(As a disclaimer: my wedding-expert wife helped me put this post together!)
There’s a big reason why wedding trade shows are booming and all the rage now – it’s because thousands of couples get married by the day! And it’s not the spur-of-the-moment kind of getting hitched, either. Lots of planning go into most of these weddings, from choosing the bridal dress to selecting the motif, through to buying the rings, flowers, and linen for the reception (and just about every detail in-between!). And with the planning comes the budget – typically a huge one because a lot of people place such a big premium on their “big day”. Small wonder it’s a billion-dollar industry today.
But what if I tell you that your big day can be as memorable as it deserves to be, yet you don’t have to spend too much time and money, nor get frustrated in the process? It’s possible, and it can also be fun if you let it be. Below are ten practical tips on how to save money on your wedding day.
Consider getting a wedding outfit/suit off the rack
If you go to a specialty bridal (or groom, as the case may be) store and pick out a design you like, there’s a big chance that you will find something similar at a department store for nearly half the price. Wedding boutiques give you the feeling that what they have is unique, but with the proliferation of great fashion designs these days, you are likely to find something you will be proud to wear even if it’s off the rack.
You can also consider getting into bridal or suit consignment stores (online or in a brick and mortar shop) and select a suit, gown or dress that’s only been worn once (as most bridal gowns tend to be) but is still in great condition. This option presents another viable way to get a wedding dress or outfit you like for a price tag that you will love.
Nix the new accessories
Going for trendy wedding accessories not only potentially adds up to your wedding budget, but can also unflatteringly “date” your wedding day. If you want to save money on wedding accessories, go for timeless pieces you can either borrow or you already have in your dresser or jewelry collection. A bride can wear her mom’s veil, while the groom can sport cufflinks that once belonged to his dad, etc. It’s both a sentimental and practical move in one go.
Make an events page online instead of printing invites
Seems like it was only yesterday when a huge fancy envelope came in the mail, and when you opened it, different die-cut pieces of cardboard and paper emerged to announce the wedding of someone you know. For a time, wedding invitations became the first step to proclaim how grand or unique an upcoming nuptials will be. With one costly and fussy piece of snail mail, you can tell the motif, where the wedding will be held, who the principal sponsors are, and other details that you could otherwise announce on a free Facebook page.
So if you’re wondering how to save money on wedding invitations – the answer is, don’t even bother printing one! Not only is it expensive and impractical in this day and age, but you will be significantly reducing carbon footprint if you choose a digital invitation and announce the details on a social media page or website you’ve created instead.
Don’t get married on a Saturday
…because it’s the most popular – and therefore most expensive – day in the week to get married. Unless the date is truly significant to the bride and groom, picking out other days of the week is the practical way to go. You can look up your chosen venue’s wedding calendar and see which dates are best for both your nuptial and your budget.
Make your own decor
One of the best wedding money saving tips I’ve come across is not relying on a professional organizer to put your entire event together. Many of them pad their invoice with so many unnecessary add-ons that you will end up not enjoying your special day and fretting about how to pay for everything. Instead, you and your family and friends can opt to make your own decor using materials from arts and crafts stores. Not only will you be adding a truly personal touch to your wedding, but you will also be saving a lot of money in the process.
Choose flowers in season
Here’s how to save money on wedding flowers – go for the ones in season! They cost less than requesting for cut flowers that are cultivated specifically for your special day. If you’re getting married in spring and summer, there are so many gorgeously scented and brightly colored blooms to choose from! Even autumn and winter have magical blooms to accentuate your wedding ensemble.
Go for heirloom or vintage pieces instead of brand-new
Classic is the way to go when it comes to the “something borrowed” part of your wedding. As with the new accessories tip several paragraphs up, there’s something classy and meaningful about wearing heirloom pieces instead of going for brand-new, store-bought ones. Talk to your grandparents or parents about which pieces you can borrow for your own wedding, and you’re bound to be in for a sentimental treat.
Select alternative wedding venues
Many banquet halls and wedding venues make a killing when the “marrying” seasons of June and December come around. Because of the demand, these businesses often raise the prices of their venues. You don’t have to play that game, as long as you have a great non-traditional place in mind to exchange vows. You can rent a place that can also serve as the reception area, such as your favorite restaurant, beach-front property, a park, an open field, or even the house you grew up in! It only makes sense to select a place that’s meaningful for you and your future spouse instead of going for a location that is purely in the business of providing a wedding venue.
Make it an intimate event instead of a grand one
The bane of a lot of wedding planning lies on who and how many people to invite. Apart from immediate family and close friends, the pressure to not let other people feel left out often bloats a wedding budget unnecessarily. If you can’t afford a grand event, keep things intimate. Invite only people who are close to you, and keep the guest list small and filled only with people you know and love. It’s a good way to keep resentment at bay (which happens when people you hardly know show up at your wedding as someone’s plus-one).
Create your own wedding traditions
It’s an unorthodox way to save money on wedding plans, but ditching time-honored traditions is one way to do so that is both practical and sentimental. If you and your future spouse are on the same page about a lot of things, you can start from there. If you like pie or any other kind of dessert, why not choose those as your main wedding confectionery instead of the usual multi-tiered frosted cake? Likewise, if white isn’t really your color, you can opt for your favorite hue for your wedding dress instead. The bottom line is, you don’t have to keep following what’s trendy or have been the costly “norm” for a time now. It’s your wedding so you can make your own new traditions!
The verdict?
As you can see, there are ways to save on wedding planning, and they don’t have to be boring methods, either. Most are practical but encourage the kind of creativity that engaged couples and their close family and friends will be willing to accomplish – without breaking the bank.
