List Mania!

When I first started planning our wedding, it seemed like there were so many details and items I was unsure of. After all, I have never done this before and the budget, guest list and choices were more than overwhelming. Thankfully, my friend Dana has recently been married, and she has many good ideas. One of them was The Knot's Book of Lists. This book has been a lifesaver on many occasions and offers things to look for when meeting with vendors, checklists of topics to cover and items that you should ask about/look for in your contract with them. I would highly recommend it to any bride-to-be. It's less than $15 with shipping on http://www.amazon.com/.

Ways to Save

While the trunk sale is on my mind.... I thought I might share; I have several friends who are newly engaged and I thought they might appreciate this scoop!

Having a wedding is expensive! Here are some ways that I have saved some money in planning my own:

1. I bought my dress at a trunk sale. It was 10% off. I also had a friend who bought hers as a sample. She got 50% off. Stores often sell samples at the end of a season.


2. Sign with your vendors early. I got engaged in late summer 2007 and am getting married in 2009. I signed many contracts in 2007 and locked in the rates for that year. So far I have saves $1,000 on my hall and $200 on ceremony musicians!


3. Shop for favors and wedding paraphanelia at the end of the high season(late summer). I got my favors for 50% off at the Knot Shop and a matching cake cutting/toasting flute set for half price at Things Remembered.


4. I have two friends who are each saving mucho dinero on their venues. One is getting married on a Saturday afternoon(less popular time) and the other is getting married in December(off season date). Bonus for the December bride-she doesn't need decorations for the church because it is already beautifully decorated for the holidays!


5. Use a credit card with a "bonus" program if you can pay it off right away. I have already gotten $100 back from my Charles Schwab Visa, and it has great interest rates! http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/credit_card?cmsid=P-990780&lvl1=banking_lending&lvl2=credit_card