Store Bargains

I've recently been in 4 Wal-Marts and there are a lot of wedding supplies on sale right now. I found unity candles on sale for $7 (originally $14), a unity candle holder for $9 (originally $20), and favor boxes 50% off. Good luck bargain shopping :-)

Wedding Planning Books

I just discovered that the best place to buy wedding planning books is www.half.com. There are many paperback books that you can purchase there for as little as $0.75. For instance, you can get the most up-to-date Bridal Bargains book (that I talked about in a previous post) for less than $5.

Step 2: Pick a Location

Now that you have set a date, the second step in planning your wedding is choosing your location. Here is about where 20% of your wedding budget comes in.

There are generally two locations that you need to think about - where to have the ceremony, and where to have the reception. Having your wedding at a church can be expensive, especially if you are not a member. Usually there are location/space fees and pastor fees, not to mention a fee for a sound technician. One way to save some cash is to have both your ceremony and reception at the same place.

When deciding on a location for your nuptials, take time to consider hidden costs: if you are getting married in your parents' garden (a nice way to save some dough), you'll need a tent, a dance floor, electrical wiring for the music, and access to bathrooms (which might mean that you'll need portable toilets). If you choose a space without glitz and glamour, you'll probably want flowers and other decorations to spice it up. Sometimes it can be cheaper to marry at a hotel or country club since they are equipped to accommodate weddings. The dance floor may be free (which is what happened with our wedding). You don't have to worry about bathrooms, and they have great ambiance.

Once you have an idea of what type of reception site you would like, make a draft guest list and decide how much you would like to spend. Get online and google wedding spaces where you would like to tie the knot.

Then call the manager of each site that fits your criteria. The number one question to ask is whether the space will be available on your date. Then the bigger question: what's the cost? What's included? Go see the space! Take a friend with you and check it out. Find out whether food can be catered by an outside vendor and whether you have to buy liquor from them (if you are having an open bar). How long can you have the space? Is gratuity included?

If the site is outside, ask about what happens in case of rain. Is it possible to put up a tent on the lawn?

Whenever you try to find a space, remember that no space is going to have everything that you want, and eventually you'll have to determine what is most important to you.

When you are ready to decide on a spot, make sure you get everything in writing.

Good luck!

Marry Our Daughter - Strange!

I stumbled across a very strange website today: MarryOurDaughter(dot)com.

It is a site where people can purchase teenage brides!!!!! Parents supposedly post information about their children and then present a cost for the marriage. Prices range from $5,000 to $70,000.

Here's a testimonial:

"Our 15 year old daughter Mary wasn't very popular and did nothing but mope around the house bringing everybody down, so we decided to marry her off through your site. Now our house is a lot cheerier and we love our new swimming pool and Jaccuzi! We've told our youngest that when she turns 15 we're going to marry her off too!"

Gross and wrong!

Before you get too excited boys, the site is a fake. The person who created the site fessed up to a New York Times' blog:

"Contacted through MarryOurDaughter this morning, Mr. Ordover quickly conceded the page was a parody aimed at drawing attention to inconsistencies in state marriage laws. States consider it a crime for adults to have sex with minors, but they allow kids as young as 12 to get married with parental and sometime judicial permission" (http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/09/12/marry-our-daughter-just-a-hoax).

I wonder how many guys tried to buy brides before finding out the site was a fake......

Step 1: Set the Date!

One of the first thing that you have to decide when planning a wedding is setting a date. There are many things to keep in mind when deciding on you wedding date, especially if you want to save a little money.

If you decide to marry during a holiday, not only will reception halls be harder to reserve due to holiday parties, but it may also more expensive. Vendors (such as bakers, caterers, etc.) may charge more during the holidays.

The month that you marry also matters. Everyone would like to be a summer bride - but certain months are cheaper to tie the knot. Try January through March (but stay away from Feb. 14th).

The day of the week is also important. Choosing something other than a Saturday evening wedding will save you money in the end. A lunch for 100 guests is always cheaper than a dinner for 100.

Wedding Costs are Overwhelming

These days, the average cost of a wedding is around $30,000! Yeah - $30,000! In other words, the cost of a downpayment on a $150,000 house (calculated based on traditional downpayment costs). Personally, I'd rather spend that type of cash on a place where I will live the rest of my life than on one day of my life.

Wedding costs can be overwhelming!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret - you don't have to spend $30,000 to have a beautiful event for 200 guests. You don't even have to spend $20,000 to have a classy affair.

A lot of people who have survived wedding planning will tell you that it always seems that prices of things are inflated as soon as vendors hear the word "wedding." Call up a hall and tell them that you need to see if their space is available for a weekend a year away. Chances are, the hall coordinator will ask what the event is that you need to have at the hall. Tell them that it is for a family reunion or birthday. Get a quote. Tell them "thank you," hang up, and call again tomorrow. Then tell them that you want the same date and that it is for a wedding. See if they give you a different quote.

As soon as vendors hear "wedding," they assume that you are going to spend whatever they price to you for their services.

Here's a video that portrays this idea. If you are engaged - you should watch this with your fiance.

Store Specials

Attention All "Trailer Trash Brides" (i.e. Brides Trying to Save Some Dough):

Last night I went shopping in Big Lots (I'm in there fairly regularly) and I wanted to alert you to some of the wedding items they now have in their store. Hallmark has recently teamed up with Big Lots and has been sending wedding items to their stores. Big Lots now has Hallmark cake toppers (which are really pretty), wedding scrapbooks, picture albums, toasting flutes, and picture frames along with other wedding items. I bought a couple picture frames which were originally $20 and were priced at $4.

Also, Home Interiors Co. has also teamed up with Big Lots. I found lots of sheer white ribbon for $1 per spool. Great buy, especially for those decorating with bows!

My First Marriage Planning Purchase

Patrick and I got engaged on April 17th, 2007. After a week of being on cloud nine, I began to realize that we had a lot to do to throw the wedding we wanted. We set the wedding date - May 17, 2008 - and started thinking about where we wanted to have the wedding. That's where the sticker shock started to creep in. We wanted to have a nice wedding, but did not want to break the bank. Very soon I realized that I wouldn't be able to plan our wedding without a little advice. Hiring a wedding planner would be fairly expensive - most charge around 10% of your wedding budget. I figured someone must have published something on this topic.

I made my way to Borders and searched their very large bridal planning section. If you haven't checked out Border's wedding section, step in there sometime. They have books regarding any type of wedding that you want to throw - even "How to Have an Elegant Wedding for $5,000 (or less)."

I ended up buying a book that I just could not put down: "Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget." This book has some great advice for any bride trying to pinch pennies during the wedding planning process. The book is well organized. For instance, if you want to save money on your wedding gown, you can flip to the attire section and check out the list of websites offering gowns at low prices. The detail that this book gives is wonderful. I would strongly suggest this book to anyone trying to plan a nice wedding on a low budget.

New Background.... New Purpose

As many of you probably remember, The Trailer Trash Bride was created as a way for me to vent about the stresses that come with getting married. Now the wedding is over.... and a lot of the stress is gone.

I feel as though I have a lot of advice to give to newly engaged couples, especially those trying to plan a beautiful wedding on a small budget. I did it myself - from buying my centerpieces at Goodwill to buying my dress at a consignment shop. I also believe I can offer advice on family stresses during the pre-ceremony time.

This blog is therefore dedicated to providing advice to those who seek it.

Read on... and enjoy!!