Where did you save money on your wedding?

I just want to say, I've been a full time student and have been working over time just to pay for everything for our wedding and stay up on rent, car payments, medical bills, normal bills, etc. I came to this website to connect with other brides and discuss weddings and I just keep getting put down for the decisions I'm making for MY wedding.

If you want me to have an open bar so bad, I'll gladly accept donations? No? Ok.

Honestly, what you think you "cut corners on" depends on what you thought you would have in the first place. Our wedding was a total of just under $10,000--and that included two receptions, one with a dozen people and one with about 60 (not to mention things like paying for the accommodations for ourselves and the dozen guests who came to the ceremony/reception). But it's not so much that we saved on specific things as that for almost every aspect, we limited the expense.

I skipped 90% of the decorations-- all we had was a flower arbor over where we stood with the officiant. No centerpieces, no table runners, no chair covers. No STDs, no groom's cake, no photo booth, no welcome bags, no favors. The mom of one of my best friends found out about the favors and said, "Can I make some?!" so I *had* some (Hershey's Kiss and Hug in gold tulle), but I didn't buy or or pay for them. The venue provided linens, and I thought that was plenty.

Also, no welcome bags, no 'bridesmaid proposal boxes', just gifts after. No "I'm the bride" shirt or robe.

We DIYed a TON. But we started really early. The only flowers we really had were the bouquets, bouts, and corsages, and I made those ahead and used artificial flowers. DH designed our STDs, invites, reply cards, and programs and ordered them from an online printer. We had simple centerpieces that my mom made (hand crocheted doilies and candles in holders she painted to look like Mercury glass). Also, I quickly learned how Hobby Lobby's sales worked - for the most part, floral would be 50% off one week and wedding would be 50% off the next, and they would alternate. I only bought stuff when it was 50% off. I bought my dress off the rack for a discount rather than ordering it in. And the venue and catering we had were a package deal. We had everything in the banquet hall owned by the attached restaurant. They did the catering and barely charged anything for the hall rental. And they didn't charge any extra for using it for the ceremony too, which was fantastic. If we had had the ceremony at the church my family and I are members of, we would have had to pay for the use of that space too. Lastly, and this might sound way out in left field, but DH is into photography and is a videographer professionally, so he was able to barter with a coworker at his day job for photography services. She did our photos in exchange for some of DH's photography gear that he no longer needs. And we skipped videography - DH's expectations in video and editing quality would've cost us WAY too much. He ended up whipping a pocket camcorder out of his suit pocket a few times which was very fitting!

ETA We also won half price on the DJ we ultimately hired, which helped out too. He was running late and just barely got set up in time though. And in his rush, he wasn't clear on his cues for the processional and didn't get the timing right. But he got the job done and got people on the dance floor for the reception, so it ultimately ended up working out.

@angela...don't cut booze. It's a Thursday wedding...thirsty Thursday!!!!

A modeling fee? Oh, come now, you know who. We saw your BAMs. It's far more likely that you traded a good review (as you did for with your free florist) for your photographer. Yes, I read your post regarding photographers -- and I remember all of those you turned away (probably because they wanted to be paid the industry rate).

There are plenty of brides on this forum who could negotiate TFPs. That's about as far as I'm willing to go.

Use stuff you already have or stuff your parents had. Dress, centerpieces, no std