General Advice
Smart Ways To Save On Wedding Costs For Couples & Their Guests
18 Jan 2024 •15 min read
When it comes to wedding planning, it’s super easy to go a little overboard on spending. Many newlyweds don't even realize how much money they could've saved until the big day is already over. So, to save you from some serious buyer's remorse and to help you put your dollars in all the right places, we've gathered all the best recommendations on where to save and where to splurge!
1.Bridesmaid Proposals VS. The Things You Love
Splurge: Spend your extra money on anything that illustrates what you, as a couple, love in life. If you are a foodie, spend it on your reception. If you love flowers, spend additional on blooms. If you are fashion obsessed, spend it on the big day attire. Love craft beer or fine wine? Spend some extra money on drinks. Whatever reflects both your individual personalities and the love you share is where the extra money and effort should be made.
2.Large Programs VS. Flatware, Glassware, and Plates
Save: Everybody tends to fall in love with their stationery; a good paper product is always hard to part with! But it's these larger-sized items such as the programs that most people end up throwing out at the end of the night.
Splurge: Consider upgrading your flatware, glassware, and plates. Your table setting aesthetics are just as important to your wedding style as the decor. This is because your guests interact with them. They touch, move, eat, and drink with these items and therefore make a huge impact on your guests.
Remember though that you need to have multiple sets. This includes three pieces of glassware and four to six pieces of flatware for each guest. Even if you can't afford huge, lush floral arrangements, these settings will fill in where your flowers can’t, becoming a game changer for the overall big day design. Upgraded settings are only .35 to .80 cents per piece, therefore it's such a cost effective and smart way to play up your design.
3.Chair Covers VS. Professional Photographer
Save: Chair covers are surprisingly expensive. Not only that, but they also are often uncomfortable to sit on, too. So, even though they tend to look pretty, they don’t necessarily add to your guests' experience and might even detract from it. If you truly have ugly chairs at your venue, then use the money you'd spend on chair covers to rent attractive chairs instead.
Splurge: Hiring a good photographer is one of those wedding expenses that's worth the cost. Photos are one of the few tangible things couples get to keep long after the big day, so don’t go cheap on the snapshots because they will almost always disappoint you later. You don't get a chance to redo your wedding, so choose a great photographer who'll be able to capture images you'll love and pass down to your children and their children. It's worth the money you'll spend and you can't put a price on memories.
4.Buying Your Wedding Attire VS. Investing in a Wedding Planner
Save: Save yourself the trouble, don’t buy your wedding attire! The services that offer online tux, bridesmaids, and wedding dress rentals are great. Unless you’re a super nostalgic type of person, why not just rent your special outfit for the day and send it back? In most cases, you won’t ever wear it again.
Splurge: Investing in either a wedding planner or day-of coordinator could prevent you from stressing over everything. Even if you have a family and friends helping plan your wedding, you should all be able to enjoy the wedding day, not just the newlyweds.
Don’t be one of those newly-weds that regrets not hiring a planner or day-of coordinator. Put your mind at ease and let a professional handle all of the details. Yes, there is a cost, but trust your instincts, it will be well worth it.
5.Favors VS. Linens
Save: Although favors are cute and considerate, most guests either don’t notice them or simply don’t care much for these trinkets. In fact, quite a few guests actually FORGET them when they leave. It’s an extra cost that you can put towards something else such as your floral or linens.
Splurge: Linens make all of the difference in the look and feel of the "I dos." They can add warmth and have the ability to really bring out your unique style.
6.Elaborate Centerpieces VS. Upgrading Your Wedding Bands
Save: Instead of spending your time and money on elaborate centerpieces, put together something simple, but elegant. Not only do you want to be able to see your guests, but you want them to see each other too!
Splurge: Your wedding ring will be one of the lasting elements from your big day. The money you’d be saving by downsizing those dozen or more large centerpieces to something smaller could be used to get the best metal that your wedding budget will allow; you will be wearing this ring every day after all! Jewelry of heirloom quality can be passed down to the next generation. Choose a classic design you love that expresses your personal style.
