Here's how to cut wedding costs without sacrificing style.
Weddings are often one of the most expensive events you will ever plan in your lifetime. And often there may be things that might just been a bit over or out of budget. A statement flower wall; not one, not tow, but three studding wedding outfits, or maybe a diamond tiara worthy of a princess. The thing is, all that style gets really, really expensive. To help couples in the middle of the planning process, I have put together a list of advice and practical tips that can help you save money on your wedding.
From small swaps that can knock $500 off the price of your wedding dress to tips for shaving $3 off each slice of wedding cake (that's $300 per 100 guests!), this list can help you come away with some serious savings. The best part of it all is that all of these tips will help you save money without forcing you to give up your vision for your special day!
Consider Other Days of the Week
A Saturday wedding is not a requirement to get married. According to the experts, a wedding on any day of the week can work out just amazing as a Saturday one! Often venues and caterers will have lesser fees for midweek or Friday weddings, which helps you save money!
Direct Your Guest to Your Wedding Website
A typical invitation suite comes with the initiation, detail card, RSVP, small note and then the envelopes. While these are beyond beautiful, each additional piece of paper adds a cost. Directing your guests to your wedding website to RSVP will help you save on paper, but also postage! Which a single stamp costs $.66 each these days! So instead of having to spend more money on postage for a return envelope for those RSVPs have your guests RSVP on your website.
Get a Jump on Wedding Dress Shopping
One thing you may not realize about the wedding dress timeline? Rush fees can add up really fast! In order to avoid the cost pile-up, I suggest ordering your wedding gown at least eight to nine months ahead of the wedding to avoid rush fees of as much as $500 and last minute-alterations of $100-300.
Embrace Minimalist Bridesmaid's Bouquets
Just because you decide to cut down on florals doesn't mean you have to give up style. You need only two or three large blooms with a little bit of filler to create bridesmaids' bouquets that are minimalist-cool and $50 cheaper a piece. Additionally, you can always check out Michael's or Hobby Lobby for already finished smaller bridesmaids' bouquets that might fit your vision!
Have your Ceremony Florals Do Double Duty
The flowers you choose for each party of your day are beautiful, but can also get expensive, so using them in as many places as possible helps you get more bang for your buck. Use your florals at the ceremony and then have your wedding coordinator move them to your gift table or seating cart table. You can also use the bridesmaids' bouquets for the head table as center pieces!
Forgo Top-Shelf Liquor
One expense that can add up is the bar tab! Chances are, your guests don't need top-shelf spirits to enjoy themselves at your celebration. So instead stock the bar with affordable mid-range basics to save on this cost.
Combine Food and Favors
Instead of passing out late-night food and favors, combine the two by offering ready-to-eat edible favors, like milk and cookies, a smores bar or freshly-popped popcorn that's ready and waiting for guest as they leave the reception.
Price out Multiple Meal Options
Seated, plated dinners tend to be the most expensive option for catering. So ask each potential caterer about alternatives, including buffets, family style or heavy hors d'oeurves.
Pick a Nontraditional Dessert
A three tier cake can get expensive per piece and there is no rule that you have to have cake at your wedding. Chose to go with nontraditional cookies, or smore's bar!
Trim Your Guest List
I know it's hard to consider celebrating without certain friends and family members, but cutting your guest list is the easiest way to reduce your budget. It'll lower everything, including your catering and invitation costs, your venue size and rentals. Knowing that the average couple spends $266 per guest, if you invite 100 guests instead of 150, you'll save over $13,000!
