How many of us stop and look when we see a sale sign in a shop window? What is the attraction to the possibility of saving money? When you consider the average wedding today costs between $17,000 and $30,000, many brides are looking for more frugal ways to wed. Oftentimes, though, there is not a big red sale sign advertising vendors’ discounts, nor do we see price reduction advertisements for halls, hotels, or wedding sites. Finding deals and cost-cutting strategies, however, is sometimes as easy as knowing how to negotiate and what specific questions to ask. The Frugal Bride will help you identify hundreds of potential wedding deals and learn how to approach them with a frugal mind-set.
Being frugal does not mean that your wedding has to look or feel cheap. Many of the most glamorous-looking touches at weddings are often surprisingly inexpensive. Additionally, some of your wedding ideas that seem financially feasible may become your most expensive elements (more on that later). First and foremost, this book will show you how to cut corners and costs without cutting out class. Couples across America have also contributed their cost-saving ideas and insights throughout the book in short quotes or anecdotal accounts.
The Frugal Bride is here for you, the bride, but also, as a bonus, special chapters in this book will assist others who are planning prenuptial parties for you. Bachelor/bachelorette parties, showers, and rehearsal dinner cost-cutting ideas are provided.
Scattered throughout the book, you’ll find quick, cost-saving tips to try out when planning your day. Frugal Freebie sidebars are things that cost nothing to you (except maybe a bit of planning time or creative thinking). Super Duper Deal sidebars are cost-effective ideas. They’re not completely free, but they’re creative and inexpensive. Scrimp & Save sidebars are suggestions that save you money, but look expensive and classy so you’ll never miss a thing!
Use The Frugal Bride as a companion to your wedding planner. You may want to read it with a highlighter pen handy so you can identify the specific areas that pertain to your event. Also, be sure to check out my other wedding book, The Ultimate Wedding Idea Book, for 1,001 creative, fun, and romantic wedding planning ideas.
Nowadays, planning a frugal wedding is accepted and embraced. In the twenty-first century, when more and more women and men are both in the workforce, paying off school loans, car expenses, and living expenses, brides and grooms are not as willing to blow their money on a wedding extravaganza. More couples are also financing or contributing to their wedding expenses rather than having the bride’s parents foot the entire bill.
Not all aspects of your wedding need to be inexpensive, though. This book will help you identify the areas that you want to skimp on while saving you those extra dollars to put toward the areas that are the most important or costly for you.
I hope you enjoy the cost-cutting ideas that follow. They will help you save a bundle in planning this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of your love. Good luck pinching those pennies!