Getting Married? 10 Ways To Save On Your Wedding

Anyone who has planned a wedding before knows that it’s easy to spend way more than you originally budgeted for. A million little costs add up to huge sums by the time your special day arrives. 

Having gotten married just a few weeks ago, I know this feeling all too well — the pressure to have the prettiest decorations and the most high-end food for your guests. But the truth is that most of these elements you’re spending tons of money on won’t matter the day after your wedding. So it’s important to prioritize spending on what matters most to you and find savings where you can! Here are 10 tips to help.

1. Take another look at your guest list

Your guest list is going to be your number-one budget killer. Each person is another plate of food you’re paying for, plus some vendors charge more for more guests. So it’s worth taking another look and making some cuts. 

If you’re inviting your third cousin you’ve never met just because your parents want them there, it’s time to have a conversation with your family. Yes, this can get complicated if your family’s helping you financially, so exercise some caution in those situations. But if someone wants a person at your wedding that you barely know, they should be paying for their plate, not you!

2. Get married on a Sunday

My wedding was on a Sunday, and it was the best decision we could have made. The venue was $1000 cheaper, and we even got some vendor discounts for having a Sunday wedding!

This isn’t doable for everyone, since some people want to party late and not have to wake up for work the next morning. But if most of your guests are from out of town and taking a day off work anyway, there’s no reason why the event can’t be on a Sunday rather than a Saturday.

3. Think about your alcohol options

Alcohol is expensive! Not only do you have to think about drink costs, but you also have to pay for a bartender and security. If drinking isn’t important to you, having a dry wedding is a big cost-saver. My wedding was alcohol-free and we still had a lot of fun.

But if alcohol is a must-have for you, try providing drink vouchers rather than paying for an open bar to save a few bucks.

4. Go to a consignment bridal shop

A consignment bridal shop usually carries some combination of once-worn dresses, sample dresses from other bridal boutiques, and new dresses. These kinds of dresses usually come at a dramatically marked-down price, but are no less beautiful! The consultants there also tend to be more mindful of your budget instead of trying to upsell.

5. Skip the florist

Florals cost so much money, and for what? A day’s worth of decorations? If you’ve always dreamed about having beautiful florals as you walk down the aisle, that’s another story. But if you’re getting them because you feel like you should, there are some alternatives to try first. 

You can find plenty of fake, dried, or wooden bouquets on websites like Amazon or Etsy at a fraction of the cost of live flowers. My bridal bouquet was $24 (a combo of two $12 fake flower bouquets). Buy a roll of ribbon to dress it up, and it looks as bridal as a bouquet that costs hundreds of dollars.

Another added bonus of fake or dried flowers is that they last way longer, so you and your bridesmaids can preserve them for years to come.

6. Explore alternative centerpieces

To continue on the last tip, florals aren’t your only option for centerpieces. Consider alternatives like candles, potted plants, wood, or fruits instead. An expensive and elaborate centerpiece will only become an annoyance later when guests are trying to talk to people across the table from them. I did a combo of mini-dried flower bouquets and mini lanterns, and it cost well under $200.

7. Consider your dessert options

A three-tiered wedding cake might look nice, but it’s likely that most of it will go uneaten. Once the dance floor opens up and the bellies are full from dinner, guests tend to skip or forget to eat the cake. 

So unless you love cake and are willing to take home tons of it, consider other dessert options. I had pies at my wedding and they were a hit! Grocers like Costco also make cheaper cakes that aren’t as showy, but do the trick.

8. Don’t make your bridesmaids buy expensive dresses

I’m a firm believer that if you’re going to make someone get an expensive dress they’ll only wear once in their life, you should pay for it yourself. So consider instead giving your bridesmaids a color scheme and dress length, then letting them choose their own dresses.

Or if you want everyone in the same dress, try finding one on a website like Azazie or Birdy Grey. These have affordable options and allow bridesmaids to try on multiple different sizes before buying.

9. Accept help when offered (but don’t force people to work for you)

If a bridesmaid offers to do your hair and makeup so you don’t have to hire someone, let her! If your family member is happy to officiate (and you think they’d do a good job), let them! Most of the time, your loved ones want to help and take some stress off your plate.

However, don’t force jobs on people. It doesn’t matter that your uncle is a professional photographer — you can’t pressure him into photographing a wedding for free. It’s okay to accept help when people offer it, but don’t take advantage of people’s kindness.

10. Don’t get caught up in the minutiae

Your wedding is all about making a day that fits you and your future spouse, not anyone else. So if there’s an aspect of traditional weddings you couldn’t care less about, just don’t include it! It’s so easy to get caught up in all the little things a wedding should have that you forget what you actually want. So don’t be afraid to cut away all the fluff and make your wedding day what you want it to be.

What does your dream wedding look like? Let us know in the comments!

Featured image via Jonathan Borba on Pexels