A wedding should be a glorious celebration of your love. Unfortunately making your storybook wedding come to life can be really expensive. How expensive? CNN recently reported that the average American bride and groom are now spending a whopping $32,641 on their weddings!

If you don’t want to break the bank, here are few secrets to manage your budget without penny-pinching:

Season and Day of Week

June and July are the most popular months for weddings and party hall owners usually charge more since the demand is so high for their rental space during these two months. Fall, spring, and winter weddings can be every bit as appealing and have their own distinctive charm and elegance when properly executed. Because weddings during cooler months aren't a back-to-back occurrence, this puts less stress on the event holders, making the event planning easier and less costly. If you’ve always dreamt of being a summer bride, don’t worry!  There are still savings to be found such as having your wedding on a Sunday instead of a Saturday.  Since Sundays are typically not as popular as Saturdays for weddings many venues will rent out facilities for a fraction of the price.

Flowers

Fresh flowers can be very expensive especially if they are out-of-season.  Requesting your florist to show you options for in-season flowers is a great way to save some money. Ask your florist which flowers will be in abundance by the time your wedding rolls around. Also, consider adding fake flowers to decorations that won’t be in plain sight. Some rental companies can furnish you with beautiful flowers that look real at a cost much cheaper than the florist’s live blooms. While many brides desire bouquets of roses or orchids, a similar look can also be achieved by mixing less expensive flowers with more expensive flowers.  For example:  A combination of pink roses and miniature carnations can provide plenty of colors, but significantly reduce the cost of flowers.

Wedding Dress

While popular wedding magazines display gorgeous designer gowns, a wedding dress does not have to be expensive or a designer label.  In fact, most guests will have no idea how much you spend on your dress if you know where to shop. Most bridal shops can help you find a less expensive version of a designer dress that will provide the style you want but will fit in your budget! Some other ways to save on the cost of your wedding dress:

• Find a tailor. One option to save on your wedding dress is to check with Asian-based stores that provide custom wedding dresses (be sure to check out the reviews online first).  These stores often have beautiful gowns that can be altered while saving you hundreds of dollars.

• Look on eBay. While buying a dress based upon photos and from an auction site may be intimidating for some, it can provide huge cost savings if you are willing to give it a shot.  Be sure to always ask for photos, particularly if the dress has been previously worn: looking for stains such as around the armpits, the front of the dress, or on the train.

• Borrow a dress from a friend or family member. If you loved the dress worn by a family member or friend, and it has been some time since the wedding was held, ask if you can borrow the dress or headpiece.

• Remake old into new. While wearing your mother or grandmother’s vintage dress may not be appealing due to fashion, reinventing these heirlooms is another option to get the dress of your dreams on a budget.  Plus, you’ll have a bit of sentimental value too!  Site such as The Guilded Thimble (http://thegildedthimble.com) specialize in redesigning dresses.

• Wear pre-owned. If you can’t shake your love for Vera Wang, Dior, or Chanel, sites such as Preowned Wedding Dresses offer pre-owned designer wedding dresses far below the expected off-the-rack costs.

Music

Substituting a disc jockey in place of a live band can be very helpful when planning your wedding on a budget. Being a DJ doesn't require a lot of experience or training to get the job done right. Since this career is relatively easy the market is flooded with good DJs willing to work at a competitive price. Just make sure they can demonstrate their skills when you interview them to be on the safe side.

Food

One of the most memorable items of the wedding day for guests is the food. The dinner provided needs to look and taste good however this can be done without overspending.  Here are a few tips to save on food costs:

• Check with your reception hall. If your reception hall has onsite catering, you may find that the cost of food is more affordable than hiring an outside caterer. Having the food prepared by reception hosts also presents the perfect opportunity to make sure the style of the food matches the overall feel of the party.

• Go for bite-size. If a full blown dinner isn’t in the budget, consider hors d'oeuvres instead of a meal. Tasty, bite-sized appetizers combined with a cocktail hour setting can provide a memorable event without breaking the bank.

Cake

Another awesome way to secretly keep your wedding on a budget involves decisions you can make about your cake.

• Faux cake tiers. If you love the look of a giant, multi-tiered cake but don’t have the budget, ask your cake designer if they can provide faux cake tiers. These fake cakes look just like real cakes but aren’t designed for eating.  They can be easily added to the bottom layers of a wedding cake and topped with real, smaller cake layers.  Your guest will never know!

• One and only. While dessert stations are all the rage, these extra desserts can add to the budget. One way to keep your budget in check is to make the wedding cake the only dessert.  If you must have more than cake, consider more simple dessert options such as fresh fruit and a chocolate fountain.

• Inclusive wedding package. If you’re working with a party or reception hall, ask if the cost includes a wedding cake. Many catering halls have package options that offer a complimentary wedding cake.

The key to a beautiful wedding isn’t how much you spend, it’s how the end result looks, feels, and the memories it makes. Use these tips to stretch your budget without giving up the wedding of your dreams. Book an appointment to tour Villa Russo today!