There are too many articles geared towards brides who have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on the wedding; what about the couple who has very few resources to work with? If you're in the bottom category, you may find the wedding planning to be the most difficult burden you've ever had to bear. Between paying for the caterer, wedding DJ, and reception site, you may not even have enough money for the wedding dress or photographer. How do you manage to take care of all of these things with little to no money left, and still have a great wedding?

The good news is that you don't have to bear the burden alone. While a wedding with couture bridal gowns and live wedding music is amazing, it's just fluff. You don't need all of these things in order to have a picture-perfect ceremony and reception.

"This wedding is not about the food, music, or fine china – it's the celebration of a new life. "

Stop worrying so much about what everyone else is going to think about it, and start thinking practical. Some couples will go so far as to take out “wedding” loans in order to have their dream wedding. Is this really what you want? A loan for $30,000 that you may pay back for the next 10 years?

Cut back in every area that you can. This isn't such a hard thing to accomplish. Rather than turn immediately to a wedding vendor for their answers, try to figure it out on their own. Keep your wallet in your pocket by taking creative shortcuts. Start doing research on affordable Milwaukee wedding companies and actively compare rates and prices. There's a lot to be done in a short amount of time, so don't leave anything up for a last minute decision; this could end up costing you in the long run.

The following is a list of tips that you can use to save money on your Milwaukee wedding. Follow it as best as you can and add in some of your own as you go along!


10 Ways to Cut the Reception Costs

  1. Forget the wedding band or Milwaukee DJ. Some young couples see the DJ as a thing of the past as MP3 players can be programmed with playlists and songs to your liking. Get some nice speakers and put these around the designated reception area. Ask a friend to make the announcements and hit the “play” and “stop” button when needed. Practice a few times and you'll be as good as gold!
  2. Instead of using the Milwaukee reception hall's caterer (which can be very expensive!) bring in your own. If this is still too costly, consider making your own food. Involve some of your friends and family members who have some tasty dish recipes and see if they wouldn't mind bringing a few to your wedding. With enough participants this could end up being a real success.
  3. Catered food is always cheaper earlier in the day. Instead of having a night wedding, plan for something earlier in the afternoon. You could get away with finger foods and sandwiches rather than a full course meal.
  4. Take care of the wedding decorations yourself. You could buy a few things at the arts and crafts store that would make nice reception table centerpieces, add in a few finishing touches, and “voila!” For example, if you're theme is fantasy, you could utilize inexpensive water-filled bowls with votive candles. There are many cheap alternatives if you're willing to take the time to come up something.
  5. Instead of one very expensive Milwaukee photographer, you could put disposable cameras on each of the reception tables. If you still want some high-quality shots, ask a few friends with expensive digital cameras to shoot the important moments.
  6. Instead of an extravagant wedding cake, get a small tiered one and serve the guests pieces from sheet cakes in the back. This is much cheaper and the guests won't know the difference!
  7. Close the bar early, and only offer free drinks for a certain period of time. After that period is over, the guests will then be responsible for paying and tipping the bartender.
  8. Have the wedding at a house. If you or someone you know has a large backyard, consider utilizing the space for your wedding reception. Why not? Add a tent and some string lights, rental chairs and tables and you'll have everything that you could ever need.
  9. Make your own wedding party favors. Look at some sample party favors online for inspiration. There are many favor ideas that would be very simple to replicate. Ask a few bridesmaids to help and start making them as soon as possible!
  10. Make it an “adult only” party. This could cut the list by fifty or so bodies. Examine your guest list and see if it would be worth it.