Weddings are outstanding events. What better reason to gather friends and family and eat, drink and be married? Somewhere in between the excitement of getting engaged and the thrill of the wedding day, somebody has to plan the celebration! This article contains some practical tips to help you become a savvy bride. Wedding spending can quickly get out of control, but YOU will have the tools to have a beautiful wedding that you can actually afford.

The Number 1 thing you can do to save money is:
Buy The Wedding Card. This will not only save you money, but will help you plan your event. You will have reception venues, photographers, florists and more at your finger tips. Plus you will know that you are getting the best deal with those vendors because you’ll see the discounts they are offering in The Wedding Card.

Number 2:
Talk openly about the b----- word. Not that b word, and not bridezilla…Budget. If you don’t like that word you can call it a spending plan, you can call it a buying guide, you can call it BOB, but you must talk about it. Remember this: Everyone has a budget. Whether you know it or not, whether you discuss it or not…It's best to figure it out ahead of time and avoid bad feelings or fights. Talk openly about the budget with family. Make a time to sit down and talk with your parents, your finances parents and any one else who is going help pay for the event. Create a realistic plan for how much can be spent on the event.

Number 3:
Talk openly about high impact items. Once you’ve got a plan of how much to spend you can start thinking about: HIGH IMPACT ITEMS. Some wedding planning guides and bridal magazines give a breakdown of what percentage of your budget should be spent on each item. For example, they often say that 10% of the budget should be spent on flowers, but if you are a flower person that is not going to help you. You are going to spend more. Think about the things that are important to you and put your money towards things that have a high impact. High impact items are those things you and your guests will still be talking about 5years, even 10 years from now. You should take into account your personal style and what’s important to you and your finance.

Number 4:
Talk openly open your high impact items with vendors. I own Second Floor Bakery, as a cake shop, if you come in and tell me you have 175 people and want a wedding cake. I will gladly sell you a 6 tier cake that serves 175 people, but a 6 tier cake is almost feet high! It may be more than you need for the look you want. If you tell me, "I only have $500 for my wedding cake…what can we do for that?" I will figure out a creative way to serve all your guests, give you a great looking cake and stay within your budget. Every vendor will act in the same way. They want your business. If cake is one of your high impact items go for the BIG one! But if it's not, stay true to your budget.