This is an article taken from the Spring 2007 Plan Ahead Get Ahead Magazine that I would like to share with potential brides and grooms. It is an interview with Wedding Consultant Deborah McCoy.  

Wedding Consultant Deborah McCoy has lost track of the number of times brides have told her, “I hope we make a lot of money at this wedding, or we’re in trouble.”              

    “They would say that when the came in to pick up the dress, and I would about fall off my chair“, says McCoy, president of the American Academy of Wedding Professionals. By then, she says, it’s too late to trim back arrangements to fit the couple’s budget.              

    It doesn’t have to be that way. With careful planning, a couple can have an elegant wedding with out exhausting their own or their parents’ saving or starting their married life in debt, McCoy says.  

HERE COMES THE BILL              

    In 2006, the average wedding cost around $30,000, McCoy says. That’s up from about $27,000 in 2005. “It’s just a never-ending bottomless pit”, she adds. Couples’ rising incomes may be driving the increases; many are financing their own weddings, and since they often marry later in life, their incomes—and expectations—can be considerable. However, the may also be saddled with student loan and car payments. Buying a new home in a high-cost housing market can push some young couples over the financial edge. McCoy, who has authored several books on weddings, including The Elegant Wedding and the Budget-Savvy Bride, joins other experts in offering these suggestions to help ensure that a marriage doesn’t start out in the red:  

    Set your priorities. Discuss what’s most important for the wedding. “Sit down with the parents and find out who’s contributing what to the wedding”. McCoy says. “Figure out the cost of what you want, then start saving”. The average engagement today lasts about 16 months. You can use that time to save for wedding expenses.   With young people facing student loans and high housing costs, it’s more important than ever to make sensible wedding plans.  

    Open a special account: “Weddings are time when people can overspend. It’s just the nature of the beast”. McCoy says. But a dedicated wedding fund can serve as a check. “If you’re going to overspend on one item, you cut back on another item so you always keep the bottom line in balance”.  

HEADS COUNT  

        The biggest way to cut costs, McCoy say, is to trim the guest list to include only your closest friends and family. “When you think of a guest, you have to think in terms of an invitation, the price of the band, the amount of food and beverages served—it’s all contingent on the guest list”, she says.  

DON’T STAND ON CEREMONY              

        Traditionally, the parents of the bride were expected to pay the bulk of wedding costs. But that is changing, to the relief of many a parent. A 2006 survey by the Condè Nast Bridal Group found that only 30% of weddings were paid for entirely by the bride’s parents. That is down 8% from 1999.              

        Many engaged couples are now self-supporting and are paying at least a share of the wedding cost. The 2006 survey found that 32% of couples paid the entire cost of their weddings themselves.  

MORE WAYS TO CURB EXPENSES              

Design Your Own Invitations. “Today, with computers and word processors and printers, you can really be innovative and fun, and put a personal touch on a wedding and save some buck”, says wedding expert Deborah McCoy.              

Dress For Less. McCoy suggests buying a “sample” gown from a bridal boutique to save as much as half the cost. Other options: Buy a vintage gown, wear your mother’s or grandmother’s gown or even rent a gown. 

Craft Your Own Veil. Buying some tulle for less than a dollar a yard and fashioning it into a veil can save hundreds of dollars, McCoy says.
              
Make Smart Food Choices. If you want the meal catered, McCoy says a package deal that includes everything from the appetizer to the cake and champagne toast usually is the best value. If that’s too pricey, opt for a buffet, a dessert reception or a brunch instead of a multi-course meal.
             
Look At Low-Cost Locations. Parks and even backyards can provide beautiful settings at little or no cost.

Consider A Destination Wedding. One of the fastest-growing wedding trends is the destination wedding. A shorter guest list can more than outweigh the travel costs. Many destinations—such as Caribbean resorts—offer reasonable priced wedding packages.              

Register Your Wedding Costs. Don’t need another toaster or place setting? In a new twist, couples are registering their wedding or honeymoon costs, so guests can contribute in lieu of a traditional present.

I hope that you will find this article as informative as I did and it will help you in the planning of your wedding.