By Georgina Clatworthy

Although most wedding budget planners seem to cover every possible element of your day, there are several hidden costs that you will need to add in.  These include things like legal fees, insurance and smaller costs such as tips, donations and gifts, all of which can soon add up to a significant portion of your overall budget.

As you progress with your wedding planning you may well find that you have an ever growing list of ‘extras’ some which may include:

• Church/religious donation: some venues may ask for a donation whilst others may just imply that one would be gratefully received. Ask politely what they amount they consider as a donation if you are in any doubt. As a guide $100-$150 is typical.
• Reception venues: some public buildings such as halls or huts or private venues such as barns, fields or gardens, may not charge you hire costs. But you may feel that giving some kind of donation would be appropriate. As a guide $50-$100.
• Car parking: if you manage to get permission for wedding guests to park their cars in private car parks or those belonging to a public building – offices, schools etc, then a donation to that building is usual. Budget around $50.
• Bridesmaids gifts: these maybe on your budget planner already. But if they are not then you will need to factor them in. These gifts do not need to be very extravagant most bride’s will give simple jewelry, books or a wristwatch. Budget $20-$30 per bridesmaid.
• Best man gift: again this might be on your planner already. Most couple’s choose something such as cufflinks to give as a best man present. Budget $30-$40.
• Parents and others gifts: it is traditional to give the mothers’ bouquets of flowers as a thank you. If you want to give both parents a gift consider a joint present such as tickets to the theatre or a restaurant meal. If you have received help from other people you may also want to arrange bouquets for them. Budget between $20-$30 per gift.
• Reception staff/bar staff: tips are normal at any venue no matter what the occasion so you may want to arrange for tips to given to the waiting staff who serve your wedding breakfast. You can delegate the best man to take charge of this using cash. The amount you give will depend on the number of staff employed on the day. As a guide $50-$100.
• Taxis: have some cash available should you need to hire a cab to take guests home, particularly those who become slightly worse for wear as the day wears on! Budget about $5-$10 although you may need more if you have to bribe the cab driver to take them or even have to pay their fare!

By Georgina Clatworthy

Your wedding will be the biggest occasion of your life to date and it is natural that you would want to have the best possible day you can afford.  But unless you have an infinite pot of money there are bound to be areas of your wedding budget where you will need to economize.

Whilst you don’t want to be accused of being a skinflint, there are several areas of your wedding where you can cut back on costs without anyone noticing the difference!  Here are ten ways to save money on your wedding budget.

