There are only a very small percentage of brides that do not need to worry about a wedding budget. So this article is for the rest of you brides that need to plan a wedding on a budget. You will find a lot of helpful information out there with lots of tips. This article will be one of those lists. Here is my quick and easy list of money saving tips when planning your wedding!
Avoid goods and services labeled ‘wedding’ when you can.
Specific wedding products and services are often heavily marked up, and many times you can find a similar product or service for less. For example, if you’re looking for private lessons for your first dance, you don’t need to go with a studio’s ‘wedding dance’ private lessons, which can run you around $200 per hour. If instead you opt for ballroom dance private lessons, you will get comparable material but often at about half that cost (or even less). Another example the cake: your wedding cake doesn’t have to be a ‘wedding’ cake. You can buy a beautiful three-layer cake for less money than a traditional wedding cake.
Think simple.
Remember that your guests are here to celebrate you, and stay grounded when selecting your wedding favors, cake, flowers, and dress. For example, with your menu you can usually decrease the choices without adverse effects. As long as you have a few tasty options, people will be happy (what a great reason to go do food tastings!). Another example is with the flowers: feel free to just go with what’s in season, it will be less expensive.
Borrow or barter when you can.
If you can borrow a sports car, you don’t have to rent a limo. If you have skills or a product you can barter with, see if you can trade with wedding vendors. You’ll both benefit, and you’ll pay less out of pocket.
Be a savvy shopper and a bargain hunter.
Look online for heavy markdowns. In fact, google using the word “wholesale” such as “wholesale flowers”. Try eBay for hidden gems. Check corporate gift makers and corporate promotional item manufacturers as well. They specialize in personalizing all sorts of different items.
Buy an “older” wedding dress.
Unless you are a fashionista or your friends are fashionistas, no one will really know this year’s look compared to last year’s look or even the year before. Prices will definitely be lower for previous year’s styles. Many dressmakers will sell last year’s styles on eBay.
Book your venues early. Avoid the “desirable” times.
Reserve early for the best prices, a year in advance if you can as most of the time you can then lock in a lower price. Venue prices do increase each year. When booking your venue and hiring all the people involved, consider holding your wedding in the off-season to reduce costs. You can also have your wedding on an off-day, which is pretty much any day other than Saturday. Evening weddings tend to be the most expensive, so think about having a daytime wedding. You can have a perfectly elegant brunch reception that your guests will remember for years to come.
Be minimal in your choices of vendors and services and then expand.
A great example of being minimalist is the photographer. At the very least you could just put out cameras and have your friends take photos. However, if you want professional photos, than all you really need are the negatives or a DVD of the digital prints. You will get the quality of the photographer but no prints or wedding albums to pay for. You can always make those on your own once you have the prints. Another “minimalistic” idea is to try to get back as much as possible from what you bought. Is there a non-profit that has a band or DJ you can hire where your payment is tax deductible? Are you able to donate the flowers to the church and have a tax deduction?
My last tip is actually an interesting and fun wedding and honeymoon idea. It is from Erica Yoon’s Amazing Wedding Planning ebook. (Check out my website if you want more wedding planning book and ebook recommendations).
“If you want a fun, exciting and cheap honeymoon, go to Las Vegas, Nevada. If you’ve heard about all the cheap gourmet food and services, I can tell you that it’s true. I happen to live just outside of Las Vegas, and it has so many gourmet foods and services that I love to jump in the car and hit the buffets for dinner.”
This idea is great because you can have a inexpensive and fun honeymoon while you are out in Las Vegas which will also definitely save you money (think of the buffets!!).
Those are my list of money saving tips for now. I hope you will find at least one of them, if not more of them, useful and that it saves you some money. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and I wish you the best with your planning!
Check out Kennly Yakamoto’s HubPages Hubs: Inexpensive Wedding Dresses and Planning A Cheap Wedding Reception for more great wedding planning tips!