7.Designer Jewelry VS. Handmade Jewelry Artist
Save: Instead of spending $200 on a mass-produced necklace that is dramatically overpriced with no extra quality or detail to show for the price markup, you can find a handmade artist to create something personal for you that will not only be of higher quality, it will have a unique design and you will have something that you can cherish for a lifetime. If you are going to splurge, don't splurge on the mass produced, overpriced sparklers. Shop around before you buy and always consider purchasing handmade items.
Splurge: The perfect bridal jewelry and hair accessories are essentials to complete your bridal look. You can use jewelry to add sparkle, elegance, or for the bolder brides, you can use accessories to tie all the colors of your wedding together. Whether you choose to go simple with minimal bling or you want those sparkling statement pieces, the perfect jewelry and hair pieces can make or break your "I do" style.
Pro-tip:
Your bridal accessories should not take away from it or overpower your look. A simple gown can look amazing with both a little glitter or high impact jewelry.
8.Paper Stationery (Save-the-dates & RSVP) VS. Wedding Website
Save: Sending paper save-the-dates and invites to each and every guest is slowly becoming an outdated and ultimately unnecessary method. Many guests actually appreciate receiving digital information instead of paper, especially considering digital invitations are easily accessible, environmentally friendly, and could include an array of effects that can’t be mimicked on paper.
Splurge: By setting up a reliable wedding website with online RSVPs, your site will be the go-to place for your guests to get all of the information they need such as travel and accommodation details, dates and times of your various events, information about your registry, how to contact you with last minute questions, and anything else.
You want to be sure that you’re working with a reliable wedding website and online RSVP service with a history of happy clients. It is important to choose a service that allows you to customize your site’s look and feel to match your personalities, protects you and your guests' privacy, and works seamlessly on all devices.
Other Ways To Save Money on Events
1. Shop For Stationery Online
Buying stationery from an Etsy vendor or a company like Shutterfly is a fantastic way to save on wedding stationery. Forgo the calligraphy and luxe paper, and choose an independent designer who can craft something unique and perfect for your wedding. You can save even more money if you purchase a design from an Etsy vendor and then print the invitations yourself.
2. Have A Brunch Wedding
Save yourself from a massive booze bill and marry earlier in the day. Not only will you reduce venue costs by marrying during the day or on a Sunday—and who doesn't love Sunday brunch?! —your friends and family will likely drink less, saving you the cost of a five-hour open bar. (It's also easier to get away with not having a band or DJ at a morning reception!) Serve up mimosas and Bloody Marys instead, and hire a caterer to make custom omelets.
3.Fake The Cake
A traditional tiered wedding cake for 130 people can cost upwards of $2,000. Save yourself the cash and order a fake cake with just one real tier that you can cut into, and then stash a sheet cake in the kitchen to be served to guests on individual plates). You could even display an entirely fake cake at your reception and skip the cake cutting altogether, serving guests from a sheet cake hidden in the kitchen.
4.DIY Your Makeup
There are hundreds of DIY makeup tutorials on YouTube, so sit down for an afternoon and experiment on your face! You probably have a sense of which colors and products work for your skin and style, so practice, practice, practice, and you'll have no trouble nailing down a wedding-ready look. If you're nervous, you can always ask a beauty-obsessed friend to help you on the big day.
5. DIY Your Flowers
This DIY task is not for first-time crafters, but if you're up for a challenge, there's no reason you can't put together some fabulous floral arrangements! First, browse the web for some DIY flower inspiration. Start to envision your wedding bouquets and centerpieces, and then price out your desired flowers at an online shop like Fifty Flowers or even Costco. You can have them delivered a few days before your wedding and grab some friends to help you create the arrangements. If you're more flexible about how the florals look, visit your local farmers market or grocery store the day before your wedding and start shopping! If you're open-minded about the look of your flowers, you'll end up with beautiful, one-of-a-kind arrangements.
6.Buy A White Cocktail Dress Instead Of A Wedding Dress
A white party dress can cost a fraction of what you'd pay for a traditional wedding gown and still look just as great! There are plenty of floor-length, non-bridal—though still white or ivory —dresses out there. Dig around at bridal salons, online, or even in department stores like Nordstrom and try on a variety of styles and silhouettes.
