Nowadays the parents of the bride are not always the exclusive financial backers of the wedding. In-laws may contribute, close family and friends sometimes do, and often the bride and groom assume most or all of the costs associated with the big day. With second weddings, the couple is almost always solely responsible for all the costs. So it’s not surprising that more and more couples are interested in budget weddings.
When some of us hear the word “budget,” we automatically associate it with being cheap, but this does not have to be the case. Below you’ll find money-saving ideas that won’t cheapen the ambiance of your events.
When you consider your wedding budget, sit down with your fiancé and discuss the elements of a wedding that mean the most to you. Then focus the bulk of your funds on the most meaningful items.
Spend money on the parts of your wedding that you will really remember and cherish after it is all over. The wedding day ends in a flash, but the pictures will last forever. So you may not want to skimp on your photographer.
Set up a wedding budget for yourself on your computer with a spreadsheet or similar program. Or go online and visit wedding Web sites. Many of them have programs with wedding budget planners that may assist you in staying on target and within your means. Quicken or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets work well, too.
Set up a separate checking account for your wedding expenses. It will help you keep track of your costs and separate them out from your everyday expenditures.
If you plan to make purchases for members of your wedding party, such as bridesmaids’ shoes or groomsmen’s tuxedo deposits, pay with a credit card. That way, if anything goes wrong with sizes or colors, you’ll have recourse through the credit card company (even if the store has a “no cancellation” or “no return” policy).
Attend local wedding expos when they come to your town or a city nearby. While the vendors can be aggressive and the crowds sometimes overwhelming, an abundance of fun ideas, discounts, and free prizes, including honeymoons, reception sites, and limousine transportation, are raffled off.
Spend time in the wedding aisle of your local library or bookstore. Read as many books as you can, and jot down ideas that excite you. Buy only the books that seem right for you (especially this one!), and review the chapters on money-saving ideas.
Buy a simple, flattering white dress in the women’s clothing section of a department store or boutique. Use this as the basis for a gown that you or a seamstress can detail with lace, beading, and other finery. You’ll spend a fraction of the cost and will have a totally unique dress!
Consignment stores, discount warehouses, and renting are all less expensive alternatives to buying a full-priced dress from a retailer or salon.
Veils can also be borrowed or rented.
Many brides are designing their own gowns with special touches that accentuate their body type. These custom gowns can often be more cost effective than those bought off the rack.
Some brides redesign or alter their mother’s, sister’s, or close friend’s gown.
Remember that you don’t have to wear the dress only once.
Have your wedding at an off-peak time of year or on an off day. June, September, and December are the most popular months for weddings, and weekends and national holidays are the most expensive days of the week to get married.
Brunches and buffets are typically less expensive than dinners or evening events.
Get married in a nontraditional location such as a public school auditorium, an empty movie theater, a friend’s home, or the beach. The ceremony site fees will be significantly lower, if there is any charge at all. (Beware, though: Costs associated with receptions at these locales may be higher than you anticipate since the cost of equipment, tables, chairs, servers, and permits may add up.)
Keep your wedding party small—maybe just family only—to limit complexities and expenses related to attendants.
Elope, have a civil ceremony, or plan a destination wedding. Then celebrate afterward with family and friends at a reception. This is much more cost effective than a full-blown wedding.
Make your own invitations by hand or on the computer.
Hand-address invitations or run the envelopes through your computer instead of hiring a calligrapher.
If you choose to get invitations printed, don’t have them engraved; just serigraph them.
If you and your fiancé agree to limit your guest list, do not include the names of your friends’ boyfriends or girlfriends on the envelopes. Some couples have an “engaged- or married-only” rule; all other guests are considered single and are expected to attend alone.
Don’t invite children to the wedding unless it is imperative. You’ll save on costs here, too.
Register at a travel agency so guests can contribute toward your honeymoon, enabling you to free up money to put toward your wedding.
Instead of elaborate ribbons, tulle, and flower bundles, consider having the bridesmaids’ bouquets be fresh-cut flowers wrapped with a simple satin ribbon.
One bride had an usher give a single flower to each guest sitting closest to the aisle before the ceremony began. As the bride walked down the aisle, she literally collected her bouquet from her guests, who participated in making it, and the maid of honor then bundled and tied all the flowers together for her.
Consider using silk flowers for your bouquets or centerpieces. They can be prepared far in advance, and you don’t have to worry about them wilting at the reception.
Look into renting pre-made floral centerpieces that can be used one time for a fraction of the cost of fresh flowers.
Many brides save by ordering flowers and arrangements through their local grocery store or wholesaler such as Costco, Price Club, or Sam’s Club. You may be pleasantly surprised by how nice the arrangements are.
When the ceremony is over, reuse the loose cut flowers from the bridesmaids’ bouquets by putting them into prepared fresh-water vases to serve as the centerpieces for the reception.
Reuse and recycle whatever you can.
The flowers that decorate the site of the ceremony can be reused if they are transported to the reception.
Cost-effective alternatives to floral centerpieces include balloons, confetti, or potted plants; baskets of fresh fruit, gourds, and autumn leaves (if seasonal); pretty tissues, fabric squares, or gift wrap; flat circular mirrors with votives arranged on top; or a few pictures of the bride and groom in fun scenarios, arranged in a circle facing the guests.
