Don't Break The Bank When Looking For A Wedding Location   by Art Gib

in Finance / Accounting    (submitted 2010-02-22)

If you are a groom or a bride on a tight budget for the wedding, then in all probabilities you might have you gotten a shock at the catering prices and location rental charges of most popular wedding locations. These charges could well eat into your budget for wedding dresses and other wedding celebrations.
Here are some possible ideas and places you can look at for saving money on the wedding locations:
1. Restaurants: Check out with your favorite restaurant and find out how much it would cost to rent a private room or even the whole place. More specifically, look for a restaurant with a pretty and sizeable back garden that can be used for setting up the ceremony, and that can be used for dancing later. This option will work best during non-peak hours as the restaurant would not prefer to lose their busy weekend crowds.
2. Parks: Several city parks would allow you to have a wedding there for a nominal fee. Look for ones that add value by having a covered patio, special details like fountains, or grassy picnic areas.
3. Theaters and performance halls: A theater or a performance hall might seem to be an unusual wedding venue, but they can be quite whimsical and magical, and you will in addition be helping to support the arts. Your wedding ceremony can be performed at a number of locations, and you can have your reception in the grand second-floor lobby! Most towns offer steep discounts for the local residents as well. Many towns have little used, old-fashioned movie theaters that can add charm to your wedding. If you prefer a more modern approach to your wedding, look into contemporary local theater companies that are willing to rent out their spaces during the off-season or dark nights. Getting married on a stage can make you feel like a star!
4. Your College: Do you recall that charming chapel and alumni house at your college? It is usually very cheap for alumni to have their weddings on campus and probably cost not much more for non-alumni. Just ensure that it's picturesque like ivy-covered halls and green hills, and not barren concrete buildings!
5. Creative and unusual places: Irrespective of whether it's an old mill, or the top of a roller coaster, or the unique place you met, a creative and imaginative wedding location will instantly give your wedding lots of personality. As these places are not normally used to have weddings, you might be able to get very attractive bargains, though you'll often have to bring in extra rentals.