Most brides out there need to not only plan their wedding but must plan their wedding on a budget. I came up with some simple ways you can save money on your wedding, and I hope you find them helpful! I'll add more later but these are some good ones to get you started
Avoid goods and services labeled 'wedding' when you can.
As an example "wedding private dance lessons" could be $200 per hour. But go to a ballroom studio for "ballroom private lessons" and you may only pay $80 to $100. That's a 50% discount. If you are able to apply that to EVERYTHING then your wedding budget just got cut in half. For example, you can find regular catering instead of "wedding" catering. You can find wholesale flowers instead of "wedding" flowers. And so on.
Think simple.
Remember your guests are here for you on your special day. You can pare things down a bit without any adverse affects. As an example, I have been to one wedding where chicken, steak, and lobster were available. However, the food really was not that good. But we didn't mind. Another wedding I went to had the most delicious chicken dish which also happened to be the only choice. It was really yummy, but again did we really care? The magical wedding day overshadows it all. As another example you don't necessarily need to go with any specific flowers. Check to see what is in season to get the best prices.
Instead of purchasing, think if you can borrow or bargain to get items for your wedding.
Can you borrow a fancy sports car for transportation? If you own your own business (like website design) can you barter with a wedding vendor to trade services? You might find there are quite a few skills you can use to bargain with. If you are flexible on vendor choice feel free to barter skills with all your vendors and see which one bites.
Be a savvy shopper and a bargain hunter.
There are many online auction sites these days, not just eBay. Amazon is another great place to look as they are starting to sell just about anything and everything. Google the world "wholesale" along with what you're looking for, e.g. "wholesale flowers". Don't forget award makers and corporate promotional item makers. They specialize in personalizing many different items.
Buy a dress from a previous season.
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 and think about using non-"traditional" wedding days and times.
If you can lock in your venue a year in advance, you lock in the lower price as well. Unless you have your heart set on a certain date for the wedding, consider holding it in the off-season. Save money by booking any day besides Saturday evening, which is the most popular and hence most expensive. Evenings are also popular, so if you book during the day you can save a bit here too. A wedding brunch may be less conventional than an evening reception, but it can be just as elegant and memorable. One exception to this rule if you are daring is to book the date, and as your wedding date nears phone all wedding venues to see if there have been any cancellations. You may get a good deal this way. I don't recommend it but I have heard this wedding tip thrown out there and wanted to repeat it in case it was interesting to you.
Select your vendors and services wisely and "minimalistically".
Hire a good photographer who will provide you with high-quality negatives or images on cd. You can make your own prints instead of purchasing marked-up prints and photo books through the photographer. Find non-profit venues, musicians, and dress and flower sources that you can donate to and then write off on your tax return. It helps the non-profits too!
My last tip I have to include because it's interesting, a bit unusual, and definitely a fun idea if you find it is to your liking. This is a tip from one of my favorite resources which is Erica Yoon's wedding planning book. (And by the way go to my website if you want more wedding planning book 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!
Avoid goods and services labeled 'wedding' when you can.
As an example "wedding private dance lessons" could be $200 per hour. But go to a ballroom studio for "ballroom private lessons" and you may only pay $80 to $100. That's a 50% discount. If you are able to apply that to EVERYTHING then your wedding budget just got cut in half. For example, you can find regular catering instead of "wedding" catering. You can find wholesale flowers instead of "wedding" flowers. And so on.
Think simple.
Remember your guests are here for you on your special day. You can pare things down a bit without any adverse affects. As an example, I have been to one wedding where chicken, steak, and lobster were available. However, the food really was not that good. But we didn't mind. Another wedding I went to had the most delicious chicken dish which also happened to be the only choice. It was really yummy, but again did we really care? The magical wedding day overshadows it all. As another example you don't necessarily need to go with any specific flowers. Check to see what is in season to get the best prices.
Instead of purchasing, think if you can borrow or bargain to get items for your wedding.
Can you borrow a fancy sports car for transportation? If you own your own business (like website design) can you barter with a wedding vendor to trade services? You might find there are quite a few skills you can use to bargain with. If you are flexible on vendor choice feel free to barter skills with all your vendors and see which one bites.
Be a savvy shopper and a bargain hunter.
There are many online auction sites these days, not just eBay. Amazon is another great place to look as they are starting to sell just about anything and everything. Google the world "wholesale" along with what you're looking for, e.g. "wholesale flowers". Don't forget award makers and corporate promotional item makers. They specialize in personalizing many different items.
Buy a dress from a previous season.
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 and think about using non-"traditional" wedding days and times.
If you can lock in your venue a year in advance, you lock in the lower price as well. Unless you have your heart set on a certain date for the wedding, consider holding it in the off-season. Save money by booking any day besides Saturday evening, which is the most popular and hence most expensive. Evenings are also popular, so if you book during the day you can save a bit here too. A wedding brunch may be less conventional than an evening reception, but it can be just as elegant and memorable. One exception to this rule if you are daring is to book the date, and as your wedding date nears phone all wedding venues to see if there have been any cancellations. You may get a good deal this way. I don't recommend it but I have heard this wedding tip thrown out there and wanted to repeat it in case it was interesting to you.
Select your vendors and services wisely and "minimalistically".
Hire a good photographer who will provide you with high-quality negatives or images on cd. You can make your own prints instead of purchasing marked-up prints and photo books through the photographer. Find non-profit venues, musicians, and dress and flower sources that you can donate to and then write off on your tax return. It helps the non-profits too!
My last tip I have to include because it's interesting, a bit unusual, and definitely a fun idea if you find it is to your liking. This is a tip from one of my favorite resources which is Erica Yoon's wedding planning book. (And by the way go to my website if you want more wedding planning book 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!
About the Author:
Stop by Kennly Yakamoto's Wedding Planning site where you can find out all about how to be your own wedding planner.
