Tips for Saving on a Wedding
The average American wedding costs $19,000 for about 200 guests. Add on another $3,500 for your average honeymoon, and getting hitched can really break the bride and bridegroom. But your big day doesn’t have to come at a big cost.
Duffy Winters says she can cut at least $9,500 from your wedding budget. Her ideas go way beyond reducing the guest list and opting for the off-season. She’s got some really imaginative ideas that cut corners without skimping on splendor.
Our three favorite “proposals”:
1. Cut the cake: She doesn’t ask you to cut it out entirely, just reduce its size. Save by buying a small, beautifully decorated cake for the photos, and serve guests pieces of a plain sheet cake.
2. Mum’s the word: Don’t buy into the “wedding” hype. Says Winters, anything – be it a dress, shoes, flowers, whatever – with the word “wedding” attached to it can instantly fetch a 25%-plus premium. So buy what you want. Just don't tell them it's for a wedding.
3. Friends and family: Got a photographer in the family? A musician? A graphic artist? A bartender? Use their talents and simultaneously give your day a closer, more intimate ambiance. And when you give your speech, thank your cousin Fred the graphic designer who did your beautiful invitations. For the price of the duplicate salad bowl cousin Fred would have given you, you received his beautiful invitations – and saved money.
Tell us how you saved money at your wedding.
Comments
I saved money in two ways. My mother has a big beautiful backyard that is full of brightly colored flowers. I had my ceremony and reception there, and on top of that, I saved so much money on flowers. We only had to buy the bouquets, boutionnieres, and corsages!
I like the idea of getting local companies to be Corporate Sponsors for your wedding. That is a very clever idea. My sister in law used the smaller cake idea and it worked out wonderfully.
Hello, My name is Melissa, and I was extremely interested in the sponsorship idea after my friend shared the idea. But, I really wanted to get more insight from someone who actaully did it. I will wed in April, is that enough time for getting sponsors? How do I go about going around here (Tampa, FL) for sponsors. Please advise. Thanks so much!!
I was always the coordinator whenever my friends and family celebrate their weddings. One way I've managed to really help on cutting down on expenses is to just focus on one major aspect of the wedding and scrimp a bit on the other aspects that you think are not worth too much attention.
I wouldn't recommend having a family member do the photography or music. It may be "free" or cost saving for you but look at it from the photographer or musician's side. I've been the family musician for several weddings and it sucks when you have to play music while everyone else is enjoying their cocktails and appetizers or play music so you don't even get to see the ceremony. In addition, the musician's time and money are spent beyond the wedding itself in the plane ticket to get there and rehearsal time to get ready. A cheaper alternative to professionals would be to get a local high school quartet. They may not be as good but 99% of people can't tell the difference and they're much cheaper (probably half the price).
Not everyone wants to do it, but some people do want to help. A friend of ours who is a professional newspaper photographer shot dozens of pictures at our wedding, and they were far better than the professional photographer we paid a lot of money.
I don't understand how perfectly normal people who try to be individuals most of the time suddenly have their individuality turned off and buy into the typical wedding extravaganza that I doubt most people would do if they really thoguht about what really mattered to them. Customized weddings that suit what you want, not what's expected, should be the norm.
A friend of mine had a very reasonable wedding by renting her church hall in the afternoon, having cakes from Costco, and scrapping the alcohol. She was able to invite loads of people --like the entire martial art school we teach at -- by making the party cheaper. Everyone had a great time, and it didn't have the stuffiness and stilted conversations that some more formal weddings have.
While my husband and I "eloped" with only a few people present at the ceremony, we did do a few things that people having a wedding could also do.
Some of our cost cutting items:
(1) Instead of having lots of flowers, I had wrist corsages made for the women and buttonieres made for the men. The judge loved the corsage so much, she asked me if she could have the leftover one. (I knew her in real life, so it wasn't being forward.)
(2) We gave the witnesses cameras and they went wild. I love looking at my wedding photographs that don't look posed. I made lots of copies of these pictures, put them into "brag" albums, and used them as favors at the reception our in-laws insisted on throwing us (see below).
