Save money on your wedding

5 ways to save on your wedding

Excerpt:

When it comes to wedding spending, bridal couples are tightening their sashes and cummerbunds. Since it peaked in 2007, the cost of the average American wedding has fallen by nearly a third, from $29,000 to $20,000, according to the Wedding Report.

Fortunately, couples are discovering that it's easy to cut wedding costs without skimping on food or subjecting guests to cash bars. Here are their top strategies:

The list

1. Don’t use the 'w' word (read the article for the explainaton!)
   
2. Have your reception in a restaurant
   
3. Bring your own music
   
4. Time it right - from Nov. 1 to March 31
   
5. Use nontraditional retailers - wedding rings at Costco!
   

Comments - I'll add my list

1. For Fathers. Set an amount well in advance. We've set the amount and told our daughter what our max contribution to the wedding will be (the exact amount is private to the Peet family!). I've told her that she can spend as much as she wants on her wedding, but my maximum contribution is $ ____. Why is this a good strategy? Because it is easy to spend someone else's money. (ask the Federal government).
   
2. Keep the guest list low
   
3. Don't have a meal at the reception. K and I had cake, nuts and mints. 35 1/2 years later we are still married.
   
4. Don't serve liquor at the reception. I recently heard of a reception with a $ 15,000 bar tab on Daddy's Visa
   
5. Buy a used wedding dress. You will only wear it once! Or just get married in a real nice dress!
   
6. Honeymoon in Minnesota or a state close to your home (like the North Shore of Minnesota!) (On the other hand avoid North Dakota or Iowa!)
   
   

Feel free to add to the list with your comments