17.8 Billion on Weddings in 2006!

According to InStyle magazine, Americans spent a whopping 17.8 BILLION dollars on their weddings last year! I can't believe that so much money went into a one-day party! We tried so hard to keep things as cheap as possible with our wedding...finding deals and bargains with almost every aspect of our wedding. My mom wrote an article, "Wedding Doesn't Have to Break the Bank", in our local newspaper. She gave some great tips and here are a few of the major pointers from that article:

• Shop clearance racks: A full-price wedding gown was out of our budget, but we found many beautiful gowns on the bridal shop clearance racks. Anne eventually chose a beautiful $1,200 gown that we found on the clearance rack for $279.
• Take advantage of tux store offers: Many tux rental stores offer free invitations with tux rental. This saves hundreds of dollars.
• Borrow what you can: Rather than renting a limo for the drive from the church to the reception, we asked family friends if we could borrow their convertible. Another friend offered decorations she still had from her daughter’s wedding. The church had silk greenery we were able to use and candle stands and white pillars were also borrowed.
• Do without: What items that are considered “traditional” do you really not need or even care about? Anne determined she didn’t really care if she had an aisle runner at the church. That was one less thing to purchase.

The average amount spent on a wedding is $30,000. Many couples start their marriage off with debt from their wedding. One of the leading reasons for divorce is the inability to agree about finances. Why start off on a rocky foot? You can have an incredible wedding without becoming tied down to unbelievable debt. We did!