How to Save Money on Your Wedding
Regardless of the scale of your wedding, here are some ideas on how to save money on your big day.
1. Decide what’s important to you. You will most likely want to really splurge in a couple of important items to you. For some it is the food. For others it might be their dress, the flowers, the amount of bridesmaids they will have accompanying them etc. Fact is you have to prioritize. Splurge on your dress and cake and then cut corners on other aspects of the wedding that might not be as important to you.
2. The cake. Most wedding boast a huge beautiful cake. However, I’ve noticed that the food and drink do end up being more important to the invitees and many don’t even eat the cake. My suggestion is, don’t go with the most expensive cake. You want to make sure it is beautiful and that it tastes good, but try to go with the midrange cake maker instead of the most expensive one in town.
3. The flowers. Do go for the flowers that are in season and try to get them from a wholesaler instead of from a flower boutique. You can even arrange them yourself or have friends and family members help you with that.
4. The number of invitees. Sure, you want to invite the whole world to your wedding, but unfortunately, you can’t. While a huge wedding might be your dream, think about the advantages of a smaller one. For instance, do you really have to invite that coworker you haven’t spoke to in years? How about that cousin twice removed that you haven’t seen in over ten years? Make your big list and then start cutting, cutting, cutting. After all, you might still have space for extra invitees after you receive the RSVP cards.
5. Make your own invitations. Why not? If you have a good printer, you can print beautiful invitations from your own computer. You can find all kinds of gorgeous templates online and there are hundreds of software programs for this purpose. Invitation kits are sold in many stores and they already include envelopes and RSVP cards. You can give them a personal touch that maybe a professional wouldn’t, like including a picture of your fiancÃ?© and you or spraying them with your favorite scent.
6. The dress. Is it really necessary to pay thousands of dollars for a dress you will only wear once? Yes, it is your special day but, really, who will tell the difference if you spend a bit less on it? Try getting one on sale or hire a seamstress that will charge you a reasonable fee.
7. The bridesmaids. Whether you are going to pay for their dresses and accessories or they are doing it themselves, you could always think about the possibility of having fewer bridesmaids. If you have a lot of friends that will just die if you do not make them bridesmaids then pick a dress and accessories that won’t make you or them bankrupt. Really, do you want them to outshine you in your big day?
8. Give yourself more time. What’s wrong with a long engagement? Be patient and give yourself time to plan your perfect wedding, especially if you want an elaborate one. Many couples set their date one to two years away to be able to relax and have fun. I believe this is especially important if both work and time is limited.
9. Have an intimate wedding. Many couples, including even celebrities, opt to have very small weddings perhaps including just family and the closest of friends. Why not opt for this option? Not only will it save you money but you won’t feel that you invited people that might be there just for the food and music.
10. Enlist the help of family and friends. Why pay someone if you can get someone to help you do it and save money? You will be surprised at how much your family and friends might want to help you in this beautiful day.
Don’t let your big day bankrupt you! Remember, this is only the beginning and you don’t want to start up to your necks in debt, do you?
