This is a guest post by my wife Victoria. We are coming up on our one year anniversary! Hope you enjoy the tips.
The emotions that arise from seeing your bride or groom for the first time on your wedding day often cannot be described in words. Walking down the aisle with the man or woman of your dreams as husband and wife is an elating feeling. While the stresses of the day and the planning that goes into it are taken away in the moment during the actual wedding, engagement season is difficult, often because of finances.
Businesses around the world have taken the wedding industry to a whole new level and have brought the cost of wedding items along with them. With the tradition of the bride’s parents paying for the entire wedding is going out of style, many engaged couples are asking the question, How can we save money for our wedding so we are not in debt as we begin our lives together? Your dream wedding is still achievable no matter what your budget is or who is financing it. Here are 7 ways in which you can save money on a wedding:
- Coupons
Craft stores, such as Michael’s or Jo-Ann Fabrics, put coupons on their website or in the newspaper every single week. Even paper stores often put out coupons for items within their store.We didn’t calculate exactly how much we saved using coupons, but for the last two months of our engagement season, I went to Michael’s every single day because we had 40% off (one item) coupons. Anyone can save a significant amount of money and benefit from these easy-to-access coupons.
- Clearance items
Most retail stores have clearance or discounted items. Always, always ALWAYSlook in these sections to see if there are materials you can use or transform to fit for your wedding.
- Look for out-of-season deals
Especially if you are engaged through a few seasons, a couple can really benefit from this perk of retail culture. Retail stores are constantly changing out their products for the season, and they often do so incredibly early. Depending on your theme, color, and overall feel of the wedding, out-of-season deals can be a huge win when it comes to saving money on a wedding, especially wedding attire and accessories.
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
DIY projects can be a huge money saver when it comes to almost anything in life. For a wedding, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of DIY websites that can guide you through the process of great craft ideas. However, you have to be careful on this because doing EVERYTHING yourself can get overwhelming. Pay attention to what you can actually do yourself, what is realistic for your time frame and/or skill level, if anyone will help you, etc.
- Ask for Wedding Supplies as Gifts
When we got married, Christmas and my birthday were going to pass before our wedding. It may sound crazy, but when my family asked for a Christmas list, I wrote down one particular thing for the wedding that can get expensive that people don’t often think about: Stamps. I have to admit, it was kind of silly asking for stamps for Christmas and my birthday, but that, along with gift cards received, helped save even more money than I thought it would.
- Make a priority list
Pick the thing that is most important to you and focus your funds on that. I am sure LOTS of people will give you this advice, but it really is a good thing to do.
For us, flowers and a wedding dress were not as important. We wanted as many people to come celebrate with us as possible and we also wanted to have a really great dance party that everyone (or most) could enjoy. With that in mind, we spent a total of $250 on all the flowers (with 7 bridesmaids and groomsmen, 3 ushers, parents, grandparents, personal attendant, hostesses, 3 musicians, and 2 guestbook attendants) and $400 on a wedding dress.
We spent almost triple the amount of those two things on the reception venue at a dance studio (perfect setting for a dance) and the DJ (which, considering how much we could have spent, was actually very inexpensive).
- To hire or not to hire
You don’t have to hire everything out, but you should on things that will make your day go smoothly. We didn’t have a wedding planner or a day-of coordinator, but the reception venue set everything up almost everything for us. If you have a friend or two that are organized and detail-oriented, make them your personal attendants(s). If you don’t, hire a day-of coordinator.
Don’t expect your wedding party, family, or closest friends to get jobs done that you need (or want) done in an exact way. They love you and will do anything for you to make your day amazing, but not everyone is organized and able to get things done like a good personal attendant or wedding coordinator will, regardless of how good their intentions are.
Of all the weddings I have been to as a guest, and especially the ones I have been in, the ones that have been the most enjoyable have been the ones that seem to go smoothly and where everyone (guests included) are on the same page.
Do you have any other suggestions for saving money on a wedding? If you are married or have been a part of a wedding, what are things you have done to save financially?
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Photo by our wedding photographer Dana Johnson. She did an awesome job! Based in Minnesota but has done weddings throughout the United States.
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My wife is a bit of expert on this subject. You’d be surprised how inexpensive yet nice our wedding was.
@Jeremy Sarber That’s awesome. Maybe she wants to write a guest post as well? ;)
We eloped! Then a few months later had everyone over for an informal reception that we had catered.
@Em23 That’s another way to save money!
I wish my girlfriend would be up for eloping because I have no desire for anything wedding related… don’t tell her though!
@Money Life and More Haha you might want to keep that to yourself
I was in Michaels the other week getting a birthday present and I was surprised actually at how much wedding stuff they had. Even the sale items looked nice. It’s definitely one of the first places I’d hit up for a wedding.
I love black and white photos. They are so classic. I’m going to mention these ideas to my younger sister who is getting married next summer. I love the idea of asking for wedding supplies as gifts. At least the gift will actually get used, its something the couple needs and will save them money.
I know a few couples who have had created wedding websites that informed people about the wedding details and they could RSVP online. This saved them a lot of money on stamps and invitations. Although I know some families can be quite traditional and prefer the mailed wedding invitation.