5 Ways to Save When Planning a Wedding
I just celebrated my five-year wedding anniversary with my husband, so naturally have been reminiscing about the big day. With a few weddings on the horizon I have really been noticing new trends and things that we did it our wedding that I am glad we took part in. So, I thought it might be fun to share a few money-saving ideas that also are enjoyable at a wedding.
wedding money saver #1
Starting with my current favorite: bouquet bars. I’ve only seen it once or twice but I hope this one picks up a little more because it is genius. Instead of paying for flower arrangements and then throwing them out after the wedding, you purchase several types of flowers that match your wedding. Put them out in decorative canisters and allow guests to create their own arrangements. Put out a little signage to explain that guests can take their arrangements home and boom, your tables are decorated for you.
Wedding Money Saver #2
We’ve seen this one time and time again, but it bares repeating: involve those you know. I personally did not want anyone in the wedding party to be shuffling around prepping anything on the big day. I just wanted us to all be relaxed and enjoy each other’s company. That said, we did have our mom bake our wedding cakes. This was was largely because we both wanted our favorite cakes (and nobody’s cake is better than moms’ is), but still. It ended up saving us who-knows-how-much.
Ours was a small, intimate wedding so everyone cannot pull this off, but there are plenty of ways you can involve friends and family to save some coins. Maybe you know someone with a vintage car that will let you use it as the getaway vehicle. Or the neighbor down the street who loves to craft might be willing to make you some signage if you purchase the supplies needed. You never know, and it doesn’t hurt to take a look around.
Wedding Money Saver #3
Double dip. We utilized a huge Airbnb for our wedding venue and it was where all of our guests stayed for the week. Knowing that the majority of our guests would be flying into Hawaii solely for our wedding, we wanted to at lest save them the trouble of finding a nice place to stay. It also was a great way for our families to get some quality time together. Our particular venue had two separate wings for each side of the family, two kitchens, and a bunk house (which the groom’s side used to get ready at) in the backyard, plus we held the ceremony in the backyard.
Other ideas to double up on utilization: use your getaway car in your arrival photos as well, see if anyone close to you can officiate the wedding, or even take part in the entertainment somehow.
Wedding MOney Saver #4
Skip wedding favors. Just don’t even bother with the bubbles or the bottle openers, we all have enough of those. If you rrrrreally want to give your gifts something make it an item that will last. Shot glasses are popular for this reason. Plants that guests can take home and pop in front of a window are fun as well. We decided to use drinking glasses as our party favor because we found a vendor that would etch them with our initials. These were less expensive than renting water glasses so we went for it. I still see the glasses when I FaceTime or visit my friends so it’s a gift that is still giving! We also kept a set of six for our home.
Wedding Money Saver #5
Use your surroundings. There as certain locations who’s simplicity is absolutely beautiful. This will save you plenty of decor. Or maybe your wedding is in a great spot to see free weekly fireworks? Set the schedule just right that this can be your entertainment or closing event.
We all know off-peak and weekday weddings are substantially less expensive to book. If you think creatively there are tons of ways that you can look at your location, venue, or timing a little differently to help save you money.
Note: Some photos are not mine, click to be redirected to original source(s).
