With so many expenses involved with planning a wedding, it’s only logical for most couples to try to find ways to save money. Even if you have a very large wedding budget, things can start to add up very quickly and require you to make tough decisions about what is most important to you. Fortunately, not everything needs to cost an arm and a leg if you know a few tricks of the trade and places where you can cut down on some of the costs. Here is some popular money saving wedding ideas that will help you keep your bottom line in check without needing to sacrifice the things that are most important to you about your wedding.
Invitations
Invitations are a very important part of any wedding, but there are ways to save you from spending way too much for absolutely no reason at all. Many couples make the mistake of creating very elaborate wedding invitations, but the fact of the matter is that it really isn’t necessary or a very good use of your money. Most of your guests are going to look at your invitation once, mark the date on their calendar, and never look at the invitation again. If you want something that looks really nice inside the invitation, include a small date reminder card that they can hang on the fridge and keep the rest of the card simple.
The parts of a wedding invitation that usually racks up the largest fees are full color printing and fancy raised-letters. Though it may seem like it’s worth the money, you get the same reaction from your guests whether you wedding invitations are printed on a fancy press or if you print them at home on your inkjet printer.
Wedding Venues
One of the easiest ways to save money when booking your wedding venues is to choose a location that will work for both the ceremony and the reception. Ideally, you will find a venue that has a separate area like a garden where the ceremony can take place as well as a reception hall so you can still create a separation between the two parts of the event. Even if your ceremony needs to take place inside the reception hall, you can always bring out some lattice or other decorations to make it look different during the ceremony portion of the event.
Additionally, you should try to find a venue that includes things like tablecloths, chairs, and other decorative elements as part of the standard rental fee. Though you’ll still need to add more decorations yourself, eliminating the need to rent or purchase as many items as possible can save you thousands of dollars in the end.
Wedding Flowers
Instead of buying real flowers for your centerpieces, consider an alternative like wooden flowers or paper flowers. They will be just as lovely as real flowers, but they will only cost a fraction of the price. You should still buy real flowers for the bride’s bouquet and for the corsages and boutonnieres that the wedding party wears, but all of the decorative flowers can be substituted with appropriate alternatives.
Decorations
Creating your own decorations can save you a lot of money, and it can be a fun bonding experience with your bridesmaids! Consider having some decoration parties in the weeks and months leading up to your wedding where you and your friends make wedding decorations together over a few glasses of wine. There are thousands of great DIY wedding decoration projects that you can find online, so your options are virtually limitless and you can save a ton of money in the process.
Food and Drink
Food and drink costs will be one of your biggest expenses, so being creative with your budget can go a long way. First, you should choose an inexpensive meal for your guests such as pasta to save as much money on the catering bill as possible. Next, you should eliminate the open bar and opt for a cash bar instead or only offer keg beer for free. By having your guests pay for their own drinks, you can save a lot of money on your wedding.
Music
Though hiring a DJ or live band may be an attractive idea on the surface, it is also very expensive. Instead, consider putting together a playlist of your own on your laptop or favorite MP3 player. You may need to rent an amp and some speakers unless you have a friend that can supply these items, but it will still be a lot cheaper than hiring a professional. Plus, you can ensure that only songs you like are played during your reception while at the same time saving a ton on your wedding.
