How To Save Money On Your Wedding

When my husband proposed to me we were both still in college. I was a senior English major while he was chipping away at the third year of his PhD. Suffice it to say, neither of use were really rolling in dough. A few months later, Matt got a job an hour away from where I was living that required him to live where he worked. As his job was in the back woods of Maine, I figured my chances of finding work would be better if I stayed near Bangor. We’d live apart for a year, raise money, and get married that summer. Of course, we forgot the fact that we have a hard time being apart for more than a few hours, much less a week at a time. It didn’t take long for us to decide to move the wedding up from July to December. Looking back from shortly after our sixth month anniversary, I am very sure we made the right decision.

Of course, that left us with a problem. We had between the two of us over $60,000 in school and consumer loans, one job, and four months to plan a wedding. Yeah…

It all turned out alright. I’m told the wedding was beautiful (I honestly can’t remember much of it), and the experience convinced me that there’s really no reason to spend tens of thousands of dollars on your wedding. If you’re getting married soon and are hoping to keep all your arms and legs attached to your torso, some of the things I learned might be helpful to you.

1. “Off season” should be called “half-off season:” I think the number one thing that kept my wedding costs down was getting married in December. My wedding was on the 27^th, and I mean, come one, who gets married then? Most of the people I did business with were offering discounts on their wedding services. The hall was cheaper. The decorations were cheaper. I was able to hit sales on my dress. The general ideas behind supply and demand definitely apply in this case: if no one else is buying, chances are good you’ll pay less.

(Can't say much for the weather, but the sales were great)

2. Put in time: The amount of time you’re able to put into planning your wedding is directly related to the amount you’ll spend. If you have the time to search sales, research vendors, and make contacts you will save hundreds of dollars.

3. Get crafty: Labor is not cheap. If you’re willing to put in your own labor you’ll save that much more. Search the internet for inspiration for homemade centerpieces, favors, and invitations. Shop sales and buy in bulk. I found that the Oriental Trading Company was a great resource for favor and centerpiece materials. If you’re good with laying out text in word documents, invitations made from kits can look as gorgeous as a professionally made invitation at a fraction of the cost. Invest in a glue gun. Make your bridesmaids earn their keep and have crafting parties. The more you can do on your own the less expensive your wedding will be.

(Our hand made wedding program)

4. Take a chance on a lesser known vendor: I really wanted to have some great pictures from my wedding, but I was appalled at how much photographers charged for their services. I was getting ready to suck it up and use a quarter of my budget on a well known photographer when through word of mouth I heard of a someone just out of college looking for work. I looked through the Facebook page she made for her company and was blown away by her creative take to wedding photography. The best part? She charged fraction of what the least expensive professional photographer was charging. The pictures she took were gorgeous and she was willing to spend much more time with the project than any of the high end studios would. If you’re willing to take a chance on someone who’s just starting to establish themselves you’ll save a lot of money and likely end up very pleased with the result.

(Sam was great - she even let us pull of this crap)

5. It’s all who you know: If you’re currently planning a wedding two things are true about the people in your life right now. One is they all have a variety of unlikely and useful talents. The other is (especially if they’re female) they all want a part of your wedding. Don’t be afraid to take people up on offers to help you out. I saved hundreds of dollars on my flowers because one of my bridesmaids had experience arranging bouquets. If you resist the urge to take all the pressures of your wedding onto your own shoulders you’ll find that there are a lot of people out there who would love to help make your day a success.

(My bridesmaid Monica pumps the the bouquet she arranged)

6. (And this is important now, so I’ll put it in all caps) BE FLEXIBLE: If you’ve had your wedding planned out since you were seven and you’ll be crushed if it’s not just so, chances are good you’ll be paying more than you’d like. It is crucial to be flexible and make the best of what is given to you without throwing money at every little detail. Are the candies you ordered for your favors not the right shade of blue? Who cares? Did the florist neglect to add enough baby’s breath with your order? No big deal! Does the caterer not offer the exact kind of pasta you wanted with your chicken parmesan? Don’t worry about it. If you present yourself as a calm and flexible bride, people will be much happier to work with you and more willing to negotiate on price. Keep your own stress level down will make you able to enjoy your special day, plus it can save you a lot money.

The most important thing to remember is that no matter what happens, the event itself is not what’s important. If you’re making the commitment to spend the rest of your life learning and growing with someone, your relationship is what’s important, not the ceremony celebrating it. Make sure that you don’t let the stress and chaos of wedding planning get in the way of the number one relationship in your life.

…And of course, if you can save money on your wedding, you’ll be able to put it towards an absolutely phenomenal honeymoon!