Save Vs Splurge

Splurge on food, drink and music all the rest can be eliminated or done economically.

Catering, venue and photography were the most important for us. You can get a preowned dress or wait for sales to save money. Use cheaper style invites, skip favors and programs. No bridal party or very small will save you money also

I'm splurging on the photographer and saving on decorations and flowers by doing a lot of diy. I'm incorporating things I already owned in my decor and watched for sales and coupons for the things I wanted to purchase. I bought Sola wood flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces. I watched the website for a sale before I ordered.

I'm bad to ask as I feel l like I am splurging on everything. Lol

I did get a DJ instead of a band, but that's mostly because the venue only allows bands to play until 8, but DJs can go until 10.

We're splurging on: Food (a plated 3 course meal), bar (full open bar for 5 hours), our photographer, and videographer.

We're saving on: Pretty much everything else. I'm DIYing our invitations, having very few flowers, inexpensive and minimal decor, the DJ was the best price I could possibly find, skipping things like programs and favors, buying linens instead of renting them, etc.

Basically, everything that doesn't compromise guest experience can be a save. I would also splurge on photography, at least, because photos are the only things you'll have to remember your wedding.

I don’t think you have to necessarily splurge on anything. But you shouldn’t cut corners at the expense of your guests’ experience. There’s nothing wrong with finding economical options for everything as long as you are hosting properly- guests are well fed, boozed & entertained the entire event. I would make sure you prioritize things like your photos, which are the only thing you’ll have to remember your day.

My list:

Splurge:
-photography (this is the most important for me)
-hair (beach wedding, so I’m not gonna limo!)
-solo ukelele player (my mans most important )

Save:
-no invites (it’s only 9 people)
-sparse decoration (beach wedding don’t need it)
-hairpiece, shoes, dress (as long as it looks nice, I don’t mind only spending $200 MAX on my outfit)

I saved on my venue,dress, and decorations. I splurged on catering, photography, and videography.

Splurge on: food, drinks and pro musician playing at reception. (Afternoon wedding) hair and makeup on morning of wedding

Save: no STD's, favors, no bridal party (no drama, less $$&dollar decorations on venue space at restaurant (gorgeous on own plus it is free!) dress is less than $100.

Prioritize anything that has to do with guests comfort - comfortable chairs, excellent food and drink, good music, pleasing venue. A/C if needed or heat lamps if needed.

Skip a bridal party - go look up "bridal party drama" or "Want to fire my MOH" if you want further evidence.

Prioritize on what is important to you. I don't believe guests have to have alcohol as long as other beverages are provided at no cost to them.

View Quoted Comment

I respectfully disagree with Crystal. Unless it is a religious issue, provide at least beer and wine. People do expect it.

Also, many many people have met a middle ground with photography: Hire the best but see if you can hire him/her for only four hours, not eight.

Hi Courtney! I am in a similar situation (wedding on a tight budget), however, having planned one before (this will be my second marriage), I definitely have some thoughts for the budget minded...

Splurges

Food, food, food! Everyone comments on the food and oftentimes, a celebration is judged by the quality of the food that is served. It doesn't have to be a seven course meal and you don't need a seafood bar or sushi (unless you really want it) but the quality of the food is what people will remember! Definitely a number one!

Photography You want to remember this day and there are no "do overs." Choosing the right photographer is important. In the day of Shutterfly and even CVS photo, you really don't need to purchase albums for you or your parents. Just make sure you get the rights to your pics. Then, you can create your own albums, exactly as you want them. (Great holiday gifts for parents!). Excellent photos can be reproduced in any album, even one that you assemble online.

Saves

When it comes to photography and/or videography, ask yourself, "DO I really need 90 photos of myself having my hair and/or makeup done?" Many companies will package up several hours of shooting to include you getting ready. Some will even send a second photographer to your FH to shoot him getting ready. What's the end result? One, perhaps 2 of the photos make it into the album. While videographers often incorporate it into the video, you might want to ask yourself, "How important is this to my day? When I negotiated my contracts, I used Wedding Wire to request customized quotes. I told potential candidates what I was looking for (ie: Photojournalistic style... First Look, Ceremony and Reception) You preferences may be different but state them very clearly. Get exactly what you want and pay ONLY for what you want.

