Maybe You Don't Need to Hire a Wedding PhotographerMy uncle was a passionate, phenomenal photographer. He was one of those rare people who could find worth and joy in almost every minute of life. He lived for the moment, and those moments he captured in his pictures were imbued with that special spark. He also did landscaping for a living and devoted much of his life to supporting his church.
The Best Ways To Cut Your Wedding BudgetMany brides and grooms get a wedding quote with everything they desire, but it's over budget.
Weddings in the Time of CororavirusA wedding is a happy time for friends and family but can be especially dangerous during a pandemic. Much of the country is shut down due to the coronavirus, with gatherings of over 50 people discouraged and many venues closed for the duration. This is quite a problem for couples planning a spring wedding. Here is some advice to consider when deciding what to do.
Bringing in a Re-Vow for Under 300 (Part 2)Now that the dress and the veil were done, we set upon seeing how much we had to spend on fabric for the flower girls' outfits and their flower baskets. In Tucson, we had fabric discount places and we found the cutest pastel fabric for simple skirts.
Bookmark Online Wedding PurchasesI inputted all of my wedding purchases on an Excel Spreadsheet with links if applicable. By referencing my Excel Spreadsheet (or you can bookmark your wedding purchases), I was able to save an additional $73.65 on my wedding dress.
Do Not Do It All YourselfMake your decorations, make your dress and bouquet, make whatever you want yourself, but, have other people set up, hang up, do the actual decorating on your big day! Have multiple, multiple people for every task that needs to be done and DO NOT let people use this time to make things up to you!'You could end up without a cake, like me.
Save Your Wedding ReceiptsEverything that you purchased for your wedding, do save your receipts. Just toss all of those receipts in a shoe box and label it "Wedding" or the event/celebration you are hosting. Add all the receipts in the box as you purchase and it makes budgeting easier (by documenting the receipts in a spreadsheet if you'd like).
No DJ at Our WeddingThe average cost of hiring a DJ in my city for a wedding ranges from $900 to $1,500, if not more. My husband and I cut that cost out by not having a DJ at our wedding.
A DIY Wedding May Not Be The Best OptionWhen you think of a DIY wedding, think twice and calculate the details first. Always determine and limit your budget. Do-it-yourself requires so much time and effort so you have to prepare ahead of time.
Write Contract Before Getting MarriedWhen getting married, it is important to talk about every important thing in life; what happens if we split up, what happens if one dies, what are the great wishes of your partner, etc.
Finding a Thrifty Wedding DateIf you're looking to save money for your wedding, try to book your ceremony and reception during off-season wedding months! Off-season wedding months may vary depending on your location/venue but you could always ask what are the off-season months as reference to the places you're interested in.
DIY Wedding Props and SouvenirsWay back in 2016, I was a sister who had nothing to offer to my "groom to be" brother. They had planned for a themed wedding, but due to budgetary constraints the couple was not able to provide and perform a hundred percent of what they actually wanted to happen. So, here comes the DIY sister offering a big hand of creativity.
Trade Vendors for ServicesTrading services is a great way to reduce the costs. If you have a skill, ask local vendors if they need help in that particular area. Get creative! Ask caterers if they need some extra hands around the kitchen, or ask your local venue if they need help cleaning up around the venue.
Keep Your Wedding SimpleI've been married going on 44 years, and personally, I don't see why you have to break the bank or go into debt to have a huge, fabulous wedding. Now, if somebody has the money, then what they do is their business.
Planning a Wedding on a BudgetI watched a show on Oprah. They said the two things people remember most about a wedding are the music and the food. Therefore, don't spend too much money on flowers and other categories.
Saving on Weddings and other Large CelebrationsI saw the following tips on Oprah and Dr. Phil long before I needed them, and filed them away in my head for the appropriate time.
Have Groom's Family Help With Wedding CostsWhen planning your wedding, ask the groom's family to be in charge of, and pay for any alcohol beverages served. If you aren't serving alcohol, the groom's parents can pay for another part of the reception.
Ideas for Planning a Green WeddingPlanning a green wedding is much like planning a traditional one: exciting, hectic, exhausting, and totally worth it. The real difference comes down to making decisions based on what will cause the least amount of impact on the environment.
DVD Slideshow for Wedding RehearsalI recently attended the wedding rehearsal dinner of my niece that was so wonderful. They had put up a big-screen TV and played a musical show made with pictures of the couple's dating days.
Bride's Emergency KitIf I was going to make an emergency kit for a bride, I would probably put it in a pretty little purse or small gift box with a handle for easy portability, so that she could put it in the dressing area and it would be unobtrusive.
Have Multiple People Grow Wedding FlowersI am getting married this July and am planning on growing my own flowers. I decided this in part to save money but also because I want a less formal feel to the floral arrangements. We have chosen to mainly use dahlias, along with paper flowers.
