Top 10 Ways to Raise Money for a Wedding
Written by bmlengel on March 10th, 2010
1.Go Eco-Friendly
Most Top 10 lists end with the “best” of what the list is about, but I am going to start with the best idea I’ve heard for how to save money for a wedding: recycling aluminum. A friend of mine is doing just that through a project she calls Wedding Cans. It might sound odd, but a month into her project, its international news. Look at the journal on Wedding Cans for the press it’s been getting.
2. Corporate sponsorship
This is another sort of strange idea that I came across on Wise Bread. It might stink of “selling out” something that’s supposedly “sacred,” but aren’t we adults here? Weddings, like Christmas, have become ultimately focused on material elements. If you agree to display corporate logos at your wedding, you might be able to avoid personal loan companies to pay for it.
3. Take a dare
An article on Romance Fire suggested to “take a video of yourself conquering a known fear if the price is right .” In the tradition of “Jackass” and “Fear Factor,” you could play on people’s fear to get some extra financial help in your nuptial ceremony.
4. Use your registry
Worst-Case Scenarios suggests that instead of registering for gifts that you will use after the wedding, register for ceremony components such as a limousine service, floral arrangements, food and beverages.
5. Sell stuff
This one is easy – you hold a yard sale, sell stuff on eBay, etc, to make money. Maybe you could hold an auction.
6.Just ask
You could start a website, or social networking group, and solicit donations like other people do for other charitable causes.
7. Get guests to pitch in
Similar to the registry idea, which has people helping pay for the wedding instead of just buying gifts, you can ask certain people, close friends and family members, to pay for one thing. For instance, someone could pay for the cake; another person could fund wedding favors. You can pick everything yourself and just ask a certain person to fund it as a gift.
8. Try a vacation home in lieu of a wedding hall
This is how to save money instead of make it, but it’s a good idea. Wedding reception halls can cost thousands of dollars per hour to rent. Look for vacation homes nearby, and have the reception at a beautiful home or yard. You can rent these places for days and still spend less than a few hours at a hall.
9. With a little help from your friends
This isn’t so much for the bride and groom, it’s for the guests who are getting fed and possibly drunk at YOUR wedding. A common custom in some places is to hold a “Jack and Jill,” which is a big party in honor of the bride and groom, and charge $5 or so to get in. Then, the money is given to the couple.
10. Plan ahead
Every expert says to save money in advance to pay for your wedding. They also suggest getting a second job or offer a service and put money aside. That’s obvious, but it merits a mention because weddings are incredibly expensive things.
Tags: budget, planning a wedding, saving money, wedding cans, weddings
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