Your wedding does NOT have to cost a million dollars!
However, it should be special and it can be absolutely beautiful.
I’ve been to plenty of weddings that were both cute AND cost-friendly!
The great thing about planning a frugal wedding is that you won’t start your marriage completely broke.
Since finances is one of the TOP tension topics for couples, it’s in your best interest to start marriage with the least amount of financial burden, debt, and stress as possible.
Never fear! You can plan a wedding that allows you to party on your special day as well as save a few dollars for your first month of rent.
Do yourself a favor and save yourself post-marriage stress by saving money on your special day.
Here are some tips on how to save money on your wedding!
1) Use Your Resources
My number 1 tip for wedding planning is to use your resources! Figure out what (and who) you’ve got in your home court to use at a wedding. You might be surprised at how many people are excited to help!
I saved SO much money by taking advantage of resources that were unique to me. Here is a list of FREE or DISCOUNTED deals I got for my wedding:
- Professional cake by my sister in law
- Professional pictures by a high school friend
- Catered lunch made by mother in law
- Bridal shower parties by aunt, mother in law, and best friend’s mom
- Professional nails by a sister in law
- Bachelorette party by best friend
- Video from a local videographer
- DJ by neighbor
- Flowers by neighbor
- Decor/cater/venue package
Before you pay for anything wedding-related, check your resources! You probably have friends or family members that can provide or help you with various wedding things for cheaper than expected.
**In a similar vein, use this tip when decorating your apartment. We asked our family members to keep an eye out for free furniture. Most of them had a piece of furniture they didn’t want anymore and we ended up furnishing our entire place for free. We got couches, tables, chairs, shelves, and a bed. If you don’t have a lot of people with used furniture, you can also find great deals on furniture at local thrift stores or on Facebook marketplace.
2) Rent The Wedding Dress
The difference in price between renting and buying a wedding dress is insane. Especially because you’ll probably wear the dress for 1 or 2 days.
I rented my dress from a boutique in Lehi, UT called ‘Gowns by Pamela’. The neat thing about their shop is that their dresses were customizable. I could pick out a dress and pick out the train, bow, sleeves, and veil separately. They were also able to alter dresses and lent me the dress for a whole week! This gave me plenty of time to get some bridal pictures taken before we got married.
Why spend all that extra money to buy a wedding dress? Save a pretty penny and treat yourself to a trip/treat/toy instead.
3) Find Local Wedding Photographers
Keep in touch with some local photographers when you’re planning to get married. Many of them offer discounts for different occasions or package deals.
I followed a few photographers and videographers on Instagram and happened to win a giveaway that gave me a package of free engagements, free wedding photos, and a free ‘first look’ video. That package alone probably saved me a thousand dollars or two.
I highly recommend keeping an eye out for photo discounts!
You probably even know a few photographers personally who might be able to offer you a ‘friend discount’ in place of a wedding gift 😉
4) Get His Ring on Amazon
There is a brand of men’s rings on Amazon called ‘Tungsten‘ that is incredible. They’ve got tons of high quality rings in all sorts of colors all for about $20! That’s a steal!
I ended up getting my husband 3 different Tungsten rings so they could match his different watches – black, gold, and gray/brown.
The quality of these rings is incredibly. They’re thick and manly and so cheap. I recommend this ring to everybody getting married – it’s just too good an offer to pass up!
5) Local Reception Venue
Destination weddings always look so cool, but if you’ve got family and friends coming to your wedding and you’re trying to save money, it’s probably cheaper to find a local reception venue!
Look for places that are close and convenient for most people to get to. Then you and everyone else won’t be paying for gas, hotel rooms, and extra days of travel.
Locally you might find a free chapel to use, a local venue with a package discount, a friend with a beautiful backyard.
Some of the prettiest weddings I’ve been to were in yards or parks – venues that were completely free!
6) Self-Stuff Invites (+ print at Costco)
Randomly, the cost of wedding invitations turned out to be so pricey!
We saved on the cost of invites by printing them at Costco and stuffing them ourselves. My aunt actually offered to stuff my invites and throw my bridal shower – another big win on resources!
7) Build a Practical Registry
Be smart about what you put on your registry!
Registries have a lot of fun things on them – games, electronics, longboards, etc. But they also have so many practical things! Sheets, dishes, cleaning supplies, etc.
At first I filled my registry with strictly functional items. This was great because we got a lot of practical things!
However, I had friends complain that there was nothing ‘fun’ to buy. I ended up adding some fun things like board games and throw pillows. Best of both worlds!
I have some friends who spent a few weeks thrift shopping for home essentials before they started a registry. They found a bunch of kitchenware and furniture for super cheap and didn’t have to register for brand new pots and pans! They were able to register for more fun things and still save money. Brilliant!
8) Bonus: Honeymoon
Finally, if you’re REALLY looking to save, consider how to save on your honeymoon!
Here are a few ideas:
- Many ring stores offer a discount honeymoon package, where you buy a ring and get a free hotel room or airline points
- Credit cards often give you points if you spend a lot of money in your first few months of having the card. You might consider opening up a credit card account and using that to pay for the ring, venue, photographer, etc. to earn those points!
- Find a cruise package! One of my favorite websites is GetAwayToday, which has a bunch of cruise packages for under $1000.
- Check for a time share or cabin. It might be super romantic and affordable to escape to a relative/friend’s timeshare or cabin! You’ll save loads by avoiding hotel rates.
- Road trip. If plane tickets are too pricey and you’re into road tripping, pick out a few dreamy hotels en route to a fun destination.
By using these tips, you’ll be able to save hundreds (if not thousands) on your wedding day! Way to start your marriage on the right financial foot.
Congrats, lovebirds!
Which of these tips are you planning to use? To my married friends, what did YOU do to save $$ on your wedding day? Let me know in the comments below!