Wow! You don’t realize how much a wedding costs until you begin to plan. I’ve been surfing the internet for the past couple of days and have found some cute and creative ways to save money but I’d like to hear some of your favorites (i.e. using local flowers, making unique and inexpensive invitations or favors, etc).
Sit down with your fiance and make 3 lists: 1st is your must haves, 2nd is things that are nice to have but you can live without if you have to, and 3rd is things that are not important to you that you don’t want to include.
Avoid anything marketed as ‘wedding’ if you can since it will be 10x more expensive and lesser quality than the same items in the other depts of the store that are not labelled ‘wedding’.
Hold the reception at a non-meal time so that you don’t have to serve a full meal and serve desserts instead. But if you must have a full meal, have your favorite local restaurant do the catering since they will be much cheaper than a regular wedding caterer and you will already know what the quality of food is like.
Skip the champagne toast since so much of it goes to waste. Most people take a single sip out of obligation and leave the rest which is a waste of money on your part. Allow them to toast with what they are already drinking.
Rent what you can from your florist (candle holders, etc) or baker (cake stand, etc) so that you don’t have to find a home for them later. If you must purchase these things and other crafty items, buy them from a local brick and mortar store rather than online since glass items are expensive to ship since they are heavy and fragile. Walmart has a huge craft section, and they and Joann’s are much cheaper and have the same items that Michael’s does.
Enlist list help from family and your attendants but keep in mind that they should not work on the wedding day since they won’t be able to enjoy themselves otherwise.
Skip the favors since they are not necessary. But if you must have them, stick with edibles.
Have the ceremony and reception at the same venue.
Put a cap on your guest list since that is where your main expenses will come from. Invite only those you are closest to, not your parents’ coworkers’ neighbors.
Keep in mind that sheet cakes in addition to a fake cake will not save you any money, despite what some people will tell you. While some bakers may not charge very much for that, they are being deceptive since there is much more labor involved in having the extra sheet cakes and in any other industry, you would be charged extra for extra work. The same is true of cupcakes. They are much more labor intensive for the baker than a regular wedding cake even though there are bakers who don’t charge what they are worth. Either serve your actual cake to your guests (grocery store wedding cakes are really quite tasty and inexpensive compared to a specialty bakery) or else go with a different dessert.
Shop around to get the best deals.
