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Wedding Advice | Event Planning Tips

57 Easy Ideas to Save Money on Your Wedding

There is no doubt that a wedding can come at a hefty price…before you get too deep into the planning, you may like to consider these 57 Easy Ideas to Save Money on Your Wedding. So let’s get straight into it!

Engagement Ideas to Save Money on Your Wedding

The wedding does start with the engagement, so before you start the wedding planning consider these ideas to cut costs and save the $$$ for your big day is to:

  1. Put off the engagement party – go straight to the wedding planning
  2. Host a relaxed engagement – for instance a BBQ at home
  3. Invite friends out for a casual celebration – no tab, no costs, everyone pays their way (this also means no presents)

Ideas to Save Money on Your Wedding

Wedding costs can very quickly add up…here are some ideas you may like to consider (or not) to help keep your event on a budget. We know there are a lot of pricey wedding inclusions that guests do not even notice or care for…so the question is, should you care about it?

Save on Attire & Beauty

  1. Order your wedding dress well in advance to avoid any ‘rush’ fees.
  2. Hire a wedding dress.
  3. Purchase dress from a sample sale.
  4. Hire suits and accessories.
  5. Hire bridesmaid dresses or purchase them on sale.
  6. Invite bridesmaids to wear a dress they already own, and feel beautiful and comfortable in.
  7. Perhaps you could invite groomsmen to also wear their suits.
  8. Hire or borrow the veil.
  9. Borrow a gorgeous hair accessory.
  10. Hire jewellery.
  11. Select shoes that you will wear again.
  12. Don’t overdo the pre-wedding beauty treatments…consider if they are required.
  13. Research make-up and hair look and feel to avoid numerous trials.
  14. Choose local hair & make-up options.

Venue & Vendor Management

  1. Choose a local venue to cut transport costs, and accommodation needs and allow you to bring in goods and DIY items.
  2. Does your venue charge for alternative meal options?
  3. Is it more to have roving canapés as an entree or a sit-down entree?
  4. What is the cheaper dessert option? Roving desserts, dessert table or a sit-down dessert?
  5. Hire local vendors and suppliers, this too will cut costs with travel and access.
  6. Keep an eye on up-and-coming suppliers such as bakers, photographers, videographers, singers, entertainers and so on…they may be cheaper than the well-known alternatives.
  7. Ensure your photographer & videographer have a clear running order. Their time is money. A schedule of when, where and who is necessary to ensure they are well briefed. (check out our photography brief in the wedding kit!)
  8. Select florals and greenery that are in season.
  9. Greenery and leaves are very pretty – perhaps consider more greenery than florals.
  10. By having the ceremony & reception at the same location, you cut lots of time, energy and money!
  11. Ask your venue if you can bring in some of your alcohol to make a cocktail on arrival…rather than paying venue prices. Or perhaps a food & beverage van.
  12. Do you need a wedding cake? Perhaps look at eliminating this or downsizing the cake if you also offer dessert.
  13. Look outside the box and offer alternative dessert options such as an ice-cream truck.
  14. Does your venue offer cheaper rates on different days of the week?
  15. Does your venue offer cheaper rates during ‘off-peak’ times of the year?
  16. Utilise the venue’s linen and styling options – and perhaps ramp these up a little to work in with your style and format.
  17. The ‘wedding packs’ are not always the best option. These packs often include unnecessary extras. Enquire and see if you can tailor the pack to your needs to cut costs.
  18. Can you bump in the day before your wedding? This may help cut supplier labour costs if you can avoid a weekend bump in and out.
  19. Can you ceremony singer, double as your reception entertainment? This package may be cheaper than hiring two different performers.
  20. Consider alternative entertainment options such as fire twirlers, sparklers, and games to cut costs.
  21. Perhaps you know some friends or family who can sing or play an instrument?

Printing alternatives

  1. Do you need to print all your stationery & signage?
  2. Perhaps consider taking your collateral online! Wedding websites are incredibly user-friendly and improve access and communication to guests, websites can also provide more detail than an invite. Invites are often misplaced by busy guests…a website is accessible 24/7. Link the site to your wedding registry, maps, accommodation information, venue information, babysitting and petsitting contacts and the list goes on. Management of guest RSVPs and dietary needs is also much easier online.
  3. Avoid printing placards. DIY placards on paper or cardboard you have at home – get a friend with super neat handwriting to help.
  4. There are heaps of easy and effective placard ideas, such as calligraphy on a gum leaf, autumn leaves, olive leaves, broken terracotta pots or tiles,
  5. Single-use signage looks amazing…but do you need it? Could you hire a generic sign that simply says ‘Welcome to our Wedding’ or perhaps use a chalkboard or make your own wood ‘street’ sign? There are lots of ideas in this area for effective cost-cutting signage.
  6. Does your ceremony require a printed schedule for guests? If you feel guests may like to know what is happening during the ceremony, you may like to have a chalkboard or painted sign at the entry.

Printing & Design

  1. If you do go down the printing road, try to have all your printing needs ticked off in one job.
  2. Avoid making lots of design changes, each change may cost you!
  3. Can a friend design your stationery?
  4. Print fewer ceremony programs & menus.
  5. Do not spend a lot on envelopes, they are disposed of straight away.

Florals & Tables

  1. Have you considered looking up how to make your own bridal & bridesmaids bouquets? This may suit your creative interests.
  2. Can the bridal bouquets, ceremony florals and greenery be utilised in the reception venue?
  3. Incorporate candles to cut floral costs.
  4. Utilise the venue linen and a hired runner, rather than hired linen on all of the tables.
  5. Repurpose the ceremony chairs for the reception.
  6. Less is often more on tables, don’t overdo the styling – especially if you have shared plates!

Extras

  1. Do you need to provide your guests with a gift? My thoughts are no.
  2. Do you need a photo booth? Perhaps do a DIY version such as polaroid and books.

There are heaps of other ideas you could implement to cut wedding costs. We recommend you sit down and play out the wedding from pre-event, during to post-event and list all items you need to consider. To help you with this download our awesome Checklist & Timeline. It is EPIC!

Do not forget to view the awesome Australian wedding venues and vendors on The Event Bible.

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