Wedding Style

Win the Wedding of Your Dreams

Here's a scary number for brides-to-be: the average wedding costs $27,490, according to The Wedding Report. And that's just for the basics: invitations, flowers, food, the all-important dress and the ceremony. It doesn't include the cost of the honeymoon, engagement ring, bridal consultant or wedding planner. When you add those items to the list, the grand total can reach over $35,000.

Of course, wedding costs vary depending on where you live, but unless you plan to get married in blue jeans on the beach, you need to start figuring out how you'll pay for the big day. And that can be tough, considering that the average wedding costs more than many people earn in a year.

Of course, there are ways to cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding. You can have your reception at a community center or VFW instead of a swanky hotel, for example. Instead of hiring a DJ or a live band, ask a knowledgeable friend to put together a custom CD mix for the evening. Instead of serving a sit-down dinner at the reception, provide hors d'oeuvres instead. You can save on the bar tab by providing beer, wine and soda and asking guests to pay for any cocktails.

But for some brides, only the wedding of their dreams will do - complete with a horse-drawn carriage to the ceremony, a wedding gown by the designer of the moment and a five course meal at the best hotel in town for the reception.

What's a girl to do if she has champagne tastes on a beer budget and no rich relatives? Well, you could take a cue from certain celebrities like Star Jones who underwrote her lavish wedding to Reynolds in 2004 with corporate sponsorships. Or if you're willing to let the viewing public have a say in your wedding plans, you can go the reality television route for an all-expenses-paid wedding.

If you're the betting kind, another option is to buy a lottery ticket and cross your fingers. Or, you could save the money you would have spent on the lottery and enter to win $50,000 to spend on your wedding at www.thefinalpayoff.com. This site offers users the chance to win cash and prizes simply for visiting the site.

Just log on and specify what debt you'd like to pay off. Is it your mortgage? Your credit cards? Your car loan? Enter your e-mail address and you're registered to win, as simple as that.

If only planning the perfect wedding were so easy.

Visit www.thefinalpayoff.com for the chance to win the wedding of your dreams.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content