PW Guide Article: 10 Ways to Cut your Budget

We had online-only RSVPs, so we didn't even need postcards or postage for them.  We also skipped greenery as well as flowers in our decor.  And we didn't have favors at all.  Sometimes, you need to go beyond getting things less expensively to ask whether you need them at all.

My fiance and i are not willing to spend a fortune on our wedding, not that we have it to spend. LOL. It just so happened that the venue we chose (a county park lodge, also inexpensive. )was only available on a sunday, which has helped in cutting our costs with our vendors. We've found a DJ/photobooth/uplighting for $1,200! Other places quoted us that just for the DJ! That takes care of our guestbook, favors, entertainment, and good lighting helps decorate a space, saving us on flowers, etc. Best of all a friend of mine, not even a super close one, (i wasn't even invited to their wedding) GAVE me her dress, now all i have to do is the alterations! Which she can do most of! She also makes head pieces and jewelry! Score! :D

I have been dealing with the e-mail for number of days (approx. 100 days) now that I have

41 days left (after the wedding, reception, invitations as been mailed out ) you tell me ways

that I could save. Well I feel like it's too late in the game to change. some things have been

paid for in full and others have a large down payment, invitations sent waiting on rsvps

this infro should have been stated much earlier in the beginning. please consider for others

who have not gone as far as we have and inform earlier. Thanks Tom

Most places have peak and off-peak months.  Ask the venue if there is a 'best' time of the year to hold your ceremony and reception.  We are getting married in March...during the off-peak season and saving a bundle.  Sign up for e-mail alerts from bridal stores and search promo codes for everything.

I made my invitations and printed them out on my home printer on nice paper. the RSVP's are via email or my Facebook account.

I am making my flowers out of tissue I bought at a wholesaler house on the internet and recieved my paper order in 3 days. I have enough paper to make hundreds of flowers of varying colors to decorate the church and then be brought with us to the reception to decorate the tables, all for 86 dollars!

I bought a gorgeous white dress that isn't necessarily a 'wedding dress' and saved tons of money on that. I bought my perfect shoes at Marshals for 40 dollars.

I will cary a stem of orchids, and my girls will carry a fan with one orchid and ribbons on it, and the guys will wear tiny matching fans (no flowers) on their lapel.

My makeup and hair is being done by a friend who has a license and is excited to give me this 'gift'.

My photographer is a friend who is starting his own photo business and takes awesome pics. I am so excited to have him!

The reception is a "no host menu" at the restaurant, and "no host bar". I can supply what they call 'small plate' appetizers, cake and icecream, a champagne toast, a live jazz dance band, a pretty venue, a photo booth, and all the fun anyone would want for that night.  Nobody seems the least bit offended by the 'no host menu' offered at a discount price by the restaurant to my guests.

The hugest expenses will be the food, at $2,500, the Photog at $800, my Jazz group at $800.

Oh, and I am expecting 200 RSVP'd guests.

I find it odd that this is the tip of the day for 41 days before my wedding!!! Are you kidding me!?  This sort of post should have been sent out 365 days before the wedding!  At this point, any organized bride is going to have her vendors booked and dress already picked out (and altered!)...helpful tip, but I would suggest sending this one out earlier!

41 days isn't really the time to talk about how to cut the budget.  it might be the time to talk about eliminating unnecessary extras but not how to save money on dress and food.  crazy.  i wanna know what i can trim from the budget that the guests won't notice that are details.  not with vendors that i've had booked for months.

I find most of these tips not applicable since the wedding IS 41 days away! We; however, are having beautiful cupcakes (4 flavors) and a small topper wedding cake. We're also having tiny cupcakes for the younger ones!

We're asking for donations of pet food for the local animal shelters in lieu of wedding gifts and we'll be making a donation to the local 'no kill' shelter as a gift to each of our guests.

Both of my daughters are stylists and will be doing my hair and makeup ~ LUCKY ME!

For centerpieces, we've been scouring local tag sales, etc and have found amazing items! We're using glass containers, cut glass sugar bowls, vintage pressed glass, mismatched tea cups etc, filled with ivy and other small plants. They'll be arranged on the tables and guests will be asked to take one with them as a small token of our celebration (no clean up afterwards)!

Finger foods and fresh food items will be plentiful and inexpensive. Also, a keg of beer rather than bottles as well as a self serve wine bar will be helpful. A beautiful cut glass spouted container will hold iced lemon water (self serve) and a second one will have strawberry lemonade.

Instead of renting glassware, again ~ these GREAT finds at local estate and tag sales and consignment shops have given us a wonderful selection of mismatched crystal stemware for less than the cost of renting! This will add to the elegance of the vintage inspired wedding for a VERY reasonable cost!

My bouquet is the only flowers ~ my groom will wear an ivy. 

Invitations were purchased online and are marvelous (and very well priced).

I have many more great ideas as well! It's been lots of fun to pull this together with a lot of creativity and a little money!

great tips!!

Awesome :o) great tips!!!