by Jack Serapiglia

Created on: November 13, 2008   Last Updated: November 21, 2008

Watch any wedding show (the WE channel's Sunday night lineup) and one common thread emerges: wedding costs can easily get out of control. A good reception is thought to cost a good penny. Talk about cutting costs and most couples will fear being seen as cheap.

But it does not have to be that way. Skimping on costs does not have to lead to a skimpy wedding. Below are three tips to help reduce your costs without giving up quality:

1) Hire a wedding planner. Now this may seem counterproductive, as you would be adding an additional expense. But for weddings, you need to spend money to save money. Wedding planners are professionals in the wedding business. Besides helping you select everything from the site of your wedding to flowers (all within your budget) they are familiar as to what things SHOULD cost. Which means they can negotiate on your behalf, to your benefit.

2) Trim that list. Less people means less expenses. Now I am not saying that you should have a wedding with only immediate family. Just that it makes more sense to see your old freshmen roommate or grade school friend at a reunion then at your wedding, where you are paying for their meal.

3) Forget the main course. I have found that most people LOVE the cocktail hour. Besides the different food that they are able to try, they get to walk around and mingle, drink and laugh. Then the reception starts, and they have to come in, sit down with people they don't always know, and wait for their food. Why? Because it is what is expected to happen. But some of the best weddings I have been to have had a cocktail hour that simply did not stop. Get rid of the main course and let the party continue.

Obviously there are other things you can do, like limiting the open bar, or doing away with it altogether. But these suggestions should help keep your wedding traditional without all the traditional costs. All to avoid turning you into a Poor Groom, Poor Bride.

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