Friends of Mr. Heather and I recently got married but instead of having just a traditional wedding, the couple went on a wedding tour. They didn’t want/couldn’t afford a big blowout wedding, so they got married quietly with just close family and friends. Then, they had a few mini, low key, casual receptions to visit and celebrate with everyone else. It was so well executed that I just had to share the idea with all of you because it brings huge wedding savings.

One of the biggest wedding budget-busters is the ever growing guest list. And, one of the biggest wedding frustrations, is the “wedding surcharge” that seems to be added to normally reasonably priced items. This couple was able to have a very small, reasonable wedding because they eliminated the guest list. Their ceremony was intimate and folks were OK with that… they knew they were going to help celebrate later, and no one was left out. And, when they had their mini-celebrations, they eliminated the “wedding surcharge” because they were no longer purchasing a “wedding cake” or “wedding flowers”. In a smaller atmosphere, a handmade floral arrangement and music from the iPod was welcome. Not to mention, they were able to celebrate and focus a lot more on their guests.

If you have a lot of guests, think about taking your wedding on tour to find some savings… but be careful ladies, a wedding tour does not mean multiple weddings!

As Jessie said, we’ve been bad bloggers, and we’re very sorry. I have good news though… I’ve earned my M-R-S, and now there is a Mr. Heather! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.  So, in the spirit of having fun, I thought y’all should take a look at this hysterical post about 15 years of wedding bliss and a 5 foot metal chicken: click here! Mr. Heather and I aren’t quite there yet…

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Heather

No, I am not talking about the voted #1 Wedding Location: Oheka Castle

I am referring to having one location for your ceremony and reception.  Using the same venue for all of your wedding events will increase your wedding savings and be more convenient for you, your guests, and your vendors.

Most venues are able and happy to flip any space within a cocktail hour.  Having only one location will cut the cost for event space.  Also, you can just have one set of decorations instead of having two separate sets (one set for the ceremony and one set for the reception).  And if your vendors are on an hourly rate, they will need less time for set-up and tear down.  Furthermore, you can cut transportation expenses for your wedding party and guests because there won’t be any need!

I’ve talked a lot about wedding savings tips, but how about some tips to save for a wedding?  Yes, we all know to not buy brand products, or to cut back on the coffee runs, but here are some ways to cut your expenses and save money for your big day:

1.  Evaluate and categorize your spending.  Figure out exactly how much money you spend on your bills and how much money you spend on fun time.  Take a hard look at how much your extravagant or unnecessary purchases are costing you.

2.  Make a budget.  Figure out how much money you actually need to pay for the mandatory things in your life.  Yes, fun and pleasure are mandatory and should be their own budget line.

3.  After making your budget, figure out how much money you can save.  Make savings goals and projections to figure out how much money you can save over time.

4.  Keep a record of everything you spend each month to re-evaluate if your budget or your savings need to be adjusted.

I like to think most brides try to get a little crafty for their wedding, and that those same brides don’t have a stock pile of craft supplies ar0und.  Well, that’s definitely my scenario.  For example, I am going to make our rehearsal dinner invitations.  No, they will not be anything super fancy but I am going to borrow my office’s paper cutter for the weekend.  Sure, I could buy a paper cutter… but when am I going to use it again?  I also might use one of our printers to run the invites off.  Yes, I do have a printer at home but the one at the office is quicker and I won’t use up all of our ink!

If your office isn’t equipped with useful tools, or your wedding usage would not be encouraged, then check with your friends and family.  You might be surprised as to what their offices have and they can borrow.  Now, don’t go all re-con to get the materials, and don’t get greedy with what you take.  You won’t be able to pay for your wedding if you get fired!  I will definitely ask my office manager if I can borrow the paper cutter for the weekend… if he says no maybe I will just bring everything into the office and stay late one day.

I went to a friend’s wedding this weekend and she had a really great guest book.  She and her fiance made a photo book/guest book out of their engagement photos which lead me to do some research…

Apparently, you can easily and inexpensively get a really nice book of your photos online (check out Shutterfly or MyPublisher for two examples).  What a great present idea for parents!

…don’t pay for celebrity appearances!  The New York Daily News can give you more details here.

Looks better than new pots and pan, right?

Here’s a bit of a novel idea. Sure, you can register for things like new towels. But let me ask you this. Is registering for new towels really a form of responsible weddings savings? I mean, let’s be honest… it’s not like you’ve gone all these years without towels and now, only once you’ve gotten married, will you finally be able to dry yourself off properly after a shower. Sure, your towels might be mismatched or have bleach spots, but do they dry you off? I bet they do. So do you absolutely NEED to register for new towels? What if your option was registering for a trip to Hawaii? Or registering for a cruise to the Greek Isles? I bet now those old towels aren’t looking so mismatched after all, huh?

There’s a new thing available to engaged couples called Travel Registries, and this wedding blog wants to take a moment to talk about them. Essentially, Travel Registries let you register for the honeymoon you’d like to take, and then, instead of having your guests purchase pieces of cookware you’ll probably never use, they can put money toward your post-wedding love jaunt. And it doesn’t just have to be things like helping pay for tickets or hotels. Travel Registries let your guests buy you certain activities. For example, Aunt Edna can pay for you and your new hubby to swim with the dolphins; while Cousin Danny can book you a nice spa package. Not too bad a deal, huh? And if you ask me, while I might end up using a set of sheets for a longer time, I’m going to enjoy (and remember) a seaweed wrap a lot more!

So if you’d like to read more about Travel Registries, check out this article. And over the next few weeks, I’ll try to point you in the direction of the best travel registry sites. Until then, just hope no one buys you that Kitchen Aid mixer, or else you might end up cutting your honeymoon short so you can get home to bake for your new man. Doesn’t sound as fun, huh?

We have featured a few wedding songs here at PracticallyEver.com in 2009. We have featured wedding songs you can use while marching down the aisle; wedding songs for the exchange of wedding rings; wedding songs for the first dance as husband and wife; wedding songs for the father/daughter dance; and much more.

Today, we are happy to feature another wedding song for this wedding blog. This wedding song was specifically written for the lighting of the unity candle. “Here We Stand” is the title of the song and according to the composer, it is a powerful and emotional composition that captures the precious moments that a bride and groom share before they embark on a new life of togetherness.

“Here We Stand” was composed by Anthony W. Carter. And this wedding song is only available at TCarterMusic. So, click the video and listen to this emotional wedding song. If you like it, add it to your wedding songs list for your wedding day. Hope you will like it and we’ll have more wedding blogs on wedding savings and inexpensive weddings next week. Enjoy planning your wedding!

A pleasant day to you future honeymooners! This is your wedding Diva with another wedding blog for you to read and enjoy. Correction, not only enjoy, but also to learn the tricks on how to have wedding savings.

Today, I’m linking you to a site where the article talks about how to have wedding savings without actually cutting costs on your wedding expenses. How can that be, you ask? The trick is to cut back on other stuff, not on your wedding expenses. Save to make extra cash! The advice is quite sound.

There are certain things we want on our wedding day. But due to lack of budget, we are forced to cut back on essential things and our original plan is no more. Why sacrifice what we want when we can sacrifice on other things we really don’t need, or things we can do without for the meantime? So I suggest you click on the link and start affording your dream wedding. Toodles!