How to Trim a Wedding Budget | eHow.com
How to Trim a Wedding Budget | eHow.com
Shared via AddThis
10 Ways To Trim Your Wedding Budget: http://www.pingg.com/content/2009/04/10-ways-to-trim-your-wedding-budget/
Food and Drinks
1. Serve a signature drink, such as a punch or favorite cocktail, instead of providing a full bar and limit other alcoholic beverages to wine and beer, choices that will satisfy most of your guests
• Also making your own punch ahead of time will save and buying cans of soda.
2. Have your caterer use local fruits and vegetables that are in season. Not only will these items be more economical, they’ll taste fresher.
3. Order a moderately priced, plainly decorated cake, and make the focal point the cake topper. Vintage bride-and-groom figurines, wedding bells, horseshoes, a basket filled with fruit, or a pair of doves (from an antiques shop or handmade) are classic symbols that can make a cake memorable.
Flowers and Decorations
4. While most popular bridal flowers are available year-round, some traditional ones - peonies and lily-of-the-valley, for example - can be difficult to find and expensive out of season. Seek your florist’s advice before deciding on your flowers.
• After season silk flowers go on sale at most craft store locations, and can (sometimes be cheaper)
5. Use favors as seating or place cards to save a bit on stationery costs. For seating cards, write guests’ names and table numbers on strips of paper, affix them to the favors, and set in order on a table near the entrance. For place cards, put favors with names attached at guests’ places.
General Budgeting Tips
6. When it comes to invitations - save money and the environment by choosing digital options like pingg.com for save the dates. For the wedding, you can use a more formal, printed invitation.
• If it is not a formal affair create a card and attach in the inside the save the date (magnate/card).
• create and print the card yourself or create the card and print the invitations at a print shop
7. Fridays and Sundays are generally less expensive than Saturdays for renting a venue.
• Many churches rental fees for common areas work for most budget conscious couples
8. To minimize the guest list, include your friends’ significant others but not casual dates.
9. For your reception, remember that a deejay can be less costly than a live band.
• With the advent of MP3 players some young couples save costs by creating their own playlists for their wedding to create a unique atmosphere the bride and groom want.
10. The most important thing about a wedding is making sure it is personal and reflects you. Prioritize aspects of the wedding that are most important to you. By compromising in some areas, you can afford to splurge on others.
Remember when you are serving food to keep in mind the estimated food quantities to provide
(if you are doing your own food)
Estimating Food Quantities for a Party: http://entertaining.about.com/cs/recipesandmenus/a/foodquantity.htm
Portion Size Per Person
Hors D'oeuvres
• 6 bites when preceeding a meal.
• 4 - 6 bites per hour when hors d'oeuvres are the meal.
• The longer your party and the larger your guest list, the greater the number of selections you should offer.
The Main Meal
Poultry, meat or fish - 6 ounces when you have one main dish, 8 ounces when you offer two or more main courses.
• Rice, grains - 1.5 ounces as a side dish, 2 ounces in a main dish such as risotto.
• Potatoes - 5 ounces
• Vegetables - 4 ounces
• Beans - 2 ounces as a side dish
• Pasta - 2 ounces for a side dish, 3 ounces for a first course, 4 ounces for a main dish
• Green Salad - 1 ounce undressed weight
Desserts
• 1 slice cake, tart or pastry
• 4 ounces creamy dessert such as pudding or mousse
• 5 ounces ice cream
• When serving two of the above, reduce each by a little less than half.
• A Few Other Menu Planning Tips
• Don't repeat a main ingredient. For example, don't serve a shrimp appetizer and shrimp main dish.
• Consider the colors of the food that will be served together and make sure there is variety.
• Offer both hot and cold foods on a buffet.
• Mix textures such as a crisp potato galette served with a soft vegetable puree as side dishes.
Cut the wedding budget fat: Trim your guest list: http://searchwarp.com/swa30378.htm
How to trim names
When you’ve finally gotten your list together, you should exchange it with your soon-to-be spouse. Let them look at it and start to omit names. Again, family members are not allowed to be scratched off unless there’s a special situation. And even if there is a family feud of some sort, they won’t come anyways.
In terms of friends, you will want to be selective here. Figure out who you really care about, and who you just ‘feel’ like you should invite. How long has it been since you’ve talked to them? If it’s been a long time, you can probably cross them off.
For the work people, you can invite whomever you have a close relationship with. This means that you don’t have to invite your boss, but it’s always nice to out of courtesy. Don’t feel that you should.
Making your invitation list shouldn’t feel like a burden. At the end of the day, you want to look at your list and see all the people that you care about and want to share this happy day with. And it’s your day and your time, so don’t let anyone else talk you into inviting people that you’re not too keen on.
