It's easy to sink $10,000 into a wedding. It's an art to do it for $2,000. Unless you're a die-hard traditionalist, you can save hundreds by cutting the cost of showy formalities like bridesmaid dresses (your friends will thank you) and even corsages. A backyard reception can be just as fun -- and more intimate -- than one in a restaurant or banquet hall, where the space will cost you. Try balancing the kind of wedding you envision with the kind of honeymoon you want (i.e., a backyard wedding may equal a lavish honeymoon; a weekend in a bed-and-breakfast will make a larger wedding possible). And if you're saving up for a house, the honeymoon can always wait a year.
To avoid postmarital bankruptcy, check out the following list of suggestions for keeping costs down. Decide what's crucial, what's tempting, and what's extraneous.
DIY invites are becoming more and more popular among brides, and sometimes the most creative projects actually cost the least to make.
Invitations:
- Find a good printer. The invitation is one of the first things guests see that's connected to your wedding, so it should look nice, but this isn't the place to go overboard. People will remember the event, not the invitation.
- Do it yourself. DIY invites are becoming more and more popular among brides, and sometimes the most creative projects actually cost the least to make. Consider the resources you already have and check out our new DIY photo gallery for inspiration.
Favors:
- Think fun and memorable, not fancy. Your wedding guests will be honored to have the chance to party with you and help you celebrate your marriage. Favors are meant to be parting gifts; they don’t have to be extravagant purchases. Some edible favors are yummy and affordable, and charitable favors can save a life and a little room in your budget. What beats that?
- Consider skipping favors? This issue is a hot topic for brides. Take a look at some thoughts from the ongoing debate among Knotties, and then weigh in on the boards.
Reception Venue:
- Consider being flexible with the time or day. Saturday night is the most sought-after time to wed. If you can swing the reception for a Friday night, Saturday morning/afternoon, or Sunday, you'll not only save money, you may also have more choices for dates.
- Don't overlook the obvious. If you're up for having a less traditional reception (and your guest list isn't too long), think about places that are familiar to you. Is your cousin's backyard perfect for a BBQ-style reception? Does a friend own a small restaurant where you and your guests could be VIPs for the night?
Transportation:
- Borrow a friend's ride. Wedding transportation is always a good place to save. Leased Bentleys and horse-drawn carriages are kind of corny anyway (unless you're a debutante or Cinderella, of course). Instead, call up a friend who can loan you a nice car for your getaway.
Flowers:
- Shop for your own fresh flowers. Go with a florist for your bouquet inspiration, but if there's time, have a trusted friend get your flowers at the local greenmarket on the morning of the wedding, and then set them up at the ceremony/reception sites.
Catering:
- Consider dinner alternatives. Along with the menu, discuss the cost of service (and tipping), liquor, the wedding cake, overtime, and insurance when you meet with prospective vendors. Also, a brunch, luncheon, or hors d'oeuvres reception will probably cost less than a dinner.
- Serve dinner buffet or family style. Both options, in many cases, will save you money and could allow you the chance to showcase great recipes of some family members (preferably those that don't have other responsibilities in the wedding).
Music:
- DJs tend to be less expensive than live bands. If you really want to save money in this area and you're having a more intimate reception, rent speakers to plug into a high-quality stereo; then have fun switching back and forth between his and her playlists.
Photo + Video:
- Just record the ceremony. Don't skimp on photographs or you'll regret it forever. Your wedding video is another important keepsake you won't want to pass up; however, taping only the ceremony will save you some cash.
-- The Knot
See More: Wedding Planning Basics
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juliegooch
We went to Michael's craft store. DIY invites are $40 for 30, BUT if you watch, they can go on sale for $25. They also give out coupons with every purchase, some of which include sale prices. We ended getting 3 boxes for $60
tjwalker87
My fiance and I bought blank cards from Ollie's bargain store - 25 for $2.99, which ended up being about $15. Stamps and ink maybe cost us $25 max, then we're printing them ourselves. Add a little ribbon for 50 cents a spool, and even the cost of stamps to mail the invites...we'll be under $100 for invites. yes!
MrsSMJD
For the GBP equivalent of something like $70, my fiancé and I managed to get all the cardstock to print and put together our 120 invitations and RSVP cards. Granted, there are still a few supplies we need, and we'd like to find a place that will emboss the monograms on the front, but it really IS possible to do DIY invitations without huge monetary expense. Although, if spending the money is worth saving the time and effort, that's all up to you, we just happen to make our own cards for other things anyway, so this seemed like a good way to make the wedding more personal to us as a couple.
nikkismos
check out the magnet street for wedding invites. for 100 flat invites including envelops rsvp card and a guest information card and return labels that matched we payed 320 bucks. and you get to personalize them online and change the colors to match your wedding too. they shipped fast too and everyone loves ours. we even got to put a picture of us on the design we went with! and we had no problems with them at all!
kalena224
If you're going to DIY your invitations, it's best to do your research. Supplies for our invitations are coming in at just under (by like $2) $200 - but it took me some time to find the right sources. I'm getting the majority of our supplies from www.cardsandpockets.com - much lower prices than www.paper-source.com on most items, especially pocket folders. For under $200 I'm getting supplies for 70 invitations incl. envelopes, pocket folders, layered invite, 3 inserts, and rsvp cards/envelopes.