Simply, what are some great ways to save money on your wedding? Are there secrets? Are there areas you can pinch? Don’t worry about emptying out your savings account or have parents dip into a retirement fund. You can have an amazing celebration without spilling into the endless abyss of vendor bills.
“Where do I start saving money for my wedding?”
Before you start saving, you’ll need to set your budget – and stick to it.
Have a conversation with whomever if helping foot the bill and decide on a price that seems reasonable and comfortable. From there, you can decide how to divide the money up between different elements of the big day.
Once those decisions are made, download the app Wedding Happy. It’s a fabulous application that will help track your budget and stay on task throughout your event planning. Most importantly, you’ll be provided with a spending summary so you can see how much money is left and which direction it’s going toward all of the vendors. It’ll also keep you on time for paying all of the bills.
“Is sending evites a good way to save?”
We prefer traditional invitations, but Evites are still a cost-effective option.
Yes, couples do this. Whether they do it in a pinch, because it’s a last minute decision, or because they want to save a few hundred dollars, we’re not saying it doesn’t happen – we just love the idea of traditional, tangible invitations that your family and friends can hang up on the fridge and keep in a memory box. And there are a lot of affordable invitations out there, such as the several at PurpleTrail that are gorgeous.
But if you’re considering the idea of an evites we have a couple of suggestions. A lot of the sites will help you design evites and even have some built-in RSVP functions to make tracking guests easier. Keep in mind that the best way to go when sending an invitation over email is to go with a service such as Paperless Post or Evite.com.
“What can I buy or rent myself?”
The short answer is … nearly everything.
A lot of times though, your venue will include a lot of the necessities within the price of your rental agreement or package. But, if you’re looking to save big we have one major suggestion in mind.
Bring your own liquor. And we don’t mean buy it yourself and bring it for the party. Instead, have a ‘stock the bar’ party with friends. These parties include a celebration of the engagement but every guest brings one or two bottles of liquor and those bottles are in turn used to, well, stock the bar for the big day!
Before committing to this idea, check with your venue and make sure you’re allowed to bring your our liquor to the property.
“When it comes to the venue is there any rule of thumb?”
Firstly, don’t book on a Saturday.
Ask your venue about holding your ceremony on a Friday or Sunday instead. These non-standard dates are more likely to be offered at special rates and less expensive packages. And then ask about the time slot as well. Morning or brunch time events may not cost as much as an evening – until after midnight – celebration.
“What about the dress? Do I have to spend thousands?”
Absolutely not.
You certainly don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding gown. In fact, the trend isn’t to spend upward on five grand on a design anymore. Brides are becoming more budget-conscious and going with handmade designs or vintage finds. Yes, the taboo reputation of pre-owned wedding dresses is a thing of the past.
Whether it’s a family heirloom (worn freely aside from some cleaning costs or some possible alterations) or a secondhand gown of a designer you already love, it’s okay to do a little extra shopping around for your wedding dress that doesn’t include five different appointments at downtown bridal boutiques.
“What can I DIY?”
Anything and everything you can without needing a third party.
Our advice to you is that DIYing your wedding is possible, plausible, and totally something that you should take up – especially if you’re on a budget. If fact, do as much as you can without paying anyone else to do it!
Now, that could include your own wedding day album, or creating your own wedding video with raw footage of the day from friends snippets shared on Instagram, or even taking some time to whip up some magical centerpieces for the table.
Remember to give yourself some grace – and some time – to DIY some of the details and be aware of the prep involved. You can even get really creative and DIY your very own invitations and wedding bouquets.
“Is it necessary to purchase favors?”
Nope, and don’t feel bad about it!
If you don’t have the extra wiggle room in the budget, or you just don’t find it realistic to spend so much on trinkets that will likely get thrown out – nix them. They’re really a beautiful gesture, used as thanking all of your loved ones for coming and celebrating, but they certainly are not a requirement.
But, if you’re worried about not having them and still don’t want to spend a ton, this is where your DIYing skills can come in handy. And if you go with edibles, seasonal or mini treats like salted caramel cookies or even truffles are a great idea!
“What’s cost-effective and versatile when it comes to flowers?”
Always try for real flowers over faux.
We’re not a fan of using faux flowers for a wedding but we understand that this can eat at your budget (sometimes even more so than the food). So, if you want some magical, natural elements thrown into your wedding without breaking the bank opt for baby’s breath. It doesn’t cost near as much as its more colorful counterparts but can be an extremely versatile element of the day’s decor.