10 Tips for a wedding on a budget

Weddings can be very expensive! Here are 10 tips you NEED to know to help you SAVE money!

Avoid cramming everyone you know onto your wedding guest list.

Every person you add to your guest list, adds to the cost of your wedding. Try keeping your list minimal and only inviting the people you have consistent or recent interactions with. Remember, you are not obligated to invite anyone! Keeping your guest list to only family and close friends is a great way to save money.
Make your own wedding invitations.

Wedding invitations, save the date and engagement announcements can get pricey, quickly! A great idea is to make your own! All you need is a decent printer (be sure you have ink!) and some blank invitations. You can purchase these at places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. You could also outsource them to companies like Vistaprint. They have a lot of designs and quality types to choose from, plus they always have a discount code!
Purchase any alcohol you want to have and stock the bar yourself.

Alcohol can be a HUGE wedding expense! Deciding to not serve alcohol could save you hundreds, but lets be honest here, most of us enjoy an alcoholic beverage at weddings! It loosens everyone up, making people more social and open to enjoying themselves (more dancers on the floor? Yes please!).

If your venue allows you to supply your own, purchase your own alcohol from the local discount liquor stores. Going with just wine and beer is a great idea to save money. If a full bar is your goal, purchase the basics like vodka, rum, gin and whisky along with a few mixers, sodas and juices.
Price shop for affordable wedding decorations, buy used or make them yourself.

Getting decorations at a good price is easier than you think! If you start early, you can shop places like Michaels, Hobby Lobby and JoAnns to find awesome decorations and supplies. Those stores commonly have sales throughout the year, and there is always a coupon to be found online! (40-50% off!) The coupon is usually only good for one item, but you can make as many separate purchases as you want, and come back as many times as you like, using the same online coupon!

You can also buy used decorations from recent brides at a very steep discount! Most decorations are only used for a few hours and most brides hate to toss them out! Try checking out sites like Offerup, Ebay and Craigslist for wedding decorations.
Buy wedding dresses as samples, closeouts, or previously owned.

You can find some absolutely beautiful wedding and bridesmaid dresses that were sample dresses (tried on by potential buyers), closeouts (last seasons dresses) or previously owned dresses. When I was searching for a dress, I remember trying on tons of dresses ranging in price from $1500-$6000! The dresses can be a huge expense and I just hated to spend that kind of money on a dress that would be worn for just a few hours and then forgotten about! I would rather spend that money on a nice honeymoon or saving towards a new home. I chose to purchase a dress off of ebay, and I do not regret it! I found a GORGEOUS Allure Bridals sample gown with tons of bead detail, and I only paid $200 for it! Best decision I ever made! Websites like ebay, offerup and craigslist all offer tons of wedding dress listings. If your not set on purchasing brand new, check out the options I mentioned. You will be surprised at what you might find.
Choose affordable wedding rings.

Wedding rings are a traditional part of most all ceremonies, an important symbol of your commitment to each other, but they don't have to be rings that cost a fortune.

On average, a couple spends about 3% of their wedding costs on wedding rings, not including the cost of engagement rings. A wedding ring is something you will wear for a long time to come, so while it is important that you love it, you don't have to spend thousands on it! There are many options for affordable wedding rings, so be sure to shop around. Also, check out other options such as titanium, sterling silver, and other materials that are less expensive, durable, and can be personalized for even deeper meaning. Some jewelers out there also offer a “trade-up” program. If you later decide you want to upgrade your current wedding ring (purchased from that same jeweler), they will give you a good amount towards one you might love even more.
Involve family and friends in the wedding preparations.

Get a group of your closest friends and family together for a meeting of the minds. A lot of times, they will have ideas that may save you money and time. They may also have relative connections to get you a discount on products or services.
Think outside of the box for musical entertainment.

A professional violinist or pianist can be quite costly. Try inquiring at local music schools or colleges. They usually have teachers and students — who can play quite well — that will happily perform at your wedding for a fraction of the cost. I would suggest a demo or sit in, so you can listen to the talents level of skill before hiring them.
Request “wedding help” instead of “wedding gifts”.

We were lucky that several of our friends and family had vocal and instrumental talents, so they were able to provide musical accompaniment for our ceremony. We also have a sibling who is a professional wedding photographer, and he was willing to photograph our ceremony as our wedding gift. They both provided amazing talents to our wedding event and helped us save a ton!

Asking family and friends to offer help or services that align with their talents in lieu of a gift is a great way to keep your wedding on a budget.
Set a pre-wedding budget and plan everything in advance.

Creating a solid plan and a budget you really want to stick to will go a long ways in helping you save money. Doing things like buying on sale, using coupons and taking advantage of special offers will be very beneficial, but you have to have plenty of time to do these things. A last minute wedding is usually not going to be cost effective. You can budget services out each month, such as, finding an affordable wedding photographer within your budget and placing a deposit one month, the next month find a DJ and place a deposit that month, and so on. This way your not dropping loads of cash last minute or all at once.

Congratulations on your BIG DAY, try not to stress, I’m sure it will be all you imagined and more

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10 Tips for a wedding on a budget

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