Frugal Wedding Tips

Your wedding day comes once in a lifetime (hopefully), so why not have a grand and expensive wedding? Because you don’t want to, or else you wouldn’t be here. While some are content to blow six month’s salary or more on their big day, others are much more content to have the basics: good friends, good food and a lovely ceremony. All the rest is just frills, and when it comes to what you want to spend your money on, wouldn’t you rather save the frills for your honeymoon?

Fortunately there are a great many ways to save on a wedding, and you don’t even have to sacrifice that much if you don’t want to. Here are my top 10 tips:

1)      Start early – the more time you have to plan, the better savings you can find. That being said, you can also save money by booking empty venues that are still open at the last minute. What you choose depends on whether you have something particular in mind.

2)      Use your imagination – finding unconventional ways to celebrate will help you find ways to save, particularly when it comes to finding a venue. Unless you absolutely want your ceremony in a church, see what other alternatives you can come up with.

3)      DIY – there are tons of items you can make yourself for your wedding and save, from invitations to gifts for the wedding party. Check out some of the great websites devoted to crafting and weddings for ideas.

4)      Flower power – seriously, can you believe how much florists want for flower arrangements? It’s ridiculous. Head to your grocer’s and see if they can get flowers for you, or a local flower stand. Buy some baby’s breath, ribbon and wire and you can make anything from a gorgeous bouquet to center pieces and boutonnieres for the guys, all for about 75% less.

5)      Pretty up – we all love the pre-wedding ritual of a spa day, but this can run you a few hundred dollars. Look for a hairdressing or esthetic school in your area and check out their rates.

6)      Pare down – do you really need to invite your dad’s old drinking buddies, or your cousin’s ten children? Consider cutting down the guest list to save money, and make your wedding a more intimate gathering. If you really want 200 people at your wedding then consider an afternoon affair with cocktails and appetizers instead of the full sit-down meal.

7)      Dine out – see if it is less expensive to head to a restaurant instead of renting a venue and paying for catering, place settings and staff. You also don’t have to decorate, and if you give them a few CD’s they’ll be happy to play your wedding music.

8)      BYOB – pay for the wine or champagne for the toast, then let everyone get drunk on their own dime.

9)      Get dressy – all brides want that perfect dress, but sometimes the dress costs more than the wedding itself. Look for warehouse sales, second hand beauties, eBay, classifieds, etc. If you have your heart set on a designer dress see if a design-school student will do it for you.

10)   Say cheese – besides the dress, the photographer and photos can put a large ding in your budget. Consider having pictures done by a photography student or someone in your family who has sufficient talent. Set up a website where all the guests at the wedding can pool their pictures so you can have your pick of the best ones.

With all these great tips on weddings there is no doubt that you can shave a good chunk off of the costs, and still have a great wedding.

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