It is only natural to want the best for your wedding. For many women, their wedding day is a dream come true, and it can cost serious money to bring that vision to life. And you know what: when it is your own money that you are spending, I say go for it! If your wedding will not feel complete without a custom couture bridal gown or thousands of orchids flown in from South America, it is entirely your prerogative to have them, just so long as you are the person signing the checks. However, no matter how lavish your wedding may be, every bride still has the responsibility to be frugal with other people’s money. Take a look at exactly what that means before it is too late!

Bridesmaids are most often the victims of a bride’s overly expensive tastes. Of course you want your bridal party to look picture perfect, but it is also important to make it to the wedding day without losing any friends. It is really quite simple: think about your bridesmaids’ pocketbooks before making any decisions for which they will be required to foot the bill. This means selecting bridesmaid dresses and jewelry which your friends can afford (or giving the bridesmaid jewelry and dresses to them as gifts, if you really want them to wear something extravagant).

There are some other ways in which a bride can be frugal with her bridesmaids’ money. You are not expected to pay the travel expenses for out-of-town attendants, but it is very thoughtful for the bride to find a friend who is willing to host them for the weekend, to spare the cost of hotel rooms. As much as possible, arrange for their meals so they are not shelling out big bucks for restaurants all weekend. And if you book beauty services for the day of the wedding, don’t schedule the appointments for the most luxe beauty salon in town, unless you are paying for everyone.

Also be conscious of what your bridesmaids can afford when it comes to pre-wedding events. If your friends are kind enough to offer to throw you a bridal shower, don’t give them a guest list of fifty women, half of whom you barely know. Remember that they have to feed all those people, find a place big enough to accommodate them, and give a favor to each one. In most cases, bridal showers should top out at around twenty people or so. If your family is exceptionally large, be sure to indicate that you do not expect a fancy party to help keep the event affordable for everyone. Also, should the subject of a bachelorette weekend come up, only make suggestions for events or destinations which you know your friends can afford without strain.

A bride should also keep the expenses of her wedding guests in mind. Rather than only reserving blocks of rooms for your wedding at the Ritz, make reservations in hotels in a few price ranges. You might also wish to keep busy travel weekends in mind when selecting your wedding date. Be aware that prices for airline tickets can soar around holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, making travel extremely expensive for your guests. Unless of course, most of your family is planning to come home for one of the holidays, in which case scheduling your wedding to coincide with their visit would be very economical.

There are costs associated with weddings for everyone involved, but the least the bride can do is try to be considerate of controlling the expenses for her bridal party and guests. As for the costs incurred by the father of the bride, well, all we can say is that we wish dear old dad luck!

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about etiquette, weddings, and style. Thanks your wedding party with elegant bridesmaid jewelry from http://silverlandjewelry.com/. Order today and receive complimentary shipping on your jewelry order over $99.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: bridesmaid jewelry, wedding advice, wedding budget, bridesmaid dresses, wedding etiquette