Saving money during wedding season
Lizzie Tyner | RSS | 8 Comments
Yesterday Jennifer posted about how some companies are raking in the money on weddings. This is their busiest time of the year too. Most brides have already gotten their affairs in order if they are getting married this summer, but for future brides I wanted to share a few tips that Jennifer and I came up with about how we both saved on our weddings.
When I got married a few years ago, things were expensive, it seems to me that prices haven’t changed that much, but technology has and there are a lot more options for frugal brides. The first thing I wish I would have been able to do was to order flowers over the internet. Some people have allergies to real flowers, and silk flowers have come a long way, so the best thing to do is order the bouquets online. Jennifer told me that she was able to get all the bridal party flowers for around $50, which included going to Hobby Lobby for some extra flowers for the simple bridesmaids bouquets.
I saved a ton of money versus other brides just by having my wedding at a venue that was free. For some it’s the church that they go to, for me it was my parents’ house in the country. It was nice and completely free. This also meant that we didn’t have to hire anyone special to do anything like some venues do. At some reception halls, the coordinator makes you hire a certain caterer or other professional.
The best advice that I can give any new brides, that may not have a wedding date picked out, is you will definitely get more bang for your buck if you decide to get married during the “off season.” There are fewer weddings in the winter and spring than there are during the summer months (particularly May, June, and July). So, during the winter months the venues are cheaper and some of the caterers, decorations, and other “wedding” vendors are too. It’s the same principle that says that cars are less expensive at the end of the month…people are just looking for business.
This also means that I you are a June bride, then you can buy your wedding decorations and other things (like silk flowers) during the winter months to save some money.
One of the things that ate a lot of budget for my wedding was the wedding cake. Jennifer told me that she was able to ask around and find a friend who knew someone who was a cake decorator and she was able to get the cake for 30 people for less than $150 people, plus a top tier. I was able to get a friend to cater my wedding for a fraction of the price any other caterer would charge…I basically had to just pay for food and the dishes.
So to sum it up:
- Try to get married during the off season
- If you have a date already set, buy whatever you can during the off season
- If you have allergies or like silk flowers, get your flowers online
- Use your contacts and friends for whatever you can to get discounted decorations, cake, etc.
- Hold your wedding at a venue that is inexpensive or free
- The Hobby Lobby/Marshall’s is your best friend
Save some time and money by shopping at a dollar store.
Money saving tips for moms
Tags: frugal brides, real flowers, bridesmaids bouquets
Jennifer McClelland | Sun, Jun 21 2009
I agree about getting a good photographer. I actually had a family member who did a great job on our pictures. It really all depends on if you know someone or not and if you like their “style.”
There are a lot of places to save money on a wedding though…Little things that you won’t remember like bubbles and birdseed. I spent so much time making favors and they weren’t even used
Dean Brown | Sun, Jun 21 2009
I think those are all valid points. But from experience, the one thing you should ’splurge’ on is wedding photography. The photos are after all, to last a lifetime so you should get one who is relatively professional.
Keith | Sun, Jun 21 2009
I was able to save a great deal of money on my wedding using an exchange of services. I am a web developer, so my fiance and I looked at small businesses without websites who were interested in trading a website for their wedding services. By doing this we were able to save a lot of money on some of our vendors
john | Mon, Jun 22 2009
Good sharing. The current economic crisis has lead us to learn how to expand our money economically. Marriage is a special time for each and everyone and also it is a time when a lot of money is used. Therefore, staying aware of saving our money during the wedding process is really helpful.
Katrina | Wed, Jun 24 2009
Another good suggestion, is if you want it during peak months you can have it in your own backyard or family and friends yards. I’ve seen some beautiful outdoor wedding pictures with lots of landscaping and flowers in the background. Just get some table and chair rentals, Houston area is where I am from and set up your own wedding.
dharma | Sun, Jul 05 2009
wedding on the beach…how wonderful…i guest some people don’t have their holiday on summer specially who work on wedding fields.
Laureen from best mortgage insurance quotes canada | Sat, Aug 01 2009
Very nice post I agree of getting married on off season as can save more money that is very true.
Alice from San Francisco Catering | Mon, Oct 26 2009
This reminds me of the part in Father of the Bride where she is trying to cut back anyway she can. Number on priority would be photography. Number two would be food. Of course I am biased because I do catering in San Francisco. But from the weddings I have been to, the ones that I never liked are when you can see they did not spend anything on food.