What are you doing to help save money?

kaitmarie6 · January 2012

Being students my fiancé and I have little money to spend on an elaborate wedding. But we have no idea where to start with the budget. What are some ways you're cutting costs?

[Deleted User] · January 2012

I'm DIYing a LOT. Making centerpieces, getting flowers from Sam's club and recruiting family to help me arrange, friend is printing invitations, etc. It looks just as good and is a fraction of the cost.

Just figure out what you're not willing to DIY- like photography or a cake (those are ours).

toothpastechica · January 2012

We asked a lot of family and friends if they could help us IF we paid them since we have friends who work in the various areas, many agreed to and most went as far as to tell us this would be thier wedding gift to us and dont want payment. So we have a friend making the cake, a florist friend doing all the flowers and the decorating, we are staying at my aunts house since she has a suite, we are having the venue do the catering (this was a huge cost savor for us since if they do the catering they dont charge anything for use of linins, china and they do all the set up and clean up included in the per plate charge, where as if we used someone else they would charge us for all those things if we wanted to use them), Also we did diy favors, place cards, invitations, programs. Didnt sent STD's, and i found my dress on clearence, and am using my moms veil, and we found an awesome deal on room blocking. Our biggest cost after venue is photography which we knew was important to us, everything else we did as cheaply as possibly.

Bay21 · January 2012

what these lady said is exactly what i was going to say. DIY what you think you're capable, enlist help from willing friends/family, and look for deals wherever you can. Be sure to sit with your fiance and decide what's important that you both don't want to cut costs with and what you're willing to do for cheaper.

Another suggestion I have though, is save your pocket change. You'd be surprised how much it can add up to and the little things you can put that towards. At the end of last semester my fiance and I had about 100 bucks or so in spare change!

BunnyChii · January 2012

Well, we haven't actually booked anything yet or done too much planning, but that time isn't far away.

Our plans are this:

1.) Both my friend and my cousin (who are both photographers and have done weddings before) offered to do our photography.

2.) My dad works at a hotel so we figure we'd use that place as a reception hall since they confirmed we could get some discounts.

3.) DIY stuff. Centerpieces and flowers and such. FI's cousin got married a couple years ago and they saved a BUNCH of money by DIYing their flowers/centerpieces so we figured we'd ask them for tips.

4.) Vistaprint for invitations. Pretty cheap there.

Basically figure out what the main things you really don't want to cheap out on are, and the rest you can find ways to save money. Having brunch instead of a dinner reception for example. Using friends/family for help and DIYing. There are tons of ways to save, just look around. There are lots of great tips on how to do this online.

toothpastechica · January 2012

we also got a lot of stuff off craigs list (a pre-lit wedding arch, plates for the candles, and a few other things i cant think of at the moment) past brides dont want to hold onto all thier stuff so its pretty cheap on craigslist! (Especially if you look in like....the fall and winter a few months after wedding season kinda tapers down.)

lpowers1118 · January 2012

Don't forget to check the classifieds section on the knot. I just purchased shepherds hooks that ended up being 85% off from retail value from a bride who was looking to unload stuff. You'd be surprised how many women want to get rid of stuff to reduce clutter in the home and will do it for OBO from what they are asking.

BrightFirefly · January 2012

We're saving money by cutting out ALL extra activities - until the wedding.

No trips to the movie theater, no extra junk food around the house, no new video games. I've never had money be this tight before.

FaithCaitlin · January 2012

DIY, prioritize, and stay in control by asking yourself important questions like "do I really want/need this?". We have admittedly made sacrifices-- we are getting married at Disney World but are skipping a full reception with a DJ, dancing, etc. We are having our reception dinner at a restaurant on property. My parents are paying for our wedding but we are still trying to keep things reasonable for them and save up money for our life as Mr. and Mrs!

RandaW · January 2012

We made a list of the top 3 things that would not be compromised on (ex. our wedding rings), and then 2 more things we would try to do cheaply but wouldnt completely skimp on (ex. a close to home honeymoon). Everything else we are having friends and family do, or DIY it. Other than that, we basically work around our class schedules as much as we can.

krw18 · January 2012

We're having a small cake just for pictures and then a bunch of cupcakes. We're not serving alcohol, getting a limo, or paying for the rehearsal dinner. My fiance's cousin is taking our engagement pictures. A family friend is making our wedding bands for dirt cheap. We're going to make our centerpieces, place cards, guest book, and invitations. To cut down on paper, we're emailing our STDs. My grandmother is paying for my wedding dress and veil. Our honeymoon is going to be a couple of months after our wedding when travelling slows down and fares are cheaper. We're not getting married for 3.5 years, so we have a lot of time to save. We're putting money aside each month and cutting down on luxury items like eating out, going to the movies, and travelling.

CSquared61 · January 2012

Agree with PP who said to save change! To illustrate, two years ago I started hoarding any change I got in a tupperware container so we could have some money for our wedding/honeymoon. Once I told him I was doing this, he was super-touched and started contributing too (and he's even better at saving than I am!) To date, I think we've saved around $600, which is a big chunk of the budget we're anticipating. Your signature says you've got over a year to the big day, so that is definitely worth trying!

aliehoover · March 2012

My fiance and I cut down on the guest list. We each have a ton of family, but decided to really only invite very close friends and family. Not only did that save on the food aspect, but also on our ceremony venue (they charged by increment of people). DIY is also some help. We made our own announcements, though we did order invitations.

Save every piece of change you get, too. We do. We also try to not eat out (i.e. fast food) very often. When we grocery shop, we make sure the food will last (which is tough when he is very athletic, haha) and that we can make enough for leftovers. I have also started budgeting in some savings. So, each month when I get my paycheck (I work on campus, so I get paid once a month), I put some money into my savings account. I also have a CD with my credit union.

Every little thing counts. Good luck!

What are you doing to help save money?

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