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Show Vernal Express, Wednesday, February 9, 2005 C$ Vf 7 iv Planning a wedding on a small budget can prepare a couple for married life. Planning A Small Budget Wedding By Amanda Knoles Having a big wedding is a lifelong dream for many young couples, but it doesn't take long to realize that dream comes with a hefty price tag. In times past, the bride's parents took on the responsibility of paying for the wedding, but in today's economic eco-nomic climate, many couples choose to divide the costs. If you'd rather not go too far into debt, there are many tried and true ways to save money on a wedding. Before you get carried away and invite 200 people to the most expensive banquet room in town, sit down with your fiance fi-ance and determine what is really re-ally important. If you have your heart set on being married in a gazebo at an oceanside inn, figure the cost for that and cut back on other areas. Generally if you have the wedding and reception at one site, you'll save money. One site means fewer decorations, less transportation to worry about and the convenience of everything every-thing being in one place. Many hotels and resorts that are in demand de-mand for weddings offer package pack-age deals including a decorated wedding chapel, reception area and honeymoon suite. It isn't very difficult to spend $5000 on a wedding, but it takes some careful planning to pull it off for $1000 or less. A backyard reception can be more intimate and enjoyable than a restaurant or banquet hall, where the expenses ex-penses will add up fast. Are you willing to compromise compro-mise on a smaller wedding so you can honeymoon at a luxury resort? Or, if your heart is set on a formal wedding, a weekend getaway is a more affordable honeymoon choice. If you're only inviting a small number of people, handmade hand-made invitations can be much more personal. It is possible to economize on printed invitations invita-tions depending on the number you order, the paper weight and other factors. The time that you choose to have your wedding can also save money. Most reception halls are most in demand on Saturday nights. If you don't mind having your event on a Saturday morning morn-ing or Sunday afternoon, you'll have a choice of more available dates and possibly save money, too. Transportation is another place to cut costs. A limo or horse and carriage are nice if you can afford it, but if it's not that important, consider having a friend with a nice car drive you to the church and reception. recep-tion. . Flowers can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. If you live near a flower market, make arrangements with a friend to help transport them to the wedding. Food for the reception is always al-ways a big expense but you'll save considerably if you opt for a buffet or hors d'oeuvres instead in-stead of a sit-down dinner. For smaller weddings it isn't necessary neces-sary to offer a full bar. Champagne Cham-pagne or wine can be bought in bulk and served at the appropri ate time. Many local bakeries do a stunning job with wedding wed-ding cakes and offer a range of choices. As far as entertainment at the reception, a smaller gathering gath-ering can get by with a pianist or piped in music. For a bigger bash, DJs are less expensive than live bands. It's also possible to save money mon-ey on photography and videos. If your budget will only stretch so far, arrange to have a professional pro-fessional photographer shoot the ceremony only and have a friend tape the reception with a video camera. Chances are you can draft some friends into videotaping vid-eotaping the ceremony and taking tak-ing pictures at the reception. Instead of renting a hotel ballroom, check into renting a community center, association hall or a restaurant's private room. If you decide to use your church's reception area, they may already have punch bowls, tables, dishes and linens that can be dressed up with a few decorations. You can save a bundle on flowers flow-ers and decorations if you draft a few crafty friends into helping with the arrangements. Trellises, Trel-lises, pews, etc., can be trimmed with greenery and bows along with a few well-placed flowers. A few strategically placed white candles can also be stunning. For the bouquet, sometimes simpler is better. A couple of red roses or orchids can be a beautiful accent ac-cent for the weddjng dress. And believe it or not;nany modern brides save a butldle by renting the wedding gown. Copyright (c) 2002 Publishers-Edge 5s V" ' ''31' J) , ego- Full Service Bridal Shop For all your wedding needs Rentals $ Formal & Semi-formal Bridal gowns v Shoes & Accessories ? Tuxedos f Backdrops, tables & chairs f Bridesmaid, Prom & Dance Dresses Women's Dresses ? Temple Clothing Come by our booth at "Women's Day Out" and register to win a night's stay at the Landmark Inn, or a manicure from Shelley at Accents Beauty. 