The Budget Savvy Bride: Hillary's Story

Tips and tricks from a frugal bride (community article)

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When I got engaged on December 25, 2008 I knew our wedding was going to be huge, and huge generally means expensive. Our families are very large so cutting the list was not an option, but I have found that there are many other ways to be a frugal bride in a recession filled economy.

The first thing that I have found is that a long engagement makes it much easier to save money.Having 22 months to plan our wedding has given us the opportunity to shop around and look for the best prices (Sales and Clearances). We also have maximized our opportunities to use coupons. Every week my mom and I and our friends save our Michaels, ACMoore and Hobby Lobby coupons. When we find something we need we purchase it using a coupon.

^ I shopped the David's Bridal $99 sale and found my dream dress with a dream price tag. A Beautiful dress with minimal alterations needed $99.

^ This garter set was purchased at ACMoore. It was regular $20 but I was able to use a 50% off coupon so I purchased and customized it for a grand total of $10.

^ 3 boxes of 40 thank you cards. Purchased on Clearance for $3.50 a piece.

Another thing that has helped me save BIG bucks is asking around and talking to friends, you would be surprised what people have in their homes or left over from their wedding that they are more than willing to share. A friend of mine who got married last fall offered me everything she had leftover from wedding. Although I may not need everything this is just another way to get things for free. Here are somethings that I was given for free:

^ 2 boxes of 50 invitations. My cousin and his wife had planned a fall wedding and ended up running off and getting married. 100 invitations for free. I used a 50% coupon and purchased another box of 50 and now have 150 invites for a grand total of $12.

^ My mom gifted me her cake topper from her wedding. With a new coat of paint it is as good as new

^ My cousin who worked for a trash company got these Mikasa Crystal Hearts from the dumpster at the Mikasa factory. The boxes they there had been mislabeled so instead of printing new labels they just threw them out. 50 Free favors.

^ My grandfather was a bee keeper and he had about 20 bottles in his field that he used to use during the honey making process. With a little love and care they became these beautiful frosted glass vases.

^Also instead of buying curly willow branches, my aunt had a curly willow tree in her yard that are landscapers had killed. We dug it up and now the branches will be used for my tall centerpieces.

^ The above centerpiece is filled with Coffee Beans. We have put our name on lists at every coffee company in the Charleston area and any batches that are delivered that are damaged will be given to us to be used.

Our low centerpieces will utilize birch trees. A family friend has offered his land to us to cut down one of his trees so we will not have to purchase them.

We will be using the arbor that my FI's parents were married under over the Unity Candles at our wedding. Not only will it be a symbol of the joining of our two families but it was free of charge.

I will also be borrowing diamond drop earrings from my aunt for our wedding day.

Another tip I have is to DIY whatever possible. We will be printing our own invitiations, making all the centerpieces for the wedding, doing my own makeup & many other things.

With the purchase of a $20 flea market brooch, pearls and bracelet parts on sale I was able to make a beautiful brooch bracelet of my own, saving upwards of $30.

I will also be DIY my own Aisle Runner like many other project wedding brides.

My mother and I also will be DIY 1 of or 2 favor options. We will be purchasing honey from a local bee keeper in a bucket. We are search ebay and other sources now for the cheepest small glass jars possible. We will then re-jar the honey and place one of our amazing monograms (provided for Free from amazing PW brides) on the jar.

Also my mother took and edited our engagement pictures free of charge.

Yet another tip is to use the skills of friends and family members to your advantage.

My Uncle is a florist so I will be getting my flowers for a drastically reduced price.
My Mom and I are photographers but we obviously will not be able to take the pictures for my wedding. The mother of two of my Bridesmaids is a photographer as well and she has agreed to take my pictures for free in return for my mom planning her daughters wedding. FREE
The older sister of two of my bridesmaids is an amazing hairdresser and she will be doing my hair the day of. FREE
The Mother of my Junior Bridesmaids and my ring bearer is a cake maker so she will be making our cake for the cost of the ingredients.
I friend of the family who has coordinated many weddings will be my DOC at no charge. FREE
My FI's Grandparents are ministers and they will be marrying us on our big day, just as they married his parents 25 years ago. FREE
Two of our friends are amazing singers and they have offered to sing at our weddnig. FREE

My last tip is to contact local colleges for student help. We have contacted our local tech school ,which has an amazing media program, to hirer a student videographer for around $100. Also we will be hirer a second student photographer to take pictures at our receptions for $100.

My Entire Wedding Day Attire:

Dress: $117 with tax
Birdcage veil & Fascinator: $71.29
Brooch Bracelete: $25
Earrings: Free
Shoes: Free
TOTAL: $213.29 for alterations

All in all I have to say, ask around, let people know you are getting married and see what you get. Utilize every opportunity to save a dollar. Being a frugal bride doesn't have to be hard and it also doesn't mean that you have to have a small intimate wedding.

Good Luck and I hope my tips helped.