bride on a budget: wedding planning tips & tricks

I’m here to say, weddings are so damn expensive. Anyone who doesn’t admit that is either in denial or living on a different planet. So I’m rounding up a few of my top money saving wedding planning tips & tricks for the bride (or groom) on a budget!

MONEY SAVING WEDDING PLANNING TIPS

THE GUEST LIST

Most people assume things like the dress or the honeymoon are the budget crushers. But one of the most expensive parts of a wedding is the amount of money you spend on guests. Lowering your guest count is the fastest way to reduce your wedding costs.

It’s pretty straight forward math. If you have 100 guests, that’s 100 chairs, 100 dish rentals, 100 meals, 100 bar tabs, 100 invitations, 100 everything. If you have 50 guests, you can cut that cost in half. Each person you invite increases your overall spend.

A few questions to ask yourself when narrowing in on the guest list:

1. Have we both met this person?

3. Have I seen or spoken to this person in the last three years?

4. If it’s a couple: is the couple married, engaged, or living together?

5. Am I only inviting this person out of obligation, or do I actually want them there?

MAGGIE SOTTERO - Gideon glittery mermaid gown - erin aschow - ice cream and neon dreams

THE BUDGET

Guess what? I did a whole blog post on creating a wedding budget & even made a free spreadsheet you can use! Setting an actual budget and sticking to it is key to making sure you don’t overspend!

the date

I know there are a lot of significant dates for couples. But did you know that choosing a wedding date during the off-season can save you a ton of money?

More popular months for weddings get booked faster and are more in demand. So a lot of venues will charge a premium for those dates.

Those dates will depend on your location. Most of the popular dates fall between May and October. With May, June, September and October being the most sought after.

Not only will having a non-peak season wedding save you money, but you’ll also have less competition with vendors! Making it easier to book things like hair & makeup, photographers & caterers.

BEWARE OF THE WORD “WEDDING”

I swear, any time you mention the word “wedding”, prices go up. Want to get your hair done? No problem. Want to get “wedding hair”? Prices skyrocket. Vendors and brands charge more for wedding related products and services. It’s just how it goes.

So, think outside of the box. What things can you source from non-wedding related brands or vendors that work just as well? One of my favorite wedding planning tips is to think outside of the box.

Rather than get a giant wedding cake, get a small decorative one and serve up a more basic sheet cake version to guests. Or, if you’re ok with something more simple, order your cake from a local bakery – literally just order one of their standard cakes and call it a day. You can always add some fresh flowers for more decoration.

Another idea, order something unique or DIY your centerpieces and other decor. Here are a few fun DIY ideas I found on Pinterest.

THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX FOR CATERING

There are tons of ways to save on your wedding catering, from bringing your own alcohol for the bar (hello costco) to making it a tapas style celebration.

One of my favorite money saving tips for catering is opting for a food truck! They’re often a lot less expensive than the traditional plated dinners. And you can have fun with it and opt for a more unique style of food!

SKIP THE FLOWERS

I’m sorry to all of my florist friends, but flowers are so damn expensive.

An easy way to save money is to opt for non-floral decor. Flowers are beautiful… but for a bride on a budget, it might be easier to put money towards something that will make a larger impact. A few ideas:

books
candles
dried plants like pampas grass
silk flowers
fruit
revamped wine bottles
lanterns

If you have your heart set on flowers, check out local floral wholesalers & warehouses to go a DIY route!

OPT FOR PAPERLESS INVITES

Who says wedding invitations and save-the-dates have to be printed? Going paperless is a great way to save money and digital wedding invitations can be just as pretty. Plus, it’s eco friendly!

I personally love Minted‘s paperless invites – they also have great deals on traditional invitations!

THE DRESS

We all know wedding dresses are expensive. If you have your heart set on a specific dress that doesnt fit your budget, here are a few ideas:

opt for a floor sample
attend trunk shows
shop the sales
buy a preowned dress

That last one is a HUGE tip, especially if you know what dress you want. Brides will list their pre-owned dresses for sale at a fraction of the cost. They’re all dry cleaned and most are in perfect condition!