Unity Candle Ceremony (Belleza Wedding Chapel,...My husband and I were married February 14th 2010 in Las Vegas. It was simply the best day of my life. Just the two of us went with out telling anyone what we had planned. It was perfect for us. :0)
Uses a Small Inn as a Wedding VenueA great, charming, and usually wildly inexpensive venue for a wedding (especially a small/medium size one) is to check for small, hole in the wall Bed and Breakfasts or inns in very small towns in the mountains or other rural areas.
Staying Within Your Wedding BudgetI am engaged to be married next year. This is a second wedding for both of us, so we are really on a budget since we are paying for everything ourselves. Here is some advice I can offer from what I have done.
Make Your Own "Perfect" WeddingA lot of wedding professionals tell you that you 'have to' do certain things to make your wedding perfect. Instead, I say that it is all about your priorities. Couples can do anything they want these days.
Frugal Wedding TipsWhen planning a wedding, there are ways you can be frugal. One of them is to make your invitations instead of getting them made. Buy pretty printer paper, type them up, and decorate them with your personality.
Wedding Ideas From The HeartI enjoy working on weddings. Letting my imagination go results in delightful lovely decorations:
Ways To Plan a Frugal WeddingI got married in October so I used the flowers in season. This was very cost effective. I also did a small round two layer cake to cut, and did a sheet cake in the kitchen to serve to the guests.
Take Photos of Wedding PreparationsDon't forget to take photos of the wedding preparation. They make great memories. My granddaughter's trip to the beauty shop made a great photo. The look on her face tells the story.
Craft: Wedding Trellis PlantersI collected different planters, wire frames, silk flowers, and ribbon when planning for my wedding this November. I created this out of a trellis that is planted in a fence. It had the greenery, but a lot was missing.
Fortune Cookies for Wedding FavorsFortune cookies are fun, inexpensive to buy, and everyone has fun learning what their fortune has in store for them. You can add them with your little gift bag at the end of the reception or as a conversation piece when paying homage to the bride, groom, and others.
Planning a Halloween WeddingWe have a wedding date set for the evening (dusk in our backyard) of 10/31/09, with a Haunted Costume Ball to follow and I'm so excited! We absolutely LOVE Halloween!
Wedding Butterfly ReleaseDuring my Son's wedding they had a butterfly release in honor of their little two year old daughter in Heaven. One of the butterflies flew up, came back and landed on my son's jacket.
Save And Dry Flowers For Child's WeddingA great way to save the flowers from your beloved is to use a large clear designer jar of your choosing. Start off with every time you receive flowers. After the beauty has faded, dry them and add into the jar.
Floral Wedding DecorationI have been "planning" my wedding for years. I have gradually picked up unusual wire frames, planters, silk flowers, and greenery from resale shops when I can find them.
"Hawaiian" Flower ArrangementWhen my daughter got married we held the outdoor bridal shower at our house. I found the planter (shown here) in the basement. I cut the flowers for this arrangement from my yard and placed the planter just to the side of our door.
Save Extra Paper Petals for ConfettiWhen you're making flowers using paper sculpting or paper quilling and find that you have extra petals, hold onto them and use them as confetti. They're much easier to sweep up.
Planning a Wedding on a $500.00 BudgetWith the 9/9/09 wedding day drawing ever nearer, I have decided that I want to spend no more than $500 on the whole thing. I have tailored down some ideas to create a great party while saving some extra money in the bank.
Grow Your Own Wedding Floral DecorationsNeed floral decorations for a wedding? I purchased several planter pots at the end of the summer at clearance prices last year. They look like terra cotta but not as heavy. I will fill them with purple and white (wedding colors) annuals and keep them on my patio and deck.
Have a Cash Bar at Your WeddingYou don't have to spend a lot to have a nice wedding, you can have a "pay-by-the-drink" bar. That will save a lot and people are less likely to drink too much. If the booze is free, people are more likely to drink more.
Use Christmas Tree Topper Bows for Winter WeddingI found tree topper bows at Michael's that were 70% off! These will serve as our pew bows for a "winter" wedding in 3 weeks.
Use Wine As a Sign of Wedding UnityInstead of a unity candle, my son had a wine ceremony. Carafes of red wine and white wine were poured into an empty carafe, then the mixture was poured into a goblet from which they both drank.
Weddings Are Too Expensive for Just One DayMy fiancee and I had been together for a year when I asked him why he had not proposed. His reply was that, "Weddings are too expensive for just one day". Ahh, true love. Because neither of us came from money, we did not have to worry about the whole thing getting out of hand.
Create a Kids Table at Your Wedding ReceptionIf you are planning on having "kid tables" at your reception, be sure to substitute kid friendly centerpieces and favors. A basket of crayon flowers and coloring books not only look great but will give the children something to do during those times when it is not appropriate for them to be running around and playing.
