Are you recently engaged and just starting to make wedding plans? If so, I’ve got some great ideas to help you save money on your big day. It’s easier than you think to cut costs. Here are 10 money-saving wedding tips.
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Money Saving Wedding Tips
1. Have Your Wedding Ceremony And Reception In The Same Location
You’ll spend more money if you have to book venues for both your ceremony and reception. Booking only one venue will also save you time, convenience, and your guests won’t have to travel. Another great idea is to have the ceremony right before the reception so your guests don’t have to clear their schedules for the entire day. It’ll be easier on you, as well.
2. Fake The Cake
Wedding cakes are expensive. You may not have considered this, but only the top layer of the cake needs to be real as that’s the portion that the bride and groom cut at the reception.
The other two layers are often wasted because many times the cake is cut towards the end of the reception when most people have already gone home.
The lower layers of the cake can be made of styrofoam or cardboard, and can be decorated with fondant, flowers, and ribbon.
No one, except you, will know the difference. The cake will look amazing for pictures, and you can still enjoy the top layer – the best of both worlds.
3. Diamonds Aren’t Forever
Well, maybe they are, but there are other stones that are just as pretty, without the hefty price tag. While diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, they may not be worth going in debt over.
Every bride dreams of a sparkling diamond shimmering on her finger, but there are other stones, such as moissonite or white sapphires that look just as spectacular, without sacrificing style and shine.
[Read More: Tips On Buying An Engagement Ring]
Moissanite is an exceptional diamond substitute, and is known for it’s durability, and brilliance. White sapphires are the third hardest gemstone after moissanite and diamonds. They’re absolutely gorgeous and will certainly spare your pocketbook. Check out the Crown Jewelers for discount wedding rings.
4. Rent Your Dress
Not only will you save money by renting your dress, you’ll also eliminate the hassle of storing it. Yeah, you can always sell it afterwards, but that’s just one more thing for you to do. Think about it, grooms always rent their tuxedos, so why shouldn’t brides do the same?!
[Read More: How To Pick The Perfect Wedding Dress For Your Body Type]
Renting your bridal gown is an innovative and brilliant idea, and one that is gaining in popularity. And don’t think you’ll have to settle for something less than what you’ve envisioned. Rented dresses are just as beautiful as ones that cost a fortune.
5. DIY Wedding Bouquets
Flowers can put you back hundreds of dollars. They’re amazing and greatly add to the ambiance of the day, but they don’t last. Why not make your own. It’s cheaper than therapy!
If you’re not crafty or don’t have the inclination, consider using artificial flowers instead. Some of them are so authentic looking, you can’t tell the difference unless you touch them. And the best part? You can re-purpose them later.
6. Tips To Save On Food
In my opinion, it’s totally unnecessary to feed your guests a four-course meal, not to mention it will cost you a fortune. I suggest serving desert instead. An ice cream bar, adorable cupcakes, or delicious cake bombs are a great alternative to a full-on chicken dinner.Ice cream sundaes are festive and fun to make.
Deserts, such as cake bombs and cupcakes, don’t require plates or cutlery, and are another great way to save money. Plus, they’re grab-and-go, which makes them super easy and convenient.
[Read More: How To Pick The Perfect Wedding Cake For Your Reception]
7. Book A Venue That Isn’t All Inclusive
Some venues require you to use their vendors, often adding up to an exorbitant price tag. By the time you pay for caterers, invitations, DJs, cake decorators, bartenders, and florists, your head will be spinning. You can save potentially thousands of dollars by choosing a venue for the venue only.
Book your venue months in advance, and keep in mind you’ll save money by not scheduling your wedding during peak seasons. Also, consider having your wedding during the week, as opposed to Friday or Saturday night.
[Read More: How To Pick The Perfect Venue For Your Wedding]
8. Make A Trade
Trading services is a great idea. Maybe you know a friend or acquaintance that will do your hair and bridal makeup, exchanging their services for one you can return.
If you trust yourself, do your own makeup, just allow enough time to get it right, and do a trial run before your wedding day, in case you need to switch out a product or redesign your look.
It’s more difficult to do your own hair, especially if you want an updo. Plan in advance with your regular hairdresser, informing her in detail, exactly how you want your hair done.
She’ll be the most familiar with your hair and how it behaves. Most people also have a friend, that’s handy with hair, that may even do it for free for the sake of friendship.
9. Unique Centerpiece Ideas
Think outside the box when it comes to centerpiece ideas, and remember that centerpieces don’t have to include flowers. What about nicely lit, inexpensive lanterns, some simple greenery, or candles? Candlelight always enhances the mood. Balloons, complementing your wedding colors, would be lots of fun. If you have a fall wedding, pumpkins with ribbons tied around their stems would be perfect.
Visit your dollar store to spur your imagination. You’d be surprised what you can come up with on a budget. Water-filled glass bowls, with a floating flower, would be understated yet elegant. Or how about wild flowers in mason jars or potted plants in keeping with the season? They’d sure look pretty in pots after the reception. These lanterns are 11 inches high, the flickering LEDS will last for up to four hours, and they can be used inside or outdoors.
