Your wedding day is not only the most beautiful day of your life, but your big day can also cost you a lot of money. So if you really want to have the wedding of your dreams (with no buyer’s remorse) then saving money is essential!
To help you out achieve this goal we brainstormed five unique, fun and most importantly, easy ways that you can save money for your dream wedding. You really can have it all!
1. Stay away from Saturdays
Usually, wedding receptions are hosted on Saturdays, and that is totally okay if you don‘t mind spending tons of your money! In fact, you can easily avoid huge spending by simply choosing a different day of the week. If you do choose days that are more unpopular, such as Friday or Sunday or even weekdays, then and every fee (starting from the venue and ending with catering) will be instantly smaller! Bonus: The venue owner will be happy to be booked during other days of the week, they are able to earn a bit more money, and therefore they might be more willing to give you a few extra discounts.
2. Explore wedding cake alternatives
Wedding cakes are another area where it’s easy to overspend. All of the delicious frosting and intricate fondant designs are just too good to resist! But maybe, just maybe… think outside of the box and skip the wedding cake? Food like wedding cupcakes is easier to serve, cost less and look way cuter and they are easier to customize to keep everyone happy and full!
However, if you want to stick to the cake idea, several smaller cakes are much cheaper than one larger cake. Just get creative and look for cheaper alternatives than a huge wedding cake you won’t even get a chance tasting, and you will save money very easily!
3. Host the reception during the day
You can also save even more if you decide to throw your wedding reception during the day, instead of the late evening. First of all, serving dinner is much more expensive than lunch or brunch, even if you get almost the same food.
Second, people will be less likely to drink a lot of alcohol during a day time ceremony. Simply because some of them will have to drive home by themselves or they will have to go to work the next day. Let’s be frank here, alcohol costs money and good alcohol costs even more. You can cut those costs by strategically planning your reception time when people are probably not going to drink in excess.
4. Explore wedding dress options
Okay, we all know that the wedding dress is the highlight of the wedding planning process, but it is also one of the biggest money vents in your wedding budget. Bridal salons are wonderful and really are a one-of-a-kind experience, but if you want to save money and have a still unique dress – explore wedding dress alternatives. For example, shopping for white non-wedding dresses is simple enough and avoid you can hugely (sometimes) overpriced dresses with “wedding” label on it. Even white prom dresses are worth considering, if you find one that suits your style. There are also plenty of ways to save on direct costs for dress (for example, an online coupons website like ChameleonJohn).
Department stores, online vendors, local seamstresses, and non-profit organizations that sell second hand dresses are all great alternative options to help you look and feel beautiful. On the day of and many days after.
5. Embrace the off-season
Similar to picking a different day of the week, or a different time of day, the season of your wedding is a huge factor in determining your wedding costs. It is fun to have summer wedding because the weather is a bit more pleasant, there is less chance of rain and so on, but summer is wedding season and that instantly means masses of other people getting married. This is great for wedding professionals, but we suggest moving your big day off-season. You will have just as much fun, it can be a lot cheaper…and let’s be honest, we live in San Diego, every season is beautiful here!
If you are planning a wedding outside of sunny San Diego, a fall wedding can be quite beautiful, while white winter weddings open up all sorts of intricate and romantic decor themes. So forget the ancient myth that summer in the wedding season and celebrate your big day the other season! You might need to deal with a little bit more risky weather conditions, but that will only give a bit more charm to your wedding day, and it will definitely help you keep your wallet full.
Making a priority list can help a lot. Before you begin planning your wedding and reception, sit down with a cup of coffee with your partner and make a list of your top priorities.