True love has no price—but the wedding does

[BSClay]

June is traditionally the month of weddings. And you can spend a lot on that perfect day: The Association for Wedding Professionals International estimates that the average wedding (in 2008) cost between $21,000 and $24,000, though costs vary significantly depending on whether you’re tying the knot in downtown Manhattan or suburban Omaha.

If you’re not a millionaire and you need to keep expenses under control, consider these tips:

• Skip the busy season. Most weddings take place in the summer and early fall. You can save money by scheduling the nuptials off-season.

• Pick the right time. The most popular, sought-after, and expensive day and time to book a reception hall is Saturday evening. If you can manage the ceremony and reception during the daytime you’ll put less of a strain on your finances (leaving more for your honeymoon).

• Don’t go overboard with flowers. Select flowers that are in season; concentrate more on greens and less on blooms. A little color is nice, but you want people’s attention to be on the bride and groom.

• Let them eat cake. Don’t overload guests with sweets. If you’re serving dinner at the reception, guests may not want—or eat—a dessert and cake on top of their meal. Consider serving a traditional wedding cake to the wedding party and a sheet cake to the guests.

[moneysense]

Thank you for sharing those excellent suggestions. And you are so right, weddings are quite expensive, the dress alone can run in the thousands.

But when you stop to consider that a lot of these weddings end in divorce just a few years later, you have to wonder if it was really worth all the expense.

My husband and I got married in jeans and tshirts and have been together almost 30 years now. So, its not the wedding that counts, its the people in it as to whether it will work or not.

So save where you can and be happy.

[dimetime]

It is almost unbelieveable the amount of money that some people will spend on a wedding. The money spent on some weddings is enough to buy a house to start the happy couple's new life in!!

I would rather use the money saved for the honeymoon and starting life together rather than spend it on a wedding which only lasts for a few hours!!

I have watched some celebrity wedding and if you thought that $24,000 is an expensive wedding then you haven't seen anything yet. I have seen some peeps spend nearly a million just on the wedding gown!!!

I know that is supposed to be the happiest day of some people's lives, but going overboard spending money like water isn't feasible this day and age!!!