Regardless of your wedding budget, many brides look for ways to save money on their wedding. Things add up super quickly while you are wedding planning and can get more expensive than you were originally planning on! Here is our list of some ways that you can save some money on your wedding.
10 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding
Here are 10 ways to save money while wedding planning on a budget!
Shop at wedding dress sample sales
Our first tip is to visit a sample sale! These are when bridal shops sell their gowns that other brides have tried on during their appointment at a discount. There is nothing wrong with these gowns – the shop just needs to make room for more gowns to come on!
Our Semi-Annual Clearance Sale is coming up soon – July 14-17, 2022! We are getting so excited for it! Today, we’re going to give you all of our advice on who to bring with you to your appointment!
Our Semi-Annual Clearance Sale is essentially our version of a bridal sample sale! We have a large selection of bridal gowns that are at a discount ONLY during this sale. These gowns are between 20-80% off! Between both our Bel Air and Hagerstown locations, there will be hundreds of discounted gowns for you to choose from!
These gowns are all ready-to-wear, meaning that you will take them home with you the day of your appointment! Keep in mind that you may need alterations and/or cleaning. If you are looking for your dream designer gown while getting a great deal, then this sale might be right for you!
Limit alcohol
Another way to save some money at your wedding is to limit how much alcohol you are buying. There are a few different ways to go about this!
One way is to offer only wine and beer. Not serving liquor can save you a lot of money – but guests will still appreciate having different options to choose from. If you really want to serve liquor but still want to save money, you could offer just a few pre-determined signature cocktails!
Another way to save some money on alcohol for the wedding is to choose a venue that lets you BYOB. This will put you in control of exactly how much alcohol you are buying.
Cut your guest list
One of the best ways to save some money on your wedding day is by making your guest list smaller. This can save you money in so many ways! It can save on catering costs, the number of chairs you need to pay for or rent, and the amount of alcohol you need to buy.
Save on flowers
From purchasing fake flowers to not having any flowers at all, there are a few ways that you can save money on florals! Here are some options:
- Choose in-season flowers. Out-of-season ones will be more expensive for your florist to get!
- Choose an outdoor venue where additional flowers aren’t really needed.
- Re-purpose flowers between the ceremony and reception. (Ex: bridesmaids bouquets can be re-used as the reception centerpieces)
- Purchase or rent fake flowers! (We really like Sola wood flowers)
Consider unique catering options
There are a lot of different ways that you can save money on catering.
For starters, you can look at some non-traditional options. This could include having a taco bar, food trucks, a pig roast, etc.
Another option is to choose a local restaurant that offers catering rather than an exclusive wedding caterer. You will want to compare quotes, but they can often be less expensive but just as (if not more!) tasty!
Do-It-Yourself as often as possible
Choosing to DIY as many items as possible is a huge way to save money on your wedding! This could include your invitations, signage, and other décor items.
Save money on your cake
There are a few different ways to save money on a wedding cake! The first one is, of course, to not have a cake at all. Nowadays, a lot of couples do away with this tradition and choose some other dessert items, like cake pops, cupcakes, ice cream, parfaits, etc.
If you still want to have a cake, you could always have a very small cutting cake for you and your spouse to cut, but serve a sheet cake to your guests. It really is just as delicious and saves you some money! Plus, your guests probably won’t even notice.
Another little tip to save just a little bit of money on your cake is to choose buttercream frosting instead of fondant. It is usually less expensive and honestly tastes better!
Have a brunch wedding
There are a couple of different ways that having a brunch wedding can save you money. For starters, you will most likely be able to save money on your venue by booking it during the daytime rather than at night. Also, brunch food typically costs less than dinner items.
Save time with your photographer
Hiring your photographer for less hours can save you some money! If you don’t think that you need shots of everyone dancing throughout the night, then you can send your photographer home after they capture the cake cutting and first dances! And, if you aren’t too keen on a lot of getting ready photos, then you can have the photographer arrive a bit later.
Worried about capturing your exit? Have a staged one just for photos, an hour or two before the actual end of the reception!
Shop at thrift stores
Finally, a big way to save money on decor is to shop around at local thrift stores! You can find some great items, like old books, vases, linens, and more. If anything isn’t exactly how you want it to look, then a fresh coat of paint or spray paint can work wonders!