How to Save Money on your Wedding

Everyone is feeling the pinch.

From the bride and groom, to their parents, to many of the vendors, the economy is affecting everyone.

So what are some ways to still have a great wedding, but cut down on some of your costs? I have 5 ideas to get you started on trimming costs on your wedding.

1. Prioritize. Talk with your future spouse and decide what you both feel is very important. Is it flowers, the photographer, the cake? Establish what your priorities are- then take a look at what could be trimmed down or eliminated.

2. Look at your guest list. The largest cost for most weddings is at the reception. If you trim two or three tables from the guest list- that is less money on food, centerpieces, table cloths, drinks, etc.

3. Have a smaller bridal Party. If you have already called your friends to be in your wedding, it's probably a bit late for this. But if you have not put together your bridal party, consider lowering the number. This means less money at the rehearsal dinner, for bridal party gifts and you could downsize your mode of transportation from the ceremony to the reception.

4. Have your ceremony and reception at the same venue. You can save big on transportation and other costs by having your ceremony and reception at the same place. Not all reception halls can accommodate a ceremony- so be sure to look into this before you book your venue.

5. Look beyond Saturdays. Saturday is the most popular day for weddings- and many venues and vendors will give discounts for weddings that are not on a Saturday. You can also find discounts for booking a wedding during a non-peak month (November - April).

We have a lot more tips for planning your wedding on our Web site, http://www.idoido.org

Happy wedding planning!

Grandview Lodge

It's not too often I get to attend a wedding- and not have to worry about working at it. That was the case over the weekend as I spent Saturday night near Nisswa, MN at Grandview Lodge. My wife's friend, Julie, got married to her best friend, Brandon. There was family coming from North Dakota and the Twin Cities- so Nisswa was the middle point to have the wedding.

We did not make it to the ceremony portion of the day, because I was taping a wedding at the Basillica in Minneapolis. From what I was told, it was a beautiful outdoor wedding on a perfect day in October.

At the reception, I must admit, it was a little weird not having a camera in my hand. I think this is the only wedding in the past year that I have not worked at. I usually end up doing something for family and friends- but I did not for this one, since I knew I would be running late from the wedding in Minneapolis.

Ok, funny story. When we arrived, my wife said she would get the keys to our room- since she made the reservation and I would find our seats at the reception- and we would meet. As I walked from the car, I could see a wedding reception happening outside- so I went to the outdoor bar and grabbed a beer. I walked inside- and looked around, and the room wasn't decorated in the way I thought it would be for Julie and Brandon. I walked over to the gift table and saw all sorts of gifts for Brian and Katie. Wrong wedding. I found my wife a few minutes later and we found the correct reception hall. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian and Katie for the complimentary beverage.

The fall colors were awesome- and it was neat to get away and attend a wedding as a guest, not a vendor.

Wisconsin Wedding

I have a great job. As a wedding videographer and vice-president of the Central Minnesota Wedding Association, I get to spend many of my days when people are at their best. I get to enjoy months, and sometimes years worth of preparation on the day when family and friends come together to celebrate the union of two becoming one.

This past weekend, I was part of a very intimate wedding. I was the only person who was not a friend or family member. There was no photographer, no florist, no decorator. Just twelve people plus the bride and groom at the family cabin to celebrate marriage.

The atmosphere was fun and very laid back. We were at a beautiful cabin near Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. The weather was absolutely perfect, it was a great day for a wedding.

The wedding started around 6 p.m. on the deck. You could hear the birds chirping and the squirrels jumping from branch to branch. The ceremony lasted only 10 minutes but included music from the groom's brother-in-law playing guitar- and a candle-lighting ceremony that included everyone (all 10 people) lighting each other's candles.

A champagne toast followed the ceremony- with everyone giving words of encouragement to the newlyweds. Everyone was going to a local restaurant to celebrate some more.

I feel lucky to be able to be a part of different families each weekend. It is neat to have the opportunity to document these special events that many people will treasure for a lifetime.

The video from the wedding will be shown this weekend at the reception that will be held at Windows of Minnesota (top of the IDS tower). Hopefully everyone will be able to feel like they were able to attend the ceremony from the video I will edit together.

Fall in New Munich

I love fall weddings. There is something about the feeling of the bright sun hitting you at the same time the crisp autumn air cools you off.

I videotaped a wedding on Saturday, September 27th in New Munich, MN - and the entire day was perfect. The weather was great, the people were great and the footage I captured looks great as well. (If you don't know where New Munich is, it's about 30 minutes past St. Cloud on I-94...)

The wedding was at the Catholic church in New Munich. It was gorgeous. You can tell the building holds a lot of history. We took a lot of photos outside the church doors- on the cement stairs that lead up to the church. I used my fisheye lens quite a bit and am excited to see how all of the images look when they are edited together.

The reception was just up the road in Sauk Center. The room was decorated beautifully with lots of earth tone colors with large flower centerpieces and some accent lighting. You could tell the bride had spent a lot of time putting all of the details together.

Weekend Wedding

I had a lot of fun at the wedding I videotaped over the weekend. Ben and Kelly were a great couple to work with- and really were able to enjoy their wedding day.

The ceremony was at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Prior Lake. This was my first time at this church- and it was AMAZING! It was built about five years ago and has a great contemporary feel. I love the rocks that were used behind the altar. It also had some great places to get photos and video outside. There was a really long "dock" that went over a wetland and connected to a gazebo at the end of it. This turned out to be a great spot for Ben and Kelly to see each other for the first time that day.

It is always fun to have a "first" at different weddings that I videotape. And I must admit that I have never been to a "Fantasy Gifts" with an entire wedding party. I was following the limo bus from the church in Prior Lake to the reception in Burnsville. The bus started going away from the reception location- and I wasn't sure where the limo bus was going. Fantasy Gifts. Kelly's garter had broken at some point during the day- and wanted to get a new one for the reception. So the entire wedding party came in with her and posed for a few pictures in Fantasy Gifts.

The reception was also a lot of fun. It was held at Grand Market Square in Burnsville. The 350 guests at the wedding pretty much filled the room. I liked how Ben and Kelly staggered the first dance and parent dance in the beginning of the reception. This style is a little different than the "normal" way of having the first dance start the dance for the night. I thought it worked well to break things up- and have some other festivities going on during the dinner hour. My good friend Adam Welz (www.primetimedj.tv) was the DJ for the night- and once again packed the dance floor. It seemed like everyone was dancing and having a great time. Sounds like a good end to a great day to me.

New Web site

We're about a week away from our new Web site launching. The amount of work is always greater than I anticipate whenever I work on one of these projects. I think the new design will be easier for our clients to navigate -- and our videos displayed on our site will be a lot larger.

We are also excited about offering some new video services and expanding our market. You'll have to let us know what you think when our new site launches...

http://www.capturevideo.net