(3) I agree with the comments on the cakes. We bought a regular marzipan cake the size of a birthday cake, which looked better than some wedding cakes and way better than a sheet cake.
(4) I wore a dress that I already owned. Instead of buying a wedding dress, I don't understand why women don't splurge on getting a very hot dress they'll wear multiple times and be able to justify the expense.
BTW: I disagree about telling people things are for weddings. Both the florist and the baker threw in extra effort into our items without costing more than what they regularly charged. Caveat: We did NOT buy the items that were specifically "for a wedding".
After the elopement, my in-laws were so excited that they insisted on throwing us a beautiful reception at a restaurant. (We really weren't expecting this. We politely turned them down twice until they told us, "Your reception will be on XX day, who do you want to invite?) While this 30-person party was pricy, it did not have the "wedding" surcharge on it, and was put together in two weeks. Keeping it a smaller size helped--I don't get why people invite people they hardly know. The restaurant printed keepsake menus for us.
While my sister-in-law threw a more traditional party, she saved money by having relatives make the table decorations. This had the advantage of giving her mother and aunt something to do that made them be helpful.
Extremely expensive weddings are for people with more money than good sense. When you are poor $19,000 is two new cars or a hefty down payment on a house. If you think $19,000 isn't too much to spend on a wedding you aren't nearly hungry enough.
I got email from the bride and groom a couple of days before their wedding. "Dear friends who have digital cameras," the letter began. The note went on to say that they didn't feel like blowing a lot of money on a wedding photographer, especially since the photographers they'd talked to insisted on keeping the negatives. (WTF?) So the email was a request: would we all please take photos of the wedding and reception, then forward copies to the bride and groom? We were asked not to take flash photos in the church, and then pretty much turned loose. As we were all "official" photographers, we tried hard to do our best. And since there were so many of us, we got lots of shots! Some of them are absolutely stunning. There is no way a professional would have had all the shots we had - the same moment captured at five different angles, for example. It was great. I think there was even a bit of friendly competition as each photographer tried to create the Best Shot Ever.
Another couple we know were impoverished students when they got married. So their wedding was a potluck! We guests pulled out all the stops to make the best food we could, and the banquet was both delicious and impressive. Furthermore, that wedding had more of a family/community feel than any other. What a great strategy.
Average price for a wedding photographer, $1500.00. Comparatively this is not blowing a lot of money considering that is a once in a lifetime event. How much would you pay to be at the birth of your child? Your uncle Bernie and wedding guest with a cheap digital camera will never be able to capture a complete style, particularly when it comes posed bridal pictures. Yes non "official" photographers can get great shots, but that what a pro is also paid for. Of course you will get great shots if you shoot 5000 pictures. A pro can get just as many with less shots. As for flash, most churches have a no flash policy, this is often during the main ceremony not the processional. A pro will take flash pictures if needed, the church is not going to stop the wedding because a photographer is taking flash pictures.
Will the guests also be able to print or produce a quality wedding album? Will they be able to touch up pictures?
All wedding photographers insist on keeping the negatives, how do you think they make money? Coke does not give it's recipe to restaurants. If they did they would be out of business. Wedding photography is a profession, there revenue is created one day a week rather than 5. The wedding photographer does a lot a planning with the bride to develop a look and style as well as planing a smooth event. If you think a wedding photographer is blowing a lot of money then you have waited to the last minute to plan your wedding. That is a waste of money in it's self. Don't try to cheap when it comes to preserving memories. You can enjoy your photographs for many years to come. What can you do with little plastic bottles of bubbles.
We skipped the entire 'wedding' thing all together, ignored all the rules and had a day we would enjoy. After drinks we were married in a cinema (and old 1930's are deco recently revamped), told the celebrant to make the ceremony as short as was legally possible, then sat down to watch a film (High Society) with 40 family and friends. We gave each of them a copy of the film on DVD as they left as a memory fo the day.
