How to Save Money on a Wedding

Wondering how to get married without breaking the bank? How to save money on a wedding offers cost-cutting ideas for every wedding expense.

DIY Wedding Preparation : How to Save Money on Weddings

The expert on this video provides several tips on how to save money on a wedding. The first thing she recommends is to prioritize which aspect of the wedding is most important. She also recommends that you reduce your guest list, and consider weekdays and off season dates which can save thousands.

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Introduction
- Maybe you're trying to plan a wedding on a shoestring budget. Perhaps you just want to keep your big day in financial perspective and cut corners on costs. Whatever your reasons for wanting to curb expenses, these tips will help you save money on every aspect of your wedding.
General Money-Saving Ideas
- Saving money is not always fun, but it's not exactly a party to have no money in the bank when your monthly bills arrive either. These ideas will help you to save money on your wedding so that you can enjoy your life as a newlywed.
1. Push your wedding date back so that you will have more time to save.
2. Make a wedding budget and stick to it. Know that most vendors will try to get you to overspend, so don't fall for it.
3. Take inventory of what you've already got.
  - Having your reception at your brother's fabulous house and listening to your cousin's cover band could save you a lot of money.
4. Double up to cut expenses.
  - If you're not having a religious ceremony, hold your ceremony and reception in the same venue.
5. Borrow what you can't buy.
  - Free is a great price for wedding supplies and, chances are, you're not going to be so nostalgic that you'll want to keep everything as a keepsake. Pick and choose what you buy.
6. Plan your wedding during the off-season (November through March) and on a day other than Friday or Saturday.
7. Ask your family and friends how they cut wedding costs and what they splurged on that, in retrospect, they could have done without.
Cost-Cutting on Wedding Expenses
- Now, it's time to go step-by-step through wedding expenses to find out how to cut costs on:
1. The Venue:
  1. Do you know any one with a beautiful home or large yard with a garden? Close friends and family will probably let you use the venue for free, and acquaintances might charge less than a traditional venue would.
  2. Holding the reception at a private place helps to cut other costs too. You will be able to buy your own alcohol and hire your own bartenders.
  3. Negotiate a good package deal on an all-inclusive venue, such as a hotel.
2. Wedding Rings:
  - Buy simple rings of a lesser metal such as silver. Don't bet on career advancement and financial windfall to pay your bills. You can upgrade to platinum rings for an upcoming anniversary.
3. The Guests:
  - Make objective standards for cutting guests from the list:
  1. Cut anyone you haven't spoken to in a few years. If you haven't wished them a happy birthday since college, they probably don't feel the need to wish you a happy marriage.
  2. Create standards such as no distant relatives or work friends.
4. Keep your wedding party small:
  - The bigger it is the more expensive it's going to be to have your rehearsal dinner and to purchase gifts for your bridesmaids and groomsmen.
5. Wedding Clothes:
  - For a comprehensive list of money-saving tips, visit Mahalo's How to Save Money on a Wedding Dress. Here are some quick tips:
  1. Borrow a dress from a friend or family member.
  2. Buy your dress at an online or in-store sample sale. (Read tips from New York Magazine for getting a deal at sample sales.)
  3. Skip the silk and go with a cheaper material, like a polyester blend.
6. Invitations:
  1. Shop for wedding invitations at chain office or party supply stores.
  2. Buy a nice stock paper and make your own wedding invitations.
  3. Put ceremony and reception information on the same invitation.
7. Entertainment:
  1. Hire amateur musicians or provide your own sound system.
  2. Is there a talented musician among your friends and family? If so, he might consider playing your reception or he might be connected to a network of musicians. Even if you threw him a couple of hundred bucks, you'd still save on what you'd spend on a wedding band.
8. Catering:
  1. Choose seasonal ingredients and simple recipes.
  2. Consider a buffet option. It's usually cheaper.
  3. Order a small, but beautiful cake for the cake-cutting ceremony at your reception, and order sheet cakes of the same flavor for caterers to serve to guests.
  4. Ask your caterer if they can provide a simple, cheap menu for children.
  5. Consider having a cash bar.
9. The Photographer and Videographer:
  - Tips for hiring a wedding photographer:
  1. Only book the photographer for the wedding ceremony and the first hour of the reception.
  2. Pose for photographs and then ship him off before he runs up your bar tab.
  3. Before you hire a photographer, ask around to find one who will give you the negatives.
  - Tips for hiring a wedding videographer:
  1. Hire a one-camera video package and request little or no editing.
  2. Don't hire a videographer. Ask a friend with a camera to videotape the wedding, and give her a list of moments to film at the the ceremony and reception.
10. Decorations:
  1. Buy cheaper flowers: choose silk flowers, seasonal blooms or inexpensive options such as carnations or filler flowers.
  2. Plan your wedding around a holiday, when the church will already be decorated or find out if anyone else is getting married on the same day and split the decoration costs with them.
  3. Check out dollar stores for small, decorative elements.