Top Five Tips For A Cheaper Wedding
By Roberto Bell
Weddings are expensive, probably one of the most expensive days of your life. As an insider in the industry, I am going to offer you five easy, logical and practical tips for you to reduce the cost of your wedding. These are just ideas for guidance that should result in you saving thousands from your weddings costs.

The first tip is really simple, just don't get married on a Saturday. It is simple really, the majority of weddings take place on a Saturday and anyone providing you a wedding related service will always charge you full price because this is the only day of the week that they are guaranteed work. If you get married on an alternative date, you should be able to negotiate at least a 10% reduction in the cost of any of your services.

The second tip is also easy! Always buy your goods and services from local providers. You will tend to get a better quality of product or service anyway but will avoid the higher delivery charges imposed by national suppliers. Think of it logically, if you are buying a generic product, buy it locally and make the supplier remove the delivery costs. This tip is very relevant for products such as wedding invitations and stationary, wedding clothing and event services such as evening entertainment, chocolate fondues and ice sculptures.

The third tip is money management. Make a list of products and services that you will buy and a budget then put a value against each service so that you don't spend over your budget. Now, in the wedding industry, there tends to be a massive divergence in prices for products and services that are not vastly different in terms of quality. Take wedding stationary for example, if you search really hard, you will always be able to find a cheaper supplier for wedding stationary and it is really easy to make yourself. Stick to your budget and if you better you budget against one area, don?t automatically spend your saving in an additional area as you will always find that last minute item that you completely forgot about.

The fourth tip is to buy second hand products. Ok, many people will turn their noses up at this one but think about it! A wedding dress is usually only ever worn once, even if it is for sale second hand, it has still usually only be worn once. If you have an issue with this or are ashamed, there is an easy way out, just don?t tell anyone, they will never know and you can save yourself a small fortune. There are even websites to help you with this from ebay to specialist wedding gown exchanges but if you are on a budget, it is a really simple way to save money.

This is the last tip of this article and the best! Wedding rings are really expensive, you often pay over the top just because it is a wedding ring and your suppliers know this! There is an alternative which is typically cheaper and gets you a wedding ring of a much higher quality and that is buying second hand. Before you turn away, this does not mean going to your local second hand shop or pawn broker, it means visiting an antiques dealer because they will often have the most beautiful antique wedding rings at substantially lower prices than your local retailer for a brand new ring! Not only will you save money, you often buy a product that is much better quality, better made and has a history with it!

The 'Top Five Tips for a Cheaper Wedding' was written by Edwin Hall who owns several wedding related business including Chocolate Fountains of Devon who provide chocolate fondue fountains in the South West of England including Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. He also owns and manages Catering 4 Weddings, the online directory for wedding caterers, wedding cakes, marquees and chocolate fountains and the Chocolate fountain directory which lists chocolate fondue fountain providers worldwide.

Video: Evening News Online, 03.11.10
Thursday: Traffic fatalities drop to the lowest level since 1954; Also, schools face budget deficits nationwide; And, a Calif. man gets creative with tulips.
Video: Football Star Merlin Olsen Dies
A member of the infamous Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome during the 1960s, football giant Merlin Olsen has died at the age of 69. CBS News' Bill Whitaker reports.
NYC to Settle Sept. 11 Health Cases
City Agrees to Pay up to $657 Million to Settle more than 10,000 Lawsuits Filed by Rescue and Response Workers
Summer Comes Early for Airfare Sales
AirTran Airways Fires First Shot in Likely Price Wars to Come; Five Major U.S. Carriers Forced to Follow Suit
Man Convicted In Slaying Of Broncos Cornerback
Jury Finds Suspected Gang Member Guilty Of Murder In Slaying Of Denver Broncos Cornerback
A Look At February's Top-selling Video Games
'BioShock 2,' New 'Mario' Top The List Of Best-selling Video Games In The US In February
2 Killed On NJ Train Tracks In Separate Accidents
Trains Kill 2 People On NJ Tracks In Separate Accidents, Causing Travel Delays
Summary Box: S&P 500 Index Closes At 17-month High
Summary Box: Stronger Financial Shares Lift Stock Market; S&P 500 Index Hits 17-month High
Summary Box: Regulators Appeal On Swaps
Summary Box: SEC Calls For Congress To Act On Derivatives; Commodity Agency Faults Wall Street
Summary Box: Video Game Sales Drop 15 Percent
Summary Box: Video Game Sales Sink 15 Percent; Sales Of Games, Wii Consoles Decline
Indiana Man Who Murdered 2 Executed In Texas
Indiana Man Convicted Of Murdering 2, Including Texas Sheriff's Deputy, Executed
AP: Woods Likely to Return at Masters
Woods Has Been Practicing Near Orlando Home; Now Targeting April Major, Sources Say, Despite Reports of Even Sooner Return
Runaway Circus Zebra Put Down
Barnum and Bailey's Says Damaged Hooves Couldn't Be Repaired After Run Through Downtown Atlanta
Pa. Jury Awards $95M In Case Of Killer Nurse
Pa. Jury Awards $95M To Families Who Claimed Loved Ones Died At Hands Of Serial Killer Nurse
Ginsburg Endorses End To Local Judicial Elections
Ginsburg Supports Ending Judicial Elections At State, Local Level And The Money They Attract
Video: Cell Phone Health Warning
State legislators in Maine are preparing to enact a law which would require all mobile phones in the state to carry a potential health risk warning. Jim Axelrod reports.
Video: Tulips in an Unusual Place
In Southern California, the flora and the fauna have to be able to resist the heat. But, as John Blackstone reports, a trick on nature has allowed tulips to pop up in an unusual place.
NYC To Pay Up To $657M To Settle WTC Health Cases
NYC Agrees To Pay Up To $657M To Settle Health Lawsuits Filed By Ground Zero Workers
NYC Reaches Settlement With Thousands Of Ground Zero Responders Over Health Claims
NYC Reaches Settlement With Thousands Of Ground Zero Responders Over Health Claims
Katie Couric's Notebook: Winter Blues
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, has Outlived its Usefulness
Video: School Budget Woes
Kansas City's school board will shut down nearly half of its schools, most of them in the inner city area. As Cynthia Bowers reports, this is just one example of widespread educational budget cuts.
Video: Traffic Deaths Decline
Transportation safety experts say that the number of traffic-related deaths has decreased to the lowest level since 1954. Dean Reynolds reports on the reasons behind this drop.
Video: Banning Certain Earmarks
Following a series of recent scandals for the Democratic Party, Nancy Cordes reports Congressional leaders are aiming for ethical reform by banning earmarks for private companies.
Video: Race to the Top
President Obama and the Secretary of Education are allotting cash-strapped states more funds than ever in a competitive effort to raise learning standards. Ben Tracy reports.
Video: Exclusive: Hero's Acts Faulted
Army Capt. Matthew Myer was awarded a Silver Star for his actions during a battle at Wanat in Afghanistan. But, as David Martin reports, Capt. Myer could also lose his career over the incident.