One frugal bride reveals her secret: The Internet

By NEDRA PICKLER

updated 1:07 p.m. ET June 6, 2009

My husband's wedding vows included sweet devotions of love, but also showed his appreciation for the practical side of making a life with me.

"I love you," Eric said, "because you are frugal."

It was an appropriate thing to say at our wedding, which I had planned using the same budget-conscious tool that I use to find everyday bargains: the Internet.

Every aspect of our Big Day — from the Mexican venue to the raised ink invitations to my bargain gown — was discovered and comparison priced online to make sure we could have the wedding of our dreams at the best price.

The effort granted us some reprieve from the out-of-control spending on weddings that seems so ridiculous and self-indulgent in the current economy.

More money for margaritas?
When my husband and I sought out quotes from vendors in our adopted hometown of Washington, D.C., we were stunned. Even a simple ceremony and reception would mean further delaying a new home, spending the kind of money that could send our future children to college and beginning our marriage in debt.

I suggested we elope. Eric was OK with running off, but he wanted to bring our loved ones along and make it a destination wedding.

We immediately focused on Mexico, where we two journalists had met while covering a presidential summit in Cancun. Along with its romantic significance, Mexico had financial significance, too: We figured it wouldn't cost a fortune for guests to reach, and might mean bargains on everything from flowers to margaritas.

That is, if we ventured away from the wedding-factory hotels in resort towns like Cancun. Their prices were as high as in Washington.

Love at first sight
I turned to TripAdvisor.com, where travelers write frank hotel reviews. I looked through the top-ranked accommodations in Mexico and discovered Casa Schuck, a 10-room bed and breakfast in the heart of picturesque San Miguel de Allende, a place neither my husband nor I had ever been.

I fell in love at first online sight with this colorful hacienda in a romantic mountain town with narrow cobblestone streets and colonial architecture. Eric worried it might be too remote, but signed off after my Internet research found that San Miguel had a golf course where he could unwind with his buddies ($130 for 18 holes, including clubs, cart and caddy).

Many of San Miguel's centuries-old haciendas are now renovated boutique hotels, and I scoured their Web sites to compare pricing and accommodations. Casa Schuck won out, largely because owner Susan Cordelli was so responsive to my e-mail requests for detailed budgeting and information, and offered to act as our wedding coordinator for free if we reserved her entire property (rooms ranged from $179-$259/night).

She suggested budget-friendly local traditions that would make our wedding a bona fide fiesta: a parade through the streets ($20 permit) with a mariachi band ($400) and a donkey pulling a tequila cart ($250); 14-foot-tall, papier-mache puppets called mojigangas to dance at our reception ($250); and of course the margaritas in multiple flavors ($28.75/person for four hours).

Within 48 hours, I had booked our wedding for Thanksgiving weekend, just four months away. Next, I filled out forms at the American and Continental Web sites and got a discount code for my guests. Eric and I cashed in miles on Northwest's Web site.

Save cash with 'save the dates'
Instead of pricey, unnecessary "Save the Date" cards, we sent an e-mail to friends and family. But I coveted a bright orange and turquoise hand-drawn invitation that reminded me of the decor inside Casa Schuck, with raised thermography print and heavy two-layer paper but a non-frugal $817 price tag.

I brought the price down two ways: I purchased smaller but identical save-the-date cards, which were $111 cheaper, and changed the wording to match the invitations. After using Google to search for discounts on my chosen brand, I bought my selection for $458.90 from an online retailer called "Let's Party."

For all other details, I worked with Cordelli's recommended San Miguel vendors, who offered services at a fraction of the prices quoted back home.

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