1. Reduce the guest list and you will make significant savings.  Remember the more heads there are the more money you will have to spend.  The size of your guest list will have an impact on the size of venue you hire, your catering bill and your drinks bill.  As the wedding breakfast will cost you the most, it is worth cutting the daytime guest list and inviting those you take off to the evening party instead.  If you really cannot trim it down anymore then look at having a buffet for your wedding meal instead of a formal multi-course dinner.
2. Cut down on the catering budget by choosing less courses and having simpler meals.  Are five courses really necessary?  Could you do better with just having a starter and main course and then serving your wedding cake as dessert?  A buffet will always be cheaper than a sit down meal because less staff are required to serve it and you can offer far more dishes than a sit down meal.  Another suggestion is to have your wedding breakfast later in the day so that you won’t need to fork out for more food later on.  An afternoon or evening ceremony followed by a meal late evening is a very romantic alternative.
3. Cut your bar bill by providing wine/champagne/soft drinks for the wedding breakfast and then having a pay bar for the rest of the reception and evening party.  This is very common at most weddings these days and your guests really won’t mind having to buy their own drinks.  You can also save money on the drinks you buy in by visiting a wine merchants warehouse to get bulk purchase prices and by swapping champagne for a nice sparkling wine (your guests really won’t know the difference unless they tend to have very expensive tastes).
4. Hire your wedding attire instead of buying it outright.  Most of the men’s outfits will be hired anyway so why not hire your wedding dress as well.  Many brides have a romantic idea of keeping their dress stored for their children who are unlikely to want to wear it anyway and is there really any point in keeping a thousand dollar dress stored away for years on end?  Hiring your wedding dress will limit your choice of dress but it is a wonderful way to get a designer dress for about a third of the cost of buying it.  You can purchase all your accessories if you would really like some keepsakes that your children are more likely to want to wear!
5. Keep the bridesmaids to a minimum unless they offer to purchase their entire outfits themselves.  Traditionally the bridesmaids would pay for their own outfits despite many thinking the bride would pay for them, but what will you do with ten matching dresses after the wedding?
6. Borrow your wedding transport by asking around friends and family. If someone you know has a vintage or classic car tucked away or luxurious saloon, then ask them if they would be willing to lend it to you for the wedding day.
7. Your wedding photographs will account for a significant portion of your wedding budget so cut back on the number of shots and ask friends and family to take photographs at the reception instead.  You can hire a photographer to take formal shots after the ceremony which will see the cost decrease significantly.
8. Limit the amount of flowers by using foliage to fill in your displays.  If you choose locally grown and in season flowers you can also save more money than by using out of season blooms which will have to be flown in especially.  Also you could move the displays from the ceremony venue to reception to cut down on the number of large arrangements you will need and if you do have a lot of bridesmaids you could use their bouquets as table centerpieces.
9. Rope in friends and family to help on the day particularly if they have a skill or talent that is useful to you.  For instance if a friend is a DJ or amateur photographer than ask them if they wouldn’t mind making an appearance at your wedding.  Also find out if friends have any skills such as dress making, card making and cake decorating.
10. Go for DIY on many of the elements of your day.  You can make your own wedding stationery, wedding favors, table centerpieces and even the evening buffet should you so desire.

By Georgina Clatworthy

Weddings are a costly undertaking and you have no doubt had to trim down your list of wishes for your big day.  So it is vital that you keep a tight check on your wedding budget to ensure that you don’t run out of money before you have achieved all that you want.

But don’t panic, if you have overspent in some areas of your budget then are some things you can do to get yourselves back on track and still achieve all that your heart desires.  What is important is that you can afford to get married in the first place – that is have enough money to pay for the ceremony and all associated fees, everything else is just an added bonus!

Ok, so only having enough money for the ceremony may seem a little extreme, but there is actually little sense in hosting a wedding nobody can afford.  If you have overspent then you will both need to sit down and work through your budget and expenditure so far to see where you have overspent and which areas you can pull some cash back from.

If your parents are contributing to the cost of the wedding then it may be wise to involve them in this process too or at the very least make them aware of the overspend and where you intend to cut back.  However, try to avoid apportioning blame for the overspend as this is counterproductive and will not achieve anything.  It may actually be the case that your initial budget was unrealistic to begin with.

If you haven’t done so already now is the time to open a separate bank account for the wedding budget so that your everyday expenditure is not impacting on it.  Try to find one with a good rate of interest but which still gives you 24/7 access to your cash.  The extra interest earned could help towards to minimizing the overspend or you could save it for your honeymoon.

Get to grips with your accounts and keep accurate records on what is being paid out, to whom and how much.  Remember that many of your wedding expenses will be payable in installments. After paying an initial deposit you will need to remember that the remainder of the balance will be due some time later, nearer your wedding date.

There are various types of free accounting software tailored to weddings available on the internet, but you can keep your finances in check with a simple spreadsheet, so long as you update it every time you pay for something.  Both of you need to keep an eye on the finances, but try to avoid putting just one person in charge of the purse strings.  A better way is to make sure you are both aware when money needs to be spent and how much it will be.

Keep a copy of your wedding budget with you when ever you go shopping so you can refer to it as needed.  You can also mark off how much you have spent as you go along so that updating your accounts later will be much easier.