As you think about an officiant, you first must decide if you are having a religious ceremony. If you are getting married at your local church, your local clergyman will probably marry you. In turn, you will be expected to make a donation. However, if you are having a non-denominational ceremony, you may want to ask a close friend or family member about getting ordained. Its fairly inexpensive and in some cases, free! The process is online and can be completed very quickly. In addition to saving a few dollars, this is a wonderful way to recognize a valuable friend/family member who isn't in your wedding party. I think they will be honored by the request, as well.

Regarding dresses, I would be the first person in line to tell you not to spend thousands on a dress that you will wear once in your life, for about 6-8 hours. That being said, I went to a few bridal salons (including David's.) I found that many of the salons offered beautiful dresses under 2K, not just David's. There are certain dressmakers (Pronovias, Morilee, Maggie Sottero - to name a few) that offer styles well under 2000.00. I purchased a beautiful Morilee gown for about 1325.00. Do not limit yourself or assume that you cannot shop somewhere because of your budget. The bridal salons will work with you!

As for music, (I will probably get a lot of slack for this one).... my venue has bluetooth speakers in the ceilings. These can be used by DJs and Bands so they can connect wirelessly and the music will flow freely and evenly throughout the venue. Rather than splurge on music, I decided to save. I created my own playlists on iTunes. My processional, recessional, 1st dance song, a playlist for cocktail hour, one for the dinner hour and one for dancing (comprised of fast and slow songs). I chose all of the music I enjoy from all different eras; everything from Elvis Presley to Nat King Cole to the Beatles, Justin Timberlake, Rascal Flatts, etc. I actually had a lot of fun putting this together. Everything is loaded by playlist on to my iPad. Since I already had many of the songs on my PC, the additional downloads cost about 48.00 on iTunes.

In thinking about decor, there are some very economical choices that you can make that are just as beautiful as the expensive ones! Oriental Trading has a whole bridal line called "Marry Me." They even make invitations. Ikea is my "Go-To" place. My favors (49 cents each), are cute glass tea lite candle holders. I purchased the tea lites..I think they cost about 6 dollars for 50, at Ikea. Instead of Ribbon, I used Rafia (we have a rustic theme) to tie them off. I printed thank you messages on Kraft paper and these will be attached to the favors. For centerpieces, I purchase beautiful lanterns at Ikea. They were about $8.00 each. I am using them to line the wedding aisle. They, they will be moved to the tables. They were MUCH cheaper than flowers, but I am softening them up with baby's breath which is sold in bulk at Costco, Bjs and Sam's Club. This brings me to flowers. Please check out these stores. They have VERY affordable wedding packages starting at 119.00, with most ranging around 400-650 dollars. I will probably go with one of the white rose packages offered by Costco and then tie very thick ribbon in the color of my bridesmaids' dresses to the bouquets to break up the monotony of the white. I know it sounds crazy...to order flower like this, but if you research it...these wholesalers are getting RAVE reviews. Plus, I simply didn't want to spend thousands on flowers that were going to die in a week. To me, it was not an expense that I wanted to have. Just a thought, if you are ambitious and artsy, you can buy in bulk (at one of these stores or a different wholesaler) and make your own arrangements. While I am creative, I have too much on my plate and have chosen to have them to do the work!

I would be remiss if I didn't address invitations. (No pun intended!) While there are beautiful options you could customize at a stationary story, there are also many wonderful options online. Minted, Invitations by Dawn and even Shutterfly has a wedding line. Many of these companies offer deep discounts. I purchased through Invitations by Dawn and save 40% on my invites and thank you's. I customized the backgrounds, fonts, wording and colors and got exactly what I wanted for a deep discount.

I could go on and on, so I am going to make an attempt to end here. I hope I have laid out some ideas for you...and given you some things to consider. In truth, the invitations you chose, the bouquet you hold, the shoes you wear...while important in planning have no bearing on your marriage. Whatever you decide, remember, you are marrying the man of your dreams and your wedding day will be special and wonderful...no matter what! Congratulations to you and Good luck!!

View Quoted Comment I don't drink either and neither does my fiancé so I'd never simply provide those two just for everyone else. I think if all you are going to provide alcohol wise is those two then you are better off not giving anything.

View Quoted Comment I couldn’t agree more on everything said!!!