So you are getting married and you are planning an elegant wedding on a budget. This is great and it can be done with very careful planning. Although this is your special day, it is only 1 day.

There is no need to start your lives together but racking up insurmountable debt. Nor is there a reason to put your families into the poor house by having an extravagant wedding.

Planning a Wedding to Fit Your Budget

First, know what you have available to spend. Then set your budget anywhere from 10 to 30% lower than this amount. Weddings will almost always cost more than your initial budget.

If you set your budget below your available funds, when those little emergencies arrive, you can handle them without a huge amount of stress.

You need to set very specific limits on what you are going to spend on your cake, your dress, number of guests, wedding reception menu and the reception facility. These will be your largest expenses.

Let’s start with the cake. Tiered cakes cost more than non-tiered. Lots of decorations and special shapes (like a cake shaped like a chapel), fountains and steps add greatly to the cost.

Special fillings instead of standard fillings also increase the price of your cake. You can have a lovely cake that is not overdone for a reasonable price. Decide on your dress budget.

If you want a designer dress, look online or at resale shops for something spectacular. Antique shops are another place to check. It’s a great way to have a one of a kind dress without a staggering price tag.

Planning a Low Cost Wedding

When planning an elegant wedding on a budget, you may want to keep it low cost. Planning a low cost wedding is not as hard as you would think. Some ideas for you to consider is having the wedding at the home of a friend or relative.

Hold the wedding in the afternoon instead of the evening. Get married “off season”. Valentines Day and summer weddings are very popular times. If you look for an early spring or fall wedding, you can get discount pricing.

Have the champagne toast as the only alcohol served. Buy bargain but drinkable champagne and let the catering staff serve it by the glass, instead of pouring from the bottle.

Frugal Wedding Tips Online

If you are looking for cheap wedding planning ideas, look no further than the internet. If you are planning an elegant wedding on a budget you should visit some of these websites.

One website that caters not only to weddings but to the frugal minded in general is thriftyfun.com. They have ideas for weddings at low cost. No registration is required, just visit the site to get some really wonderful tips on how to keep down the wedding costs.

Another website to view, especially if you are in Canada is frugalbride.com. This is an online magazine full of tips and ideas on how to keep your wedding costs down. When planning an elegant wedding on a budget, you must visit this website.

The final website you should look at is WedFrugal.com. Just like the name implies, it has tips, ideas and everything you need to plan a low cost wedding. Overall it’s a great site.

Planning an elegant wedding on a budget is not very difficult. Your wedding day can be fabulous without breaking the bank. Just follow the advice we have given you.