It will not cost you anything to plot and plan.
Your Financial Situation
There are some things you can do in the early phases of wedding preparation that will not cost you anything but will bring you closer to your ideal wedding.Let us begin with your budget. How much time do you have till your wedding, and how much money do you intend to spend? Assume you have a year before your wedding and want to spend less than $5,000. This is feasible! Let us try to stay as near to your budget as feasible. It’s time to get down with your fiancee and see whether you can save $350-$400 per month if you combine your efforts. That amounts to $4,200- $4,800 in a year! Many lovely weddings have been held on considerably smaller budgets.
The Attendees
Make a list of all of your friends and family members who you want to invite to the wedding. Remember to include plus ones and children. This will be your most extensive list. Go over it with your fiancé and simply scribble yes, no, or possibly next to the names. After a few repetitions, your 300-person guest list will be down to 150 in no time. If you really want to shorten the list, consider each name as a dollar sign! Creating a guest list is something you should begin with and continue to tweak for a few months. Once you’ve established your guest list, start phoning vendors and asking for bids based on the number of people you’re inviting. https://wfphoto.biz/wichita-falls-wedding-photography/ I successfully arranged a wedding in which we set a goal of $10.00 per person and achieved it! We managed to cater a wedding full of delicious cuisine on a shoestring budget, right down to the tablecloths and dishes. Later in the book, I’ll discuss how to save money on food and entertainment. For the time being, simply lower the guest list.
Inspiration
I do the majority of my research online, but it’s great to get out a couple bridal magazines and scissors and do it scrapbook style. Get an accordion binder and divide it into sections for each stage of the wedding planning process. Put your newspaper clippings and thoughts in there. You will require them at some point.Music
This is a fun and free activity for you and your fiancé. If you and your partner have decided to do your own wedding music, you can begin creating a wedding playlist. Your wedding music list, like the guest list, must be started early and may need to be modified numerous times before the big day.
Using Credit Correctly
The bride and groom may purchase the bridesmaids’ outfits and groomsmen’s suits in some situations. Bridesmaids are now more than ever buying their own dresses, paying for their own hair and make-up, and groomsmen paying for their own clothes. This is acceptable, and you should not feel horrible about not paying. This is your day, and if they are good friends, they will understand and appreciate your financial circumstances. Similarly, you should respect their financial circumstances by not dressing them in a $300.00 gown and runway-priced shoes.Some bridesmaids will be able to buy their dress right immediately, while others will need to save up for a while, especially if adjustments are required. Credit has shown to be beneficial to some members of the wedding party. Some bridal boutiques provide a no-interest credit card. If they don’t, get a credit card with 0% interest for 12 months or more, and use it to pay for some of the bridesmaids’ outfits. This will allow your bridesmaids to pay you a little sum for their outfits each month.Putting all of your wedding expenses on one credit card is a terrific way to save money for everyone, including you. I bought my wedding gown, slip, shoes, and bra on a bridal credit card and paid it off over the course of a year before my wedding. I didn’t pay any interest on my purchases, and I cancelled the card after the wedding. It was great to be married and not have any debt from the wedding plans!
Tip for Saving Money:
Make sure your bridesmaids are aware of the credit card’s due date so they can pay you on time. If you give yourself enough time before the wedding, you can use a credit card designated as a wedding-only card to make purchases. You should be able to pay off the card by your wedding day and enter your marriage debt-free.
‘Tis the Season
Wedding costs can vary depending on the season. Summer marriages outnumber those held in the spring, fall, and winter. The price of bridal flowers, for example, rises during the summer due to increased demand. The venue prices are also higher in June and July. Begin by outlining the benefits and drawbacks of having your wedding in the summer or winter, but don’t forget about the seasons in between! By choosing an off-season month, you can save money on practically everything.Here’s how to get started. Is the venue inside or outside? If you’re having an indoor wedding, you may simply choose an off-season month to save money on the venue. If you truly want to have your wedding outside, you may have to limit yourself to the expensive late spring and summer months, depending on where you reside. But don’t give up. Do you have any friends or family members that would be willing to host an outdoor wedding? Do your grandparents own a few acres or a flower garden that would make a lovely background for a wedding ceremony? Do you have any friends or family members that work in the hospitality or food service industries? Are they the owner or manager of a hotel? They may be able to get venue reductions, especially if you have your reception with their company. Don’t forget about your fiancee’s connections. It never hurts to inquire. Having the potential to secure a low-cost or free venue through family/friend connections can have a significant impact on your entire wedding budget and allow you to have the summer (or winter wonderland) wedding of your dreams.
