I spend a lot of time talking to Brides and planning wedding and I have to say they are all Budget weddings. I think that you can have the dream wedding without the Platinum budget. there are a few tricks to getting all that you dreamed of even on a real persons budget. 1. Plan Your Budget and stick to it! This means that you plan ahead, know what you can afford, and then work from there. 2. Pick the things that are important to you and then plan accordingly, this means if it is important for you to have a really nice dinner than you have to plan for the cost of the meal. For some brides it is most important to have food and dancing and drinks, if this is the case then you have to put your budget in these areas. 3. There are always areas to save money. Centerpieces are one of the most costly parts of the flowers, so pick a design that can either be a DIY if you are crafty at all. shop for the vases yourself, as this will always save money. Pick a color rather than a flower, as there are many flowers that can cost less but still have big impact. 4. Locations can be the most expensive part of any wedding, being able to to have both wedding and reception in one location will save you money. though picking a different day other than Saturday for the event will also save money, many times there are price breaks for Friday Nights and Sundays. Also having a location that allows off site catering will SAVE you big. most sites that require you to use their caterer will cost upwards of $50.00 per person for food alone. off site caterers are usually more willing to work with a budget. 5. The wedding dress though it is a very important part of the day. there are many ways to get a dress you love on a realistic budget rather than blowing the budget on a dress that will only be worn for a few hours. I like to remind brides that many times the ticket price on the dress is not what it ends up costing. you need to allow for alterations and those run any where from $40-$80 an hour. this can add hundreds if not thousands to the cost of the dress. So don't pick a dress that needs to be completely rebuilt unless you have a in with a seamstress.
The biggest thing to think about is to put the wedding budget into perspective with your life. If $20,000 dollars seems like a lot to spend on a car then it is probably way to much to spend on a wedding. A car will last you for years, where a wedding last one day. My rule of thumb is however much you spend on your wedding you should put the same amount into a savings account for a down payment on a house. Do Not go into crazy debt for a wedding it can be just as beautiful if you spend half as much and you do not have to pay it off for the rest of your life.