Have a Million-Dollar Wedding at a Price You Can Afford by Sandra Mardenfeld

    Want to enter marital bliss in a big way without going bankrupt? Diane Warner, author of nine wedding-related books, including How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget: Cut Your Wedding Costs by Half-- or More and Beautiful Wedding Decorations and Gifts on a Small Budget confides spending secrets guaranteed to slice that budget.

Q. What are some inexpensive weddings couples can choose in lieu of a big wedding?

A. Get married in a brief civil ceremony, followed by an informal reception at the beach, around someone's pool or as you float around a lake on a houseboat. It can even be as simple as a picnic in the park. Informal ceremonies and receptions are especially popular with older couples or for second marriages.

    Plan a "Venue Wedding" which takes place at a resort, hotel, bed & breakfast, country inn, winery, restaurant, or other venue where a site coordinator plans EVERYTHING for you for one package price, including the ceremony, reception, decorations, flowers, musicians, photographer, wedding cake, etc. For example, many Hyatt Hotels and Holiday Inns offer this type of wedding package. Note of caution: many venues will say they can plan everything for you, but what they REALLY mean is that they'll provide the reception food, drink and cake - they don't understand that what you mean is EVERYTHING in ONE PACKAGE PRICE. So, ask around and keep calling until you find the "real deal."

    Plan a Destination Wedding (aka a "Travel Wedding" or a "Honeymoon Wedding"). A Destination Wedding is one where you're married at your honeymoon site, surrounded by your closest friends and family members who may have traveled to the site with you. This type of wedding is usually followed by a reception hosted by the parents when the newlyweds return from their honeymoon. Favorite destination wedding sites include Walt Disney World Resort in Florida; Caesar's Wedding Chapel at South Shore Lake Tahoe, Nevada; Caesar's Pocono Resorts in Pennsylvania; or - most popular of all - a cruise ship wedding.

Q. To keep expenses down with more traditional weddings, how much can you bargain with caterers, bands, etc.?

A. Wedding vendors EXPECT a little dickering to take place. What I've found works best is to get bids from several caterers. If you really have your heart set on the favorite caterer in town - the one with the best food presentation and reputation - but their bid came in too high, go back to them and say, "We have received several bids for our reception food, all considerably lower than yours; however, we really had our hearts set on having you cater our wedding. Will you lower your bid to $_______?" You'll notice that I didn't say, "Will you lower your bid to match the lowest bid we've received?" because the dollar amount you're asking for is ACTUALLY what your budget will allow.

Q. What are some simple things you recommend people do to keep costs down?

A. Bride's gown: borrow it; rent it; purchase a bridesmaid's gown in white; have the gown sewn for you; purchase from a resale shop; or buy off the discount market (bridal fairs; factory outlet stores, such as Gunne Sax in San Francisco and Kleinfeld in Brooklyn; the Penney Bridal Catalog; or watch for a sample gown on sale at a bridal salon).

    Save on flowers by making up all the corsages, bouquets and arrangements ahead of time, using silk flowers; incorporate fresh cut flowers or flowering shrubs available from a friend's or relative's garden; use fresh greenery as filler and to create garlands and pew arrangements; use the same floral or standing arrangements for the ceremony and reception; order a supermarket wedding package (this will save you 60 to 70% off a retail florist); or use a combination of these ideas. For example, you can order the bride's bouquet and the mothers' corsages from a retail florist, decorate the ceremony and reception site with available cut flowers and greenery and make up everything else several weeks in advance from silk flowers.

Q. What are the cheapest times of the year and week to get married?

A. The least expensive months to get married are November through January and any day of the week except Saturday, and more specifically, Saturday evening at 7 p.m. (the most popular day and time for a wedding.) Also, mid-morning or mid-afternoon receptions will save you money as well, because they don't require a full meal.

For book information, consult www.dianewarnerbooks.com