Get Wedding Flowers LocallyThe florist bill can add up very quickly. Rather than spending a huge amount of your wedding budget on centerpieces check out the local farmers markets and neighborhood gardeners!
Hire a Student Photographer for Your WeddingIf you want a professional photographer at your wedding but can't afford one, contact a local university's photography department for a starving student who might do it for less.
Save By Involving Your Family In Your WeddingUse skills that you and your family's have to save money and to make your day and your memories extra special.
Limit Your Shopping for a Frugal WeddingYou can have a large beautiful wedding if you limit your shopping to thrift stores, Walmart, and Dollar Tree. This wedding cost under $600.
Country Wedding BackgroundHere's an eyesore made into a photo op. This ugly storage shed was in the yard where I had my wedding. With some hay bales, country collectibles and fresh cut sunflowers I had a great background for pictures. It tied in just right with my country wedding theme too!
Wedding Candy Has Double DutyMake items work double duty. Take personalized candy wrappers and use them as place cards and favors.
Coffee and Dessert Wedding ReceptionHave a Coffee and Dessert reception. This is only a possibility if you hold your wedding at an appropriate time of day (either in the afternoon before dinner, or in the evening after dinner) when you are not obligated to feed your guests a complete meal. We had the following:
Don't Say It's for Your Wedding and Save MoneyWedding cakes can cost $500 or more. A hairdo (including color) on your wedding day, that would normally cost $120, costs around $230. Don't tell your vendors it's for a wedding.
Use Craft Store Email Coupons For Wedding SuppliesSign up for your local craft store's weekly newsletter via email. Stores like AC Moore not only send you the newsletter but also send a weekly coupon. You can use these 40-50% off coupons to purchase your wedding supplies.
Auctions for Wedding DealsWhen planning a wedding, watch the paper for auctions of floral shops, bridal shops, etc. My daughter and I did this and found a florist who's business was being auctioned off.
Tips to Avoid Wedding StressMy heart is carefree and singing these days. I can see the color white and not break out in a cold sweat and I can look at the engagement section of the local paper and not have my stomach do a roll.
Lilies as Wedding FlowersSaw an old movie the other night and in it a bride was walking down the aisle with a bunch of 3 or 4 large lilies. Looked like those day lilies you often see reproduced, tied with a bow and worn sideways cradled in the bride's arm.
My $150.00 WeddingMy wedding to my new hubby was a blessed event. It cost us a total of $150.00, not including the marriage license cost. We held it in our apartment.
Use Glassware for Wedding Table DecorationsTake out the family glassware and use it to make little table arrangements. We found a whole collection of colored glassware and they helped to make our little flowers on the table charming.
Provide Your Own Wedding MusicKeep in your budget by providing your own music. Pick a list of CD's to accompany the ceremony, before and afterwards, and have someone be a DJ (I got my nephew to do it).
Ladies Toiletry Basket For GuestsThis is a ladies toiletry basket, I made for my daughter's wedding back in September. She was married at Castle in The Clouds in New Hampshire. So, with a castle setting, I chose a brown tin large oval planter in place of a basket. It gave it a more medieval look to it.
Saving on a Christmas WeddingIf you are planning to have a Christmas church wedding then this tip may help save you some money and time on decorations. Most churches decorate for the holidays and it is quite beautiful. So plan your wedding during the time that they have their decorations up for the holidays.
Prevent Wedding Day Static With Dryer SheetsA tip for the big day! Remember to bring fabric softener sheets along with you to remove animal hair from your clothing, dresses and suits for the wedding party and to also take static cling out of the formal gowns and suits that will be worn.
Capture Intimate Moments of Wedding PartyIntimate Moments of Wedding Party Photo. As the bride, have a close friend or relative photograph your entire day of getting ready and all those intimate moments you'll share with the important women in your life on your big day.
Using A Hyphenated Name After Getting MarriedA lady that I recently talked with said she went with hyphenating her maiden name and her married name because she was already known in her area by her maiden name. So when they married, she just added the hyphen and her married name.
Low-Cost Wedding DecorationsFor low cost wedding decorations, visit your local Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree has hundreds of decorative items that you can purchase for your wedding for only a dollar or under. Dollar Tree sells similar items found at retail stores for 75% less. So get moving to Dollar Tree.
Saving for the WeddingBefore our daughter got married, we charged her room and board once she had a job. However, instead of spending it we saved it without her knowing it. . .
Silk Wedding FlowersWe are using silk flowers to do our flower arrangements. The bouquets for the bride, attendants, groom, and best men will also be silk. The wedding cake will be outstanding in silks and will stand on a wedding cloth.
Taking Wedding Photos - Bring a HankieThis was taken at my son Joshua's wedding May 20th. I was the wedding photographer! My tip is, if you're going tp be the photographer at your own child's wedding, be sure to put hankies in your pocket...