By Georgina Clatworthy

With the average wedding now in excess of $25,000 it is vitally important that you put together a comprehensive wedding budget which details where the money is coming from and how much each element of your wedding will cost.

Calculating your budget is one of the first tasks you will do when you begin your wedding planning, but before you can itemize every element of your day, you will need to discover just how much money you have to play with and where it is coming from.  Here are a few tips to help you get started with your wedding budget.

Begin by fixing your budget.  If you start by booking the venue, buying your dress, ordering the flowers etc you are likely to get a very nasty shock mid way through your wedding planning when the bills start rolling in.  It is vital therefore that you come to a fixed budget that shows who is contributing what and where that money is coming from.

Always be realistic with your figures, do some research by calling vendors or by going online to get an idea of prices and always make sure you have some money in reserve as a contingency.  Although it isn’t advised, if you need to arrange finance make sure you do it early on so you can shop around for the best loan rates available.

Ask if anyone else would like to contribute.  Your parents and close relatives may like to contribute towards the cost of the wedding, but you should really discuss this with them face to face.  Do not bring both sets of parents together to discuss the wedding financials, it could cause ill feeling and resentment should one side be able to contribute more than the other.  You should also avoid making anyone feel press-ganged into making a contribution or into offering more than they can afford.  Be tactful when asking and never disclose what others have contributed.

Consider funding just one element of the wedding.  It can sometimes be more beneficial to ask for a contribution for the whole or part of just one element of the wedding.  For instance, asking that the groom’s parent’s pay for the flowers and the bride’s parent’s pay for the wedding cake is a great way of getting everyone involved whilst not asking them for a blank check as it were.

By asking them to fund just one aspect of the wedding they can also see where their money is being spent.  However, this may need further compromise on your part as they may then expect to ‘organize’ their respective elements themselves.  This will require you to make an accurate costing prediction and to ensure that you get what you want but with minimal input!  A difficult task for anyone to achieve.

Set up an efficient accounting system.  Sounds simple and perhaps somewhat boring, but it is essential to know what is coming in and what is going out.  First step is to set up a separate bank account so that your wedding budget is kept apart from your everyday expenses.  If you can, open one with a high rate of interest but which still gives you 365 day access.  The extra interest earned can be put towards the honeymoon or some other aspect of your wedding day.

Don’t rely on your bank statements though.  Set up a spreadsheet at home and record every transaction, when it was made, how much, how it was made and to whom.  This should keep you on track with your budget and will ensure that no one spends more than they should on any particular aspect of the day.

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Here are our top tips for getting luxe for less:

1. Negotiate: When visiting wedding vendors such as venues, photographers & florists, be bold (or cheeky) & ask for a discount or some freebies.  You may be surprised at what you can get just by asking.  Remember the wedding industry is very competitive & in these difficult times vendors will negotiate with you to secure your booking.  For instance, if you want to book a hotel for your wedding, ask about getting a reduced rate if you book the accommodation for your guests there as well.
2. Simple is best: Avoid going overboard on the details & you will save dollars!  Consider which details are more important to you & those that you could happily compromise on.  One area is you flowers.  Choosing an elaborate shower bouquet will cost significantly more than a chic hand tied posy; choose buttonholes for the wedding party only & use flowers which are locally grown & in season, exotic blooms that have to flown in will cost you.
3. Perfect timing: The earlier you book the better.  Booking vendors well in advance of your wedding date means you are more likely to get a significant discount & a good chance of avoiding rate rises which may be applied for the following year.  Also consider the date of your wedding carefully.  Booking a date out of season (May – September) or on a weekday can cost you less than a date in the popular months & on popular days, such as Saturday or holidays such as Valentines.
4. Less guests is best: A popular trend this year is for small intimate weddings.  Consider that the more people you invite the more it will cost.  Trim your guest list down as much as possible to those people who are most important to you.  Also think about all those ‘plus ones’ who are likely to be people you have never met before – do you really want to pay for people you don’t know?
5. Ask a favor: Don’t forget about friends & family.  You maybe surprised at how much they can help you out.  Perhaps mom can make your wedding dress or your wedding cake.  Maybe one of your friends has a luxury car or a sports car that they would be willing to lend you for your wedding transport.  It doesn’t matter how little they contribute, it all adds up in the end!
6. Hit the sales: Stay one step ahead & hit the annual sales for things like stationery, accessories & wedding favors.  You may even find your wedding gifts for the wedding party.  Many stores will have sales throughout the year, but also remember the big sales in the New Year & end of season in the summer.  These are also a good opportunity for you to buy your wedding dress & bridesmaid dresses at a reduced price.