Shared via AddThis
10 Ways To Trim Your Wedding Budget: http://www.pingg.com/content/2009/04/10-ways-to-trim-your-wedding-budget/
Food and Drinks
1. Serve a signature drink, such as a punch or favorite cocktail, instead of providing a full bar and limit other alcoholic beverages to wine and beer, choices that will satisfy most of your guests
• Also making your own punch ahead of time will save and buying cans of soda.
2. Have your caterer use local fruits and vegetables that are in season. Not only will these items be more economical, they’ll taste fresher.
3. Order a moderately priced, plainly decorated cake, and make the focal point the cake topper. Vintage bride-and-groom figurines, wedding bells, horseshoes, a basket filled with fruit, or a pair of doves (from an antiques shop or handmade) are classic symbols that can make a cake memorable.
Flowers and Decorations
4. While most popular bridal flowers are available year-round, some traditional ones - peonies and lily-of-the-valley, for example - can be difficult to find and expensive out of season. Seek your florist’s advice before deciding on your flowers.
• After season silk flowers go on sale at most craft store locations, and can (sometimes be cheaper)
5. Use favors as seating or place cards to save a bit on stationery costs. For seating cards, write guests’ names and table numbers on strips of paper, affix them to the favors, and set in order on a table near the entrance. For place cards, put favors with names attached at guests’ places.
General Budgeting Tips
6. When it comes to invitations - save money and the environment by choosing digital options like pingg.com for save the dates. For the wedding, you can use a more formal, printed invitation.
• If it is not a formal affair create a card and attach in the inside the save the date (magnate/card).
• create and print the card yourself or create the card and print the invitations at a print shop
7. Fridays and Sundays are generally less expensive than Saturdays for renting a venue.
• Many churches rental fees for common areas work for most budget conscious couples
8. To minimize the guest list, include your friends’ significant others but not casual dates.
9. For your reception, remember that a deejay can be less costly than a live band.
• With the advent of MP3 players some young couples save costs by creating their own playlists for their wedding to create a unique atmosphere the bride and groom want.
10. The most important thing about a wedding is making sure it is personal and reflects you. Prioritize aspects of the wedding that are most important to you. By compromising in some areas, you can afford to splurge on others.
Remember when you are serving food to keep in mind the estimated food quantities to provide
(if you are doing your own food)
Estimating Food Quantities for a Party: http://entertaining.about.com/cs/recipesandmenus/a/foodquantity.htm
Portion Size Per Person
Hors D'oeuvres
• 6 bites when preceeding a meal.
• 4 - 6 bites per hour when hors d'oeuvres are the meal.
• The longer your party and the larger your guest list, the greater the number of selections you should offer.
The Main Meal
Poultry, meat or fish - 6 ounces when you have one main dish, 8 ounces when you offer two or more main courses.
• Rice, grains - 1.5 ounces as a side dish, 2 ounces in a main dish such as risotto.
• Potatoes - 5 ounces
• Vegetables - 4 ounces
• Beans - 2 ounces as a side dish
• Pasta - 2 ounces for a side dish, 3 ounces for a first course, 4 ounces for a main dish
• Green Salad - 1 ounce undressed weight
Desserts
• 1 slice cake, tart or pastry
• 4 ounces creamy dessert such as pudding or mousse
• 5 ounces ice cream
• When serving two of the above, reduce each by a little less than half.
• A Few Other Menu Planning Tips
• Don't repeat a main ingredient. For example, don't serve a shrimp appetizer and shrimp main dish.
• Consider the colors of the food that will be served together and make sure there is variety.
• Offer both hot and cold foods on a buffet.
• Mix textures such as a crisp potato galette served with a soft vegetable puree as side dishes.
Cut the wedding budget fat: Trim your guest list: http://searchwarp.com/swa30378.htm
How to trim names
When you’ve finally gotten your list together, you should exchange it with your soon-to-be spouse. Let them look at it and start to omit names. Again, family members are not allowed to be scratched off unless there’s a special situation. And even if there is a family feud of some sort, they won’t come anyways.
In terms of friends, you will want to be selective here. Figure out who you really care about, and who you just ‘feel’ like you should invite. How long has it been since you’ve talked to them? If it’s been a long time, you can probably cross them off.
For the work people, you can invite whomever you have a close relationship with. This means that you don’t have to invite your boss, but it’s always nice to out of courtesy. Don’t feel that you should.
Making your invitation list shouldn’t feel like a burden. At the end of the day, you want to look at your list and see all the people that you care about and want to share this happy day with. And it’s your day and your time, so don’t let anyone else talk you into inviting people that you’re not too keen on.