Tips For Saving On Weddings

[cheapwaysto]

I have some tips on how to save money on a traditional church wedding. This top 10 list is for those who are ready to take matters into their own hands by being involved in planning their big day.

1. Go slow. Pick a non-traditional or slower time of year to get married. Think January, February, or November. Even consider a day and time other than Saturday afternoon—when most weddings take place. You can get a break on the venue and from the vendors for choosing an off-peak time.

2. Limit the guest list. Make your dream guest list then mark off at least 50 names. Most caterers charge per-person, so the difference between 100 guests and 150 can be huge.

3. Shop around. Prices and packages are negotiable with most vendors. Don’t ever settle for more than you think you should be paying. Moreover, use vendors who aren’t primarily wedding vendors and you’ll see cheaper prices (e.g., using a grocery store florist instead of a wedding floral designer).

4. Get your hands dirty. The more you do, the less you’ll end up paying. While your bride and her girlfriends are tying ribbons on wedding favors, you can be running around town running wedding errands. Just ask your bride for a list of what you can do.

5. Rent. Rent your tux—some stores will even rent tuxes for $30 a day. If you’re wearing a suit and want to buy a new one, ask department store clerks when their next suit sale is or try an outlet mall.

6. Consider “drop-off catering.” The caterer delivers and sets up already-prepared food. Or, have family friends cater the reception for you. Go with a buffet instead of a sit-down meal, or host a dessert reception, brunch, or luncheon instead of a multi-course meal.

7. Get friendly. Ask friends to take photos at your bridal showers, rehearsal dinner, pre-ceremony, and reception. Hire a professional only for the formal portraits and ceremony shots if you’re concerned about the quality of a friend’s photos.

8. Skip the DJ. Hook up a CD player or iPod to the sound system and pump out the tunes. If you’re set on having live musicians, hire a local music student(s) for the ceremony and/or reception.

9. Get sponsored. If you or your bride is set on having a lavish wedding, negotiate with vendors to have wedding services provided in exchange for subtle advertising at the event (the company’s name on a card next to the items provided, a listing of sponsors in the wedding program, or even a mention during a speech at the reception.)

10. Honeymoon close to home. The two best and easiest ways to cut down on your honeymoon costs are to stay close to home (to avoid transportation costs) and to limit the amount of time you need to pay for lodging. You can choose a nicer hotel for the same amount you would spend at a less-posh place if your honeymoon is a few days shorter.

The good news for frugal brides and groom is that the trend of the millennial wedding is toward everything simple and elegant—that lends itself to savings. From ring styles to cakes and bouquets, less is more, and with the right planning, your bank account can reflect the savings.

[funnyvalentine]

As a caterer for almost 20 years, I had to weigh in on this.



1. Go slow. Pick a non-traditional or slower time of year to get married. Think January, February, or November. Even consider a day and time other than Saturday afternoon—when most weddings take place. You can get a break on the venue and from the vendors for choosing an off-peak time.

Sometimes this works, sometimes not. Our costs are the same, no matter what time or day you get married.

2. Limit the guest list. Make your dream guest list then mark off at least 50 names. Most caterers charge per-person, so the difference between 100 guests and 150 can be huge.

Yes. Get a grip on your guestlist; invite only those who you really want to have there, and hold firm when your relatives give you their guest lists.

3. Shop around. Prices and packages are negotiable with most vendors. Don’t ever settle for more than you think you should be paying. Moreover, use vendors who aren’t primarily wedding vendors and you’ll see cheaper prices (e.g., using a grocery store florist instead of a wedding floral designer).

When you use a "non-wedding" vendor, you will get "non-wedding" experience. Most wedding vendors charge the prices they do because of the quality they provide; the marketplace is too competitive to not give your best price, wedding or not.

4. Get your hands dirty. The more you do, the less you’ll end up paying. While your bride and her girlfriends are tying ribbons on wedding favors, you can be running around town running wedding errands. Just ask your bride for a list of what you can do.

