Sonal J. Shah Event Consultants, LLC

Should You Do Multiple Events For Your Wedding?

When planning your dream wedding, it is easy to get carried away with the details. But with a little creativity and some research, you are able to cut costs without sacrificing quality and flare.

Here are a few ideas that can help you save:

1. Your Wedding Date: The peak wedding season is anywhere between April and September. If you pick a date that is between November and March, more resources will be available and you will cut costs. Also, more venues will be available.

2. Creative Centerpieces: Many brides purchase centerpieces from the decorators, which can be expensive, especially if the number of guests add up. But by being a little creative, you can create your own centerpieces that cost less. You can even visit discount stores or order things in bulk. You don’t have to have extravagant flower arrangements to project elegance and flare.

3. Lighting: If you have a budget that can’t include wall to wall lighting for each event, limit the special lighting to one of the events of your wedding. Also, opt to do four lights per wall to still give it a little bit of an effect.

4. Flowers: Asking your florist/decorator to reuse flowers is a cost friendly choice. In a different setting and lighting, the flowers will look different and unique. Don’t forget that you can use the flowers to decorate the room, bathroom, or even the cake.

5. Limiting Alcohol: Alcohol can take up a big part of your budget. You can cut the cost by limiting the amount you offer to your guests. It is not required for you to provide a full bar for all of your events. For cocktail hour, you can just limit it to select wines and beers. Maybe for the night before you do specialty drinks, like an assorted moito bar, or frozen drinks.

6. The Cake: To cut down the per slice cost, ask your bakery for only one or two real tiers of cake instead of all of your tiers. Most bakeries will give you the option of installing fake tiers for a minimum per tier charge. This option can easily help you save and still give you the cake you want. Also, maybe consider ordering cake for only half of your guests if there are also other desserts being offered.

7. Linens: If a full linen ensemble is not in your budget, you can get away with doing a runner on the table, charger plates on the table, or use just chair covers and sashes. Use the table linens provided by your venue and then rent the chair covers. To finish the look, select a chair sash to match the main color of your centerpiece.