the Cost of Wedding Locations

My best friend rented out a beautiful chapel overlooking a lake for her wedding. The cost for 2 hours of rental was $500. No decorations, clergy, or musicians were included although the chapel did feature a grand piano.

The setting was gorgeous, as it was in the mountains of northern Arkansas, but the price seemed steep since I know a regular church could've been rented for a fraction of the $500. The chapel did feature dressing rooms, though, so the bride was able to get prepared almost entirely on site, rather than having to drive from the hotel in full attire.

A wedding is supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, so figure out where you want to splurge and where you can cut back on expenses. In my friend's case, she had family members decorate and a family friend prepared the cakes at no cost.

If you rent a chapel or church (and remember that most churches don't charge their members for a wedding service), find out who is responsible for cleanup. If there is a fee for cleanup, see if it can be dropped or refunded if someone you know does it instead (just don't forget to pay your helper something in return).