Remember, you don’t have to pick an exact date just yet; just a month. This is how you make your wedding timeline!
Tips for Saving Money:
Consider the season: May-August are the most expensive months for wedding preparation. Contact any friends or family members who may have venue space or industry discounts.
You are the Organizer.
We haven’t discussed hiring a wedding planner since I am convinced you can arrange your own wedding! I understand feeling swamped and trying to be in a hundred places at once. You may believe that you are the only person who understands your vision and that you must do everything, but this is not the case. Your loved ones care about you and want your wedding to be a success. They wish to assist you. Determine who will assist in this close family/friend group. Assign little tasks or jobs to them, freeing you of some of your responsibilities. When you have support all around you, there is no reason to engage a wedding planner and pay them $100 per hour.Make a to-do list of errands and goods to be picked up a month before the wedding. Make a single sheet with the date, time, and person’s responsibilities and give copies to everyone. This instills a sense of accountability. It’s a team effort! Remember to thank them for helping to make your day a success!
The Bridal Shop’s Wedding Consultant
Understanding how a wedding shop operates is essential for your first appointment to look for a gown. Your consultant’s job is to make a sale and persuade you to buy everything on your first trip. This is what they have been taught. You might wind up buying your dress there, but you’ll most certainly discover cheaper accessories elsewhere.
My experience as a wedding consultant was brief. I am grateful for everything I have learned about the industry, but it has been challenging to regard clients as statistics and commissions. I don’t want an overzealous sales consultant to take advantage of you on one of the most important days of your life. Maintain your resolve and make it known that you are merely there to observe. That’s fantastic if you locate your outfit on the first trip!
Your Outfit
When you’re shopping for clothes, do you ever come across a really gorgeous top on a mannequin and decide you want to try it on? You put it on and it looks awful. I mean, it looks like a potato sack and feels like a curtain. You begin to wonder if it’s the same shirt and how it could possibly look decent on anyone. Welcome to wedding gown territory. In this chapter, I may be a little harsh because I believe my time as a bridal consultant has made me much wiser and a little crotchety. I’d like to share some of that knowledge with you in the form of cost savings.
One of the most significant aspects of the wedding planning process is the bridal gown. It is not only a special piece to you, but it is also likely to be one of the most expensive components of your wedding dress.
To save money on your outfit, start by window shopping online. This will give you an idea of the types of styles you prefer. Make a list of the designers’ names and the prices they sell for online. This is because you might faint from sticker shock when it comes time to go to the bridal shop and try on clothes.
I’ve worked with wedding parties as small as a mother and daughter, as well as groups of 15 women eager to provide their advice to a befuddled young bride. Take only one person to the bridal shop if it’s your first time. This may be your mother, sister, or even fiancée. This allows you to absorb all of the knowledge the consultant has to provide on various fabrics and clothing styles. Pay attention to the store’s designers and pricing. Most bridal boutiques sell dresses for more than the designer’s suggested retail price. If you discover a dress you like online and your local store sells it, go ahead and try it on. Once you’ve decided, you can order directly from the manufacturer online for a greater price. Not everything in the bridal store will be cheaper online, so take notes and check costs.
Maintain firm communication with your adviser and inform her of your dress budget. If you don’t, she’ll deliver you a $6,000 Oleg Cassini surprise. You’ll fall in love with it, and every outfit after that will be a letdown. Tell your consultant you want to spend $300-$600 on dresses, including adjustments, and she will recommend dresses in that price range. In one of the previous chapters, I discussed using zero-interest credit to make clothing purchases. When shopping from a bridal boutique, I strongly advise you to do so. Check to see if they have a layaway program or consider putting a deposit down on a gown. It is easier on your budget if you do not spend the money entirely at once.
