Considering the cost of wedding photographers, DJ's, center pieces, flowers, customized invitations and party favours, weddings can cost an arm and a leg. It seems that providers of these services capitalize on the fact that a couple's wedding is their special day, and somehow this means they get away with charging through the roof for their services. Fortunately, with these semi-do-it-yourself strategies, money can be saved without compromising quality.
Print Your Own Invitations
Ordering customized invitations from specialty wedding shops can cost hundreds of dollars. For a DIY approach, blank wedding invitations can be purchased from stationary or office supply stores for a fraction of the cost. These kits contain beautiful invitations with envelopes and response cards with envelopes. A box of 50 ranges from $50-$75. This print-them-yourself method is also generally cheaper than making the actual invitations from scratch, not to mention a lot less work. The kits usually come with templates of possible wording choices for the invitations, and printer test sheets.
The main difference between customized invitations and the DIY variety is that the customized ones have embossed lettering. However, the printed variety look amazing when a classy font is chosen, even if regular black ink is used. Office supply stores often offer an invitation printing service. This is worth looking into, because it is usually cheaper than printing the invitations on a printer at home.
Create Your Own Centre Pieces and Party Favours
Outsourcing wedding centre pieces and party favours to an independent company can be pricy. Creating them at home is a much more economical solution, and it is much more fun, too! For creative inspiration, library books and bridal magazines can be consulted. Visiting a wedding show may be worth a bride's while to get unique ideas for centre pieces and party favours. Also, browsing craft stores may spark a bride's inspiration. It should be kept in mind that many guests do not even bring home their party favours, so keeping their cost down makes sense.
Disc Jockeys Charge Too Much
It is standard to pay $1000-$1500 or more for a disc jockey for the evening, not to mention what a live band would cost. If the bride and groom select songs that they would like played at their reception ahead of time, the need for a DJ can be eliminated. To help with this process, song request cards can be mailed out to guests with the invitations. Once a variety of songs are selected, they can be put onto a playlist on a laptop or MP3 player. The media can be hooked up to some speakers, and voila!
It is always a good idea to have a backup laptop or MP3 player and set of speakers, in case of unforeseen events. A technologically-minded member of the wedding party can be in charge of setting up the sound system and setting the volume to an appropriate level. This person can also be in charge of "reading the crowd" and mixing up the playlist when necessary.
A wedding is a special day for the bride, the groom, their friends and their families. The wedding can be enjoyable and beautiful without costing a fortune!
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