10. Design Your Own Invitations
Design your own invitations if you’re so inclined. Or maybe you have a friend or family member that is creative that would help you out. Search the internet for wedding invitation templates, and try your hand at designing your own. It will be enjoyable, and you’ll have a huge sense of accomplishment afterwards. Invitation in a Bottle is a great company that allows you to personalize invitations and announcements.
They’re affordable, easy to create, and the invitations will be conveniently shipped directly to your door. Definitely one of my all-time favorite graphic design platforms is Canva. They have a variety of invitation templates you can play around with, and they’ll even print them for you. Another great perk of using Canva is how easy they are to share directly to social media.
10. Set Priorities In Order Of Importance
The one part of your wedding-day planning you should pay special attention to, and not skimp on, is videography and photography. Your photos and wedding video will absolutely be the most enduring and priceless aspect of your special day. Shop around for the most affordable and easy-to-work with photographers and videographers.
Check out their portfolio, and make sure you jive with their particular personality. Having your wedding day well-documented will be an indispensable treasure, and one you’ll cherish for years to come. Take your time in finding the right person to capture the most eventful day of your life.
Key Points
Your wedding day should be the most memorable day of your life. Unfortunately, it can be one of the most costly, as well. Consider making swaps, such as renting your dress, faking your cake, swapping out a diamond for another precious stone, having a delectable desert rather than a full-on meal, and finding other alternatives to fresh flowers.
Have fun planning your special day…
Are you getting married soon? Are you finding ways to save money? Let me know in the comments:)
There are so many ways to save money when planning a wedding, and to also cut down on expenses so you don’t overspend and go into debt. Most people have failed to understand that a wedding is just for one day, and you really don’t need to spend as much as some people do.
But marriage is for a life time so you need to save money to build your marriage and your home.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, weddings last only a day, but can take months to plan. Marriage, however, hopefully lasts for decades!
I am curious about your thoughts on the standard norm of saving three months salary for an engagement ring. Is this something you agree with? Or do you think it should be less if it means saving money on wedding costs is the overall scheme of things?
Thanks for sharing some diamond alternatives.
I’ve actually never heard about the three-month salary norm for buying an engagement ring. That’s an interesting concept. I guess depending on how much a person’s salary is, that could make sense.
Check out moissonites or sapphires. They’ll save you money and are gorgeous!
Yeah, this post is really nice and interesting. In my opinion, I think wedding costs could be reduced significantly. It is not worth going into debt over. I think you have provided great tips on how to reduce costs ranging from renting a dress to faking the cake.
Thanks for sharing these ideas!
Thanks for taking the time to comment. You’re right, a spectacular wedding, in my opinion at least, isn’t worth breaking the bank. I know some people feel differently and that’s just great! If someone has the resources then I applaud them.
Oooh, what great content, I truly agree weddings can cost a lot of cash, more that is expected or even planned, and at times it ends up creating much stress later on. I had never thought of faking the cakes hahaha I had to laugh as I went through this this post.
It’s very true that no one bothers with the cake. It really is only the top layer that is eaten. I will be sure to subscribe to your newsfeed to learn more about your wedding tips on how to save money.
I have really learnt a lot, thank you.
Joy.
Thanks for reading my post Joy. It’s true, weddings can be super pricey and stressful. People should be creative in finding ways to reduce cost so they’re not in debt later on, which will just add to their stress.
Hey Holly. Great article. One of my children is getting married and the costs are blowing out at a hundred miles an hour! Both the bride and groom want the best of everything – champagne tastes on a beer wage. You had some excellent ideas on saving money. I especially liked the rent a dress and fake a cake. Bridal dresses are ridiculously expensive and are only worn for a few hours and no one ever eats all the fancy multi-layered wedding cake.
I will discuss these ideas with the happy couple and hope they see some sense. Wish me luck!
Thank you. Wedding costs can be exorbitant, can’t they?! A planned budget can easily get out of hand and quickly. Renting a dress can save hundreds of dollars and be just as pretty.
Good luck on the upcoming wedding. I hope they don’t take you to the bank.
Oh this was so helpful, I like the idea of renting the dress and making your own invitation cards. The cost of a wedding can be really expensive, I don’t know about faking a wedding cake, we tend to have those guests who don’t want to leave, they stick around till they had some cake. My wedding is coming soon by the grace of God and I need to show some people this article who like pressurizing just to show off!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I really wish I would have rented my dress for my wedding. We didn’t have the tools we do today to make invitations so that wasn’t even a possibility or I would have designed my own. A fake cake might not work for every wedding. Have fun planning your wedding. Hope it’s beautiful!
This is great. You shared great money saving hacks and tips for weddings here. Great, informative video. I’ve never thought about fake cake and DIY wedding bouquets. It is very costly if we buy or order everything for a wedding.
My most important thing about a wedding is that the couple is happy and not having financial trouble after the ceremony. My son will marry this spring. I will share your website with him and his fiance. Thanks for the informative post.
Thanks for reading. I know so many people that spend a ton of money on their wedding. I think it’s unfortunate because it’s possible to cut costs in a variety of ways.