Best ways to save money???

This is what I did...we're having a nice wedding for 175 guests for about $20,000 including all clothing, honeymoon, etc. etc. etc.

Have your wedding in the off-season. (According to your Avatar, you're April... NOT off-season.) Unfortunately, the only months where the difference is HUGE is winter weddings (i.e. Dec. _early March). I am having it in February

-NEGOITIATE!!! they can always do better! don't ever take their first offer... see if they can go down... and if they can't go down, chances are good they will thrown in something else.

-Pay in cash where possible. FH and I are paying NO tax on photo or video or the band because we're dealing with them in straight cash.

-Have a morning wedding.... most places I looked at were CHEAPER for Saturday afternoon receptions (which is what I really wanted anyway) than Friday nights)

-Cut out centerpieces.... the flowers just die... many halls provide something basic anyway, or you could just do something simple like candles

-Only one limo

-Utilized family and friends for music (luckily, I sing and have friends that are professional musicians so that took care of my ceremony music and my cousin is a bagpiper)

-DIY!!! I made my own programs, memorial candle, menus and CD labels for CDs we're leaving at the tables in stead of table cameras (we're hoping people will take a CD and upload the pics from their digital cameras)

-Don't go with the 'BIG' vendors--many of the ones that advertise on here and other well-known vendors have huge costs for advertising, bridal shows, rents on their large studios, etc. that YOU pay for.... go with someone like your local florist who also has good experience and you'll save. I went with my local florist and got ALL my flowers for $500.00. some of the well-known florists on this site weer all charging me $1000 and up--- i saved more than 50% and her work is just as good.

-Look around for your dress and veil... i went to a few places... they all carried the dress i wanted. i went with the place that was $200.00 less than the other stores.

-Buy things like your shoes, bra and hair pins, etc. at a NON-bridal store. they mark things up so much.... the minute they hear you're a bride, they charge too much. For example, my dress place said they could get me the bra that would fit my dress perfectly for $95.00. i got it on my own for $60.00. my hair pins were $3.00 each at Tri-COunty as oppsed to $7.00 each at a bridal boutique.

GOOD LUCK... it possible to do a wedding on a budget... you just can't let the vendors 'trap' you and make you think you must have this or that...

FM if you need anything!

elope

I always thought April was off peak because I was originally going to have a summer wedding and all the prices I got were for May-Sept. So I just assumed April would be just as cheap as the winter.

The problem with a Feb/March wedding is that I wont be able to go on a honeymoon for a while since I teach. Ughhhh, why cant I just win lotto

Any teachers get married in the winter?? When did you go on the HM??

There's quite a few ways you can save money. First, you can save a LOT on the big things, or, you can save less on the little things, but they do add up. The first thing you need to do is decide which elements of the wedding are the most important to you. Rate the different elements: is photography really important? Having a summer wedding? Wearing a Reem Acra gown? Inviting 200 people?

First--the wedding and reception itself. That's where most of your money goes, and how you will save the most. When you have it, what kind, where, and how many guests. Winter dates are cheaper than summer. Thursday and Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoon are all much cheaper. And, of course, there's a wide range depending where you have the reception. That's actually the biggest expense or savings. We're going with the Mansion at Timber Point, because it's lovely and historical, but also affordable. But there are many others. Buffets are cheaper than sit-down dinners. Cocktail receptions are the cheapest of all. And there's one more big variable: the number of guests. 100 guests are much cheaper than 250. Keep that in mind. Do you really need all your coworkers? Etc.

Then you can save with smaller things--smaller packages with the photographer and/or videographer. DIY invites and STDs. Skipping the floral centerpieces, or doing them yourself (I'm doing my own flowers with freshroses.com.) You can save a bundle on your gown by getting it from an online vendor like Netbride or RK Bridal. Even if you don't want to do that--I'm not, because I have limited time--you can save a lot by shopping around and getting vendors to match prices. If you really want to save, buy a previously worn dress from eBay or a consignment shop, from LIW or the Knot. There are a lot of ways to buy previously worn dresses. You can often get a free tux for the groom if enough groomsmen rent.

If you have access to a decent printer you can do much of the printing yourself. Even if you don't, you can still DIY a lot--buy the invites designed and printed but not assembled and you can save money. Pocketfold invites and boxed invites are really popular, but they're not necessary, they're expensive, and they cost more in postage. If you want the invites to be nicer than you can do yourself, that's fine, but you can still save by doing your own STD's, programs, menu cards, & place cards.

Other things that can be DIY'ed are the guest book--buy an inexpensive one and decorate it. Same with the card box. And nearly all your decor can be made at home by you, your family, and your brideslaves, sorry, bridesmaids.

A lot of things that have become common can be skipped entirely or majorly downgraded. Such as the favors. We're not having them at all--we've both been to weddings where half or even most of the favors got left behind, and where the edible favors got eaten before the end of dinner. Out of town packages are lovely but cost a LOT. Many people have never even heard of them, as they're a fairly new thing, so they won't notice if you don't bother. And the bathroom box--it's nice, but not necessary, and a lot of RH have those items anyway.

The most recent InStyle Weddings had a good guide to saving money, things like don't give everyone a poured glass of champagne for the toast, have servers go round with glasses on trays, because many people won't want them, and the poured champagne goes to waste. Depending on the number of guests, you can save hundreds.

That's all I can think of right now. As I said, you will save most of your money on the reception. Think hard about how many people you want to invite, when, and to where. Or...have a lovely destination wedding. They can be fun, luxurious, and much, much more affordable than a big reception on Long Island! Keep in mind, though, that if you don't invite people to the actual wedding, they're not obigated to give you a gift.

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Posted by mishmosh514

I always thought April was off peak because I was originally going to have a summer wedding and all the prices I got were for May-Sept. So I just assumed April would be just as cheap as the winter.

The problem with a Feb/March wedding is that I wont be able to go on a honeymoon for a while since I teach. Ughhhh, why cant I just win lotto

Any teachers get married in the winter?? When did you go on the HM??

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I teach elementary ed and that's why we chose Friday 2/15 that is the last day of school before President's week vacation, so we can take our honeymoon that week...where do you teach?

- go on off peak season
- DIY whenever possible
- pay cash on certain items it avoids tax
- comparison shop!!
- go to SAMPLE sales!

two things that haven't been mentioned yet:

-when you call the limo place schedule for a 'pick up and drop off' ONLY. don't even mention wedding. they may be a little annoyed when they show up, but it's not like you're cheating them. if you do it this way it's more like cab fare as opposed to paying jacked up bridal prices for all the hours they're waiting for you and not doing anything.

-this can be a bit risky but supposedly really pays off. go to the reception hall you like (or a few if you like a few) 6 months or less in advance and ask them what dates they have available in your month. they want to fill in as many open/canceled dates as possible at that point and will more than likely give you huge deals and/or discounts.

We are paying for the whole wedding ourselves and have sometimes questioned if it is worth all this money or if we can even afford it. We are trying to cut corners and find the best deals, but still get our dream wedding. I booked a place during a cheaper month on a Sunday (Veteran's Day). I am hoping that a lot of people have off from work the next day. I am also making my own centerpieces out of candles and my aunt offered to make my favors. I shopped around and negotiated as much as possible. I also only got a DJ instead of having two people. I shopped around for better gown prices too and found a place where it was hundreds cheaper. We are only getting one limo and having one maid of honor and one best man. Although seeing the cost of this day makes me , I know that it is a day that I will always treasure. After all I am marrying my best friend...we just hope people's gifts help us get out of this debt.