PSA Post- "I can't afford my wedding!"

Also, STDs aren't necessary and they lock you into inviting people.

Another option is to cancel completely and elope.

Beautiful flowers

upgraded linens

videographer

the dress of your dreams

better cocktail hours foods, food in general, treats

the level of alcohol we want

all things you could have if you invited within your budget and your means...

Videographer, photo booth, midnight snacks, favors, programs...

My list from a recent post:

-If you were planning to include children, it may not be too late to make this an adults-only wedding. That probably depends on how you addressed the STDs- if you sent to "The XYZ Family," and they have kids I'm thinking you're stuck with including the kids on the formal invite.

-minimal decor,

-skipping party favors,

-skipping programs,

-talking to your caterer about a cheaper menu,

-doing your own hair & makeup,

-skipping doing a rehearsal,

-skipping videography and/or photography,

-grocery store flowers for bouquets,

-getting desserts from a nice grocery store,

-skipping a DJ and making do with an iPod

-If your FI was going to rent a tux, they could wear a suit they already own

-if you haven't gotten your attire yet, look at used dresses, white/ivory/blush formal bridesmaid dresses.

-if you were planning to give plus ones to your single guests, you can eliminate those (other than wedding party members- they should be able to bring a guest if they are single). This doesn't mean cutting the SOs of your guests- boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, spouses, etc. must be included.

-If your guests are pretty much all local, have a mid-afternoon wedding with just cake, punch, light snacks, and some wine if you can swing it. If you have many out of town guests, they really deserve a meal, but maybe you could do a "welcome dinner" for them the night prior if it was still cost effective.

Write these things down as a list and start cutting things in the order that they are least important to you, and keep cutting until you are saving enough to host your guests.

Cancel the photobooth and videographer. Downgrade photo package/flowers. You could even simplify the menu/bar to cut costs (while still provide a full meal and alcoholic beverages free of charge).

A wedding planner- luxury- women have been planning weddings without a paid planner for years and years

A videographer- luxury- expensive and not a necessity. If you want to watch speeches again ask someone to tape them on their phone and send them to you.

DJ- necessity ONLY if you are supplying food and some form of alcohol. Noone wants to have a dance party hungry and dead sober

An insanely priced dress. It happens all the time brides decide to spend $10,000 on their dress and take the money from the food or alcohol budget so their guest get screwed so they can flaunt around in a dress they could of gotten a similar style for half the price.

Favors- are not a necessity. They are extra. You don't need them, if you can afford them, and want them, fine. If your budgets tight. Get rid of them.

Photobooth- luxury- they are expensive and are just another for of favors and photography. You paid a photographer for a reason and favors are not necessary. Not to mention, they are a distraction. Your guest spend time waiting in line to get theirs done when they could be on the dance floor have a good time.

Another option beyond cutting back, if you leave yourself enough time, is to make more money. I'm doing two overnights a week in the dorm of the school where I teach, That's $320 dollars a week to put towards the wedding. FH is doing odd jobs for a handyman agency on the weekends, which also brings some cash in. But that's a decision you need to make pretty early on, since the longer you have to save the more effective this is as a strategy,

Second @Delfina's idea. Drive for Uber, babysit, petsit, bartend, wait tables, etc.

Yes @Delfina! DH and I started working PT for a local caterer to save some extra money for the wedding! Now we love the extra cash so much, we plan to work this wedding season as well.

Trading in a sit-down meal for a buffet. It was a cheaper option with our caterer by about $5 per person.

We didn't over invite, *but* we had to adjust our budget as time went on. (Everything ended up costing more than what we anticipated.)

Decorations were cut. Favors were cut. I bought cheaper earrings to wear. Our meal plan was changed. I ended up choosing a different wedding band that saved a few hundred dollars.

We also shopped around and used Groupon. H started driving for Uber. We cut out unnecessary costs (mainly eating out). I started selling stuff on eBay.

Another feasible option that may still allow you to have a few dream things like your dress or flowers would be to move the time of your wedding. Instead of a Saturday night wedding:

1:30 ceremony

2-4 dessert bar, sundae bar, salty snacks like chips and pretzels, wine, beer, soda, sweet tea, lemonade.

It's not over a meal time so you don't have to serve a full meal which will cut down on costs. People will probably drink less too but you should still offer beer and wine.

This would only work on a Saturday or Sunday.

Also get another job and put all that $$ towards your wedding.

Here are some things FH and I are doing to save money:

No Save the Dates

No Bridesmaid "proposal boxes"- not to worry, they will still be receiving nice gifts!

No Welcome Bags/Social/Dinner

No Wedding Planner

No Wedding Menus/Programs/Signs

No Children

Friday Wedding-cheaper rental fee and lower guest minimum

No Videographer

No linen upgrades - using in-house compimentary ones

Ceremony and Reception in same venue

Using in-season flowers from florist

Considering doing my own makeup

Change the chairs! Many places have their own that are free (although sometimes not as pleasant to the eye), I was originally naive to think chairs would be like $500 max. Also I've been to some weddings where couples are doing without the champagne portion of the toast. At anywhere between $2-4pp (usually the venue has to rent the champagne flutes) that's an easy way. Additionally if it's a properly hosted bar, most people cheers with their beverage and the champagne becomes a waste.

You know, this is all just fine, but the problem is that everyone seems to think that they have more friends and family that HAVE to be there, when it's completely not necessary. I'm at giant weddings all the time, and half of those people could be anywhere. They have no compelling reason to be there except they were available and you invited them. And because you invited ALL of them, you cut back on everything else and treated everyone to salty snacks and a cash bar instead of picking your 30 closest friends and family and treating them like royalty. Or asking people to travel, buy clothes and buy you a gift to be rewarded with lemonade and cupcakes.

Overinviting doesn't just 'happen". Someone over invites.

I wanted to go to the Justice of the Peace but my fiancé wants a wedding for the sake our families, which I don't think is a good reason. However we're getting married next year and I did extensive research where I found a venue that included food, open bar, free ceremony and a really nice reception hall for a good price (not over 9k).

Only thing left is minimal decorations because of how beautiful the venue is, cake, DJ and photo person.

My advise to you is to make a list of the people who have to come, and try to make that list even smaller. I plan on having at most 120 including wedding party.

By the time people are backtracking, they are likely locked into most of their contracts. My advice would be to cut things they haven't signed for yet (things that come later in the planning process). If everything has been signed for, it's time to forfeit some deposits. Easy cuts to make are on a fancy cake, high-end alcohol at the bar, videography, florals, makeup and hair artist, champagne toast, welcome bags, day-after brunch, welcome party, wedding menus/signage/cards, and favors.

Donate Plasma if you can. It isn't a lot of money. But it does add up and it is also for a good cause. In m state and at my donation center we receive almost an extra 700 a month just by taking two hours out of our day twice a week to help out people who need plasma based medicine. We are already forgoing the photobooth, the video, and we found a venue first that would only allow us the max amount of people we could afford to over invite even if we tried. Cut the cost of your dress, go to thrift stores and try to find items for your decor, (especially if you want that vintage look) cut out the expensive favors, the guest book that I swear no one really signs or that people really look through again, use jewelry and nice shoes that you may already have, do your own hair and make up/ or enlist a friend if you do not have that talent or know ow yourself, work with the venues table linens instead of renting your own, go flowerless, skip the bridesmaid bouquets and have them use a pretty clutch or fans, skip the aisle runner, do a small cutting cake and opt for cupcakes or other desserts (ice cream cheaper and everyone loves ice cream) simpler cocktail hour. My cousin skipped cocktail hour and went straight into the reception. No one missed it.