Budget friendly Manitoba

This week I saw a post on Martha Stewart's Wedding Blog about a bride that has created a blog where she is asking people, strangers, to help pay for her wedding. In fact she even has a link built into the site where you can click to Donate.

With the economic uncertainty the way it is around the world right now, its no surprise that more and more brides are realizing that they can't afford to go into debt over their weddings and even reducing their budgets to $10,000 or less isn't enough, as they have NO money saved for it.

Its times like this that I puzzle over why more communities outside of Manitoba, Canada don't embrace the idea of a PRE-WEDDING SOCIAL. What is a pre-wedding social you ask? Well just the bestest friend to the budget savy bride!

A social, something that is apparently unique to Manitoba, is an event much like a high school dance for adults that you sell tickets for. It is primarily used as a fundraiser and is very popular here for brides and grooms to throw prior their wedding to make money to put towards their wedding, hence 'pre-wedding social'.

Basically you rent a hall, much like planning a wedding reception, book your music, stock the bar and have a midnight snack available. People pay between $10-15/ticket to attend, purchase drink tickets for their alcohol and then additional tickets to enter into draws for prizes. Some couples will add additional games that cost money to play and add to the fundraising. If done right you can make a few thousand dollars after expenses.

To those that aren't familiar with this they tend to respond with distaste, marking this up to basically just ASKING people for money but the truth is people that attend are actually very happy to spend the money. How is buying a ticket to attend a dance any difference then spending money on cover at a bar? And at least they know its going to help a couple to start off their lives debt free (hopefully!).

The nice thing about the social verses a reception is that it is very casual and there isn't the same pressures to decorate, have center pieces and provide favors, and yet it is still an opportunity for friends and family to get together and have fun.

Personally I plan to have a social where the money I make will go toward the cost of the open bar at my future wedding, if I plan it right I might even have enough to cover part of the food costs as well.