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Many couples will probably be looking at ways to reduce their wedding budget at the moment, but it seems that many of them are refusing to compromise when it comes to planning their dream wedding.  After all, this is supposed to be the most special day of your lives, why shouldn’t you have it all?

But if your budget is not saying dream wedding, then don’t panic, a big bank balance is not the only way to achieve your perfect wedding day.  If you are looking for a fairytale wedding without the price tag then follow these top tips to find out how to achieve it.

The Fairytale Venue

Your choice of venue will help to coordinate your wedding style & will dictate the overall look of your wedding day.  A dream venue often comes at a price, but you can get as much as 50% of the booking price by having your wedding during a less popular time of year & during a weekday.

Another tip is to look at places that may not advertise themselves as wedding venues but which would be more than happy to accommodate you.  Look at museums, restaurants, inns & parks.

The Fairytale Wedding Dress

Your dress will be the most important outfit you will ever purchase, so it has to be perfect.  Couture gowns will cost you thousands, but there are other designers out there offering similar designs at much lower prices.

Another option is to look out for designer sample sales where you can snap up a stunning dress for a bargain price.  Check out websites like EBay or your local classifieds for new, nearly new or worn once gowns as well.  With both of these options you will probably have to pay for dry cleaning & maybe alterations too, but you will still come in well under the cost of a brand new dress from a designer boutique.

The Finishing Touches

It is the small finishing touches which add to the uniqueness of your wedding.  All those things such as wedding favors, decorations & your wedding cake are what go to making your wedding personal to you both.  But all of these combined can cost a serious chunk of your budget.

Get creative & make your own decorations, table centerpieces & wedding favors.  It isn’t hard to do & you will plenty of inspiration online & in craft stores.  If you have someone in the family or amongst your friends who can bake then ask them to make your wedding cake.  They don’t have to ice it, you can employ a professional then to apply the decorative touches.

Making your own stationery is not difficult either.  You can buy kits from craft stores or if you are familiar with card making you will know you can buy everything you need separately.  There are also websites with printable designs to download & print out at home.

The Fairytale Wedding Reception

Your wedding reception & evening party will be a big expense, mainly because this will be the biggest party you will ever throw.  Save money by having a buffet instead of a sit down formal meal or go for a traditional afternoon tea or canapé reception with cocktails.

Put together your own buffet with the help of family & friends, you may be surprised by the quality of the food you can put together at a fraction of the cost of professional caterers.

Save on hiring a professional disco by using an MP3 player instead, just make sure your venue has an adequate sound system for you to use & delegate someone to be in charge of keeping the music going.  You can load it with a variety of songs to suit all ages & tastes.  A good tip is to ask your guests to nominate their favorite songs on their RSVP cards.

 By Georgina Clatworthy

The cost of weddings is rising with the average cost now around $28,000!  Whilst many couples will be looking to reduce this figure in these difficult economic times, there are some hidden costs associated with getting married that you need to be aware of.

These are costs that you cannot avoid, so you must inclue them in your wedding budget & whilst none of them are big expenses, they could make a difference to your overall budget.

