfect invitations with matching save-the-date announcements at an upscale stationery store. But at more than $2,000 for 125 of them, excluding any extra printing fees, the price was less than perfect. Instead, we mixed and matched items for invitations and all of our stationery, via WeddingPaperDivas.com and MyGatsby.com to create similar substitutes for half the cost, including shipping and printing fees.

Savings: $1,000
For even less costly invites, a couple friends suggested Gartner Studios stationery, available at Michael’s, Target, FedEx Office and other retailers. You’ll spend extra time assembling and printing everything yourself, but all the supplies will only cost you about $400.

Savings: $1,600

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INVITATIONS & PROGRAMS

Set up a wedding Web site, like we did, to save money on printing and postage. There are also tools galore to help make the process more organized. With many sites, you can create a wedding budget, and maintain both a guest and gift tracker. Plus, you can send out electronic save-the-dates and have guests RSVP online, saving you the stationery and postage costs.
WedQuarters.com costs $20 for six months, and MyWedding.com and TheKnot.com are free. Because it included a template design we liked, we’re using WeddingWindow.com for a $59 six-month term.

Savings: $430

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COMMUNICATING WITH GUESTS

For a bargain gown, brave the infamous Filene’s Basement annual bridal sale, where my friend Kyaiera, pictured right, for example, scored the dress for her August 2008 wedding – originally marked $3,000 – for $250.
Savings: $2,750

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THE WEDDING DRESS

The wedding day is one of the most photographed days of your life. Hiring a photographer can eat up about 15% to 25% of your wedding budget -- or, on average, $4,000. But keep in mind: Your guests take tons of pictures of your big day, too.
For a $500 rental fee, the Kedai console allows guests to upload their photos from their own memory cards. You'll get more shots from more angles of all the activity on your big day. The bride and groom then simply log in to an online gallery to download photos and print them (an additional cost) from their favorite photo-fulfillment site such as Snapfish.

Savings: $3,500

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Some people might think it a tacky request, but a lot of us couples would much rather get an envelope stuffed with green than that $300 mixer recommended for every registry. To encourage cash gifts, couples can set up bridal savings accounts or credit-union accounts called MatriMoney.
With either, your guests can deposit money directly into the account. Some banks limit the use of accounts to helping the newlyweds buy a new home. Ask your bank or credit union if these accounts are available.

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MONEY GIFTS