After this we had hired out our favourite cafe, conveniently up the street from where we lived, and had dinner with out family. A pefect day, all for a couple of thousand dollars.
I'm not necessarily suggesting this for others, but it definitely worked well for us. First, move to New York City. Get engaged at Junior's over it's insane cheesecake. Then go get married in City Hall. Afterwards walk over the Brookyln Bridge to Grimaldi's pizza (one of the oldest and best pizza joints in the city) with friends and family. The pictures were great shots of the people against the Manhattan, Brooklyn, the bridge. The company was perfect, and kick-ass pizza to boot. We almost got married again just to walk to Lombardi's :)
Call me crazy, but we set a budget, first. And our budget was $2,000. We probably went over budget by $300, with last minute surprise costs, but we had a blast. I found a stunning dress for $200, and we bought matching summer-y dress shirts for the men at Filene's Basement, slacks at JCrew, ssolid suspenders and handmade floral ties to match the bridesmaid floral dresses. I sewed small handbags for maid's gifts, and my mother made tapestry jewelry pouches. Our $2000 actually included all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen's clothes! The photos are amazing, still-- it was a lovely day, and no one would insult it as being "cheap." It was very garden-party-like, on a summer Sunday afternoon. Because we were dealing with heat and distance, I had all the florals done in dried arrangements, and we used the flowers that were already on the church altar for the Sunday service.
My brothers barbequed shish kabobs on the church patio. I created giant melon baskets, the day before, with my bridesmaids. We decorated the tables with picnic baskets overflowing with fruit and flowers, made table runners out of leftover dress fabric and ribbons. We played bride's team vs. groom's team softball in the park across the street. We offered guests the option for whitewater rafting the next day, but we were rained out, so we gathered for a lazy brunch before sending folks on their way.
My advice isn't "don't say it's for a wedding," but re-think what a wedding requires, for you. What's the bare minimum that is necessary, and what can be re-styled to fit the kind of people you are? Actually, it helped to ask ourselves what would be really fun, and what standard wedding stereotypes seem based on "the prom,"-- and thank goodness, we owed no loyalty to the prom.
Here is the single best way to avoid wedding costs, DON'T GET MARRIED. You know that statisticly speaking, the chances of your marriage failing are really high; and if it doesn't end up in divorce, that just means you are either resigned to living in misery or too comfortable or scared to do something about it. Get real folks! Men, ever heard of PMS! Go read about it! Women, er, lets see now, naw, its all good for you! Just a little belching and farting once in a while. You sure charge a high price for that thing of yours, and the funny part is, in a couple of years, its not as good as it once anyway!
a little cynical? don't really think those comments were appropriate in this forum.
yuuck. what a freakin downer... totally inapropriate for this forum!!
How heteronormative of you....
If you don't mind the groom seeing the bride before the wedding, take formal wedding pictures at a photo studio the day before the wedding. Tuxedos for the wedding party can usually be picked up the day before. The benefits are: 1) don't need to worry about the weather ruining wedding pictures, 2) pictures can be planned and short with appropriate lighting, and 3) you don't need to take as many pictures on the day of the wedding (and make all the guests wait).
We actually ended up having 2 weddings due to various circumstances, and saved significantly on both.
The first, was a modified elopement, where we had the whole ceremony at a local restaurant, then a fixed dinner with a handful of choices immediately afterwards. With 20-30 guests, the dinner/wedding ran less than $2K.
As for the second ceremony, which was more the traditional style, we scrimped by having a shortened reception of 3 hours rather than the standard 5. We got in all the expected and happy moments, and saved at least $20/plate as a result.
On top of that, my wife made use of a few wedding dress websites, which specialized in closeouts. She got a dress never worn, from a wedding store that went under, for only $200, that would have cost 5X that if she had gotten it in a retail store. After she received it, she took it to a local tailor for the usual fitting adjustments.
