Your Dream Wedding - how much will it cost you? With everything going on in today's economy, this is the question on most bride and groom's minds. How much will this day cost us, and how much are we willing to give up?

There is a bit of a misconception out there that only couples with large budgets can afford to hire a wedding consultant or wedding coordinator. We're here to tell you how hiring a good wedding consultant can actually help save you money!

Case #1 - We recently had a bride and groom who really wanted chair covers for their reception. The thought of paying $5-6 per chair cover was more than they wanted to pay for this decor item. Since this couple works full-time and has a number of different obligations, they had little time to try to find chair covers at a price they wanted to pay. After hiring us, they indicated their dilemma to us and we had a solution for them. A local vendor we work with rents chair cover for just over $3/chair cover. She also offers us a discount for our clients. The savings this couple realized were almost enough to cover our fee. We've since been able to help them find more vendors that have quality product and services that work within their budget.

Case #2 - Another bride and groom were having a small wedding to keep costs low. They hired us to help them plan the reminder of their wedding, including finding vendors for flowers, invitations, chair covers, and all their decor items. We are able to gather 3 vendor quotes for all the remaining items - thus finding them the perfect vendors for them and at the best possible price without sacrificing quality.

Most of our brides and groom work full-time and only have one or two full days off together. We are able to help them not spend those days planning their wedding, and instead spend it enjoying the spring and summer!

Budgeting out your wedding before hiring vendors is such an important part of planning your wedding. Having a plan and sticking to it will ensure you have the wedding of your dreams without going over budget. We'll work with you to ensure you have a plan and stick to it - and have that AMAZING wedding you're dreaming of!

1. Prioritize your priorities - Is it the dress? The food? Photography? Pick your top three priorities and the three things that are least important, and budget accordingly.

2. Plus One – Don’t feel obligated to invite a date for all your single guests or all your pals at work. Cutting guest doesn’t only save money on catering, but on all other items that can quickly add up such as favours, centerpieces and invitations.

3. Save on postage – Sign up for a free wedding website to collect RSVPs or include a phone number for guests to reply to. This saves money on postage and printing costs. Not to mention it’s environmentally friendly too!

4. Think outside the box – Opt for less traditional reception. Host a cocktail and hors d'oeuvre party after an evening ceremony, a lunch after a morning ceremony or a dinner reception on a day other than Saturday. Alternatively set a date in wedding off season (October – April).

5. Happy Hour – Have wine served at the tables instead of having a bottle of red and white at each table. How many weddings have you been to where you see full bottles of open wine at the end of the night? Save money by having the wait staff pour your guest wine before dinner. Close the bar for an hour during dinner, or opt for a toonie or loonie bar. Your guests won’t mind chipping in a dollar or two for each drink and it will help with the costs of the bar, which is often a big expense at a wedding.

6. Pay now or pay later? – Ask vendors if they offer any discounts for paying in full up front. Often you can save 10% for doing this. These savings can add up.

7. Two for One – Stack favours in the center of your guest tables or have mini wedding cakes tiered as centerpieces. These will serve as guest desserts/favours and centerpieces.

8. What’s in bloom? – Ask your florist which flowers are in season and stick to these for your bouquets and other floral needs. You’ll save a lot of money by doing so.

9. Picture Perfect – Shop around for a photographer and ask if you can purchase or if a CD of your digital images are included in the package. You can save a bundle by being able to print your photos when you need and many photography shops let you create beautiful photo books.

10. Fairy Godmother to the rescue – Many brides and grooms think hiring a wedding consultant is an added expense to their budget. In reality, hiring a wedding professional can save you all kinds of money in the long run. Many of them have relationships with vendors that can get you discounts on their products and services. As well, this is their business, so they know who is out there and have already done the leg work for you, so let them recommend the vendors that meet your needs and are within your budget. As an added bonus, on your wedding day, you won’t have to worry about all the details. They will be there quarterbacking your day and ensuring it runs smoothly.