Passport name changes

 Although you don’t have to pay for this straightaway & you should be fine for your honeymoon, but you will have to get it changed soon after, assuming you will be changing your name.  Fees can vary so make sure you check it out.

The Marriage License

Essential if you want to get married so get down to your local town hall for more information.  Fees vary from state to state so make sure you apply for one for the state in which you want to get married.

Marriage Certificate

Although this won’t cost you much, usually just a few dollars, it is a cost that many will overlook when planning their wedding.

Wedding Insurance

Whether or not you take this is upto you.  You may feel confident enough that nothing will go wrong & feel it is an uneccesary expense.  However, you should give thought to what you would do if a supplier or vendor didn’t show up on the day or didn’t deliver the goods in time.  If you are travelling to a different location for your wedding it may be an idea to cover your wedding dress, grooms attire & other items should something go missing or get damaged.

Wedding insurance is not very expensive & there are many plans to choose from.  Whilst this is a personal choice, it may be wise to investigate it first before making a decision.

Other costs you should also consider, although these don’t necessarily have to go on your wedding budget are:

• Travel insurance for your honeymoon
• Clothing for your honeymoon
• Increasing your home contents insurance to cover any expensive wedding gifts & your wedding rings.

 By Georgina Clatworthy 

In these difficult financial times you may be looking at your wedding budget & wondering how to extract a few more cents (or dollars!) from it.  The one thing you don’t want to do though is compromise too much on those details that make up your dream wedding.

Don’t worry though! Here are 25 top tips for savvy couples to save money & still have a fabulous wedding.

1. Hire a Wedding Planner – It may seem like you are spending more money by hiring a professional, but they can actually save you money in the long run.  Hand over your budget to them & they will control all the expenses & allocate funds accordingly.  Another advantage is that wedding planners often have special relationships with many suppliers & vendors & as a result can give you great prices, deals & packages.
2. Reception Size - Keep the size of your reception to one which you can afford, which means not letting the guest snowball out of control.
3. Wedding Photographers - Try to find a photographer who will charge you by the hour rather than only through a set package.  This will give you greater flexibility over the cost & the shots that you want.
4. Manicures - have a weekly manicure in the run up to your wedding as this is less expensive than a full set of false nails for your wedding day.
5. Avoid the Peak Season - The wedding high season tends to run from April through to October, to take advantage of the good spring & summer weather.  Move your wedding date to outside of these months & you can make considerable savings on venue hire & other suppliers.
6. Catering Costs - Choosing a buffet over a sit down meal will save you money not only in terms of food but also waiting staff, as you need less for a buffet.
7. Honeymoon - Avoid choosing dates that coincide with school holidays as flights, accommodation etc will be more expensive during those dates.  Also avoid locations where major sporting or musical events are being held as accommodation demand will be hire & rates at a premium.
8. Prioritize - Decide on where your wedding priorities lie.  What elements of your wedding day are the most important to you?  Make a list in order of preference & allocate your budget accordingly.
9. Fake It - Faux flowers are now more realistic than ever & can represent a considerable cost saving over their fresh counterparts.  Think about adopting them for buttonholes, corsages & centerpieces.
10. Ready Decorated Venues - This applies particularly church & religious ceremonies, although other venues may apply.  If your wedding date falls on or during a holiday or festival, find out if the venue will be already decorated with flowers & decorations.  If it is you can save a fortune on not having to splash on decorations yourself.
11. The Fizzy Stuff - Champagne is expensive & is often one of the first things to be sacrificed on the wedding planning list.  Opt for alternatives such as Cava or sparkling wine.  There are some great choices available & at reasonable prices.
12. Flowers & Foliage - Fresh flowers & foliage can form a significant part of your budget, so try to cut back on the amount you order.  Find alternatives for your table centerpieces, such as candles or even your wedding favors, piled high in a decorative bowl.  Flowers tend to be more expensive so fill in your arrangements with foliage which is cheaper.
13. Frequent Flyer - If you are a frequent flyer make sure you sign up for frequent flyer schemes with the major airlines & use the rewards for your honeymoon.
14. Honeymoon Extras - Make sure your honeymoon hotel knows it is your honeymoon as you may find a few extra treats coming your way!
15. Sample Sales - When shopping for your wedding dress look out for designer sample sales.  It is a good opportunity to bag a designer frock at a low price.
16. Simple Cakes - Choose a simple wedding cake & keep the decorations to a minimum.  The more work you make for the designer the more expensive it will be.
17. Time of Day - Getting married later in the day means that you won’t need to feed your guests again in the evening.
18. Who Do You Know? - If some one in your family can make dresses or bake cakes or maybe sings in a band, make sure you utilize their talents.  Make use of any contacts someone close to you may have too.
19. Slimming Down - If you want to loose weight before the wedding use an online service instead of splashing out on slimming classes.
20. Honeymoon Season - Save money on your honeymoon by avoiding peak season, temperatures will only be a fraction lower but the cost will be considerably lower.
21. Make Your Own Music - if your reception venue has a decent enough sound system save money on the live entertainment & create your own disco with an i-pod!
22. Mini Cakes - For a small wedding consider handing each guest a cupcake instead of wedding cake.  You will only need an exact number & will avoid any wastage.  They could also double as wedding favors too.
23. Bouquets - Have a hand tied bouquet instead of a larger trailing or shower style.  All that intricate wiring of the flowers takes time & costs more money.
24. Book Early - Book your vendors & suppliers, like your photographer as early as possible.  The best ones are always booked fast & the closer you are to your wedding day the less likely it is you will get a discount.
25. Stationery - Save on your wedding stationery by cutting out pricey items such as envelope liners, RSVP cards & blotter papers.  Set up an online RSVP website so your guests can respond the modern way!

