As a recent newlywed, I know first hand that planning a wedding can be expensive. The average cost of a wedding in 2010 is around $24,000 and while this may seem like an eye-popping number, it's not hard for a bride and groom to easily spend this amount to put together and celebrate their big day. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some spectacular budget weddings (1K-5K) that are truly stunning, but most brides don't have the time (nor talent) to create a DIY project for every aspect of their wedding. Luckily, there are other ways you can shave some dollars and not feel like your skimping on the important parts of your celebration. I wanted to share a list of budget tips that most brides can use to help keep your wedding budget on track. If you have any other tips that you want to share, please leave them in the comments! We'd love to hear from you!
• First and foremost, cut your guest list.
• Consider an intimate backyard wedding or a free ceremony location.
• Hold your ceremony and reception in one spot
• If you can, schedule your wedding in the “off-season”.
• Have a weekday or Friday wedding instead of a Saturday event.
• Shop Etsy for reasonably price hand-made bridal party gifts.
• Skip the champagne toast.
• Remember, white limos will always cost you more than black or silver ones.
• Attend free DIY craft lessons at local hobby shops.
• Use free calligraphic fonts to add some elegance to your invitations.
• Buy your wedding flowers wholesale.
• Hire a florist to do just one arrangement. Have your friends & family copy it.
• Have a buffet instead of sit down dinner.
• Make the rehearsal dinner casual. Why not pizza or a family picnic?
• Have a pot luck.
• Enter wedding contests. Yes, people actually win these.
• Include non-floral decor like mason jars and garden lanterns.
• Use flowers that are in season.
• Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.
• Start shopping early. Take advantage of clearance sales throughout the year.
• Email your save-the-dates. It's cheaper and it's eco-friendly.
• DIY certain elements of the day. Get crafty.
• Take advantage of beauty school students to help with your day of make-up.
• Draw on friends' talents to help with the music or photography.
• Rent/borrow your wedding dress.
• Comfort foods are cheaper. Ditch the fish and substitute chicken
• Have bridesmaid hold one single flower for their bouquet.
• Have a honeymoon gift registry.
• Make a small cake look bigger by adding flowers, fresh fruit or ribbons.
• Serve Prosecco instead of champagne
• Shorten the time for your reception.
• Skip the top-shelf liquor and go local.
• Take advantage of one-day only specials/discounts at bridal events.
• Try giving out one favor per couple instead of for each individual person.
• Use pasta sauce jars and fish bowls for inexpensive unique wedding centerpieces.
• Incorporate family heirlooms to save money and honor the name.
• Skip the DJ and make a great playlist for your iPod
• Close the open bar an hour early and offer coffee.
• Have a guerrilla wedding.
• Use unscented candles for a cheap but dramatic decor option.
• Use fruits and vegetables for table decor.
• Hire a photographer for just the ceremony, and ask guests to take photos during the reception.
• Have your wedding at church near a major holiday. The venue will probably already be decorated with floral decor.
• Display a small wedding cake for the cake table and have a large sheet cake to cut and serve from.
Good luck with your wedding planning!
I think some of these (most of them) are great ideas but I think some are things that shouldn't be skimped on. Hiring professionals for smaller jobs is a good idea. For example, hire a professional cake artist to do a small cake for display and have a sheet cake in the back - I think that's a great idea. Just like you could hire a professional photographer for 2 - 3 hours instead of 8 hours, and still have gorgeous photos, but cut down on the cost by a lot. I know I am happy to make good deals for people who DO have very small, intimate weddings and only need a couple hours of coverage. Like I said, most of these ideas are great.. but there are some places I just wouldn't skimp..! (Also, I think if any florists read that it's suggested their work be COPIED.. they are going to be very unhappy..)
ReplyDeleteWonderful wonderful wonderful! Such a great list! Sharing this with my fiance!
ReplyDeleteThank you for suggesting using bigger tables for less centerpieces! This just fixed a major problem we are having
ReplyDeleteIt just takes some resourcefulness to be able to spend less for a wedding but I agree with you that keeping the number of guests to a minimum is the most probable way of saving money. A simple wedding should not be very costly.
ReplyDeleteLet me also add another budget-friendly idea. You may consider using a table centerpiece that can double as your wedding favors. I've seen an example of this from one website. It looks like a chocolate cake but it's actually composed of triangular boxes assembled to look like cake slices. Inside the boxes are the wedding favors.
Brandi I agree about the photography. That is just something you should not scrimp on. You can plan things earlier in the night, like cutting the cake and first dance, if you can't afford having your photographer for the full day. When you have guest take pictures, you never know what you are going to get. Disposable camera pictures usually turn out dark and blurry and it is usually drunk uncle Earl or your 4 year old niece taking all the pictures. I have had many friends spend 100's of dollars developing disposable camera film that was all blank! I think there was a huge thing missed on this list. Hiring an event planner. A lot of times they have vendor relationships that can save you tons of money and you won't loose your mind putting the wedding together.
ReplyDeleteI love the fruit and veggie table decor link!
ReplyDeleteThe rent/borrow a wedding dress is actually a great idea. Some might think that it’s kinda weird but some of my clients agreed to rent a dress instead of buying it. Sometimes, you really need to be practical.
ReplyDeleteI am a co-owner of a wedding event facility The past 2 years have been really tough for couples seeking to have a wedding that meets their dreams and at the same time is affordable. One expense that people struggle with is alcohol. I wrote an article that was recently published at ezinearticles that can help!
ReplyDeletehttp://ezinearticles.com/?Alcohol-Can-Be-Affordable-At-Your-Wedding&id=5219951
Tom