36 West 100 South 10a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday (435) 789-4' "We'll treat you better" ft Money is always an issue. Who pays for what? By Joe Talent Planning a wedding is stressful. stress-ful. There are so many details to attend to that everyone gets a little on edge. Financial issues surrounding the wedding add to the stress. That stress is amplified ampli-fied when everyone is not aware of what they are traditionally responsible to pay for. This guideline is intended to help relieve some of that stress by identifying who is traditionally responsible to pay for what. "Traditionally" the bride's parents pay for almost all of the wedding expenses. However, as today's typical bride and groom are changing so are traditions. Many newlyweds are older today to-day than they used to be. People' are waiting a little longer to get married, first establishing a financial base before they are married. Often, the newlyweds are in a better financial position posi-tion to pay for many wedding expenses than the bride's parents par-ents are. It is also more common today for the groom's parents to foot some of the bill. It is not unusual for today's wedding to cost $20,000. This is a large sum for any single family fam-ily to absorb into their budget. Be sensitive to the financial position po-sition of the bride's parents and help where you can. It is vital to plan carefully and arrive at a budget before you make many plans. This obviously isn't one of the most romantic parts of planning a wedding but it will save stress and hurt feelings later. Here are some traditional guidelines for who is responsible responsi-ble for wedding expenses. The Bride's Family Wedding invitations, announcements, an-nouncements, thank you cards and all postage. Wedding related parties and gatherings. These would include the wedding reception, engagement party, bridesmaid's luncheon and bridal shower (unless hosted by the brides attendants). at-tendants). Bride's gown, accessories and flowers. Their clothes for the wedding. wed-ding. A gift for bride and groom. The .wedding ceremony. This includes the costs associated associ-ated with renting the church (or other facility), fees for the musicians, mu-sicians, flowers, photographer, decorations and all accessories for the wedding. The wedding reception. This includes the food and drink, music or entertainment, hall rental, gratuities for those parking cars, flowers and decorations. deco-rations. Transportation for the bridal party to the wedding and reception. The Groom's Family The rehearsal dinner. This includes invitations and postage, post-age, food and drink, entertainment entertain-ment andi any: other expenses related tdthe' rehearsal dinner." Their clothes for the wedding. wed-ding. A gift for bride and groom. Their own travel expenses and accommodations. Any other expenses they want to share with the bride's parents. The Attendants to the bride and groom Their clothes for the wedding. wed-ding. A gift for bride and groom. Their own travel expenses. Pre-wedding party. This may be a bachelor or bachelor-ette's bachelor-ette's (girl's night out) party. A bridal shower (unless hosted by the bride's parents)... The Bride Groom's wedding ring. Presents for the bridal attendants. at-tendants. Gift for the groom. Her blood test and physical exam. Accommodations for the bride's attendants. Any other expenses they want to share with the bride's parents. The Groom The marriage license. Bride's wedding ring and-engagement and-engagement ring. Presents for the groom's at tendants. n .eyi?-. Gift for the brideiltti ' , His blood test and physical exam. Accommodations for the. groom's attendants. The bride's bouquet, corsages cor-sages for both mothers, bouton-nieres bouton-nieres for the groomsmen, ushers ush-ers and both fathers. Fees for the clergy or wedding wed-ding official. The honeymoon. Any other expenses they want to share with the parents. . Copyright (c) 2002 Publishers-Edge Celebrate your special event in an elegant setting with a gourmet menu to choose from. Call us: 789-0789 189 South Vernal Avenue GETTING MARRIED? &w free Rej tiler at r Ml D )LT $15 gift certijicate C&me til Mid regi&er today! Free Gift Wrapping MC'VISA'DucRSAl I V -J |