Be realistic about how busy you want to be the week before your wedding, when the #%(%* hits the fan. Being non stop crazy that week can take all the fun out of it.

5. Rent. Rent your tux—some stores will even rent tuxes for $30 a day. If you’re wearing a suit and want to buy a new one, ask department store clerks when their next suit sale is or try an outlet mall.

6. Consider “drop-off catering.” The caterer delivers and sets up already-prepared food. Or, have family friends cater the reception for you. Go with a buffet instead of a sit-down meal, or host a dessert reception, brunch, or luncheon instead of a multi-course meal.

If you have "drop off catering" you are responsible for the serving and cleanup. Be realistic about your enthusiasm for this. If you are in a hall, they will expect it to be cleaned up and perfect; you are not going to want to haul trash after your party. Keep in mind that your relatives may not have the knowledge necessary to feed a multitude of people in a safe way.

7. Get friendly. Ask friends to take photos at your bridal showers, rehearsal dinner, pre-ceremony, and reception. Hire a professional only for the formal portraits and ceremony shots if you’re concerned about the quality of a friend’s photos.

8. Skip the DJ. Hook up a CD player or iPod to the sound system and pump out the tunes. If you’re set on having live musicians, hire a local music student(s) for the ceremony and/or reception.

9. Get sponsored. If you or your bride is set on having a lavish wedding, negotiate with vendors to have wedding services provided in exchange for subtle advertising at the event (the company’s name on a card next to the items provided, a listing of sponsors in the wedding program, or even a mention during a speech at the reception.)

This is the tackiest thing I have ever heard. Go without before doing this. It is positively revolting. No one will think it's a "lavish" wedding. They'll think it's cheap and tasteless.

10. Honeymoon close to home. The two best and easiest ways to cut down on your honeymoon costs are to stay close to home (to avoid transportation costs) and to limit the amount of time you need to pay for lodging. You can choose a nicer hotel for the same amount you would spend at a less-posh place if your honeymoon is a few days shorter.

The good news for frugal brides and groom is that the trend of the millennial wedding is toward everything simple and elegant—that lends itself to savings. From ring styles to cakes and bouquets, less is more, and with the right planning, your bank account can reflect the savings.[/quote]

[acezz4e_tish]

i dont feel renting a tux is always the best solution. Why a tux that u will wear only once?!. What is it with others that feel, they cant be seen in something more then once. If it fits, feels good and is a good buy, flaunt it!
My son had bought a suit for his wedding, very classy, his wedding is in may, so ill submit pix after that, and i am taking the pix for the wedding saving money. Tux rental is like 125 dollars. My sons suit he bought was 199.50. After his wedding hes still got a gr8 suit for church functions, to heck with anyone that wont be seen twice in one outfit.lol

[PrincessPerky]

That is the advantage of being a man, no one would wear my wedding dress after the wedding! (but it has been used to trim a stocking, and if you like traditional mile long baptism dresses, reusing your wedding dress is a great idea.)

If you are a gal, shop last seasons dresses, mine was 400, down from over a grand.

And IMO honeymoon in your home, save the vacation for when you want to leave the kids behind!

[funnyvalentine]

I agree with this partly; if a suit is acceptable as attire for the wedding (if it's informal or an afternoon, yes, go buy something nice. But a suit is not an acceptable substitute for formal wedding attire.
Owning a tuxedo isn't the worst idea, especially is the owner is someone who might be in another wedding or have the need to go out formally.....

