Cost Cutting Tips For Brides by Michael Wangner One of the biggest expenses of any wedding ceremonies and receptions is usually the florist. If you go with smaller, usually family owned florists, lots of times you'll find you can get a much better deal. A good place to start looking is the local market, where small florists often have booths or small shops set up. Always use the term "family gathering" whenever possible in your search for wedding services and suppliers. For reasons unknown to brides everywhere, the price of the same product or service always seems to be about 50% higher for a "wedding" despite no other differences being readily apparent. This is almost always true for caterers. Try to get a caterer who will let you supply the cake yourself. The cake tends to be the most expensive food item and you can almost always get something much less expensive (and something much better!) at your local bakery. Supermarkets can also be a smart place to look if your local supermarkets have their own bakeries. Some brides actually forget about the caterer altogether. If you have several family members who are willing to help out and have a little culinary skill it's not too difficult to throw together a professional quality buffet. An important tip is to concentrate on cold foods such as rolled meats, cheeses, salads and even sandwiches or heros. Take a look in all the the local department stores and bridal shops for clearance bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. You'd be surprised what you can find. There are some really good deals waiting to be had if you're a little flexible. For instance, did you know that the bridesmaids dresses don't all have to match? If you can put together a good theme, you can do anything you like and it will look great. Also, don't forget to ask around. You never know when you'll discover that your cousin's boyfriend's uncle owns a catering business or a flower shop, and those types of connections can sometimes get you better deals than you'll find anywhere else. Michael is a wedding consultant for an online retailer of wedding party gifts and cheap wedding favors. He just got married himself this past May. Article Source: www.articlebliss.com Back to Volume 30 � COPYRIGHT 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WASATCHBRIDE.COM wedding, marriage, budget, married, cheap, utah weddings, utahweddings.com, utahbrides.com - utah wedding videography wedding bride directory