Growing Flowers for My WeddingI want to grow my own flowers for my wedding next summer, preferably perennials. which I would start growing right away. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for what kind of flowers would look best if you grew them yourself.
Dealing with Children at a Rehearsal DinnerRehearsal dinners can be a boring affair for children in the wedding; at my son's wedding rehearsal dinner in our Hospitality Room at our church, I designed a child's table for the four children in the wedding...
Wedding Favors from Holiday ChocolatesWith Valentine's Day and Easter just around the corner I would suggest buying some of the foil wrapped chocolates at the sales that occur on the day after the holidays. They make great wedding favors when you wrap a few pieces up in a piece of tulle and tie them with a ribbon.
Use Wedding Budget for Down PaymentI have a friend who just recently married and learned (the hard way), that the advice I gave her a year ago proved to be true. She spent almost a year and about $68,000 on "the perfect wedding".
Wedding Plans with ChildrenIf you have children in a wedding, plan a rehearsal dinner children's table! It can be elegantly decorated with the colors of the wedding, for example, use bubble gum scattered around the center of the table instead of marbles.
Play CD Music Instead Of Hiring A DJI just got married in August. I thought I would have to pay about $200 for a pianist, then even more for a DJ for the reception.
Saving Money on Wedding ProgramsMy mother in-law for my daughter's wedding. The wedding programs that you see sitting in the basket were designed by my son in-law on his computer. We then went to Staples and bought some good quality paper and ran them off ourselves at a family member's real estate college.
Wedding Table CoveringsHere is a picture of the very inexpensive table coverings we used at my daughter's wedding reception. The bottom coverings were only $1/each from Dollar Tree and the top were lace tablecloths from Dollar General Store purchased for $5 each.
Thrifty Wedding Tips from RobinI have listed several things about my daughter's wedding but realized that I don't think I sent in the prices for the items to decorate, etc. The greenery was either borrowed from friends or else purchased at Wal-Mart. It came in 9 ft. sections for $3/section.
Instead of Rice, Throw Flower PetalsThis tip is from my daughter's recent wedding. She wanted something for everyone to throw that would be different than the usual. We looked into several things and found that assorted flower petals from Flowerama were cheap and beautiful.
Borrow Wedding DecorationsMy biggest tip for wedding decorations is borrow, borrow, borrow! We borrowed as much greenery, lights, tulle, gossamer, etc. as we could. We also borrowed dishes, punch bowls, serving bowls, etc. for the reception.
Tulle and Lights Wedding DecorFor my daughter's wedding, she wanted to use lots of white lights. At this time of year, you can't just go out to your local department store and buy them so we decided to borrow as many as we could.
Getting Married on the BeachGet married on the beach. Have a very casual wedding outside and then have a reception at your home. Just make sure the weather is going to to good. Less expensive and very enjoyable.
Decorating Your Guest Book CoverIt doesn't matter if your guest book is an expensive one or one with little covering and embellishment.
The Cheapest Time To Have a WeddingSave money by having your wedding between November and April. As it's considered 'off season'. All wedding related services are less busy. Ask for 'off season' discounts.
Wedding Photo TipA great tip is to take most of your "posed" photos before the ceremony even begins - at least with your girls. That will save a lot of time from leaving the guests bored at the reception.
A "Do It Yourself" Wedding For Less Than $600When my oldest son married I knew that his fiancee been away from home for years and the expense of the wedding was pretty much up to them. Being the frugal Mom I am I went to bat.
Wedding Reception Slide Show PresentationAt the reception - set up your own slide show or hire a professional to walk your guests through when you met - to the present time. That will keep your guests busy while you take photos.
Tulle and Lights - Inexpensive Festive DecorationWith all of the weddings, proms and anniversary events coming up, don't forget that tulle (in any color) with twinkle lights behind it makes an inexpensive festive decoration that can go a long way!
Cheaper Musical Talent For Your WeddingWant a good musician but worry about costs? Check out a local college music scene.
Shopping for Wedding FlowersWhen shopping for live wedding flowers, do some homework! Shop around and compare prices as well as quality to find the best deals. Sometimes cheapest doesn't mean the best quality and vice versa so shopping around is worth a little time and trouble.
Uses a Poster as Your Guest BookI hate guest books at family gatherings! Usually only a page or two is filled and afterwards they just sit in a box somewhere. Well, for my wedding we did something more fun!
Pick an Inexpensive Day for Your WeddingHave your wedding on a Sunday afternoon or even on a weeknight. The demand is way less for these days and you can get better rates and deals. I personally love Sunday weddings in the middle of the afternoons. It seems like there is always more attendance, too.
Save Money on Your WeddingWe have compiled numerous links to resources to help you save money on your upcoming wedding. Feel free to add your own ideas and resources.
