Weddings can be an expensive business, but it is possible to save money without compromising on the quality of your wedding, here are some wedding money saving tips to show you how. All these will not be applicable to you, you first have to figure out what is important to you in the wedding and cut the less important aspects according to this.

What you need to budget for a wedding

  • Makeup and hair
  • Food
  • Drink
  • Venue
  • Wedding cake
  • Dress
  • Wedding cars
  • Photographer
  • Flowers
  • Music
  • Rings
  • Invitations
  • Honeymoon

General wedding money saving tips

  • A reception site can be chosen which is much cheaper than the standard banquet facilities. You can call up local parks and find out if it is possible to host it there. Alternatively a community center can be a viable option. You could also restrict the number going to the reception and have it in your own house, or a family members home.
  • Cut down the guest list as each time you add a name to your list, you are pushing up the budget. A good rule to follow is not to invite anyone you have not talked to for 5 years. Don’t think that you must allow everyone to bring a guest. You can also set up a blanket ban on certain categories such as second cousins, that way there will not be any ill feelings
  • Cut the wedding planner it is not required, however if you do not have significant free time then it may be unavoidable.
  • Set a target budget and stick to it, don’t be tempted to go significantly over it, remember that a wedding lasts for one day but paying off the mortgage can take your entire life
  • Figure out what is most important to you and don’t compromise on these aspects, and the things that you are not to bothered about. This will allow you to prioritise the cost savings appropriately.
  • Get multiple quotes and make sure to get them early so that you do not limit your options. Companies know that the close you are to the deadline the more under time pressure you are, and they will price accordingly. Pay a deposit to secure the good price,
  • Pay a deposit to secure the good price otherwise you could find that the good price goes.
  • Get personal recommendation for the company supplying so that you know the quality will not be lowered.
  • Ask for a price match or a discount it can’t hurt especially when times are tough, companies are willing to give you a discount to secure your business. If you secure the price well enough in advance for example over 12 months then you could avoid the automatic inflationary rate hike that places tend to pile on.
  • Set yourself up with an accounting application or spreadsheet too keep track of spending, budget for each item, and make sure to adjust accordingly if one item ends up coming in significantly cheaper or more expensive than you expected.
  • Stay on top of bills this is another useful wedding money saving tip and stops you from getting any late payment charges as well as means there won’t be any delivery issues.
  • Call in any favours you may have. If you can save on venue costs by using someone’s house for the reception for will save a huge amount, or if a friend is a talented photographer you can convince them to come and they get free cake.
  • Get a wedding package some companies do aspects of weddings as bundles, such as getting cake and flowers together, generally you will save more than if you bought each separately, it also has the added benefit of having to deal with less people
  • Get married in the off season these are the months of January, February, March and November. You will have much less competition for goods and services and thus be able to secure much better prices.
  • Avoid Saturday as this day will generally be the most expensive one to get married on. Generally halls, photographers and other wedding service providers will give a discount for a wedding on an off day, so remember to ask about discounts for odd days.
  • Stay strong before the wedding and stick to your budget, and upgrade sounds great, but really wouldn’t you rather have the money for a better house or education for your kids
  • Set up an online wedding gift list and send it to everyone this way you can ensure that you don’t get duplicates, and you will stop people worrying about what present to get
  • Hire a student musician this will save you on more expensive DJ fees and you will generally get good quality music. Make sure to check they have some talent first though.

Invitation money saving tips

  • Do virtual invitations by email are the cheapest money saving tip as you will have no cost for invitations. Ask guests to reply online or by telephone.
  • Do them yourself, there are many websites available where you can get ideas for invitation or websites where you can go through the whole process from design to printing.
  • Print them yourself can be an option too but generally only if you have the right sort of printer.
  • Avoid engraved and buy thermographed invitations as this will save you money and will look as good.
  • Buy online or via a catalogue. this will save you as typically the brick and mortar stores have a 30% premium.
  • Don’t get reception cards
  • Keep it simple and don’t get lined envelopes or other fancy touches.

Wedding dress money saving tips

  • Consider renting a wedding dress as at the end of the day you will only probably wear it once. Even if you get married again you won’t wear the same one!
  • Stick to a simpler gown as the more detail and beading the more expensive it will be.
  • Hit the bridal shop during the sale this does require forward planning as this generally only happens once a year
  • For Bridesmaids dress shop after new years or during prom season as this will get you the widest selection and the best bargains.
  • Don’t buy the shoes in the bridal shop you will just end up paying a premium for shoes which are indistinguishable from the ones you can buy in any shoes shop

Wedding flowers money saving tips

  • Get one bouquet to toss as it is unnecessary to have another
  • Go for silk flowers especially for table center pieces , you can have fresh flowers for the Bride, but for everyone else artificial does fine. You can potentially rent these, or alternatively resell them onwards after the wedding as they will not degrade.
  • Choose in season flowers as these will be cheaper if they are abundantly available at the florist, be sure to get a discount at the florist for the bulk buy.
  • Avoid holidays as flower prices spike at these times
  • Minimize flowers in the ceremony it is not necessary that your wedding look like a jungle

Wedding cake

  • Buy a cake and decorate it yourself this is a most cost effective option and can add a nice personal touch to the wedding.
  • Avoid a desert table buy getting a cake which has different flavours in it, so everyone has a different option.
  • Avoid the cake cutting fee by cutting the cake when the wedding party enters.
  • If you decide on a dessert table you could just rent an elaborate wedding cake

Hair and make up

  • If possible hire one person or company to deal with both makeup and hair. This cuts down on cost and management.
  • Ask for a reduction especially if you have many women to do hair make up for, as you will tend to get a discount for the more people who need hair and makeup.
  • Do a trial run first this helps ensure you get right people and figure out exactly what you need. As well as ensuring that the wedding process goes much quicker.
  • Buy your own accessories otherwise you will find that the hair dresser may add the hair accessories which you will end up paying for.