Originally Posted by acezz4e_tish

i dont feel renting a tux is always the best solution. Why a tux that u will wear only once?!. What is it with others that feel, they cant be seen in something more then once. If it fits, feels good and is a good buy, flaunt it!
My son had bought a suit for his wedding,

[kealina]

the tips are good for saving money but the second poster has some good points about running around doing stuff... you need to know yourself, be realistic, and prioritize...
we saved lots of money while still hiring professionals where we needed them but that's because me and DH are hard-working, budget minded, and low-maintenance.... we actually make sure our schedule was clear and did our flowers the day before our wedding because that was one of the few areas we felt we could save money without going nuts...
i could never see certain other people we know doing the same things we did.... they just get frazzled and freaked out too easily... for them, it would be worth it to pay that extra money and get professionals who will take care of everything...
we actually had a prime rib buffet reception for 60 guests (which is small for our families), a photographer for 5 hours, a beautiful cake, and everything else we really needed for just under $5,000.... it was work and research but i count it worth it...

[funnyvalentine]

Something really, really, valid to remember is that this IS your wedding day; you want to enjoy it. You do not want to be heating hors d'oeuvres and cueing cd's.....

Originally Posted by kealina

the tips are good for saving money but the second poster has some good points about running around doing stuff... you need to know yourself, be realistic, and prioritize...
eeded for just under $5,000.... it was work and research but i count it worth it...

[Andysbunny]

4. Get your hands dirty. The more you do, the less you’ll end up paying. While your bride and her girlfriends are tying ribbons on wedding favors, you can be running around town running wedding errands. Just ask your bride for a list of what you can do.

I did all the flowers, decorations, and even the cake myself. I was out of work at the time, and did all I could to save my parents and myself some money.

We also used the Knights of Columbus hall. They charged only $2 more per person than if we had rented the hall and done our own catering! And we had a sit down dinner of Chicken Dordon Bleu, broccoli and cheese, roasted potatoes, salad, appetizers before hand and iced tea and lemonade as well. They even gave us a good price on champagne and wine and beer. I got all of this and the hall rental for what one caterer wanted for just hor dourve trays!

[funnyvalentine]

With all due respect, most Knights of Columbus halls cannot compare with the quality of food of some caterers; it's really important to note that.

If we all wanted the cheapest alternative in any situation, we'd all be driving Saturns. Obviously, we are not. Your chicken Cordon Bleu was most likely frozen out of a box. As were your hors d'oeuvres.

I don't advocate throwing the most money available at a reception, but it is important to compare apples to apples.

c

Originally Posted by Andysbunny

4. Get your hands dirty. The more you do, the less you’ll end up paying. While your bride and her girlfriends are tying ribbons on wedding favors, you can be running around town running wedding errands. Just ask your bride for a list of what you can do.

I did all the flowers, decorations, and even the cake myself. I was out of work at the time, and did all I could to save my parents and myself some money.

We also used the Knights of Columbus hall. They charged only $2 more per person than if we had rented the hall and done our own catering! And we had a sit down dinner of Chicken Dordon Bleu, broccoli and cheese, roasted potatoes, salad, appetizers before hand and iced tea and lemonade as well. They even gave us a good price on champagne and wine and beer. I got all of this and the hall rental for what one caterer wanted for just hor dourve trays!

[Andysbunny]

Originally Posted by funnyvalentine

With all due respect, most Knights of Columbus halls cannot compare with the quality of food of some caterers; it's really important to note that.

If we all wanted the cheapest alternative in any situation, we'd all be driving Saturns. Obviously, we are not. Your chicken Cordon Bleu was most likely frozen out of a box. As were your hors d'oeuvres.

I don't advocate throwing the most money available at a reception, but it is important to compare apples to apples.

c

I don't really think you beleive me. The food was NOT frozen, all of it was fresh. It is hard to have a veggie tray with FROZEN veggies, the deviled eggs certainly weren't either. Or the wonderful cheese tray with cheeses from all over the world. I personally wanted it all fresh, and they obliged me. So I was comparing apples to apples.

If you don't like my answer, sorry. This was my first ever post on this site, and I thought that I would throw out some of the ideas I used to save a ton of money and still have the big Italian wedding we wanted. If that is the way this forum is, then I guess I will just not post anymore. You just seem overly snarky, and all I wanted to do was help.

