| I’m trying to avoid tips in here that are mentioned in the book “Fire your Wedding Planner”, because I have that book and will eagerly loan it to anyone about to get married. Specific vendors mentioned are available for northeast Ohio weddings. Bridal Shower: If the bride is torn between having money once she’s married and having an elegant reception, a good compromise may be having a bridal luncheon (much cheaper than dinner, especially if not on a Saturday night) at a really nice place. This may sound shady, but your wedding gifts may also be a bit better if you’ve already treated your guests to a beautiful shower. On another shady note, if trying to decide whether to invite someone from out of town or an unreliable friend, financially speaking the out-of-towners are a better bet, as long as you don’t start inviting rich acquaintances from Albuquerque.
Rings: Read all the information available on bluenile.com first. Don’t be afraid of a ring for her that’s only a grand or two--if you get it from a local jeweler rather than a mall store you’ll end up with personalized product that would cost twice as much at Kay’s. Actually, the same concept also applies to the bride’s wedding dress, makeup, hair, etc. If you’ve seen Melanie’s bling, you’ll already begin to realize that we did not bother following all of the money and time saving tips herein. Our bad. Internet shopping for rings can be tricky, I only recommend worldjewels.com or bidz.com (despite their $20 shipping costs). 
Wedding party: We thoroughly enjoyed all 25 members of our wedding party, but the fewer you have the cheaper (and less complicated) it’ll be. The meals, presents, and transportation you need to provide will far outweigh the extra bridal shower money from having a few more bridesmaids. EDIT: 4promdresses.com has dressed at half the price of other retailers. A clever trick to save money on presents on for the bridal party is similar items from ebay (I got 10 different plug and play video games systems for $5 each, they retail at $30). Similar items include jewelry, radar detectors, etc. 
Photographer: Get someone who will let you keep your proofs (though if they don’t, the “print screen” button at the top right corner of every computer or the “save page as” option in Mozilla will allow you to keep low-res images). Our photographers were good, but really there’s nothing wrong with getting a student photographer or a photographer’s assistant if you’ve seen and approve of their work. Just don’t get a family friend who took a photography class or the cheapest deal without seeing wedding pictures they’ve taken before, as of all the things you buy you don’t want to mess this one up. Compare prices online to help gauge the market. For instance, the picture below was actually better than any the two photographer's took of our exit from the church. 
Videographer: I see no problem with having an amateur do this, as it’s a bit harder to mess up than wedding photos. If you want a professional, Mike Jones (mikejonesdesign@gmail.com) did an excellent job for us, and he was cheap and flexible too. Limo: Limos are a ripoff, though A-1 Limo was the best deal. Placate you wife by saying she can ride in one for your funeral. If that doesn’t work, get a regular-sized one and stuff the rest of your party into a nice car you’ve borrowed from a friend (we used a neighbor’s H2 and had Mel’s brother rent a Charger since he flew to the wedding and needed a car anyway). 
Decorations: The biggest advantage to getting a reception hall that has a lot of weddings (like a hotel) is you’ll have less of this to worry about. Having a pretty church will also cut down your costs. The ultimate time/worry/money saver is to have people blow bubbles at you as you leave the church rather than pay for rice/rose petals, etc. The bubble bottles can serve the dual purpose of wedding favors if you get personalized stickers at roteck.com. The best way is to upload a picture of both of you and type out a saying or your wedding date on it. Select no transparency for best results—even with shipping costs, each sticker will cost less than a generic heart sticker from Walmart, and they work great to seal your invitations, thank you cards, etc. with. Favors that double as place settings also work if your reception hall doesn’t offer an easel with everyone’s name and table number on it instead. If you do need rose petals, flyboynaturals.com has the best deals, and a google search will usually reveal a working coupon code for the site as well. 
Bands: Reception music can be awkward for Christians, especially if you get a DJ who plays songs that everyone can tell the bride and groom aren’t really that comfortable with. My suggestion is to forget the DJ and not even bother to bring a CD player, because Nathan Davis and his highly versatile friends can save you some money while making your reception classy. http://www.myspace.com/clevelandjazzproject Reception Hall: You need to research this one thoroughly. Don’t sign anything until everything you need to be in writing is in writing. Don’t be intimidated and don’t be afraid to be obnoxious rather than trusting someone not to screw you—eventually you’ll make babies with that special person (your husband or wife, not the restaurant owner [unless that gets you a special discount—just kidding!]). You will be surprised by the amount of vendors willing to cut you special deals and discounts they say they don’t give anyone else. I don’t recommend going with a place that makes you pay for a certain number of guests regardless, but if it can’t be helped, have people waiting on the wings. I realize that some people would be offended being on a waiting list, so don’t tell them, just be prepared to ask your sibling’s best friends if they’d like to come a week or so before the big day. Also avoid places that won’t let you bring in your own dessert, as cutting out the fluffy parts of meals can save you money. My personal recommendation is to not choose a place in Cuyahoga, Lake, or Geauga counties (we did, however). If you’re on the east side of Cleveland or Akron, Sorrento’s restaurant on Rt. 422/Parkman Rd. in Warren is an easy 40 minute drive from I-480, I-76, or I-271. 
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