Flowers are a highly visible part of the joyous occasion. Obviously, you won t be sending the bride down the aisle with a bunch of handpicked daisies wrapped in tin foil. The ubiquitous photographer and videographer can take a big chunk out of your budget while bumping into tables and elbowing your guests. A new technological advance, the production of CD-ROM albums containing wedding pictures, can be accomplished at home to help reduce the imaging costs. Don t expect the wedding party to pile into someone s minivan for the ride to the ceremony.
Limousines are the order of the day for participants in the holy union.
Speaking of which, the reception is generally the most expensive part of the affair. Wedding experts expect an average reception to cost between 50 and 65 percent of the total budget. Choosing buffet dining and eliminating the open bar can help keep costs within reason. These extras can run even higher when indiscriminate spending and impulse buying are allowed to run unchecked. For this reason, experts and wedding planners recommend committing a budget to paper and sticking with it.