Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Great Tips For Saving Money On Your Wedding

Great Tips For Saving Money On Your WeddingA wedding held today may be twice as expensive as an identical wedding held six months from now, or half the price. It all depends on the season. Holidays, the weather, and tourism all affect the prices and availability of services you may want to reserve for your wedding. Ask about seasonal price changes when you are pursuing general information.Allow yourself plenty of time to consider several seasons for your wedding. This might mean up to a year of waiting and planning, but you can save a lot of money with careful research in this area.Ask about seasonal charges for the ceremony location. More popular wedding months may see a rise in location fees.Ask about seasonal charges for the reception location as well. Again, busier wedding months may mean the manager has boosted - or dropped - package rates.

The season of your wedding also determines if you will have weather factors to consider. Are you planning an outdoor wedding during the rainy season? If so, the garden tea party you found to be so much less expensive than the sit-down dinner will wind up costing you much more than you had planned when you have to move everyone and everything indoors. What about the air conditioning or heat you'll have to provide?Will it be the stormy time of year where you are planning to spend your honeymoon? A great deal of money is wasted if you lose a day or two of your vacation because a flight was delayed by a hurricane. So consider the seasonal weather when you plan your wedding and honeymoon.The travel industry is also controlled by seasonal rates. Off-season airfare and hotel reservations can amount to hundreds of dollars' savings over high-season tourist prices. Check with your travel agent about seasonal travel prices when you begin your planning, or check directly with airlines and hotels.Holidays also affect the price of travel for the bride and groom and for family and friends who will come from miles away to share your day with you. Either travel and lodging fees will soar skyward due to holiday visiting, or special holiday travel packages may be offered to lure passengers away from competitors. Research holiday travel rates thoroughly before you plunk down a few thousand on Memorial Day weekend.

You might be able to get a better deal at another time.Another way to facilitate travel: Plan your wedding for the weekend of a family gathering or reunion. Everyone will be in the general area, and they'll get two great events for one trip. One bride found that when she moved her wedding date to an earlier weekend, more of her guests would be in the area after a family party, and she saved over a thousand dollars in travel and lodging for her guests.The season of your wedding will also affect the price of the flowers you choose for your bouquets and decorations. Blooms and plants are usually cheaper when they are in season, so consider your florist bill when you set a date on the calendar.

Furthermore, a wedding planned for Valentine's Day faces an increased charge for much-in-demand roses. Sixty-dollar bouquets on Valentine's Day go for less than twenty dollars the day after, so imagine what your wedding flowers will cost.Prices and types of food on the wedding menu will also be affected by the season. Warmer days mean lighter, simpler foods, and certain types of seafood are less expensive when in season.Which months are the best to consider? It's hard to say. May through August is the busiest and high demand usually means inflated prices and slimmer choices. December, too, is a popular month for weddings, and, due to the high prices of the holiday season, it's also costly. Spring break may see a fare hike on airlines. Graduation time may mean caterers and entertainers are busy with those celebrations. So what's left? January through April as well as September to November. Be careful, though. These may be the natural down time for the wedding industry, but there's no guarantee that rates will be better than at the busiest times. In fact, depending on where you are and what kind of wedding season preceded the down time, prices just might be higher. Research is the key.

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