[funnyvalentine]

Don't take offense at my answer; I've owned an off premise catering business for over 20 years. Food costs what it does; it's not that different in any part of the country, but outside of New York, where I run my business, it's extreme. Waiters get paid over 20 bucks an hour, and even at that it's hard to find them.

If you had a great meal done by the K of C, more power to you. Everyone has different perspectives and anticipations about weddings, and if yours suited you, then your mission was accomplished.

[lukkyb22]

My first posting, so bear with me. one of the things i noticed is if you limit your bridal party the cost goes way down--and options go up since you don't have so many body types for dresses. Also, I went to a local florist who had a wedding package, which was very plain but within my price range ($90 for all flowers for bride, groom, best man and maid of honor, and parents) and had them add a few fresh lillies to my bouquet and my maid of honors. I think she charged like $5 per flower, but cost was still under $130 and it looked perfect. Last point--most of your $$ will be sucked away at an open bar. My brother had a great idea--only have 1 brand of beer (his was MGD) and 1 brand of wine (can't remember--i focused on the beer !) for free--everything else was cash bar.

[BCHGRL]

Here is what I learned from my wedding (April 8, 2006):

1. If your mother had her wedding dress preserved (and it was done properly), consider using it. I had my mom's wedding dress and veil completely remade for $200. Unfortunately, after the dress was remade, I took it to the dry cleaners where it was ruined (then I learned dry cleaning is NOT recommended).

2. Silk flowers can be used after your wedding. My bridal bouquet is now hanging on the wall in my guest room. My centerpieces are now decorations in my home and my mom's. Plus, you can obtain your flowers very far in advance so it is one less things to worry about on your wedding day.

3. Pick free locations. Our rehearsal dinner was a luau held at our neighborhood pool. Other than decorations and food, the location was free. We have a volleyball court by the pool so it was a big hit to have BBQ and play volleyball. Our ceremony was held at an abandoned state park. Again, the location was free and the locale was so beautiful that decorations were minimal.

4. You can plan your own wedding if you have enough time. If you are organized and have at least 6 months, you can plan your own wedding without the help of a wedding planner.

5. If your wedding is not formal, a suit is a great option. My husband has used his suit twice since the ceremony.

6. Location, entertainment and food are the most important things to consider for your reception. If people are able to eat at a reasonable time and you have quality entertainment, everyone will have a great time. Flowers, favors, etc. are nice to have but don't make the event. We held our reception at a Zoo and the staff brought animals to greet our guests. It was unique without breaking our budget.

7. Officiate - some states allow a notary public to perform your ceremony. My aunt is a notary public so she performed our ceremony as part of our wedding gift.

8. Don't feel guilty for paying a hefty price for:
photos (what you'll have to remember by for many years)
food (see 6 above)
entertainment (see 6 above

9. Don't feel guilty for skimping on:
favors (lets be honest, most get thrown away)
transportation (do you really need a limo?)
excessive flowers
a huge cake (not everyone will eat a piece)
fancy invitations (again, most get thrown away)

10. Request gifts that help you with the wedding. My aunt and uncle provided the roasted pork for our luau rehearsal dinner. Considering all the other wedding costs, it was a big relief and delicious!

[funnyvalentine]

This sounds absolutelty great; we recently went to a wedding at the Bronx Zoo, and it was fabulous. Everything was very casual, but appropriate to the setting, and I think all the guests had a ball.

6. Location, entertainment and food are the most important things to consider for your reception. If people are able to eat at a reasonable time and you have quality entertainment, everyone will have a great time. Flowers, favors, etc. are nice to have but don't make the event. We held our reception at a Zoo and the staff brought animals to greet our guests. It was unique without breaking our budget.

[mstrohm]

It seems expectations a huge these days. It is no longer about a couple's love and public declaration to be committed to one another. Wedeings seem to be opulent displays of who can outdo the other.

Go simple - pay for good food and enjoy yourselves!

