Saving Money When Planning Your Wedding

The Problem

You know, in general, what type of wedding you want, but your expectations outweigh the money you have available to pull it off? The good news is, even on a low budget, you can still have the wedding of your dreams. The secret is focusing money on the “dream” part of that dream wedding and being creatively frugal in the other areas.

The Solution

Here are five tips for planning an inexpensive dream wedding.

1) Understand what is important to you.

There can be a tendency to over think every minute detail, no matter how important to the overall success of your wedding. This can lead to over spending. Before you do anything, take some time to reflect on what, exactly, defines you dream wedding.  There are likely two or three elements you see vividly and are most important. What are they? A jaw-dropping gown? The location? Your entrance at the reception? These elements are what will move your dream wedding into reality. It is here you should put your priorities and, if needed, the money. Your savings opportunity is in the less-significant details; save money by bargain shopping and thinking outside the box.

2) “Double duty” wherever possible.

Take the concept of recycling to the next level; find ways to repurpose, reuse, or combine functions. For example:

• Make centerpieces of edible favors. Examples: a favor cake (http://www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/search.php?keywords=wedding+cake+favor+-cookie) or cake pops arranged as “flowers” in a unique container (http://www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/search.php?keywords=cake+pops+-eye ).

• Buy shoes you will use again. Colorful shoes are becoming the norm. It is perfectly acceptable to buy gorgeous red, purple, pink, or other color shoe you can wear again and again.

• Many people put out clear Christmas lights during the Holidays. Repurpose them as wedding decorations–twist with gossamer or tulle to adorn the head table or string into mason or other jars to make your own rustic or elegant lighting. https://pinterest.com/YourWeddingHelp/mason-jar-wedding/

3) Rethink the guest list.

This one can be tough, but may be necessary for containing the budget. The recent trend is to have an intimately-sized wedding, limited to close friends and family. This not only brings the total cost down, but lends itself to another trend–a bit more informal and party-like atmosphere.

4) Save on food and drink.

You will most likely hire a caterer, but you can work with her on which elements she will handle and which you will take care of yourself.  If you are renting a reception hall, this may be against policy. In this case, choose lower-priced options or consider having the reception at an unusual place instead–a nearby farm or field or other open area, for example.

The bar is another area for potential savings. One huge opportunity for saving is to offer only non-alcohol drinks, if this is acceptable in your circles. You may also hire a bartender for the evening and buy your own alcohol for the occasion, which is cheaper than using the catering service. If the venue doesn’t allow this, you may also opt for a limited bar with choice of beer or red or white wine.

Additionally, consider skipping the expensive cake (much of which is often wasted) and go with a trendy dessert station filled with homemade goodies instead. If you feel strongly about the tradition of cutting the cake, buy or make a small one for the ritual.

5) Do It Yourself (DIY) where it makes sense.

There are two general areas where you can do it yourself: foregoing service providers (photographer, DJ, caterer, etc.) and making the various items that go into a wedding (decorations, centerpieces, floral arrangements, etc.).

In the service provider arena, remember expertise and experience do matter, so scrimp here with your eyes wide open. You do not want to be disappointed with the sound quality of the music or end up with poorly taken and shadowy pictures, for example.

DIY is common these days and is expected to become even more popular. Ideas to consider:

• Make your own chair covers rather than renting expensive ones.

• Give handcrafted and personally meaningful gifts to the wedding party.

• Create your own favors from bulk candy, tulle, and ribbon.

However you choose to go about saving when planning your wedding, keep in mind that uniqueness is not only trendy, it is what will put the “dream” into your dream wedding.

Bobette Kyle

This is a chapter taken from the book, Insiders Know-How: Planning The Perfect Wedding available from  Amazon