7.Serve Coffee During The Last Hour Of Your Wedding
An open bar will be one of the bigger expenses on your wedding tab, so save yourself some cash -- and your friends a terrible hangover -- by closing the bar during the last hour of your wedding and serving coffee only. Guests have plenty of time to drink during the first hours of the wedding, so we're sure they won't mind a hot cup of joe and a sweet treat before heading home for the night.
8.Get Married In A Park Or Other Government-owned Venue
Hosting your ceremony and reception in the same venue is nice because it eliminates awkward in-between travel, but it can cost a pretty penny to rent it out for six hours instead of just three or four. Find a beautiful park, library or other government-owned site that's close to your reception venue and get a cheap permit from the city to marry there. If your friends and family can easily walk to your reception immediately after, all the better!
9.Ways To Cut Ceremony Costs
We get that you want to make your wedding as cost-effective as possible. One of the best places to save is your ceremony. Between picking the right location and keeping things simple, you can make sure your ceremony doesn't break the bank.
10.Choose A Free Or Low-cost Location
Believe it or not, that doesn’t leave you with limited options. Some public parks or city-owned buildings will let you host a wedding ceremony for free! Many religious establishments will host your ceremony for a small donation. Or, why not get married in your backyard?
If you choose a blank space without many bells and whistles, you might feel the need to bring in lots of decor to spruce it up. Instead, pick a location that’s gorgeous as-is — you’ll be able to spend less on extra decorations.
11.Ask A Friend To Be Your Officiant
Save yourself a little cash by asking a friend to perform your wedding ceremony. Ordination is typically free, just keep in mind, you may need to pay a small fee for the proper paperwork.
12.Avoid Renting Chairs At All Costs
If you’re tying the knot in a place of worship, this one is covered. But if you’re planning an outdoor wedding or a ceremony at an out-of-the-box location, chances are there won’t be seating available. And chair rentals add up. Either pick a ceremony venue where seating is included, or consider having a short standing ceremony.
13.Reuse Flowers & Decor
The flowers flanking each row of chairs? They can double as centerpieces The backdrop for your altar can be repurposed as the backdrop for your photo booth. Get creative!
14.Skip Printed Programs
Stationery costs can get high, fast. Instead of printing 100+ programs that will likely get thrown away, create a program sign with all the same information. Display it at the front of the ceremony space — it doubles as decor!
15.Keep Your Event Short
Some ceremony spaces charge by the hour, so the quicker the ceremony, the less you’ll spend. That said, don’t rush your ceremony either — after all, it’s a special moment that you’ll want to remember! Just minimize the number of readings, songs, and rituals you choose.
16.Host Your Event During The Day
Nighttime weddings can definitely be romantic, but they also require lighting equipment. A sunny afternoon won’t need any.
17.Be Smart About Sound
There’s no right answer when it comes to acoustics — it completely depends on your venue. If you’re outside, you might need a microphone to say your vows, which means you’re renting an entire audio system. That’s OK — just don’t also hire a string quartet to play. But if you’re in a small space and don’t need to rent audio equipment, hiring a musician will be more cost-effective.
Apps & Websites That Will Help You Save
We know you techie, modern-day brides: you are scouring the internet for wedding inspiration all day long, you send pin boards to your wedding planners, and you're Loverly's Guest List Manager to keep track of your RSVPs. You've probably browsed a few "top wedding planning app" articles, but did you know there are apps that can actually help you save money on your wedding?
If you want to build a wedding website for free, save huge money on invitations or gather your guests' photos with ease, there's an app for that. Check out our top eight favorite budget-saving apps and websites that will make wedding planning a cinch.