[funnyvalentine]

An unusual location can set the stage for many other details that can cost less. If you think outside the box, you'll discover that there are many things about weddings that are not engraved in stone.

A setting in a public park, museum, other unusual site (I've done two in drive in movies!) can make a lot of less expensive options appropriate, as far as flowers, clothing, music, etc.

[MairGrif]

Originally Posted by funnyvalentine

An unusual location can set the stage for many other details that can cost less. If you think outside the box, you'll discover that there are many things about weddings that are not engraved in stone.

A setting in a public park, museum, other unusual site (I've done two in drive in movies!) can make a lot of less expensive options appropriate, as far as flowers, clothing, music, etc.

As I am currently planning my wedding, and have watched two friends plan in the past year, I have two comments on some of the recent postings:

1) An unusual location can often be just as expensive, as you need to rent everything separately - often nothing but the location is included, literally.

2) This may be different in other areas, but in the NYC metro area while costs to the caterer are the same no matter what time of year the event is held, many places can and DO charge more for weddings than other events, and charge more for weddings during the 'wedding season' than in the off season. Having researched both kinds of events, I have the paperwork to prove it.

There are many ways to cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding. I think it is a matter of setting priorities, doing research and remembering that the wedding last one day, the marriage lasts the rest of your life.

[funnyvalentine]

There are several very good reasons why wedding cost more than other events, not the least of it is the emotional importance to the family and the time that goes into planning and coordinating it on the caterers' side of things. There is infinitely more detail, and the planning typically takes multiple meetings, not just a phone call. There is the very real notion that the event is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime party, and everything has to be right the first time. There is much more scrutiny of food and staff.. There is not other type of party, at least at my company, that demands the attention and concentration of our staff, pre party, chef staff, and on site. There is very often at least one tasting and an on site visit, all of which spelll out staff time. During "wedding season", there is also the expense of bringing in more staff, renting more equiptment, and seasonal increases in wholesale food. Most of my wedding sites also demand extensive insurance, which as we all know, is costly.

I'm not saying that anyone should be prepared to just through infinite amounts of money at a reception, because it doesn't make it a better party in most cases, but a couple should have a realistic budget and be prepared to be flexible about things that really are not of top importance to them.
2) This may be different in other areas, but in the NYC metro area while costs to the caterer are the same no matter what time of year the event is held, many places can and DO charge more for weddings than other events, and charge more for weddings during the 'wedding season' than in the off season. Having researched both kinds of events, I have the paperwork to prove it.

There are many ways to cut costs and still have a fabulous wedding. I think it is a matter of setting priorities, doing research and remembering that the wedding last one day, the marriage lasts the rest of your life.[/quote]

[neatdesign]

My theory is that most wedding guests are pretty much interested in 5 things:

- Having fun and celebrating the couple's marriage
- Eating good food and having nice drinks
- Listening and dancing to good music
- Going to a lovely setting for the ceremony/reception
- Having the option to buy beautiful, professional photographs of the event

If you can offer them that, then that's what really matters.

What wedding guests DON'T care about or remember within two months after your wedding:

- Whether "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" was played by a harpist or a boombox as you walked down the aisle
- Whether a personalized unity candle was used during the ceremony
- Whether you had one, two or three bridesmaids
- Whether the flowers used in the bouquets and/or boutonnieres were real or silk
- Whether you passed out personalized matchbooks
- Whether you used personalized napkins
- Whether you gave knicknack wedding favors (keyrings, photo frames, etc.)
- Whether you had a band or a DJ
- Whether birdseed, rice or rose petals were thrown, bubbles were blown, or doves or butterflies were released as you left the reception

It's little things like this that kill a budget. THEY'RE NOT IMPORTANT!

~ Jenney

[funnyvalentine]

I think that a personalized, articulate, moving ceremony is one of the things that people remember, and should be built into the budget, rather than renting an officiant who will open a form, put your names in it, and call it quits. After all, the marriage is what the party is about....