The Frugal Bride Tips

He finally proposed! You can't wait to wear the wedding dress that you had always dreamed of. The fancy decorations, the family and friends, the food, the cake, the bridal bouquet... and the list goes on and on.

Excuse me, girl. Sorry for bursting your bubbles, but, have you checked your savings account? Are you sure about getting the big hall for the wedding with only $5,000 that you and your fiance have? Stop dreaming of those over-the-top fantasies. Clear you mind and get a piece of paper to write down the most important things for the big day.

One question: What happened to all the invitation cards that you have ever received?

Some of you may have made a scrapbook from all the cards. That's very creative. Unfortunately, many of us simply throw away the cards right after the wedding, a week after or at any certain point in the future. Therefore, think before you start ordering the 500 cards.

Think through these few issues:

1. The size of the card. Big of small?
2. Color - the more color you use, the more expensive it will cost.
3. Material - certain kind of papers cost more. Select it wisely.

How do you want to design it? Simple? Elaborate? Hire someone to do it for you? You need to be very clear how do you want it to be done. Set a budget for the cards. They are just cards. Yet, they are pricy too. Why not change your conventional idea and build an online invitation instead or something that is cost-free. You can either:

• Build a special website to announce your wedding, complete with a save-the-date function, (e.g. mywedding, weddingwindow)
• Design your card, and upload it to your social networks accounts emails. Designing can be easy if you have seen some examples. Or you can use any templates available. You don't need a lot of pictures for your design, playing with font color and sizes can make an impact too.
• Send a picture or link the message by using any free messaging tools that you have (e.g. Whatsapp, Line, Viber, Tango)

Girls, I know it's hard to fight the urge of having a real invitation card and hand it out, but, think again where that card will end up.

p.s. Maybe you can have an option for those who truly want to receive the card and ask them reply your text/email with their home address.

Every bride wants to look stunning on their special day. No doubt. However, how much are you willing to pay for the dress? You want to impress everyone at your big celebration, yet how can you afford the dress of your dream? Your choices are:

1. Buy new. Cost: mid costly to expensive
2. Rent. Cost: can go very cheap from $300 to $1000+
3. Tailored. Cost: based on design and materials. Usually it will cost more than $1000.
4. Alter. Cost: depending on your dress, it can start with $200.

These budgets are based on location too. If you're living in a big city, don't dream of cheap prices. If you're a talented in sewing, why not sew your own dress? Make it simple but elegant. Something like Princess Leia is cute too. *wink*

It's best to go to the thrift store or make a hunt on eBay or Craiglist for used wedding gown. There are people who sell them online and ship with a low cost. You need extra effort for that.

Another way to have your wedding gown is to purchase a simple A-line white dress. Go to your tailor, and have her alter it with a desirable length of train. If you're a great bargain hunter, you will be successful in your mission to find a simple white dress, during big sales or at any online stores.

If you're not into white, that's way easier. You have bigger selections for your dream wedding dress.

Remember how the mice and birds help Cinderella to get ready for her wedding? Together with all the lavish decorations? Unfortunately darling, you don't have those and not even the fairy godmother! Clear your head off with the fantasies. Think of the decorations and set a vivid idea of how your wedding should look like.

I'm glad that there are many DIY projects around here. If you're into taking care of kids, or maybe want to get along with them, one of the thing you can do is to gather maybe 4-5 children and get them to work on your decoration. Teach them and have fun with them. At the same time, you are preparing for the wedding. Make it a weekend project. Why not start early? Here's a step-by-step on how you can start with your wedding decoration project:

1. Choose a theme that is in your budget (do an online research)
2. List out the things you need to prepare (think of recyclable items around you)
3. Mark in the calendar when are you going to do them and stick to it
4. Get some kids or teenagers to help you

By then of the project, make sure you reward them with something. Don't be too stingy but always be wise and on budget. Be creative.

Some of the decorations are printables that you can get for free! Get some papers and inks, and print! If you don't have a printer, borrow from someone and make a DIY crafts as a thank you note. You save a lot that way.

This is supposed to be a very simple matter. However, certain brides are too hooked up with their "dream wedding" that they refused to change their original plan. That's how a bride become too distress and boy, your groom is actually hating it. Planning for a wedding should be fun, not stressful. Write down what you're stressing about and act on it. Stop being a bitch.

Talking about location, if your parents have a big garden, ask them if they can let you use it for your reception. You can opt for a park, and don't forget to get a permit from the town / city council for that. Perhaps, you can also find a way by using a school hall. It depends on your guest list - which we will discuss next.

Some of the places mentioned above is free. Carry out more internet searches for "wedding location ideas" for your area. You'll be surprised with what you will find. Remember, keep an open mind.

The more and more you think about the wedding, the longer the guest list will be. Don't be too overwhelmed with the guest list. Some of the guests just want to come and get free food. Maybe you can start invite the people who you truly care about.

Take a deep breath, sweetheart. Now, set a reasonable number of people that you want to invite. The more people you're inviting, the bigger the spending. Start with the family first, then the closest friends of both you and partner. Either you want to invite the neighbors, it's up to you. Now that you haven't seen your distant Uncle Rob for 12 years because his wife is kind of hostile towards your family, just put him aside. Very distant relative should be out of the list. Make it simple dear. Loved ones only.

If you have 300 people in your wedding, think again if you are very close to them. Think very hard. Try your best to limit the people. Or else, you have to make a simpler wedding and invite them just for tea. Just kidding.

What do you think of having a vast selection of food when you attend a wedding reception? Depending on your location to get married and also the number of your guests, you have to consider your food selection carefully. You can have a caterer and get a quote per guest. There are various selections of caterer and based on your budget and menu, you can cut down on the cost.

Find a caterer that is new and just starting to launch their business, or maybe any of your family members or close friends who are trying to start their catering or dining business. Your wedding can be their first gig. In fact, they might give you a big discount for promoting them. Let them advertise their newly bloomed business during your wedding. It won't affect your wedding that much.

Your menu can be a huge impact as well. Some of the ways you can reduce the cost is to prepare the desserts yourself, perhaps days earlier or, buy ice creams in bulk (at a low price each). This is one way you can get this done.

Wedding cake is not really a necessity, but if you have a talent in baking, or simply learn baking from youtube videos, it can be managed. However, make sure that you're still in the budget. Keep track of every grocery items that you bought for the wedding. Make sure you're not overspending. Btw, cupcakes are great too! And you can have them as your wedding cake.

P.S. Try couponing before you go for grocery shopping.

To cherish your special moments during your wedding day, it is wise to get a professional photographer - and also a videographer, if you have the budget. So now, how are you going to cut the budget?

What I personally did for my wedding is that I asked my photographers (three of them) to only send me the softcopy of all the pictures. My husband and I had a tight budget so we can't afford the printing yet. Having the pictures in DVD is totally a good idea because we only spent a third of the actual price. Plus, I didn't ask my friends to bring me gifts. Instead, I had them collect extra money to pay for the photographers. When the time comes, my husband and I choose a wedding album, and print the pictures. It's more memorable to do this on your own rather than having someone else arrange your pictures. If you need an extra touch, you can have your album personalized with engravings. That can be done from as low as $20!

To share with friends and family members of the pictures, simply upload your picture to any image hosting site (e.g. Flickr, TinyPic) and share them the link! Easy peasy!