Wedding cake is awesome. It’s my favorite part of weddings—my mouth starts to drool a bit when the couple cuts the cake. So I was looking forward to finding our perfect cake. When we started planning, I had no clue that they were so expensive and oddly priced by the slice—$5 doesn’t seem like a lot of money until you multiple it by 150 people.

Matt and I thought about going with cupcakes, but I’m kind of old-fashioned and actually want a cake to cut. I just don’t want to spend a lot of money.

I first contacted bakeries near our reception venue to check their prices. Watergate Bakery charges $4.75 per slice. I asked if there was a way to save money, and they said no. All righty, then! Furin’s in Georgetown suggested cutting a small tiered cake but serving a sheet cake, which sounded great. However, dealing with Furin’s was kind of a hassle because the price of the cake changed every time I talked to them. Plus, when we tried their cakes, I wasn’t madly in love.

Inspired by a cake I’d had in Portland that was from a grocery store, I tried contacting two gourmet groceries here. Balducci’s quoted me $7 per slice for a basic cake. Too high. Wegman’s quoted me about $1 per slice, which was great until we saw pictures of the wedding cakes. They were literally a full sheet cake, half sheet cake, and quarter sheet cake stacked on top of one another. It said more Dora the Explorer than wedding.

Any wedding veteran knows that the first dance tune is key to the bride and groom, but it’s the music that comes after that determines if a party will be a bust or a blast. I’ve been to weddings with big bands and DJs, and I’ve had a great time in both cases. If Matt and I weren’t working with a tight budget, I’d hire a big band without a thought. But our budget doesn’t have room for that.

Because we tend to like pop and rock and aren’t extremely picky about music, we thought a DJ would be an easy and cheap find. But I was a little disheartened when I went to a bridal show and talked to DJs who were charging much more than we expected.

Matt and I talked seriously about handling the music ourselves with an iPod and a friend to keep an eye on things. But when we told my mother about our plan, she pointed out some major flaws. Which unlucky friend would have to “work” our wedding? How would we ensure there was a good flow and rhythm to the party? Any backup plan? What the heck is an iPod?

My mother’s arguments made us think for a bit. How could we strike a balance in our wedding planning? We wanted to save money but not at the expense of giving our guests a good time.

After Matt and I picked our date, confirmed our ceremony and reception locations, and created a Web site, we decided it was time to tell our guests what was going on. Save-the-date cards have become an important part of wedding stationery because they tell guests—especially ones who have to travel—the important details.

As I mentioned in my last post, Matt and I dedicated minimal funds to stationery because we planned to go the DIY route. But last time, I forgot to tell you my DIY rule: It’s only worthwhile if I’ll actually save money. Why go through all the effort of DIY if it might not save us anything?

When Deb Lee and Bill Banford got engaged in January, all they knew was that they were in love. They wanted a traditional, beautiful May wedding with all of their friends and family there to celebrate.

They also didn’t want to spend more than $10,000.

“It was a number we thought we could pay back without sacrificing eating out or seeing a movie every now and then,” says Lee, a professional organizer who lives in Upper Marlboro with Banford, a landscaper. “We like to take road trips, and we wanted to be able to still do things and not have our life disrupted by, well, one day. A very important day, but it’s just one day.”

Banford and Lee ended up pushing their wedding date back from May 2009 to May 2010 because of their difficulties finding a venue that would fit their budget.

The couple are among a growing number nationwide who are scaling back their weddings in light of the economic downturn. As many as 75 percent of couples this year are expected to cut costs on their big day, according to a recent survey by David’s Bridal.

Free. Wedding. Do we have your attention now?

We thought so! Ok, so here are the details: Head to the DC Couture Bridal Show on Saturday for the chance to win a $50,000 ecofriendly wedding. The fine folks at the Washington DC Couture Wedding Consortium are offering up a dream green wedding with the Decatur House as the venue, the planning services of Elegance & Simplicity, catering from Avalon Caterers, music from Mydeejay.com, and more.

In addition to the ecofriendly vendors who’ll plan one lucky couple’s free wedding, even the wedding date is green—April 22, Earth Day!

Registration for the bridal show is free—just sign up here. The event runs from noon to 5 on Saturday (1610 H St., NW), where brides-to-be can meet with an array of vendors and catch glimpses of an exclusive collection of dresses from Promise for the Savvy Bride.

More>> Bridal Party Blog | Wedding Guide | Wedding Vendor Search

It’s no secret that the holidays are a popular time to pop the question. If Santa left you a box under the tree with something sparkly inside, you’re probably hot on the trail of wedding planning already. But before you decide on the venue, you might want to take a daytrip to Charlottesville.

If you book your wedding at Clifton (1296 Clifton Inn Dr., Charlottesville; 888-971-1800) by January 31, in addition to helping you plan your big day, the hotel will throw in a five-night honeymoon in a Paris penthouse—for free.