By Georgina Clatworthy 

If you still need more ways to cut costs for your wedding day, then here are 25 more ways to save $’s:

1. Cheap Flights – Book your honeymoon flights with a lesser known international carrier who often has prices up to 70% cheaper than the major airlines.
2. Savvy Bookings - If you are booking your hotel accommodation direct with the hotel ask for their best rate or rack rate but never settle for the first quote.
3. Multi Tasking Flowers - Flowers are expensive so make them work hard for you – if you are having a large number of bridesmaids then use their bouquets as either table centers or to decorate the cake table & other areas of your reception room.
4. Get Personal - Recommendations from family & friends are worth their weight in gold so get asking around.
5. License to Drink - Using a venue without a drinks license will save you money on corkage charges.
6. Booze Cruise - If you are supplying your own drinks for the reception then look to go on a booze cruise & take advantage of cheaper drink prices from wholesale outlets or even abroad.
7. Keep the Numbers Down - If you are having a formal sit down meal then limit your numbers for the afternoon reception.  Invite everyone else to the evening party instead.
8. Honeymoon Time - Be flexible about flight times when you jet off on honeymoon.  Early morning or late evening/night flights are often cheaper than flights leaving midday.
9. Double Up - Think of things that can double as something else.  For instance instead of having a place card & wedding favors, attach name tags to your wedding favors instead.
10. Flower Friendly - Ask for locally grown, in season blooms as these are often cheaper than those more exotic blooms that have to be imported.
11. Stylist Savvy - Hire just one person to do your hair & make up instead of two.
12. Camera Shy - Place disposable cameras on your tables & ask your guests to take pictures throughout the reception.  This will negate the need to keep your photographer on & you will get some great pictures too!
13. Bubble Trouble - Real flower confetti can be expensive, as a cheaper alternative give each guest a bottle of bubbles instead.
14. Budget Bank - Set up a separate bank account for your wedding budget so that it is kept separate from your everyday expenses.
15. Gift Lists - If you fancy the idea of a trip of a life time for your honeymoon, why not ask your guests to contribute towards various elements of it.  It is a great alternative to the traditional gift list.
16. Financial Advice - If your parents’ are contributing towards costs then make sure everyone knows exactly what they are funding.  Make out lists for everyone detailing what they are paying for & costs.
17. Travel Safe - Be sure to take out adequate travel insurance for your honeymoon. It is another expenses but the cost of medical assistance abroad can be expensive.
18. Thank You Mum - Save money on thank you gifts for your mum, mother-in-law etc, by giving them the table centerpieces instead.
19. Cheap Hair - Think about asking for a junior stylist to do your wedding hair, they will often be cheaper & could bring a fresh modern approach to your style.
20. Stick to the Schedule - Make sure you stick to your times & schedule on the day.  Vendors such as musicians & caterers will charge you overtime if you keep them longer than contracted.
21. Trail Run - Make sure you have a trial run with your make up stylist; it is a good way to negotiate a discount for the trial, wedding day & your bridesmaids.
22. Budget Bookings - If you aren’t flying far then try booking with a budget airline for the cheapest rates, just make sure you book well in advance as cheap flights can be booked out very quickly.
23. Donated Dresses - Look out for charity store finds on your wedding dress or your bridesmaid dresses, also check out classified ads & EBay for nearly new, worn once or brand new gowns.
24. Flower Power - Make double use of your church floral arrangements by having them transported to your reception venue.  Pedestal arrangements will look fabulous at the entrance, whilst pew ends can be used on chair backs.
25. Bargain Offers - Check out competitions & offers available in magazines & books, you may be able to get money off vouchers to use at national retailers or maybe even win the entire wedding!

