The secret to throwing a stand-out wedding without going
broke in the process is this: find your non-negotiable wedding detail. Play
that up as big as you want... then cut corners on the rest.
Easy. Painless. And makes a whole lot of (dollars and)
sense!
Thus, it pays to consider what types of people you are
before you wedding-plan. What are you into? What will the theme, or flavor of
your wedding be?
My husband plays music. He's been in bands before. I, too,
have musical inclinations, Singing songs, going to live shows, jamming with
friends.... music has always been a thing for us. So when it was time to select an element to
make our wedding uniquely us, the band was a no-brainer.
What made it even more special was that my husband knew some of the
band members personally – they're friends of his family. They had history from
way back, and I became part of that history! Great stuff, indeed.
In addition to our wedding band, we also had friends of ours
play music for the ceremony. These were people my husband had been in his own
band with at one time! What a great honor, to be serenaded into our own
marriage ceremony by people we knew and had fond memories of.
Now, in all honesty – we spent a little money on the music
for our wedding reception. That was our big investment, and we cut corners on everything else - and I mean EVERYTHING, in order to afford the band. You may not have that much cash to shell out. But
just because you're being super frugal doesn't mean you can't find a way to
play up a certain detail in a big way that makes it meaningful.
Keeping music as the example here... this is a low-budget
version of how to emphasize music at your wedding. Hire a friend or family
member to play DJ for the night. Set up the speakers etc. (he or she should
know a thing or two about stereo systems). Take some time to make up a list of
all the songs you'd love to hear on your wedding day. Include a few special
memories – "This was my parents' wedding song..." "This was the
song we first danced to." Give the list to your "DJ" and
hopefully he'll be able to find and play a good amount of them!
So, what will you play up on the day of your nuptials? Below,
some ideas:
For the Earthy types: A beautiful, botanical setting at a nearby park. A trek to a
gorgeous, mountain setting. A camping weekend!
For the Jersey
Shore peeps: (what else?)
Beach wedding! Can you make that low budget? Would love to hear from my Jersey Shore sistahs with some frugal solutions for having a superb wedding-by-the-sea!
For the Foodies: A farmhouse dinner. A humble, firehouse
potluck with guest contributions. An ethnic theme – Greek, Italian, Japanese,
whatever your pleasure! An "around the world" dessert table!
For Theatrical Types: A masquerade party. A
"period" wedding – Roaring '20s with vodka gimlets, antique accents
and flapper attire. Fun '50s (think crinoline skirts and jitterbug). Head straight to Etsy.com to peruse their vintage offerings!
Or, maybe you don't want to get too crazy but you know
there's a certain part of the wedding that will be special and personal for
you. If you're marrying a chef, then put a lot of attention into making sure the
food is outstanding. If you come from a family of big drinkers, then put your
money on open bar (yes I really said that! People drink at weddings!)
My point is that if you keep most of the wedding details simple (or omit them entirely),
you'll find that you actually do have a little bit of money (or time, in lieu
of money) to research, plan, and execute ONE aspect of an incredible wedding day that will be
fondly remembered for years to come.
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