10 Simple Ways to Save Money On Your Wedding Day
The average cost of a wedding in the United States is more than $27,000. If you don't have that type of money to spend on your wedding and you don't want to have to take loans out for your big day, there are plenty of ways that you can save money on your wedding day.
Here are 10 ways you can save money on your wedding.
1. Look for a wedding dress from someplace else besides a local wedding dress store. There are plenty of other options for buying a wedding dress such as a department store's special occasion dresses as well as designer's trunk shows. Also, there are stores like David's Bridal that often have sales on their dresses, where you can pick up a dress for less than $100.
2. Cut your guest list down to the least number of people possible. Do you really care if your second cousin's daughter comes to your wedding? This doesn't mean you have to cut out people you really want to share your big day with, but take a fine tooth comb to your list and see who you can possibly cut from the list.
3. Instead of hiring an expensive caterer for your reception, think about hiring a culinary school to perform the cooking or even a local restaurant that has decent prices. If you really want to save a lot of money on your wedding, cook your own food and have friends and family help you do the cooking. If you are having a casual wedding, then you don't need exquisite food and finger foods or BBQ may be the perfect menu.
4. Load your iPod with a bunch of songs you love for the wedding and then you don't have to hire a DJ or band. You can simply set up some speakers and hook a computer up with your iPod. Have a friend man the iPod and computer in case something goes wrong. Choose a friend or family member to be the emcee so that is covered as well.
5. Eliminate alcoholic drinks from your wedding and you can save a ton of money on the bar tab. If you don't want to do this, then cut it down to wine, beer, and special cocktail only and you can still save money this way.
6. Instead of paying someone to design your invitations, do them yourself or pick up an invitation kit and print them at home. An invitation kit usually doesn't cost more than $100 for 75-100 invitations while 100 invitations can easily cost you up to $600. If you have a friend that does graphic design you can hire them for a small fee and have them design a unique invitation for you.
7. Choosing your location is very important when it comes to saving money on your wedding. You can still have a beautiful wedding at home and save thousands of dollars on venue costs.
8. Simplify your wedding as much as possible. Do you really need wedding programs for the reception? Or maybe you can cut back on some decorations. A simple wedding can still be very beautiful and special.
9. Choose from the jewelry pieces you already have instead of buying something new for your wedding. If you don't have anything to wear that goes with your wedding dress style then shop at a consignment store or look for costume jewelry pieces at department stores and boutiques. No one has to know that your pearl earrings aren't real pearls.
10. Make your own centerpieces, favors, and other decorations. There are plenty of DIY decorations and favors that look awesome. Head to your local craft store and get some inspiration or shop at a wedding decorations store online in the clearance section.
If you really want to save money on your wedding day, check out Backyard Wedding Ideas for all kinds of tips on saving money on your wedding at home.
You can have your dream wedding and not have to pay a fortune for it.