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Traditional Wedding - Make it Personal and Save Money!

June 26th, 2007 | Unique Ideas

Feeling stressed about the cost and complexity of your wedding? You’re not alone. The average cost of a wedding is over $27,000 and according to Women’s Health magazine 32% of couples are paying for their own wedding. It doesn’t have to be this crazy, in fact I think we are going to see more couples opting for a more traditional more affordable wedding in the future. Here’s my five ideas to have one of the most memorable, meaningful and quaint weddings while also keeping it affordable.1. Have your ceremony and reception outside at a park or in a family member’s yard. Mother Nature provides some of the most beautiful ceremony and reception sites; and She’s pretty cheap! Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado has about 40 weddings a year on the lawn shown in this picute. You can see another picture in yesterday’s post. But, be careful of the weather, I recommend you rent a ceremony tent so you’re not rained out.

2. Pool your resources, leverage the talents of your family members. I believe this is the best way to bring real meaning to your ceremony and reception. Your wedding is also the joining of two families so what better way to bring your two families together than to have them involved in it? The most memorable and romantic wedding I’ve ever been to was my sister’s. The best cooks in the family volunteered to cook for the reception. The groom’s father even made the arbor under which my sister and her fiancé exchanged their vows. At the end of the reception, they drove off in my brother-in-law’s car, that was decorated by their friends!

3. Use a handed down wedding dress. There is nothing more meaningful than getting married in an heirloom wedding dress; maybe one your grandmother or mother wore. It may not be the current style but does that really matter?

4. Have a natural honeymoon. What is the meaning of a honeymoon? Is it to spend a lot of money on an extravagant vacation? Or, is it to finally get away with your new husband or wife and spend some quality time and make memories that will last a lifetime? Some people may say yes to both, but I don’t think you need to spend a fortune to have a meaningful and memorable honeymoon. Stay close to home, check out some of the United States’ natural beauty. You don’t have to go to an all inclusive Caribean resort to have a good time. Checkout my post about unique honeymoons.

5. Pick your own music. You don’t need a DJ or a band to keep the party going. You can have an “iPod Wedding” and make your own playlist! Pick songs that you like, that are personal between you and your fiancé. But, to keep the party going, I recommend you ask someone close to you to be the Master of Ceremonies during your reception. You will have to rent some sound equipment for this.

Are you sick of the wedding rat race? Any other ideas out there?

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