Every little girl dreams of a wedding fit for a princess, unfortunately “fairytale” weddings mean BIG MONEY! The reality is, in today’s economy, parents aren’t always able to provide for your “perfect” wedding. Many couples are opting to assist or completely take over the financial burden of paying for their wedding. Here are a few tips to help you save money as you plan for your big day:

Make a Budget

Make a list of a few of the most important things that you absolutely must have for your wedding and reception. Set a budget for those things first then set a budget for everything else.

Don’t forget to budget for the honeymoon. For some, an exotic destination will be part of the “must-haves”. For others, look for alternate, less expensive destinations that will still provide your ideal getaway. You may find the B&B in the next town will provide as much joy as the beach house, halfway across the world.

Leave a little wiggle room in the budget. You should count on around 10%-20% extra for unexpected expenses, such as changes in price from your vendors, a detail that you forgot or an emergency of some sort.

Once you set your budget, stick to it! There will always be more expensive flowers, dresses, photographers, cakes and venues available. “That’s just a little more than I planned…” is an easy trap to fall into. Those little upgrades can quickly blow the entire budget.

DIY

There are several things you can do yourself to save money. Here are just a couple of ideas:

Print your own invitations, bulletins and place cards. more place cards

You can create many of your ceremony and reception decorations yourself. There are many wonderful ideas in our Weddingstar shop for pew decorations, aisle runners, table centerpieces and much more. More centerpieces in our Kate Aspen Shop

Don’t DIY

In 20 years, you may not remember details about the quality of the food, music, or if every pew bow was in place; however, your photos and video are investments that you and your family will cherish forever. If you shop around, you can find photographers and videographers in just about every price range imaginable. When it comes to photographers, you usually get what you pay for. Hire a respectable photographer, and not just any respectable photographer; hire a wedding photographer who has more than a handful of weddings in their resume. Your cousin who is an accomplished nature and model photographer may know photography from his perspective better than everyone else in town, but if he can’t pose a group of people or keep the photo shoot moving along at a fast pace and with a joyful attitude, your photos and your guests will suffer.

Whether your reception is in your parents’ back yard or in a grand ballroom, the wedding cake is a key centerpiece. Even if you decorate wedding cakes for a living, that is a lot of extra hassle that you don’t need during your last few days as a bachelorette. Once again, don’t just hire a good baker. Make sure she bakes wedding cakes and not just single layer birthday cakes. She should be able to show you a variety of cakes to choose from and she should be able to provide you with a nice centerpiece that fits your budget.

Conclusion

Start by setting your budget. Do your research, look for bargains, consider alternative venues, compare photographers and DJs and you should be able to save a lot of money. Doing things yourself can be very helpful and cost-effective, just make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew. The last few days before your wedding are going to be much busier than you could ever imagine. Choose to do the things that you can do ahead of time and save the things that have to be done last minute, for the pros.

When all is said and done, relax and enjoy your special day.

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