Your best men
How many of your guys own tuxedos? Most males do not own one, therefore you will most likely have to rent one. Tux rental stores provide a large assortment ranging from very basic styles to foreign fabrics and pinstripes. Just keep things simple and inexpensive.Budget $75-$100 per rental and inform the guys that they will be paying for it. If you decide to buy your gown from a wedding shop, several bridal shops collaborate with men’s department stores to offer discounts.
Tips for Saving Money:
Before arranging your first dress appointment, do some online research. Learn about your favorite dress styles and designers. Get a sense of their pricing online so you can compare it to dresses in store.Bring a budget to your bridal shop consultation. Declare your budget clearly and stick to it. Your consultant has been taught to sell you everything. First, get your dress. Any more accessories can be acquired at a later date.Consider zero-interest store credit cards or a layaway plan for monthly payments.
Accessories
When you think about accessories, what comes to mind? Is that your veil, jewelry, or garter? Don’t forget to bring your shoes, slip, corset, and bra. That’s a good start. Your wedding gown has numerous components. This chapter will show you how to save money on all of the amazing wedding accessories you’ll need.
Jewelry
Some outfits look fantastic with only a necklace, while others look excellent with no jewelry at all. What about earrings, though? If you desire the entire jewelry set, you may borrow it from a friend or family member. If you must purchase your own items, look for sales at local department stores and purchase items that you will be able to wear again. However, unless you intend to make a statement with your jewelry, you can definitely ask a relative if they have a specific item that will complement your dress. My recommendation is to add it to the borrow list.
Bra/Corset
Your bra or corset will be one of the most significant accessories. There are numerous types of undergarments, and some dresses may demand you to wear a specific type. Retail department stores will offer the best bargains on bras and corsets, and if you have the product number, you may get the identical item cheaper online. If you buy them at a bridal boutique, you will pay at least 30% extra for the same quality. Keep in mind that the bridal consultants want to sell you the entire package, so be firm with them on the accessories.
Shoes
If you’re anything like me, you have a thing for shoes. Isn’t it your dream to find the perfect Cinderella shoes to match your gown? Worse, bridal shops offer to colour your shoes to match a hue in your wedding party. This is a great idea. It’s as if you have a little secret hidden beneath your dress, and it provides for a terrific photo opportunity! The issue is that shoe businesses will only color their own brand of shoes, which start at $100.00. Self-dying your shoes almost always ends in disaster.Consider purchasing a shoe that you and your bridesmaids can all wear again. This will make it worthwhile to invest a little extra money on a quality shoe. The way to go is modern, fashionable, and comfy. How did you get those shoes? They are not at the bridal boutique, but rather at the mall. You and your bridesmaids will save a lot of money if you can discover a coupon for a percentage off a second pair.
Veil
The veil is my final tiny suggestion for saving money and personalizing your item. The price is affected by the type of veil you want to wear. I’ve seen plain jane veils for as little as $20.00. If you want to incorporate gems and lace in your veil, you might easily spend $200.00 or more! To save money on your veil, go to your local fabric store and buy the mesh material and a plain hair clip. Determine if you want the veil to be one or two layers long. Then, purchase a string of pearls or diamonds to use as the mesh’s edge. I’ve done this before and discovered that using super glue and rein stones may provide a great shimmer to the outfit.I fashioned a veil by wrapping a string of baby pearls around the edge of the mesh and then attaching it to a hair clip using a hot glue gun.The items you’ll need from a fabric store are really inexpensive, and this is a great opportunity to personalize your headpiece. Pick up a Sunday newspaper and search in the classifieds for craft coupons.Tips for Saving Money:
You will save money if you can borrow jewelry accessories from friends or family members.
You are not required to purchase everything from the bridal shop. Take inspiration from them. Try on accessories such as veils, bras, slips, and shoes, but look for lower-priced options online and in department stores.
Purchasing a basic headpiece or veil and personalizing it at a craft store will save you $50-$100. Make your own veil if you’re very crafty.