Caterer

  • Have family members prepare the reception food , you can do this by buying trays of prepared food. Make sure that they are reliable or have a guarantee in place.
  • Plan the reception so people are not hungry this allows you to put on a simple buffet. The late afternoon works well.
  • The less guest the less catering costs
  • Have an alcohol free wedding can be a reasonable option especially if you and your partner do not drink, this will reduce your catering bill considerably, as well as cut down on any embarrassment. Alternatively you could open the bar only for a certain period, and serving cost effective wine with dinner.
  • Get a fully supplied caterer, so that they bring all there own supplies, this should be cheaper for you and cut down on hassle. You don’t want to be arrange for plates, glasses or table cloths.
  • Check you are not being charged for superfluous services as some caterers have packages which have decoration and if you have this arranged already you will be paying for something you don’t use. Don’t assume that the caterer will realise and not bill, in all likelihood they will anyway.
  • Choose in season fruits
  • Stick to simple food this will keep costs down as elaborate food costs more, and will also be more likely to disagree with some guests.
  • Do a buffet as these can be significantly simpler than individual food for everyone, it also has the benefit that your guests are more likely to find what they want and to mingle..
  • Check gratuity is included as otherwise you could get hit by an unwelcome addition to your bill, companies love to hide the final price that something is going to cost, so make sure you get the total price. Get it in writing.
  • Some venues let you get your own drinks in this case you will save significantly.
  • Consider a restaurant you frequent regularly, this works if your guest size is medium to small then this may work, and will end up being cheaper, as well as you knowing that the food will be what you are use to.
  • Children’s plates can be 50% cheaper than normal with caterers so make sure to order these for any kids less that 12 years old. This has the added benefit that generally the food is more likely to be liked by younger kids. Remember that the caterer has his/her interests at heart and won’t necessarily mention a discount unless you ask for it

Save with the Photographer

  • Do you need a photographer at all? you could instead asks your guests to record the day and to send you their photos and videos, not only should you get much more footage than with a photographer you will get a unique perspective on the day that can really bring it alive years later. To encourage people further you could leave disposable cameras on the tables.
  • Pictures and video won’t fade it is important to note this, unfortunately with a professional photographer there are large costs involved, but the photos and video which are produced will be the main record of the wedding day, and they will probably be the one thing that truly lasts from the day, other than your marriage.
  • Make sure you get the files and make sure that they are high resolution. This means that you can make your own copies without have to order them from the photographer and pay his/her premium, if your photographer does not do this for you then get another one.
  • Know what you are getting and make sure that you get it. You want to have a good range of shots as well as the all important ones, ensure that you don’t get hit with hidden extra costs by discussing this with the photographer.
  • Save on albums it can make more sense to buy these not from the photographer as generally there will be a significant mark up on anything you buy from the photographer
  • Only have the photographer for the wedding don’t have him for the reception, this will save you money. Just make sure to capture what is important to you.

Video money saving tips

  • Combine the photographer with a camera man
  • Choose no editing this will cut down on cost, and you won’t run the risk that something interesting is cut out.
  • Ask a friend to do it and make sure to give him/her a list of all the footage you want them to take, otherwise you will find that key parts of the day are missing.

Money saving tips on wedding cars

  • Price compare as there are so many car hire places you are bound to get a cheaper deal if you do this.
  • If you have a friend with a fancy car ask them for a ride
  • Avoid the stretch limo as it can be the most expensive.
  • Rent a luxury car instead as this can save you money and be more original than a limo. You could get a new model luxury car or sports car.
  • Skip the limousine pick after reception is especially good to avoid as late night pickups can be especially expensive.
  • Cut down on passengers so that only the bride goes in the limo

Should you get a wedding planner?

  • If you don’t have time then you need one otherwise you are perfectly capable to do it yourself.
  • Hire a consultant to get you started and for final stages this can give you some much needed advice, but save hugely on the cost of wedding planner
  • Getting a wedding planner can save money as they will generally know these tips already
  • If you have an organized close friend you could task them with helping with the wedding planning, they need to be pro active as the planning process requires someone who speaks up for themselves.

Money saving tips for the honey moon

  • Shop around for your honeymoon
  • Book well in advance
  • Ask about free upgrades and specials which are especially designed for people on their honey moon.
  • Ask people to contribute to your honey moon rather than buying you wedding presents.
  • Choose a weekend getaway
  • If you love the outdoors then go outdoors, plan a camping, hiking, or rafting trip.
  • If you go on a cruise make sure to get a package deal for honey mooners