Money Saving Wedding Tips
Planning a big wedding but don't want to break the bank? You don't have to.
We've heard plenty of horror stories of people spending tens of thousands of dollars on the single day. It can definitely add up quickly!
But let us bunk the myth that your wedding budget has to be your entire life's savings. In fact, there are plenty of ways to save money on your wedding and not give up on your dream wedding day.
Allow us to be your wedding planner and help you stick to your budget.
Know your priorities
Know your priorities at the beginning of the wedding planning so you can spend your wedding budget wisely.
If you have your heart set on an elaborate wedding dress but you don't mind cutting back on the wedding flowers - then save money with more affordable wedding flowers and invest in that gorgeous wedding dress.
Work with your partner to decide what are absolute must-haves on your wedding and, what you can do without. This will offer clear direction for your wedding planning and save you pennies in the long run!
Weekday weddings
Shh.. this is a secret gem that will save money and decrease stress - book your wedding day on a weekday!
Weekday weddings are growing in popularity with many couples preferring to book Monday - Friday due to the cheaper cost and greater flexibility. With most couples hunting down weekend days for their wedding date, it leaves less options for couples to book their preferred venue, wedding photographer, wedding catering and more! Booking on a weekday, allows greater options.
And the best bit - it's a quick and easy way to cut down your wedding expenses. Simply changing your wedding date will do wonders for your wedding budget.
No doubt your guest list won't mind either. Who wouldn't love the chance to book time off work to celebrate a wedding!?
DIY wedding invitations
If you have done wedding planning before or you're a seasoned wedding planner you will know how (surprisingly) expensive the wedding invitations can be.
From the design of the wedding invites, the printing costs and the card they're printed on - wedding invitations can quickly creep up to the $1000 mark. Yikes!
However, we've got a little trick for you. Make the wedding invites yourself!
You can make your own wedding invitations on a wedding website, on Canva or on the Adobe Suite (if you're very clever). There's plenty of easy templates to follow so you can make any style, colour scheme or size you desire.
Your guest list won't even know!
The wedding dress
Ok, if you're a sucker for fashion (like us) it's going to be hard to imagine reducing your wedding spending on the wedding dress. But ladies let us assure you - it's possible!
When it comes to the wedding gown and the bridesmaids dresses, you'll want to start researching as soon as possible. Save you favourite outfits to a folder, sign up to the newsletter and patiently wait for that sale.
Wedding sales, sample sales and surprise discounts pop up throughout the year. Save your favourite wedding dresses, remember their sites and keep a close eye on any sales that pop up. Especially heading closer to the end of the financial year, you're bound to be delighted with a cheeky sale.
Wedding photographers
When booking your wedding photographer, book a wedding package!
Many photographers (like ourselves!) will offer affordable wedding packages that bundle up wedding services. This is one of our favourite ways to save money without having to sacrifice quality.
Plus, if you book in your photographer sooner rather than later, you will avoid rush fees. Snap up a good deal over on our website here.
If you've always wanted a photo booth at your wedding, instead have a handheld polaroid camera! Leave the polaroid camera beside the guestbook so your guests can write a message and take a photo. This is a fun and affordable option to replace a more expensive photo booth.
Native bridal bouquets
Floral arrangements are an essential piece of decoration to both the wedding reception and wedding ceremony. To be without the bridesmaids bouquets or the fresh flowers that border the wedding aisle is just not an option. More flowers the better!
Lucky for us, native flowers are both affordable and stunning.
Australian couples will know just how beautiful native flowers are. You can create gorgeous green bouquets for the bridal party, captivating centrepieces for the wedding venue and even sweet floral wedding favors for your guests to take home.
Add baby's breath to the bouquets for a romantic-style.
It's said that wearing something borrowed can bring good luck to your wedding and we agree!
Ask a dear family member or close friend if you're looking for a piece of jewellery to finish your wedding attire or a hair piece to compliment your dress - you'll be surprised how many options your close ones will give.
Not only does wearing something borrowed feel special and sentimental, it's an easy and meaningful way to save money.
Did someone say wedding cake?
Have your cake and eat it too by getting creative with the traditional wedding cake.
When couples begin choosing their wedding cake, they can often approach it with the mentality of 'go big or go home.' And, as much as we love cake, we urge you to hold your horses.
In reality, when it comes to cutting up the wedding cake most wedding guests haven't got an appetite. They're full from dinner and making the most out of cocktail hour. Guests aren't going to eat a lot of cake.
As much as you might be tempted to choose the big traditional wedding cake, we recommend choosing a sheet cake!
A sheet cake is a big single layered cake that can be made into any flavour. Delicious, versatile and always pretty - choosing a single layered wedding cake is both scrumptious and affordable.
Serve up the cake after your plated dinner and we guarantee you'll still have left overs.
Op shopping wedding decor
Go on a road trip and visit all of the op shops in your area!
There are so many gems hiding in op shops just waiting for you to find them. From ceremony chairs, dance floor props and decorations for your ceremony site - the options are endless.
Regardless of whether you're looking for decor for outdoor weddings, a winter wedding, a small wedding party and everything in-between - op shops are a great way to find beautiful pieces and cut costs.
You'll be wondering why you hadn't gone op shopping sooner.
Wedding guest list
Is your wedding guest list growing bigger and bigger? It might be time to chop it down for a more intimate affair.
Having fewer guests can greatly cut costs and save money on your wedding day. Just think of how much money you will save on food, drink and alcohol!
Although we can understand how tricky it can be to cut down your wedding party, sometimes it's a necessary sacrifice to save your money. We recommend talking with your distant relatives or your out of town guests to see where you can reduce your invites.
If reducing the invites is impossibly, consider asking guests to bring their own alcohol or only having an open bar for cocktail hour.
Wedding venue
Usually couples spend the most money on the wedding venues. With both a wedding reception and a ceremony site to book, the wedding venues take a large portion of the pie.
If you're looking for a way to reduce your wedding cost, we recommend throwing away the idea of a destination wedding and finding somewhere local. If you're set on destination weddings, then find a luxurious spot that's only a drive away.
For Australian couples, we're lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful landscape. Do a little research and you'll soon discover an intimate destination wedding that is magical, a non traditional venue and also meets your budget.
Book in the same venue for the ceremony and reception. This is a saving money trick that will help you stick to your budget due to venues offering deals if you book the same place.
Save money on your wedding
The last thing you want on your big day is to feel as though you're spending all of your money on your wedding. Wedding costs add up quickly especially if you're not planning appropriately.
Keep in mind these ways to save money on your wedding so that you reduce stress, simplify your needs and ( most importantly) still have enough to go on a honeymoon!