Candles and votives should be used everywhere, from on the tables to around the reception area. They are much less costly than fresh flowers and create a classy ambiance.
Make your own wedding favors and accessories. Arts and crafts stores have many inexpensive trinkets, beads, lace, sequins, and pearls. They even carry small figurines that can be painted to go atop your wedding cake or in centerpieces. If you have creative friends or family members, enlist their help!
Other inexpensive homemade wedding party favors include painted napkin rings with your names and wedding date, cookies, fudge or chocolates wrapped in tissue or clear cellophane with ribbon, or tiny potted plants.
One bride made her table number plaques at a paint-your-own ceramics studio. She used 2- by 2-inch ceramic tiles, and on the front painted the table number (using different designs on each one: hearts, plaids, etc.). On the back, she printed the couple’s names and wedding date. She had the ceramics store drill two holes at the top of each tile, and then strung organza ribbon through them and hung them from the centerpieces.
If you choose to have table numbers assigned as opposed to open seating, consider having a large chart with all guests listed on it and their table number next to their names. This way, you save on the cost and confusion of individual table and place cards.
Instead of the typical Jordan almonds wrapped in tulle, some couples give guests a packet of flower seeds with their names and wedding date attached; guests can plant them at their homes in honor of the wedding.
If you need items such as a wedding dress, veil, or garter, borrow them from friends and family instead of buying or renting them. If you need yarmulkes, borrow them from your local temple.
Have your makeup done for free at a department store counter the morning of the wedding. (Try out the artist first and consider tipping her afterward. Be sure she will be working the day of your wedding, too.)
Do your own hair and makeup, or have a family member do it for you (a trusted family member).
Use prerecorded classical music for your procession down the aisle and back, or have a single pianist rather than a string quartet.
Hire a DJ instead of a live band for your reception.
Save on a DJ by loading preselected songs into your computer and playing them at the reception. One bride asked her guests to request their favorite song on the reply card to the wedding, so many of the guests heard something they liked.
If you have no money in your budget to videotape your wedding, try calling the audiovisual department at a local high school or community college and hire a student to tape your wedding. These student-produced videos can have loads of fun effects, music, and audio, and they’re often as good as a professional video. The same method could be used to find a photographer.
Or hire a professional photographer, but also see if close friends, family, or a photography student would be willing to take candid pictures with their own or throwaway cameras. You will be surprised to find that some of their pictures will be even better than the professional’s, and at a fraction of the cost.
If you would like to save time and money on your reception (meaning fewer hours to pay the band, photographer, videographer, and so on), then eliminate some of the less essential traditions, such as the garter throw or bouquet toss, if those activities are not as important to you.
Some brides choose to simply give their bouquet to the couple in attendance who have been married the longest as opposed to doing the traditional bouquet toss.
Have open seating without place cards or table assignments. This will save time, money, and headaches in planning.
One bride hired a local troop leader and six Girl Scouts to assist with serving and cleaning up at her reception. Since it was an hors d’oeuvres and light-fare event, their work mainly consisted of making sure platters were filled or replaced and keeping paper goods and supplies on the tables. The Girl Scouts got badges for donating their time, and the bride made a donation to the troop (which cost her much less than it would have to hire professional catering staff to do the same work).
Use the table wine for toasts instead of purchasing champagne in addition.
Consider a cash bar in lieu of offering alcoholic beverages.
Find out if your establishment charges per bottle or per drink to guesstimate what your beverage costs will be.
Check to see if you can bring in your own wine and liquor as opposed to using the reception hall’s supplier. You may be charged a corkage fee per bottle, but this still might be more cost effective.
Be sure that you will not be charged per head for alcoholic beverages for guests who are under legal drinking age. Have an accurate count of minors to provide to the catering or beverage manager.
Advise servers not to refill wine glasses at tables until they are completely empty or unless a guest so requests. Many half-full glasses get refilled only to be left untouched.
See if you can get a local college student to tend bar for you. Many universities actually offer bartending courses for students looking to make money on the side, and students may be less expensive than the on-site staff.
If you choose to go with a student, make sure they will be insured, and also find out if they have bar supplies that they can use through their school or through a subcontracted catering company.
Have water pitchers and wine bottles placed on the tables so guests can serve themselves.
Consider skipping the cocktail hour altogether, and save on the alcohol and hors d’oeuvres.
If you have a buffet, place a few wine bottles on each table so guests can serve themselves and save you the expense of hiring extra servers.
If you do a champagne toast, instruct the servers to fill glasses only halfway. No one ever finishes the champagne, and this can cut your champagne bill in half.
If you are paying for a set menu, see if you can eliminate the cost of the dessert and simply use your wedding cake as the sole dessert.
Consider serving a wedding cake baked at a grocery store or by a private baker who works out of his or her home. You can save hundreds of dollars, and the cake will actually taste pretty good!
Don’t change into a going-away outfit or even purchase a special one. Rather, exit as you entered: as the glowing bride.
Instead of a limousine, hire a town car or have a friend with a fun convertible or antique-looking car drive you and your spouse off after the ceremony. Or eliminate the drive off altogether and simply leave the wedding reception and head straight down the hotel hall to the honeymoon suite.
The joyous pleasure of being newlyweds on your honeymoon is a total high. Consider splurging on an exceptional honeymoon that you’ll both appreciate.