10 THINGS WE DID TO SAVE MONEY WITHOUT CUTTING THE GUEST LIST
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Wedding planning often comes with the assumption that significant expenses are inevitable. When the vendor quotes start to toll in, it is also easy to assume that having an intimate wedding, or letting go of your Pinterest dreams are the only way to stay within budget. However, with creativity, thoughtful decision-making, and a touch of resourcefulness, it's entirely possible to say "I do" without breaking the bank. In this blog post, I'll share 10 ways we strategically saved money on our wedding day, to show that a memorable celebration doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag. From venue choices to DIY elements, our budget-friendly approach turned our dream wedding into a reality, and we're excited to share our insights with you.
1. Having a combination of real and faux flowers
Flower arrangements can add so much beauty to a wedding space, but they often come with a hefty price tag. We were being quoted $360+ for each floral centerpiece on the low end and I have heard several wedding floral quotes over $15,000. To help offset this cost, we used a combination of real and faux flowers. For the tall floral centerpieces, accent arrangements throughout the venue, and the flowers on our cross “arbor”, I created the arrangements myself ahead of time using faux flowers (we also added real eucalyptus from Trader Joe’s on the morning of). We used real flowers for bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and small greenery garlands around the candle centerpieces. Overall, this saved us thousands of dollars. In addition, I had a very specific blue in mind for our hydrangeas and by having faux flowers I was able to control the shade of blue we wanted!
Places to shop for affordable real flowers for DIY arrangements: Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Sams Club
2. Used an all-inclusive wedding venue
This was most likely our greatest cost-saving move. When searching for wedding venues, we definitely had sticker shock, and then we had thoughts about eloping or having a micro wedding (I feel like most brides go through this process). We took a realistic look at our budget and our financial goals after the wedding and decided we needed to find a way to spend less, but still include all of the loved ones that we wanted to have there. I was reflecting on how cost-effective my sister’s all-inclusive destination wedding was, which sparked my now husband to search for all-inclusive wedding venues in our state (Minnesota). This is how we stumbled upon the most perfect package for us!
The package we selected included: rental of all indoor and outdoor spaces for 12 hours, getting ready suites, tables, chairs, furniture, linens, cutlery and place settings, AV systems, custom lighting, a photographer with second shooter and complimentary engagement shoot, DJ, security, $1,000 floral credit, officiant (we ended up having our own pastor instead), plated meal for all guests, and open bar for one hour.
Although this package did not include everything we wanted, we were able to build upon it and add things like additional venue and open bar hours and late-night bites. This package also came with certain caveats such as not having a food tasting and needing to pick an open weekend within a shorter time frame; however, with the amount of money we saved it was all worth it!
Finding an all-inclusive wedding venue within your location and budget may not be feasible, but there are other ways to get creative with finding a wedding venue. Many brides also consider renting an Airbnb or other rental property to host their wedding too!
3. I was my own wedding planner
I know this one may not be for everyone, and I won’t say it was easy to juggle a full-time job, life, and planning a wedding; however, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. Once we had the biggest decision complete: picking a venue, the rest of the decisions became a lot easier. I found wedding planning to be a *mostly* fun and enjoyable experience.
Some recommendations I would have is to stay organized using an online or physical planner and create a new email address used solely for wedding planning.
4. Searches for affordable accessories
Between shoes, earrings, wedding bands, the veil, and shoes… all the little details can add up quickly! As a general rule, I opted for more affordable accessory options. My cathedral-length veil with pearl embellishments was only $19.99 when I bought it!
Shop my veil here: PEARL DETAIL VEIL
We used James Allen for our wedding bands, we were able to order multiple options to try on at home to find the perfect fit!
Click here for 30% off your wedding bands at James Allen
I also was adamant about making sure I returned any dresses or accessories that I was not using for wedding events. Between showers, the bachelorette party, and the wedding day there are so many events to shop for. It can be easy to keep some extra pieces or not make the effort to return what you don’t need.
5. Not limiting ourselves to local vendors
This one may be surprising, but we ended up finding an amazing wedding videographer from out-of-state who was more affordable than our local available options (including the travel fee) and we thought his work was better too! He also offered discounts for paying in full and being a nurse which we were able to take advantage of.
6. Using Uber vouchers instead of a shuttle
In our case, we used one venue for both our ceremony and our reception; and the venue was within walking distance from the guests’ hotel. When running the numbers, we found that opting for Uber vouchers was more cost-effective for us. We were able to set a pick-up/drop-off radius and a budget that allowed guests to ride for free. If the full budget does not get used, you will be reimbursed for the rides not taken.
7. Alternated more expensive centerpieces with less expensive ones
I fell in love with floral arrangements sitting on the tall back stands as centerpieces since the beginning of wedding planning and knew I wanted to have them. (Shown above in item #1) Between the cost of the flowers and stands, they were more expensive than what we had budgeted since we had 18 tables (plus the head table). My main priority was to have centerpieces that allowed guests to see each other across the table. I found these three-height glass votives and floating candles that were a fraction of the cost of the other centerpieces. We ended up using half of each centerpiece type to save money.
8. Shopped our vendors
We “shopped” around for various vendors like makeup artists, hair stylists, videographers, vendors for welcome bags, etc. Doing all of the research can be a lot of work in the beginning, but it can pay off financially. Do not be afraid to negotiate price and inclusion with some vendors if that is an option. When creating a budget, don’t forget to include gratuity for all vendors!
Being intentional with reading contracts can help you catch unexpected added fees or miscalculations that cause you to spend more than you need to!
9. We did as many DIY’s as we could
Wedding items we DIY’d include: save the dates, invitations, floral arrangements, bridesmaid proposal boxes, signage, and wedding time capsule cards.
For signs, I painted sign bases and used my computer and Cricut to customize them. We used these signs on our bar, in the bathrooms, gift table, and by our guestbook.
Click here for DIY sign supplies
Click here for a brief DIY sign tutorial
For larger signs to rest on an easel, I found Zazzle to have the most cost-effective options and they are usually running 50% off sales. Tip: print a double-sided sign- one side for a wedding welcome and one side for the rehearsal welcome to get double use out of the sign!
10. Designed our own wedding stationery
I used a combination of Canva, Zazzle, and my own home printer to create all of our wedding stationery.
For save the dates, I created my own design on Canva, and printed through Canva too! We paid only $60 for 110 save the dates by using this method.
Click here for a save the date tutorial.
Click here for our save the date template.
For invitations and programs, I used Zazzle for printing. Zazzle had a wide variety of options for you to choose from, or you can create your own completely custom. They also have a 100% money back guarantee!