My wedding cost $500. Invited lots and lots of people. Had a great reception at a very nice hotel. Sent a note with each invite stating that we could afford to either pay for our honeymoon or their buffet lunch at the reception. So instead of presents we asked they pay for their own lunch. This allowed us to invite as many people (with differing religious/health/ethic... tastes in food) as we liked and was a natural filter for the type of people whom accepted the invite. I just wanted to marry the person I loved. I didn’t want to bribe people into coming to our wedding. Best day (and start) of my life.
Getting married next year but I've already saved on he wedding dress as I got a beautiful dress in a second hand shop for the equivalent of $10 (and it goes to charity) - it fits perfectly and has a very long train and beautiful detail - i couldnt have gotten better if I'd paid thousnads fot it. My brother is a designer and is doing our invitations and photo album. Hope it all goes well.
I was so worried about affording a wedding that I entered two different contests on the radio giving away weddings, and I actually won one! It's not the wedding I expected, I'm get married along with several other winners, but it's going to be beautiful underneath the Saint Louis Arch.
Still worrying about money, I bought a dress for 99.00 dollars, you know those sales, and I refused to buy anything else or to pay more than 99.00 dollars. The veil I loved in the store was 200.00 but I am figuring out how to make a cathedral length veil for under 30.00.
If you're creative enough, you can definitely make a wedding happen for very little cost... Dreams do come true!....without putting you into debt...
We are getting married on St. Patrick's Day at a relatives home/outdoors. Instead of spending money on "wedding" items we bought him a new kilt and an Irish dress/costume that can be used when we go to the renfest held in our state. Some of our seating will be hay bales and the bottled beer is going into an aluminum holder from the feed store that we will use to bathe our dog outside later. The menu is cake from Sam's Club, chocolate fountain, and of course BBQ (Sam's Club). We may splurge on the music. I forgot to buy fireworks in January so I'll miss out on something I wanted. (It's legal at this location but you can't buy any outside the July or January time frame.) I think having a wedding with a holiday theme makes everything super easy and much more affordable. We plan on having a lot of stress free fun.
We had a wedding at a brewery that didn't think of itself as a "wedding" place. We spent $300 on flowers (which is kind of a rip off-brides to be, you can save a buttload by making your own bouquets). My brother in law took pictures, and we had bratwurst and pulled pork sandwiches. I purchased my dress on Ebay for $300 and my bridesmaids selected their own black dress and I provided a gold wrap.
We did spend about 10K total, but that included EVERYTHING.... even the honeymoon. Oh, and we got married in January. We planned for a year, but we literally could have thrown the thing together in two weeks. NO ONE gets married in January.
I have no regrets.... I did not have "bridal blues" after the ceremony. And we still love each other.
Locations can be really expensive, so my fiancee and i are getting married at a local university. It si really beautiful so we do not need to spend any money on decorations, and it does not make the bulk of its money on weddings so the rental is quite inexpensive.
Thought your viewers would be interested in this. Wal-Mart has just launched a new product called, “myMovieMaker” which turns your digital photos into themed DVD movies. Right now they are offering a $10.00 rebate to those who test the product out before September 15th. You can get more information on the offer at sequoiamg.com/offer
For more information about the product, visit
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Cody
I just want to say thanks to the people behind this website as well as all of you who have posted your tips and advice. YOu all have given me something to use for my upcoming wedding. P.s. Duse if your gonna be negative stay away from a wedding site!
Thanks again for the help ladies and gents!!
I found amazingly cheap yet quality wedding invitations and accessories from Ann's Bridal Bargains. The sell the same products as a lot of other vendors but at a smaller price. A money saving tip is to buy more invites than you think you'll need. It's a lot cheaper buying 25 more for $2 than to reorder from the base price. Check out the website at annsbridalbargains.com!
Absolutely right with the 99 dollar dress esp if you are not picky like me and just want something nice. Think of having the wedding and reception close(or in the same place if possible) so you can save on limo costs for the bridal party. Look for creative favors. I got 99cent Asianfans which I will be wrapping in the programs for guests (think warm weather and gifts they can actually use!)
Who the frig scaps the alcohol?
No siree Bob, that is not the way to save money, that's the way to have a BOOOOOORING wedding!!
