10 Tips for Saving Money On Your Wedding
There’s no doubt about it, getting married—and planning for your wedding, from a year away until the big day—is incredibly exciting. From choosing what color scheme you want for your custom bridesmaids dresses, to deciding on a venue, to writing the perfect words for your vows at the altar or choosing the perfect priest to marry you—there are so many options and so much to think about it. But with all this excitement, it can also be easy to get stressed about planning. Especially when it comes to money.
After all, you don’t want to end up in huge debt at the very time in your life when you’re starting a new chapter with your partner. Luckily, however, there are lots of ways to save money on your wedding—and they’re simpler than you may think.
1 Get married off-season
One of the easiest, simplest ways to save money on your wedding is by getting married off-season. In popular months, naturally, rates are going to be higher than when the weather might be slightly less warm. A good rule of thumb is to choose a date that’s right at the beginning or end of the off-season, so that you can still enjoy the wedding but pay a little less.
2 Choose a day other than Saturday
In the same way that you can save money by picking a less popular season, you can also save money by picking a less popular day. Saturday is, by far, the most-selected day for weddings—so if you choose to host your wedding on another day, you’re guaranteed to save some money. Some couples even managed to save a few thousand dollars!
3 Save on the dress
Another area where you can cut costs is on the wedding dress itself. Obviously, you don’t want to go so below budget that you end up buying a terrible online dress made in China. Thankfully, with low-cost online alternatives like the Azazie online custom wedding store or blogs online like LoveProm, which help you find ways to save money on festive occasions, you’re sure to save some money on your dress and other attire.
4 Save on drinks
There are also some great hacks for saving on drinks. First of all, it’s a good idea to stick to wine and champagne throughout the evening—it’s really with hard liquor that costs suddenly go up. Another tip is asking servers to fill empty glasses halfway with champagne instead of ¾ of the way. In the long run, this’ll save you a ton.
5 Save on decor
There are lots of small ways you can save on decor. One example is using paper flowers instead of real ones; these will look beautiful and crafty, but will cost way less than if you’re ordering fresh flowers by the boatload. For other tips on how to save on wedding decor, check out this list.
6 Save via your registry
Another creative way to save money for your wedding is by making money via the registry. Instead of listing objects you don’t really need that much from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, you can ask guests to donate money instead. It can also be a good idea to donate some of the money to a good cause—that way, you’ll get some money, but a good cause will, too.
7 Be your own DJ
These days, hiring a DJ for an event isn’t really necessary anymore. After all, with so many playlists on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music, you’ll definitely be able to find a mix of music that suits your tastes. And if you’re feeling creative or have a friend who’s creative, you can even personalize the playlist completely.
8 Save on food
Not all weddings have to provide course after course of food. After all, your guests have come to see you and your loved one celebrate your eternal devotion to one another, not sit through plate after plate of food. Instead, you can have a buffet set-up, or a few hors-d’oeuvres, which can save you on the costs of servers or total food.
9 Make invitations electronic
Considering that we’re living in the 21st Century, you might as well go electric with your wedding invitations and RSVPs. There are plenty of ways, too, to tie these wedding invitations to an online site where you can later share your photos and guestbook—take a look at this list of wedding websites by The Knot to get inspired.
10 Be minimalist with bouquets
Finally, one last way that you can save some money easily is by making your bouquets minimalist. Instead of purchasing a huge bouquet for the bride, and several other huge ones for the bridesmaids, you can go minimalist and have one or two beautiful flowers for each person to hold. It will look elegant and classy, and cost far less.
As you can see, there are lots of great ways to save money on your wedding. Do you have any tips for our readers? How do you think you can save money on your wedding?