Cut The Cost Of Weddings
Now that you are engaged and you have picked a date for your wedding, you have many decisions to make and many hours of shopping ahead of you. It is definitely possible to create the wedding of your dreams while staying within a strict, tight budget. Let me share a few ways we have used to cut the cost of weddings we have been involved with.
When shopping for your wedding dress, you are noticing the price of one dress is nearly as much as the budget for your entire wedding! How are you going to be able to look fantastic while still saving money? First, you should look for sales and coupons. By getting a dress on sale, you can save up to 50% or more. Since wedding dresses have only been worn once, you could shop at a thrift store, on eBay or even borrow a dress from a friend or family member.
Bridesmaid Dresses
As with the dresses for the Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids, you could buy an “off the rack” dress and simply dress it up for the wedding. After the wedding, you can shorten the hemline or sleeves and still wear this same dress to formal and informal events. A matching (colored) belt, shoes, handbag and necklace looks really great on a white dress.
Renting is another option. Renting a wedding dress will save you lots of money and renting clothing is also a terrific idea for the men in the wedding party. By renting dark suits for the men, rather than purchasing a suit for each person, you will save hundreds of dollars. By renting a wedding dress AND suits, you will save well over $1,000 in the total cost of your wedding.
Cut The Cost Of Weddings
Save Money On Wedding Reception
It’s very easy to save money at your wedding reception as well. Normally, you have to rent the venue and serve food to dozens or even hundreds of people. You will have the costs of the plates, napkins, forks, picks, food, centerpieces, and the list goes on and on. Alternatively, you could have an informal open house with only close friends and family. This is much more intimate and the cost will be much less than a formal reception. A wedding dinner at your favorite restaurant is also a great way to save money, but will involve far fewer guests.
By having an outdoor reception, you will save money on decorations, as the natural landscape of the garden will be nearly enough. You could borrow lawn furniture, umbrellas, canopy’s and screens from friends and neighbors. By purchasing fresh potted flowers as decorations or centerpieces, you can give them to the wedding party as gifts following the reception or use them to decorate your newlywed home.
Serve a few simple finger foods as refreshments. You and your family can make some punch, cut up fresh fruit or bake a few treats. This will make your guests feel more than welcome and your budget will remain intact. You can use home made wedding favors rather than store bought ones, again the personal touch will make these far more memorable than anything you could buy in store.
Save Money On Wedding Invites
You can save money with the invitations also. Instead of invitations, send out announcements simply stating that the wedding has already taken place. Of course, those who only receive an announcement, rather than an invitation, may not send a gift, but that is a one of the downsides of having a more inexpensive wedding.
When preparing the invitations, it’s not always cheaper to print them yourself or use a tri-fold design. You will have to do lots of research to find the cheapest alternative for invitations and announcements. Be sure to figure in the cost of postage in your calculations.
Save Money On Wedding Photography
If you insist on having professional photographs of your wedding, then consider hiring an apprentice to do the work. Alternatively, friends and relatives can take photos and email them to you after the reception. Everyone owns a camera or, at the very least, a cell phone capable of taking pictures or video. These obviously won’t be high quality, but it is an option to save you some money on your overall bill.
Think Outside The Box
Can you save money by getting married on day other than Saturday? Most wedding reception venues will be quiet the rest of the week and catering companies will also have their equipment sitting around, ask for a 20% discount if you hold the reception on a Sunday. The worst that anyone can say is no. You could also consider sponsorship, will the local printers give you a discount if you include a link to their site on the back of each invite?
There are many ways to cut corners and save a few dollars here and there and cut the cost of weddings. You will be amazed how clever you can be when you have limited resources. You may have to sacrifice a bit of luxury, but probably no one will notice and you will save hundreds or thousands in the process.
