10 Ways to Cut Wedding Costs

THE WEDDING OF YOUR dreams could all too easily become the outstanding debt of your nightmares.

1) Slim down the invites

The more you stuff into that wedding invitation envelope, the more you'll pay both in product costs and postage, cautions Summer Krecke, deputy editor of WeddingChannel.com. Streamline the contents by putting reception and ceremony information on the same card. Eliminate extras, like fancy liners and interior envelopes. And in lieu of including a map, send an email with a link to mapped-out directions or include the address of your wedding web site where guests can find the full details. At InvitationConsultants.com, for example, 150 of its middle-of-the-road "Simply Elegant" invitation sets — including the invitation, envelope, reception card and response card — costs $675. Cut out the reception cards, and save $68.

2) Hunt for ambiance

Seek out ceremony and reception spaces that will only need small accents — instead of a total transformation — in order to fit your colors and theme. That way, you're not spending a large part of your budget on decor, says Judy Allen, author of "Your Stress-Free Wedding Planner." Even if table linens and chair covers are provided, blank walls and basic furnishings require more in the way of flowers, lights and other accoutrements. On the other hand, building features like fireplaces, fountains, gardens and even crown molding can reduce or eliminate the need for decorations.

3) Rent a cake

At up to $15 per slice, haute couture cakes may be wow-worthy, but they often unnecessarily weigh on a couple's budget. You don't have to spend a small fortune to get that elaborate confection of handcrafted sugar-paste flowers and lacey cutout fondant icing. Instead, fake it with an icing-covered foam cake from a rental company, advises Vanessa Wakeman, owner of Indulgence Events, a New York-based event-planning service. You'll get the look you want for photos (there's a real layer for the cutting ceremony). To make sure you satisfy your guests' sweet tooth, purchase a sheet cake from a local bakery that can be cut up in the kitchen. Aurora, N.Y.-based bakery Rent the Cake of Your Dreams offers a three-tier cake for as little as $60, including delivery and setup. The real cake layer costs $1.75 to $2.95 per serving.

4) Dress-shop online

Warnings on major designers' web sites caution brides not to buy their gowns online, because there's no guarantee the dress is authentic. "That really puts people off, but buying online is actually a great way to shop around and save," says Christa Terry, author of "iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing but 'Net." Bridal boutiques often practice so-called "tag ripping," removing all identifiers from the dress so brides can't take the style number to price compare elsewhere. Terry suggests starting online to find dress designers and styles you love. Then work backward to find out where you can try on the dresses locally, and the prices you might pay.

5) Go local

With the national average for regular unleaded gas topping $4 a gallon, the less traveling your wedding purchases need to do, the better. "Go for anything that is local and in season," says Wakeman. Food and flowers that need to be specially ordered or travel a long distance are bound to come at a premium prices. Peonies, for example, are widely available in the spring for $4 to $6 a stem, but must be imported from Europe or New Zealand — at double the price — for fall and winter weddings.

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