By Georgina Clatworthy

Your wedding reception will take up a large chunk of your wedding budget, but for most it is a price worth paying for a fantastic reception.  But if your budget is more ginger beer than champagne here are some ways in which you can cut costs but still have a great party.

1. Alcohol can be one of the biggest expenses at your reception, but there are several ways in which you can lower the costs.
   • Offer your guests punch – both alcoholic & non-alcoholic – instead of having a bar. This is a nice idea if you are having a summer luncheon wedding reception.
   • Keep the champagne for the wedding toasts & limit it to one glass per guests.  For the rest of the reception serve only wine & beer along with non-alcoholic drinks & tea & coffee.
   • Close the bar about an hour before the wedding reception ends. Serve only cold drinks, tea & coffee afterwards.
   • Ask your venue if you can bring in your own alcohol.  You will find the rates will be considerably lower if you can bring in your own drinks.  You can also consider having an open bar at the reception.
2. Your venue hire will be another large expense.  Think about booking your wedding for an out of season date when the hire fees are lower or discounted.
3. If you book your venue well in advance of your wedding date you may also be able to get further discounts or freebies add in.  If you are unable to negotiate any monetary discounts try to get some other perks such as valet parking.
4. Wedding cakes can be expensive especially if you have a large number of guests. Instead of having one large wedding cake, order a smaller decorated wedding cake which you can cut at the wedding reception. Use this cake for display & for the cake cutting ceremony. Serve your guests cake from sheet cakes inside the kitchen, which are a whole lot cheaper. You can also serve your wedding cake as dessert.
5. If your budget is really tight, hold a cocktail wedding reception instead. Talk with your caterer about using foods which are in season.  Being freely available means they are often much cheaper than using foods which are out of season.
6. Your wedding photographs can be a major expense, particularly if you hire your photographer for a large portion of the day.  Hire a photographer to take photographs after the wedding ceremony only & then ask a close friend who is good with a camera to taje pictures at the reception.  Place disposable cameras on your tables so your guests can capture moments during the party that you may have otherwise missed!

The success of your wedding reception is really down to the amount of fun & enjoyment you & your guests get out of the event & less about the amount of money you throw at it.  Put the emphasis on enjoyment rather than the little details & you will have many wonderful memories of your special day.