There’s a big reason why wedding trade shows are booming and all the rage now – it’s because thousands of couples get married by the day! And it’s not the spur-of-the-moment kind of getting hitched, either. Lots of planning go into most of these weddings, from choosing the bridal dress to selecting the motif, through to buying the rings, flowers, and linen for the reception (and just about every detail in-between!). And with the planning comes the budget – typically a huge one because a lot of people place such a big premium on their “big day”. Small wonder it’s a billion-dollar industry today.
But what if I tell you that your big day can be as memorable as it deserves to be, yet you don’t have to spend too much time and money, nor get frustrated in the process? It’s possible, and it can also be fun if you let it be. Below are ten practical tips on how to save money on your wedding day.
Consider getting a wedding outfit/suit off the rack
If you go to a specialty bridal (or groom, as the case may be) store and pick out a design you like, there’s a big chance that you will find something similar at a department store for nearly half the price. Wedding boutiques give you the feeling that what they have is unique, but with the proliferation of great fashion designs these days, you are likely to find something you will be proud to wear even if it’s off the rack.
You can also consider getting into bridal or suit consignment stores (online or in a brick and mortar shop) and select a suit, gown or dress that’s only been worn once (as most bridal gowns tend to be) but is still in great condition. This option presents another viable way to get a wedding dress or outfit you like for a price tag that you will love.
Nix the new accessories
Going for trendy wedding accessories not only potentially adds up to your wedding budget, but can also unflatteringly “date” your wedding day. If you want to save money on wedding accessories, go for timeless pieces you can either borrow or you already have in your dresser or jewelry collection. A bride can wear her mom’s veil, while the groom can sport cufflinks that once belonged to his dad, etc. It’s both a sentimental and practical move in one go.
Make an events page online instead of printing invites
Seems like it was only yesterday when a huge fancy envelope came in the mail, and when you opened it, different die-cut pieces of cardboard and paper emerged to announce the wedding of someone you know. For a time, wedding invitations became the first step to proclaim how grand or unique an upcoming nuptials will be. With one costly and fussy piece of snail mail, you can tell the motif, where the wedding will be held, who the principal sponsors are, and other details that you could otherwise announce on a free Facebook page.
So if you’re wondering how to save money on wedding invitations – the answer is, don’t even bother printing one! Not only is it expensive and impractical in this day and age, but you will be significantly reducing carbon footprint if you choose a digital invitation and announce the details on a social media page or website you’ve created instead.
Don’t get married on a Saturday
…because it’s the most popular – and therefore most expensive – day in the week to get married. Unless the date is truly significant to the bride and groom, picking out other days of the week is the practical way to go. You can look up your chosen venue’s wedding calendar and see which dates are best for both your nuptial and your budget.
Make your own decor
One of the best wedding money saving tips I’ve come across is not relying on a professional organizer to put your entire event together. Many of them pad their invoice with so many unnecessary add-ons that you will end up not enjoying your special day and fretting about how to pay for everything. Instead, you and your family and friends can opt to make your own decor using materials from arts and crafts stores. Not only will you be adding a truly personal touch to your wedding, but you will also be saving a lot of money in the process.
Choose flowers in season
Here’s how to save money on wedding flowers – go for the ones in season! They cost less than requesting for cut flowers that are cultivated specifically for your special day. If you’re getting married in spring and summer, there are so many gorgeously scented and brightly colored blooms to choose from! Even autumn and winter have magical blooms to accentuate your wedding ensemble.
Go for heirloom or vintage pieces instead of brand-new
Classic is the way to go when it comes to the “something borrowed” part of your wedding. As with the new accessories tip several paragraphs up, there’s something classy and meaningful about wearing heirloom pieces instead of going for brand-new, store-bought ones. Talk to your grandparents or parents about which pieces you can borrow for your own wedding, and you’re bound to be in for a sentimental treat.
Select alternative wedding venues
Many banquet halls and wedding venues make a killing when the “marrying” seasons of June and December come around. Because of the demand, these businesses often raise the prices of their venues. You don’t have to play that game, as long as you have a great non-traditional place in mind to exchange vows. You can rent a place that can also serve as the reception area, such as your favorite restaurant, beach-front property, a park, an open field, or even the house you grew up in! It only makes sense to select a place that’s meaningful for you and your future spouse instead of going for a location that is purely in the business of providing a wedding venue.
Make it an intimate event instead of a grand one
The bane of a lot of wedding planning lies on who and how many people to invite. Apart from immediate family and close friends, the pressure to not let other people feel left out often bloats a wedding budget unnecessarily. If you can’t afford a grand event, keep things intimate. Invite only people who are close to you, and keep the guest list small and filled only with people you know and love. It’s a good way to keep resentment at bay (which happens when people you hardly know show up at your wedding as someone’s plus-one).
Create your own wedding traditions
It’s an unorthodox way to save money on wedding plans, but ditching time-honored traditions is one way to do so that is both practical and sentimental. If you and your future spouse are on the same page about a lot of things, you can start from there. If you like pie or any other kind of dessert, why not choose those as your main wedding confectionery instead of the usual multi-tiered frosted cake? Likewise, if white isn’t really your color, you can opt for your favorite hue for your wedding dress instead. The bottom line is, you don’t have to keep following what’s trendy or have been the costly “norm” for a time now. It’s your wedding so you can make your own new traditions!
The verdict?
As you can see, there are ways to save on wedding planning, and they don’t have to be boring methods, either. Most are practical but encourage the kind of creativity that engaged couples and their close family and friends will be willing to accomplish – without breaking the bank.
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