Some More Budget Tips

Tressy touched on a great budget tip on the flowers, I tried to find some more helpful planning hints: wikihow.com/Plan-A-Low-BudgetWedding

• Planning an afternoon wedding can save lots of money: the later in the day you get married, the less food/drinks you need to provide - AND the longer you have to enjoy getting ready for the big event
• Now that most people have digital cameras, you don't need a photographer... if you want relaxed pictures, just ask all your guests for a copy of their snaps (you could even have a laptop with a card reader at the reception, so people can download their photos there and then
• Wedding magazines are expensive, but their websites are free and full of ideas. Some of them, like You and Your Wedding, have really good forums with brides to be that are happy to share their tips and suggestions
• Guests would much rather go to a low-key wedding that shows your personalities and has been arranged with love and attention to the details, than attend a grand affair
• Ebay, Freecycle etc are great places to find bargains. After all, why not get as much as you can 'second hand' and be proud you have planned an eco-wedding!
• Bridesmaids will probably feel more comfortable doing their own makeup. Why not have a girly day out, going to makeup counters for 'trials' to learn tips, and see what colours they recommend
• Pick an interesting venue, and you won't need to spend as much on flowers - people will love the venue, and probably not notice how any flowers you have
• re-use any floral arrangements that you can: move them from the ceremony to the reception, then give them away as 'thank you' gifts to special people
• Ask around your friends and family - you'll be amazed who has a fabulous car hiding in a garage/knows a friend starting out in photography/has a secret passion to be a makeup artist, plus they love being part of the day
• Ushers and best men can be asked to wear a plain black suit and white shirt (which most guys have) - it will look classy in your photos, and I bet no-one will notice they aren't in identical suits. You can give them matching ties and cufflinks as a present
• Some bridesmaids are happy to pay for their own dresses, which is obviously your choice if you want to ask them. As an alternative, you could ask them to buy their own shoes - suggest the colour. So what if they are in different styles? you want them to be your bridesmaids because they are close to you, not because you want identical looking girls in your photos ;o)
• You can save a fortune on your wedding cake by having a small decorated cake, for 'cutting' and all the photos, or a cake with only one real layer, and the rest as iced cardboard (yes, really). Then, buy ready iced fruit cake/sponge cake/chocolate cake from the supermarket which can be hiding in the kitchen. Your guests won't have a clue, and this will be so much cheaper
• Don't want a disco/live band? why not have a quiz night instead - guaranteed one of your guests would be happy to be the quiz master
• Chose a venue that does not charge corkage, so you can bring your own drinks
• A fair few people find champagne a bit 'dry' so why not choose a nice sparkling wine from the supermarket... they will never know, if you have glasses of drink bought out on trays, rather than being poured directly at the table
• Make your own confetti! the minute you get engaged, start drying rose petals. Pick them from the garden, as friends for their 'nearly dead' roses and dry them on your window ledges. By the time you get married, you'll have a box of delicious smelling, beautiful confetti
• No need for a big sit down meal - have a BBQ instead, or ask your guests to bring a plate of food each as their wedding present to you, and enjoy a buffet made with love, by all your friends and family
• See if there is another wedding at your venue the day before yours - they may leave flowers behind, you could agree with the other wedding party to share the cost of a marquee
• If most of your guests have internet access, you can save a fortune on invites, by setting up a website (you can do this for free) with all the details and directions
• A relaxed, laid back style of wedding gives you freedom to make anything you like for the day: flowers picked from the garden, in jam jars on the tables... hand made place names... a little paper bag of your favourite sweets for favours... guests will note all these touches, and will make them smile
• Have a small wedding, then throw a big party at your house a few days alter - this way, you get to wear your wedding outfits again, which makes them better value for money!
• On the day, give yourselves time to sit back, and enjoy the fruits of all your hard work, and smile knowing that anything life throws at you as Husband and Wife, you will be able to handle it

These are some great tips!

Thanks for the tips.

Great tips! Thanks for sharing!

thanks for sharing!

Wonderful post!

I would also suggest a Tea, or desert ony reception as other tricks. Winter wedding cost less then any other season and June and September are the most expensive.

I loved going to my friends potluck wedding and we had so much fun just hanging out as friends!

These are great tips Jan! Ebay and etsy.com were my best friends during my wedding planning process!