*Image source -Ethos

Looking for that perfect piece of jewellery for your wedding day? Why not "borrow" it from http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/? Bag Borrow or Steal is a online borrowing boutique for everyone! Now you can "borrow" designer handbags, stunning jewellery or those long desired sunglasses. How does it work? Simply create an account and become a member, choose the items you're wanting to "borrow" and they are shipped to you. You can keep them for a week, a month, or as long as you like. So you could have a new designer handbag each week if you so desire!

We checked out their selection of jewellery and there are some beautiful pieces that would be perfect to pair with your wedding gown. Instead of spending anywhere from $400 - $2000 on a piece, you can rent it for as little as $20 a week! From Swarovski to Vera Wang, there's a perfect piece for everyone that's affordable.

Image Source - Bagborroworsteal.com

1. Flowers or Food?
Once you’ve established your budget, make sure you know what is most important to you and your fiancé. Is the food and venue important to you? Or is hiring the best photographer in your area more important? Have a plan in place so that you know approximately how much money you want to set aside for each line item in your budget.

2. Venue Selection
Find out what’s included with your venue rental. Do you need to rent tables, chairs, linens and dinnerware? Or do they have all those items included with the rental? Unique venues such as art galleries are amazing spaces, but often you have to rent all the items required to convert the space into a reception hall. Figure all this out and make sure you have the necessary funds needed for this.

3. Trim Your Guest List
For each guest on your list it’s not only an added plate of food and drinks. Don’t forget about decor for the extra tables, linens and favours. It all adds up quickly. Don’t feel obligated to let single friends bring a date. Let them know you would love for them to bring their date, but you only have so much room. Instead seat them with people you know they’ll have things in common.

4. Save on Postage
Gone are the days where you need to include inner envelopes which can just add weight to your invitation. Sign up for the many free wedding websites available online to capture RSVPs or use a telephone number for guest to call. This will reduce not only the postage, but also another envelope and insert.

5. Setting the Date
A lot of couples are now opting for Friday or Sunday weddings. Not only will this open up the number of vendors available, but most charge premium rates for Saturday nuptials. Other ideas include a champagne and cake reception after an evening wedding, or a brunch after a morning wedding. Also think about setting a date outside the popular months of June, July and August. Winter weddings are beautiful as are spring weddings.

6. Bar Service
In order to reduce the cost of your bar bill there are a number of things you can do. If it’s an option, charge a loonie or a toonie for each drink. This allows you to recover some of the costs and also makes guest a little more accountable for their drinks. You can also have servers pour wine at the table for guest instead of having a bottle of white and red on each table. At a lot of weddings we see open bottles of wine sitting there untouched at the end of the night. Because they are opened you will be charged for them. You can also ask your caterer to limit the types of alcohol available. Having just beer and wine available for guest is a great option.

7. Favours
Have your favours do double duty as centerpieces. Packages can be stacked in an elegant way on a cake stand with a pedestal. How about individual cakes as your centerpieces? These will take the place of a large wedding cake. Have your baker make you a small cake to cut and save for your first anniversary.

8. Flower Power
Ask your florist what flowers are in season. If you are not picky about the type of flower you want for your bouquets and other floral arrangements, you can usually find flowers in your colors that are in season. Gerber daisies are always in season and come in some many beautiful colors.

9. Say Cheese!
Shop around and find a photographer that includes your negatives as a part of your photography package. You’ll be able to print as many photos as you need without having to pay $5 - $10 per photo. Depending on how many you think you’ll need, you may want to look into this option.

10. Dress for Success
Shop early for your wedding gown so you can take advantage of off the rack sales and other specials some bridal shops have. Find a seamstress that can do your alterations. Many bridal shops charge high prices for alterations in-house. Sometimes they can be almost half the cost of your dress!

And finally, hire a wedding planner. Most couples think a wedding planner will cost them more money and only brides with large budgets can afford the luxury of one. Realistically a wedding planner can often save you money by recommending vendors that they have relationships with. Remember it’s their job to keep on top of trends and vendors in the area, so often their contact list has vendors you might not have thought about that can save you money. Call Cornerstone Events and let us discuss your wedding plans with you and show you how we can help you plan a magical day within your budget.

*image from www.nebridalguide.com