- Personalized Wedding Planning Checklist
Staying on top of your to-do's is a breeze with this no-nonsense weekly wedding planner newsletter. From helpful tips, to product recommendations, and practical advice this wedding planning newsletter is going to be your wedding BFF. When you register with us you gain access to our sample wedding budget breakdown with tons of spreadsheets, video tutorials, and more! - Paperless Post
Go uber-techie and send out electronic invites or save-the-dates! Paperless Post offers dozens of beautiful e-stationery suites to complement every wedding style, and even features a slew of invitations you can send for free. How's that for budget-saving? - Mixbook
Using Mixbook is like having your own personal Instagram hashtag, but sleeker and totally private. Create a free custom app and have your guests upload their photos and videos throughout the night. Then, view guests' contributions on the app or on the web, and add digital camera uploads after your wedding night. - Spark
Ask a video-savvy friend to download this free app and you can pretty much cross "hire videographer" off your wedding to-do list. OK, maybe that's a little ambitious, but with Cameo you can easily create and edit beautiful films on your phone. Add text and effects, edit clips together, and embed the finished product on your wedding website. Fabulously cheap and easy! - Canva
With its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates, Canva allows you to create stunning wedding invitations, save-the-dates, and other stationery without the need for expensive professional designers. Plus, you can easily customize colors, fonts, and graphics to match your wedding theme, ensuring a personalized touch.
Ways To Save As A Guest
Between the engagement party, the bridal party and the actual registry, even as a guest, attending a wedding can end up becoming a costly series of events. Every little thing can add up and before you know it, you're spending way more than you expected to attend your friend's wedding. But before you start crying and obsessively refreshing your bank account balance, read these smart ways on saving a little money for your bff’s big day. From gifts to travel, we've got you covered.
1.Hit The Registry ASAP
Check out the registry as soon as you can to ensure that there will be plenty of gifts in your price range. If you wait too long, you'll be stuck purchasing that $300 KitchenAid or going off-registry.
2.Buy Your Gift Where It's Cheapest
Oftentimes, you can score a better deal online than at a big box store. It's totally acceptable to shop around for the best price on an item, just make sure to call the store where the couple is registered and ask them to mark it as purchased so no other guests buy the same item. And always include a gift receipt!
3.Search For Store Discounts
Sign up for emails or add yourself to mailing lists to receive special deals from the stores where the couple is registered. You can also search online for promo codes and printable coupons on sites like dealspl.us and RetailMeNot.
4.Gift Off Registry
We think it's perfectly fine to go off-registry and put together a more tailored gift for the couple. Gifting a date night experience, something for their honeymoon, or a themed-basket are just a few of the ways to get creative with it.
5.Do Your Airfare Research
If you start thinking about airfare in the early planning stages, you're most likely to find a good deal. We recommend using apps and sites like Kayak, Expedia, and Skyskanner to ensure your flight doesn't break the bank.
6.Forgo The Flight
If the destination isn't too far away, consider other methods of travel. Trains are often a bit more budget-friendly than flights, and bus tickets are likely even more affordable (Megabus offers $1 deals to some cities). Have other friends going to the wedding? Borrow or rent a car and plan a road trip.
7.Rent Your Attire Or Borrow From A Friend
Shop your friends' closets to mix up your wardrobe without buying anything new! You can also check out rental sites like Rent the Runway, which allows you to borrow designer gowns for a fraction of the cost of buying one, or Generation Tux for tuxedo rentals.
8.Book An Airbnb Instead Of A Hotel Room
Even with a hotel block discount, your lodging expense will likely be one of the largest. Consider booking an entire apartment nearby with friends to cut costs. If possible, stay close enough to one of the designated hotels so you can hitch a ride on any provided transportation.
9.Share A Room With Friends
If there are no nearby Airbnbs, or if you want to stay close to the wedding party, share a hotel room with multiple friends. After all, a room with two double beds can sleep at least four people!
10.Pack Light & Carry On
If you've got to fly, avoid checked baggage charges by packing everything in your carry on. And mail the couple's gift to their home ahead of time so you don't have to waste luggage space.
11.Use Uber Or Lyft Instead Of Renting A Car
If the majority of your transportation needs will be getting to and from the airport, consider calling an Uber instead of renting a car. To save even more money, try UberPool which allows you to share a ride with others traveling to similar destinations. Ready, set, save some money!
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About The Author
Corey is a writer of poetry and prose whose interests gravitate between lifestyle, travel and entertainment. He lives in New York City and currently works at Loverly as a writer. His latest book of poetry, “That Cold Wind Called Life” depicts the strangeness of life and the journey of finding inner peace. Corey graduated from Queens College City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature.
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