Do you have any tips on how to save money on wedding costs?

Question

I will be getting married soon, and I want a wedding that is memorable and special, but also inexpensive. I know that some larger purchases can't be avoided, like the dress and the tux, but I want to keep the costs as low as possible. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Answer 1

One way that my parents saved a ton of money for my wedding was finding friends that would want to give gifts and had special talents.

For example, I got all the following for free, because friends made/performed the service for free as their wedding gift to us:

Decorations for reception
Flowers (I paid for the silk flowers, but she put them together for free)
Wedding cake
Reception food (again I paid for ingredients, but she prepared them for free)

So think about any friends/family you have that might be able to do such things for you.

Answer 2

The ways I have saved money so far include, using a local baker (one that does not "specialize" in wedding cakes) to do our cake, I'm going to be able to feed 150 people for $112. We are having our wedding in a city park $65. The Reception is at an apartment complex that has a clubhouse, it's beautiful, we saved $6,000 on that. Go to bridal shows, vendors often have discounts for brides to be. We are having a friend do the catering. Always ask if the vendor can work with you because of your budget.
Dress/Tux: Your dress could be purchased through David's Bridal, they always have sales, used bridal stores, stores where you can buy off the rack,etc. Tuxes usually start at $50 a rental, I haven't purchased those yet.
Music: We saved a ton on music so far since we are having an ipod wedding with one of our friends DJ-ing.
Flowers: stick with seasonal flowers obviously but I've also been told that roses very affordable and versitile. Most florists order so many they are able to pass on the discount.
That is all I've planned so far, good luck, I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Actually the dress and the tux are two things that can be easily less expensive. You can opt to wear a prom or bridesmaid dress in white or ivory instead of a traditional wedding dress. Also if you get a cocktail tea-length dress it will cost about much less. Rent a tux instead of purchasing one. I got a deal at Tuxedo Junction that gave my fiance's tux rental for free and only $65 for his groomsmen. That's everything included from head to toe including shoes. What's the big cost monster is catering. Limit your guest list to what you can afford per person. Go with a buffet instead of a sit-down, served dinner (no wait staff). Depending on the time of year, consider an outdoor picnic instead of an indoor reception (no hall costs and you can serve picnic type foods which will be very inexpensive in comparison). Or you can have friends and family chip in and help cook. Use your resources - if Aunt Betty is a master baker, ask her to make your cake as your gift (offer to cover cost of ingredients). There are a ton of money savers out there. Be creative - get your bridesmaids in the action and again, the biggest thing is USE YOUR RESOURCES of friends and family. Good luck.

Answer 4

Our daughter is getting married in May. We too are trying to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. We choose a community center for everything the rehearsal, the wedding and the reception. This was so much cheaper than all of these fancy places that want you to spend $3000 or more on food and drink. With this place we can make our own food and decide how much to spend. We also got alot of decorations online, much cheaper. We saved $300 on her dress and $50 on each bridesmaid dress by ordering them online at house of brides. A woman that a family member recommended is doing the cake, she does weddings cakes in her home and is much cheaper than a bakery. Remember simple can be very beautiful. Good luck and enjoy.

Answer 5

you can reduce costs and still have a beautiful, memorable wedding. Some of the biggest ways to save money are:

Reduce the number of guests
Have a buffet or hors d'oeuvres instead of a sit-down dinner
Have a cash bar, or close the bar during dinner, or have an alcohol-free reception
Consider an off-season wedding (November through April) to reduce costs for the reception site
Consider having your wedding on any day other than Saturday to reduce costs for the reception site
Have a smaller wedding party (number of attendants
You can hire a tux
Make your own invites

CONGRATS!!! X

Answer 6

Have the reception at the house of a family or friend with a big garden, cook all the food yourself beforehand. Encourage friends to arrange the music and bring chairs, tables etc.
I got married in Romania, my wife is Romanian, the wedding Dress was a fraction of he cost in UK, and the hire of buildings and the meals meant everything was no more than the cost of a 2week holiday abroad for two.
You may also want to consider buying a 2nd hand wedding dresses on the internet there are dedicated websites where you can pick up designer dresses for a song, and can resell them againa afterwards.

Answer 7

try to use left over flowers from some other event----see if a florist can help you with this
rent both the dress and tux
have your wedding in a month that isn't wedding popular (meaning not too mnay wedding occur that month)
have it on an off day (no weekends) so the reception hall prices will be lower
don't have it in the city as they are more expensive on all charges
don't rent a limo (borrow a pals hot car instead)
make your party favors for the guests (like homade treats, soaps, or candles)
have them release balloons instead of bubbles (it is cheaper)
don't put covers on the chairs
don't hire a wedding singer---have your friend do it
find someone to marry you free of charge--most churches do anyways if you are a member
shop around for a cheap dj---some can be located for only 500---try guys who like have another job and thus, aren't money dependent
also shop around via travel/internet for cheaper honeymoon deals

hope this helps!

Answer 8

Do it yourself first of all.Don't order a cake for 500 if only 100 people will be attending.Make your own dessert and hors devours platters.Decorate yourself.Get family and friends involved.Rent out a hall instead of a hotel or expensive wedding service.At most formal wear stores they have wedding packages for tuxedos.You probably can get it if the groom and groomsmen all go together.Make your own gifts for your wedding party.Go to a local college and ask some of the photography majors to take pictures of your wedding instead of hiring a professional.Set a budget and stick to it.Congratulations to you and your future husband,I hope it all works out.

Answer 9

Think about having your wedding during the off season, typically October to April (I think....I would research that I am not too sure but it's something like that). Also, try having your wedding on a day other than Saturday and do a cash bar. That makes it cheaper for limos and reception sites. Good luck!

Answer 10

Sweetie, weddings are expensive. Your biggest pay out is going to be to the caterers so that's what you need to worry about. I bought a bridesmaids dress from David's Bridal for 160 bucks for my wedding dress and it's beautiful. We got silk flowers instead of real ones and they're much prettier and won't die. We're getting married at a historic site rather than a country club etc (MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE). We made the decorations ourselves and we bought the tulle and flowers from Michael's craft store. We're buying the wine ourselves from a small wine company and getting a discount on the cases. Wine is MUCH more expensive if you get it through the caterers, same goes for beer. We're having one of our close friends bartend instead of hiring bartenders. You can also get all sorts of books on how to cut wedding costs and even more books on how to cater your own wedding if you want to. I hope that was helpful!