Greensboro Wedding Planning: 5 Money-saving Tips for Triad Couples

If you’re a bride in the Greensboro or Winston-Salem area, it’s no secret that the recession has affected the state of North Carolina, and has even caused some couples to have to modify their wedding planning. However, your dream wedding can become a reality with a little budget-savvy know-how. Here are some money-saving tips for Greensboro and Winston-Salem couples to plan a wedding that’s not only awesome, but affordable:

1. Skip the fancy invitations
Invites can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $9 dollars each. Wal-Mart, Target and stores like AC Moore have beautiful invites for a fraction of the price. To cut costs even more, you can enlist the help of a local printer to have your invitations printed in bulk.

2. RSVP in real-time
Instead of asking your family and friends to reply by mail; ask them to reply by e-mail or phone.

3. Use in-season florals
Florals can often take a large chunk out of your wedding funds. To stay on budget, select flowers that are in season, as out-of-season blooms will always cost more. Some popular seasonal flowers include:

Spring Flowers:
* Casa Blanca Lillies
* Daffodils
* Dogwoods
* Hyacinth
* Peonies

Summer Flowers:
* Chrysanthemums
* Daisies
* English Lavender
* Freesia (White, Yellow, Pink, Blue, Purple)
* Hydrangea (White, Blue, Purple, Pink)

Autumn Flowers:
* Marigolds
* Roses
* Sunflowers
* Zinnia

Winter Flowers:
* Amaryllis-Red, White
* Orchids
* Poinsettias-Red, White
* Tulips

4. Stay away from "high season"
The majority of weddings take place from May to October so if you can plan your wedding in the Off months you'll be better off. Also, the highest fees are going to be for a Saturday night; consider Sunday brunch or a Friday night wedding.

5. Cut the open bar
A considerable amount of the wedding budget will go toward the reception, with alcoholic beverages as one of the most expensive line items. If you must have an open bar, consider only having it for one hour at the start of the reception, or closing it an hour early before the reception ends. You can also forgo the open bar by serving a signature cocktail. This will definitely help control consumption costs, which will save you money in the long run!

Ashley Bodenheimer is the owner of B'Sweet Events, an event planning company located in High Point, North Carolina.