It’s crazy how much my thoughts about the world around me have changed in just a few years. Nowadays, I find myself always analyzing expenses and ways to save money. The recent wedding was no exception – taking note of money-related things here and there. Full disclosure: my little sister did not have a frugal wedding. In all honestly, as fun and beautiful as everything was, it pains me to think about the grand total. I do have to give her credit, however, for finding some new ways to save money on the cost of a wedding.
No Invitations
Little sis was kind of obsessed with save-the-date magnets. The thing was that she planned the wedding in about 5 months (a family full of procrastinators), so she didn’t really need to send save the dates. Instead, she sent out these cute magnets with a few pictures of her and the fiance (now husband, weird), the date and location of the wedding, and a website address. All of the information about the wedding was on the website, along with their story, pictures of the bridal party, etc. It also had a form to RSVP for the wedding. Just think about how much she saved on stamps for traditional RSVP cards. Do make sure that guests realize not to expect formal invitations. I guess there were a couple of people who were confused about that.
Dollar-Store Centerpieces
She ended up having fresh hydrangea bouquets for the centerpieces, but the vases were from the dollar store. The innovative part? I didn’t know that you could order in bulk from the dollar store. I thought you would have to drive around to multiple stores if you wanted more than what they have on their shelves. Nope. They have a website where you can order items in bulk – they have everything from flower petals to votive candles. She called up and ordered a case of these pretty blue vases for the centerpieces. Now, if she had ordered some fake flowers as well she could have really saved money.
No Limo
I was actually really surprised that she didn’t end up renting an expensive limousine. Instead, they rented a 14 person (white) van for the whole weekend. It was really useful for the bachelorette party, rehearsal and dinner, getting members of the bridal party to the church and reception, and even driving home a few guests who partied too hard. The total cost for the van was $290, for three days! A limo for a few hours would have definitely cost more than three hundred dollars. And, although we appreciated my step-dad’s chauffeur service, there was no need to tip the driver.
Combining Favors And Table Cards
I have to admit that we had a lot of fun in the photo booth. I’m pretty sure she got a decent deal on it through a package with the DJ. Her favors were these inexpensive plastic frames with magnets (yep, I think she has a thing for magnets) for holding the printed out pictures from the photo booth. She got even more bang for her buck by using them for seating too. The frames were originally arranged with print-outs with names and table numbers. Multi-purpose items are usually a good way to save money.
No Videographer
While she did have a photographer (and assistant), my sister told me that she didn’t really see the point in hiring an expensive videographer. She asked, “How often am I going to watch the video?” Her main concern was getting some video of the big dances: the bride and groom, her and our dad, and the groom with his mom. My sister asked the DJ to make an announcement asking guests to take a video of these dances with their phones. She is going to have plenty of options to pick from.
Bonus Ideas
I tried to help her save money as she was planning her celebration. She did not like all of my ideas, as she is most definitely not a “mustachian” or a “frugal weirdo.” There were many traditional, or “normal” expenses that she was not interested in questioning. For the sake of everyone else:
One way couples can save a ton on their wedding is by going with food stations or heavy hor dourves instead of dinner. This food can be much more substantial than cheese and crackers, but costs a lot less. And, guests can choose to eat what they like the most, instead of what comes on their plate. I think it makes sense. Everyone can snack as they want, while drinking and dancing.
We saved a lot of money at our wedding by finding a venue that allowed us to bring in our own alcohol (it was a fire hall). We paid for a friend to tend the bar and allowed her to put out a tip jar (I think she did really well that night).
My sister did not have a traditional bridal shower. There were a lot of travel issues and not much time to plan one out. Instead, she had a “Jack and Jill” cocktail party. Friends celebrated with the engaged couple, munching on appetizers and enjoying drinks in a similar fashion to attending happy hour. They brought gifts for the couple, so they still got some shiny, new appliances from their registry. And, in skipping the traditional shower, my parents were able to contribute a little bit more towards the wedding expenses
I hope these tips help someone out there save money so they can have the wedding of their dreams, without a nightmarish bill. Now, it’s probably time to post about something non-wedding related . . . so tune in on Monday for a mid-year update on our debt payoff – real numbers included!! I’m a little anxious, but excited to tally everything up.
Have a nice, frugal weekend everyone 🙂
She had a photo booth at her wedding? I like that idea. I also like the idea of decorations from the dollar store. We did not have a frugal wedding, and while there are some parts of it that I wouldn’t change, there are others that I’d do differently if I could go back in time. We’ll be wiser when the time for our daughters comes : )
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Photo booths seem to be the new “thing” for weddings. They were definitely fun – the kids loved digging through the box of props. Yep, no time machines, but we can pass on what we learn 🙂
Tim had never been in a limo, so I indulged him that way. And he wanted special invitations (silver embossing on blue stock). So I indulged him there, too. Though it wasn’t too bad. I called several placed and found one that would do it for around $60 or $80. So our 100 invitations cost around $100 or $120. Not great, but we saved a lot of other ways.
My dress was a floor model at a wedding show, and a friend made a simple veil for me for about $8 in supplies. We saved up MyPoints (now I’d recommend Swagbucks) for Sam’s Club GCs and bought meat, cheese, sides, veggies, fruit, rolls, condiments (yay sandwiches!) and even silverware. (We resold the utensils and the tablecloths — bought for $4 each at a Kmart sale the day before Thanksgiving — nearly at cost.) We got silver trays from various estate sales (along with a 25 cent cake topper). We were going to get cakes at Sam’s Club for $17 each. Or maybe it was $12. Anyway, a friend had a friend who did cakes. So he paid for it as his wedding present to us. The centerpieces were royal blue vases from thrift stores with some tulle stuffed in them (a bridesmaid’s idea). We lucked into clearance glass plates at Bed Bath & Beyond for $1 each. Sold those at cost after the fact.
Impressive! Great job keeping the costs low. There are definitely ways to have a nice wedding without spending a ton of money. I like how you picked certain things to splurge on – ones that mattered to you. I think a lot of brides get caught up in the wedding planning and think that professional everything is their only option. I got my dress at a consignment store and really loved it – and that was before we embarked on this frugality mission. LOL – my friend made my veil too, they must be pretty easy to make. Maybe I should try to start another side hustle, selling homemade veils 😉
Good tips! We definitely splurged on our limo (really more like a small bus) that took us from our ceremony to reception. I think we enjoyed having everyone together, but like you said, it definitely cost a few hundred dollars!
Limos can be a lot of fun, but the key to saving money (in most everything) is realizing that you have a choice. It was convenient having a huge van for the whole weekend, instead of just a limo for a few hours.
These are all such great tips! Your wedding day is a special one, but it’s really important to stay within a practical budget while making the most of the ceremony/reception. This is an awesome guide! Thank you for your input!
Hey Harmony !!!
Great article.Its been good to read such article.I really like your content.Bridal couples were tightening their sashes and cummerbunds a few years ago when it came to spending, but these days we’re seeing a reversal of that trend. In 2014, the cost of the average American wedding was $31,213, according to The Knot 2014 Real Weddings Study. That’s about a 30 percent increase from 2007.Fortunately, couples are still finding ways to cut wedding costs without skimping on food or subjecting guests to cash bars.
Keep posting such article.
Have a great day