=D
I'm getting married in June of this year (2008)..I wanted a small cocktail affair.Laid back but elegant. A late evening wedding 7ish and lasting until about 10-11ish. Buffet with light appetizers, white and red wine and a martini bar. My budget is $2000..I found my dress at Target.com for $129..and rented a roof top of a downtown atlanta apartment building for $1000..my friend is making my cake as a gift..I was also able to get a photographer for 2 hours for $150 as long as I allow him to use my pictures in his portfolio. It's possible..if you pull your resources.
Which downtown apartment roof top is this?
I plan on using silk flowers entirely for my wedding and reception. Not only does it cost less, but it also eliminates the likelihood that anyone will be allergic to the blooms I use. I can buy silk flowers wholesale online, or from craft stores like Hobby Lobby on sale, for a fraction of the cost of using a florist. And because they are silk, I can make centerpieces and bouquets well in advance, so I get the DIY advantage of cost, but without the stress of having to wait until the last minute.
Some ideas:
Made invites, rsvps, programs, everything ourselves. Time is a problem but many people are willing to help
Instead of renting everything (outside wedding) we went with tables from my grandparents church that we don't have to pay for. We also bought tablecloths from a party place that was closing for way cheaper than renting and i plan to sell them online after the wedding. We also went with disposable plates/silverware/cups because renting is too much and then someone would have to wash them.
I bought my dress online for less than 200 and i sent them my measurements and it fits perfect.
Couldn't find dresses in the right color for bridesmaids so found cotton dresses for everyone and dress shirts for the guys and dyed them with ritz dye.
I started making a wood four poster bed for my future husband for his wedding gift. It has been work but a lot of fun and learning. It is super cheap compaired to buying furniture and you make it the way you want! Plus very romantic!
I also remembered one other thing:
Instead of a DJ I have downloaded a ton of songs and plan on just having people play music off my computer!
Skip the diner only do hourdourves. lots of people would rather pick and choose what they want on the plate rather than be served, especialy for light eaters and people who are not too hungry and waste the whole plate.
Gotta have a DJ, they announce alot, choose good music for that exact moment, starts music and dance games. Check your local bars for cheap DJs dont go to a "wedding" DJ ALOT more expensive.
Buy the beer at wal-mart and well booze for mixed drinks get a friend to bartend (they get tips). do not hire an open bar service there is such a huge mark up on booze and beer. Use cheap champagne it usualy tastes better anyway.
Grooms whos bride keeps telling them they need a more expensive wedding?? Tell them child college funds, new cars, 350 count thread sheets, comfortable furniture and mattressess and season tickets to your favorite sports team are all better for your life and relationship than a 8 hour celebration.
I know this may sound premature.. but my boyfriend and I know that we are going to be getting married. We don't have much money. I'm pretty sure he can't afford an engagement ring. But, in spite of that, I still really want to marry him. I don't think it will happen for a WHILE (couple years) ..but are there ways that I can start to prepare now to curb the cost when we get there? I tried to see if there are ways to sort of "prepay" and then make arrangements later, but so far no such luck. I thought it would have made a great savings plan if i could have done that. Also i don't want to invite any distant relatives or long lost friends.. just the people i know and are close to me now. ..any advice?
I work with FNBO Direct and thought the Pay Yourself First Challenge would be good for you. I know, first hand, how stressful it is to save for a wedding. Every bride who is trying to save money to pay for their dream wedding should check out the Pay Yourself First Consumer Challenge. Here’s the link to the challenge: www.pyfchallenge.com/
Brides who enter could earn an extra $5,000 and a free honeymoon! Simply create a one-minute video telling FNBO Direct about the wedding you're saving for, and why you should be selected as one of the five challengers…
Hey, check out my submission for the Pay Yourself First video contest:
youtube.com/watch?v=wn...
Watch and rate it!
For my daughter's wedding, we found a photographer who had just graduated from photography school and had some portfolios, but no Wedding portfolio yet - she gave us a great deal because she needs a portfolio to show prospective customers. Check our your nearest art school / photography school!