Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’ve had a great week. I ‘m so excited to have a fun guest poster today and tomorrow – Kate- writing about how to plan a wedding on a budget. Weddings seem to be a huge area in which many Americans lack financial savvy. I love this topic- coming from a girl who spent $299 on her wedding dress!
Here’s Kate:
He popped the question. You said yes. You’ve told all of your friends and family the exciting news, sprung for a manicure to show off your new bling, and you now spend much of your day speaking expressively with your hands just to catch a glimpse of the new accessory on your left ring finger. Welcome to the newly engaged club!
Once you’ve properly celebrated this huge milestone in both of your lives, it’s time to start planning the wedding day! And if you’re like most newly engaged couples in the beginning phases of wedding planning, you may be asking yourselves, “How in the world are we going to afford this?!”
According to cnn.com, last year brides and grooms spent an average of $28,427 on weddings and related events. If this number has your palms sweating, stay calm. There are plenty of ways to save money on your big day, while still having the wedding of your dreams! Keep reading for helpful tips that will save you money, without sacrificing style!
Your Wedding Dress
Every bride wants to look absolutely breathtaking on her wedding day, but that doesn’t require dropping thousands of dollars on the latest Pnina Tornai. Today, plenty of money-savvy brides opt for less expensive, but no less beautiful, wedding dresses. Many retailers like J Crew, Ann Taylor and even Target offer elegant wedding collections that won’t break the bank. In fact, brides can still have the chance of snagging a designer gown without breaking the bank. David’s Bridal offers lines by designers like Vera Wang that are budget-conscious and beautiful. Renting a wedding dress or purchasing a previously owned dress is also becoming a popular option for brides.
I snuck in a pic of one of my best friend’s weddings- love our bridesmaids’ dresses from David’s Bridal! (and yes that’s a baby bump you see on me!)
Make your own Invitations
You’ll soon discover that wedding invitations are a bit more complex than just an envelope with the wedding date and time inside. You see, the envelope you send out actually contains another envelope for RSVPS. Then there’s the response cards, tissue paper, oh and don’t forget return postage (as well as the postage for sending out the invitations, – which is often more expensive because of the increased weight, with all that paper inside!) Having your wedding invitations professionally made can cost hundreds of dollars. Hire a calligrapher to address the invitations, and you are looking at one big expense!
Today, many couples choose to make their wedding invitations themselves. Most craft stores sell templates, so your invitations will still look elegant and beautifully designed. Check out DIY blogs and pinterest for examples of other couples’ DIY invitations for inspiration.
Enlist Friends and Family to Help with Decorations
When it comes to decorations, don’t be afraid to enlist your friends and family for help. It’s free labor, and it can actually be really fun! Gather all of the supplies, set out some snacks and invite everyone over for a decoration-making party! The decorations will feel more personal and special, knowing they were made by the hands of all of the people you love the most! If you don’t know where to start, the DIY Network is a great place to get ideas and step-by-step directions for many decoration projects.
Aren’t these great ideas? Come back tomorrow for even more tips from Kate on planning your dream wedding on a budget!
About Kelli Hays
Another often overlooked option is to get someone to make your dress! I couldn’t find anything I liked in stores (this was before JCrew and similar had wedding lines), and I mentioned what I wanted to a local seamstress. She said, “I could make that!” and whipped up a custom design that was exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the cost.
Wow Tiffany that is awesome! And you had a completely custom dress!
You are right. The amount of money people spend on weddings is astonishing to me. Being an almost 6’2″ bride on a VERY small budget, I could never afford a dress from the stores. I was quoted nearly $10,000 for a simple dress just because of the amount of fabric they would have to add!! So, my Mom made my dress for less than $100 (we found the material on sale). SCORE!! I don’t think our entire wedding cost more than $2500!! Including the tuxes!! 🙂 It can be done and be absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Wow that is amazing you did your wedding for that little! I can’t believe that a store wanted $10k for a dress! Crazy