Tips on Saving?

I feel like one of the main ways we've saved money is literally not having decorations beyond what the venue provides. Our venue said they will print table numbers for us, and that they will put some candles in the center of the table. Ok, that's our centerpiece then lol. Skipping stuff like that really helps! Of course it is nice to have decorations but people will mostly remember if you have good food and a good time

Buying bulk flowers and putting together your own bouquets and arrangements! You can get them from Costco. I agree with Gen on decorations, ours is in a barn and pretty much the only decorations we’re doing are flowers, even diy decorations can add up so I wouldn’t worry about having too much. We also are buying all of our plates, cups, forks, etc from Costco rather than having the caterer bring it, this saved us a lot in catering

View Quoted Comment Agree. Don't remember a single centerpiece from any wedding I've attended. Unless the chairs are hideous don't waste money on covers.
The thing that was pushing over our allotted food and alcohol budget was hors d'oeuvres. I decided a fruit platter and meat, cheese, and cracker station was plenty. If I had my way I would have just gone with the fruit but unfortunately there's two of us deciding things. Paying a lot on the dinner we want them to be hungry to eat it. And hors d'oeuvres are expensive.
Flowers are costly. Shop around, people get great deals from the internet, or cut them where you can. Also check if there is a flower wholesaler in your area.
We're not having a professional photographer. He is a photography enthusiast who does terrific photos but photography is not his main source of income. We know him personally. I'm not saying to forget having a professional photographer but it is an option. A $1-3000 saving option.

View Quoted Comment This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much ☺️

Don't buy anything at a craft store for your DIYs without a coupon! I use the app shopular.

Favorite your Etsy ideas and they will email you when it is on sale, could be cheaper than making it yourself!

Talk with friends and family, you would be surprise who has connections for freebies. My FH's aunt gave us Italian chocolates for our favors. My sister does graphic design and is putting together our invites and already did our Save the Date.

Use your credit card rewards! Redeem for cash back/gift cards for things you were going to buy anyway, (i.e. parent & bridal party gifts).

It's not advised to start out a marriage in debt but taking advantage of 0% interest on credit cards is a last resort option.

Artificial flowers for bouquets and boutonnieres from Hobby Lobby on 50% sale.
Other decorations from Dollar Tree.
Skip favors and programs.
Skip day of coordinator.
Skip DJ and just use Spotify through a sound system.
I got a full 3 tier wedding cake from Walmart for $140.

View Quoted Comment This is us too. We are only having vases with hydrangeas and candles. That's it.

View Quoted Comment

Yessss I'm using all my venues decorations. I picked a venue that handled almost everything for me so I would know the costs for basically everything up front. Pick a venue that is budget friendly but still provides all the rentals and stuff. That other stuff can add up.

I agree with several of the previous comments - anything you buy to DIY, make sure you have a coupon! For my first wedding, I got to know the staff at my local Michael's pretty well cause I was in there several times a week using my 40% off coupons on items! Artificial flowers to make your own bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres bought using coupons can save a huge headache. I made my own table runners out of wide ribbon that I cut to length.

Skip programs, table numbers, anything that seems unnecessary. I also second the Walmart wedding cake - they actually do a pretty good job, and no one will know it's from Walmart unless you tell them!

Buy a wedding dress online (do some research for reputable companies first!) Eshakti makes dresses to custom measurements - they don't have super formal ones, but they have some nice ones for a more casual setting.

Find a venue that provides table linens and basic decorations. Only add what's really important to you.

Have an afternoon wedding so you can serve finger foods instead of a whole meal. Serve tea and water, skip the expensive sodas and alcohol.

Look out for the Vistaprint semi-annual sale and you can save a TON on invites, don't do favors, Don't have much decor (DIY can really add up and no one appreciates the decor like you'd hope), Limit flowers and check sites like Etsy for them.. I saved a TON by getting bouquets from etsy, if you're good at makeup do your own, don't have a DJ just rent speakers and make a playlist then designate a family member to do announcements, have a family member or friend officiate

Basically make your main focus food (what everyone loves most about weddings) and photography and go cheap on the rest!

I didn't necessarily do these things, but looking back I definitely would have done some of these things to save money.

We did cheap table numbers (little green easels with the number written on it with a gold paint pen. We got the easels from the Target dollar section for $3 for 4 easels. We bought 4 packs, so $12.00 and the paint pen was $2.50. So $14.50 for 11 table numbers.)

Invitations is also a great way to save. I had 2 friends use Ann's Bridal Bargains and they both had a good experience and they were super cheap.

Skip programs, menus, random signage, and favors.

Try to find a venue that doesn't need a lot of decor. That will save you a ton of money.

Putting together your own bouquets with flowers from Costco/Fifty Flowers/Sam's Club will be cost effective. Lots of women on here have done it. Use the search function to see their posts.

Focus on the stuff that really matters: Food, booze, and photography.

Do beer and wine only. This keeps the bar moving quickly and it is cheaper. Also, find a venue where you can bring your own liquor and hire a bartender to serve it. My friend recently had a 275 person wedding and spent $1,100 on their bar. They initially spent $2,000 but after the wedding they had a ton left over and returned it to the liquor store, and they ended up getting $900 back.

Skip cocktail hour and do all your photos prior to the ceremony. This allows you to skip on hosting another hour of drinking and you won't have to pay for appetizers either.