Everyone knows that weddings can be expensive! I recently read that the median cost for a wedding was about $32,000! That’s crazy! While getting the wedding of your dreams can be costly, it doesn’t have to be! There are so many ways you can save on your wedding, and we’re going to share a few. Here are our 101 Ways to Save On Your Wedding:
1. Design your own flowers.
DIY is a huge part of our list of 101 Ways to Save On Your Wedding!
2. Make your own cake.
3. Rent your wedding dress.
4. Make your own jewelry.
5. Have it at a free venue or park.
6. Buy used decor.
Yard sale sites on Facebook are perfect for this.
7. Rent the tux.
8. Don’t hire a wedding planner.
9. Have a friend be your DJ.
10. Host the reception in the same building as your ceremony.
11. Use wildflowers.
12. Have your wedding in the afternoon.
13. Elope.
14. Use flowers that are in season.
Ask your florist what flowers are in season and plan your floral around that.
15. Have a potluck for the reception.
16. Borrow your wedding dress.
17. Use wedding shoes you already own.
18. Do your own hair.
19. Design your own invitations.
Easy programs on printing sites make it simple!
20. Have a house wedding.
21. Do your own nails.
22. Rent the decor.
23. Make your own decor.
Go check out Pinterest.
24. Make your own veil.
It’s SO easy.
25. Borrow your wedding jewelry.
26. Rent a sound system.
27. Do your own makeup.
28. Get married in the middle of the week.
Weekends are popular dates and will cost more than weekday weddings.
29. Decorate with balloons.
30. Make your own invitations.
31. Make your own wedding favors.
32. Keep your wedding local.
Less travel will make it easier to keep prices low.
33. Keep it small.
Don’t invite everyone you know.
34. Use more greenery than flowers.
Greenery is cheaper than flowers.
35. Shop thrift stores for vases.
36. Skip the boutonierres.
They’re tradition, but they aren’t necessary.
37. Don’t plan your wedding last minute.
You will pay much more for last minute services.
38. Book your venue in advance.
Sometimes you can save by booking a certain number of months in advance.
39. Schedule your wedding in the off season.
40. Rent your jewelry.
41. Shop a bridal gown sample sale.
You can get up to 90% off that way!
42. Use the same photographer for engagement pictures as you do for your wedding pictures.
43. Don’t offer a full meal for the reception.
Go with appetizers and light snacks.
44. Make your own wedding video to show for the ceremony.
Video editing programs make this easy to do yourself.
45. Rent your linens.
46. Use plastic tableware.
47. Don’t serve alcohol.
It’s expensive and unnecessary, and it turns people into fools.
48. Have your reception meal be buffet style.
Skipping servers will save you a ton.
49. Have a selfie station instead of a photo booth.
50. Ask family to help.
They all want to help anyway.
51. Use a venue that doesn’t require you to use their vendors.
52. Set a budget.
And stick to it.
53. Skip personalized items (so you can sell later.)
54. Have something besides cake.
Use cookies, or donuts, or a special dessert that’s easy to make for a lot of people.
55. Buy Christmas lights instead of wedding lights.
56. Set priorities.
If your dress is super important it, find it and buy it first, so you know how much of your budget you have left.
57. Make your own garter (or skip it all together!)
58. Buy a used dress.
59. Have a friend do your hair.
60. Go to Bridal Expos.
You can win stuff, and get tons of coupons for local businesses.
61. Make your own place cards.
62. Don’t send save the dates.
Just send an invitation.
63. Use seasonal foods.
64. Have a friend do your makeup.
65. Use fake flowers.
66. If you have to have a destination wedding, plan it in the tourist off-season.
67. Keep it simple.
Don’t go over the top.
68. Use a popular color scheme.
This will make it easy to sell your stuff afterward, or to find affordable options now.
69. Shop around.
Don’t buy the first thing you see.
70. Wear your mom’s wedding dress.
It’s sentimental and frugal.
71. Wait for sales.
On our list of 101 Ways to Save On Your Wedding, this is super important! Don’t just buy it when you find it, wait to see if it will go on sale.
72. Have a casual wedding.
Skip the fancy decor and go casual!
73. Go barefoot.
74. Buy shoes you’ll wear after the wedding.
75. Have a friend or relative officiate the ceremony.
76. Be your own DJ.
Make a playlist, and you know you’ll love all the songs at your reception.
77. Borrow a sound system.
78. Buy a dress that isn’t white.
It’s not traditional, but will save you money.
79. Skip the wedding ceremony.
Skip a ceremony with tons of people, and just have a big reception instead.
80. Use large flowers.
Large flowers mean they take up more room, so you have to pay for less stems.
81. Send e-vites.
Paper is outdated.
82. Rent the venue for a few hours instead of all day.
83. Delegate some services to capable friends and family.
84. Don’t buy anything in the wedding section.
If it’s in the wedding section, it’s guaranteed to be 50% higher.
85. Make your own guest book.
86. Take your own engagement photos.
87. Have an out-of-town wedding.
Out-of-town means less guests will be able to come, meaning you’ll save on venue and food costs.
88. Use real flower petals instead of fake ones.
89. Use unconventional materials.
Think outside the box for decor, seating and more.
90. Skip the tux.
Unless your wedding is super formal, it’s not necessary anyway.
91. Don’t have a wedding party.
No one says you have to have bridesmaids and groomsmen to tie the knot.
92. Have a photographer friend do your photos.
Make SURE they’re awesome, though. Don’t go cheap on photos. Just don’t.
93. Have your reception at a restaurant.
You’ll still have to pay for the food, but you own’t have to pay for the venue!
94. Have your hair and makeup done at the same place.
95. Have a sheet cake instead of a tiered cake.
It’s cheaper to buy a sheet cake than it is to buy a tiered cake.
96. Have unconventional wedding food.
Think outside the box. Talk to your caterer about how you might be able to save.
97. Use decor you already own.
98. Use the natural scenery as your decor.
If your wedding is outdoors, you don’t necessarily need more decor! Let nature be your decor!
99. Think outside the traditional box.
You don’t have to do every unity sand and candle lighting ceremony that’s out there.
100. Have the flower girls wear dresses they already own.
101. Get married at the court house.
The last one on our list of 101 Ways to Save On Your Wedding is an oldy but a goody.
Did we miss any ideas on our list of 101 Ways to Save On Your Wedding? Leave your ideas in the comments! Share this post with a bride who’s getting married soon.
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