Wedding planning season is an extremely exciting time, however, it can quickly bring about stress as one begins to budget for the event!
Like many other little girls, I had been planning my wedding from a young age and had dreams of purchasing a designer gown from Kleinfeld Bridal and having fresh greenery garlands strewn across each table. A true fairy tale. Reality hit real quick when I started pricing out these adolescent dreams. News flash, unless you were born into royalty or you have thee most incredible parents that plan on handing over the golden ticket (aka blank check), I can guarantee that you will be tasked with designing your dream wedding on a budget that doesn't allow for filet, bottle service, and designer gowns. Instead of tossing aside my vision, I began finding alternative ways to create the dream event on a budget. The following includes fifty areas that I saved money, allowing me to host a fabulous wedding at a fraction of the expected cost!
50 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding
1. Buy cheap linens, don't rent. You can purchase linens cheaper than the cost of renting and get your money back by reselling them! Tablecloths factory is a great place for cheap linens.
2. Use fake greenery and candles for an elegant look that is much cheaper than fresh florals. I purchased from both Hobby Lobby and Amazon.
3. Buy plastic plates made to look like china. I purchased my place settings from Amazon and was so impressed by the quality and price!
4. Buy decorations, don’t rent. They will resell for nearly what you originally paid.
5. Thrift for decorations
6. DIY decorations
7. Don’t have bouquets for bridesmaids. No one will notice, and you’ll save $500.
8. Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on programs that will be thrown away. Instead put the same information in a large frame and place at front of ceremony. This doubles as your program and ceremony decor.
9. Serve water and tea, rather than soda selections. Your wedding is not meant to be a full service dining experience for guests.
10. Consider dessert alternatives to cake. Other options, such as cookies and donuts, are trendy, and it will save you money.
11. Print your own invitations. Purchase a template from an online resource and have a local print shop create them.
12. Purchase thank you gifts on sale.
13. Ask family and friends that recently got married if you can borrow or rent decor items.
14. Tear down rental items yourself. Rental companies will charge you fees just to break down tables and chairs. What else are the groomsmen for?!
15. Shop around for a newer venue. These locations often have initial cheaper pricing in order to fill their calendar for the first year.
16. Use a venue that allows you to choose your own catering
17. Use a venue that allows you to choose your own alcohol
18. Serve specific cocktails versus full open bar. Purchase plastic cups and champagne flutes to save additional money.
19. Purchase decor that you would like enough to use as decor in your home
20. Don’t purchase guestbook, make a photo album and have guests sign. This then serves as guestbook and engagement photo prints in one.
21. Hire a new photographer, packages will be cheaper
22. Use same photography company for all media needs. They will typically provide you with a cheaper bundled price.
23. Use Styrofoam as the bottom tier of your sweetheart cake.
24. Splurge on your manicure and ignore the pedicure. No one sees your toes!
25. No need for designer shoes. Shop at discount stores, such as TJMaxx and DSW.
26. Use a friend to coordinate wedding
27. Use friends to decorate wedding
28. Hire a cheap floral company to do the arrangements, but request a specific florist that you trust to do your flowers.
29. Bargain with your jeweler. This is an industry where there is room for discount because of the high markup.
30. Go minimal on ceremony aisle decor. Rather, focus on front of ceremony where photos will be captured and where everyone will be looking. Complete the look with an aisle runner. This is a cheap way to add a traditional look to your ceremony decor.
31. Purchase needed candles after Christmas. They will be included in the holiday sales.
32. Facebook marketplace, marketplace, marketplace. Repeat after me.
33. Sign up for bridal expo giveaways.. I actually won!
34. Road trip for Honeymoon
35. Honeymoon off-season. You will save immensely on flights and resort prices. Check with a local travel agent to discover the biggest savings!
36. Don’t individually ask bridesmaids to be a part of your wedding, rather host a group gathering
37. Direct guests to RSVP via your wedding website. This will save you on printing costs for RSVP cards and return stamps for RSVPs
38. Purchase gown at sample sale
39. Purchase rentals and catering based off of RSVP number, not based off of how many people you invited
40. Check with rental company to see if they will provide you with a discount if you make a larger down payment than required
41. Don’t pay for extra photography hours for reception photos. You can typically purchase a cheaper wedding package that covers fewer hours. I saved thousands of dollars by purchasing a package that only had six hours of coverage.
42. No wedding favors, they will end up in the trash anyways
43. Rehearse at different location if venue is going to charge you for a 2 day rental
44. Sell wedding items, you won’t use them again
45. Have wedding on a Friday, rather than on a Saturday
46. No videography
47. Include guests in unique ways that doesn’t cost extra money
48. Create own pipe and drape that can be resold, rather than renting. I purchased a photography backdrop from Amazon that allowed me to recreate the look I desired behind my sweetheart table at a much lower price than renting pipe and drape.
49. Opt-in for event insurance, it could save you a lot of money later
50. Use banquet tables for the reception, they require less decoration
These areas I implemented at my wedding, saving me thousands of dollars! Do not give up on your wedding dreams, rather find ways to alter your plans in order to create your wedding on a budget that works for you.
XOXO,
Abbey Rose