This is one of the most exciting times in your life! There is much to do, and it can be overwhelming. The details can be mind boggling, and what about the cost…? Put your fears to rest! You can have your beautiful wedding without breaking the bank or spending a fortune.
There are lots of things that you can do yourself that will save tons of money! Asking friends and family to help is another great way to cut costs for you and honor these special people at the same time.
If you are crafty and have a big family and lots of friends, it will be a ‘piece of cake’!
10 Great Ideas to Slash Your Wedding Budget!
These ideas are decisions you can make to save money from the start.
1. Decide your wedding budget and do everything you can to stick to it. Make a list with 3 columns: things you must have, things that would be nice to have and things you like but will do without if necessary. Staying within your budget is one of the best cheap wedding ideas I can think of!
2. Choose an off time for your wedding to take place. If your wedding is at 3:00 in the afternoon, you can cut food costs by serving light hor’dourves or finger foods instead of a meal. You can also choose to marry in an off season for weddings. This is a prime time to find bargains and cheap wedding ideas!
3. Involve your family and friends to help with your wedding. Do you have a friend that loves to cook and entertain? Get her to cater your reception food. Is their a budding florist in your family? Enlist her to do some or all of your wedding flowers.
4. Check prices at venues that provide everything for one price. Sometimes they can save money and time, especially in the off season.
5. Plan to have your wedding near a holiday when your church decorates for the occasion. Decorations and flowers already provided can really help your cheap weddings budget. You might be able to afford one of those items from your nice to have list instead.
6. If you plan to go with tradition and borrow something, maybe the something borrowed could be your mother’s wedding gown, your sister’s tiara or a favorite aunt’s jewelry. Any one of these could save you lots of dough and is a natural cheap wedding idea!
7. Avoid shopping in the “wedding section” whenever you can. Things are just naturally higher there!
8. Save money by using plain instead of personalized items such as napkins, matchbooks or other items that are used at the reception. You don’t have to buy special flutes for the “bride and groom”. Use plain flutes or glasses just like the guests. This is one of those times that no one else will notice but you. One other item you can make yourself or cut entirely from your budget is wedding favors. What do you do with the little trinkets you get from weddings you attend? Exactly. No one would miss them if they weren’t there.
9. One of the surest cheap wedding ideas to cut costs is to cut your guest list. If you will need to find a bigger, more expensive venue to be able to seat all of your guests, you could cut the guest list and save money. Is it more important to invite the relatives you haven’t seen in ten years or cut your budget? You will need to decide. Cutting the guest list can also save money on invitations and postage, smaller wedding cake, food and beverages and the cost of wedding favors (if you choose to provide them).
10. Don’t invest in a “name change kit”. You will find everything you need to do this in “My Christian Wedding Planner” for free!