I frequently encounter clients asking how they can plan a beautiful wedding that fit into their tight budget. They want to know what the secrets are and how they can cut costs but not compromise their wedding experience and photography quality. Here are a number of great tips I would like to share:
Hire a Person not a Label
When planning a wedding, focus on delivered quality instead of name brands. Example: have you ever gone to a fancy salon only to come out with a haircut or color you really didn't love? This could be the person worked on your hair wasn't as experienced. You wouldn't want to fall in love with Rachel's Flowers only to find out that Rachel hired a new girl who will be responsible for your flowers on your wedding day because Rachel will be out of town that week. Ultimately name brand doesn't always equal quality. Be sure you hire the same person who will be doing the actual work.
Trim the Guest List
The best thing you can do to cut costs is to reduce the guest list. In addition to cost benefits, reducing the guest list could also mean you will be able to spend more time with the people you love with less distractions. It's acceptable to exclude people you don't know very well (friend of a friend). Try to invite only family and close friends. Start with a worksheet and list all the candidates. However, once you have set your budget do your best to stick to it. Of course it's not realistic to expect to have 300 people on a $10,000 budget so be reasonable with the final number you come up with. If the gust list grows too much, ask your tier one guests to prioritize and list optionals guests they would like to invite. Don't make early promises, but inform them you have a set headcount to maintain, and will see what you can do.
Shop for the Best Deals
Call around and see which vendors have the best deals. Don't assume any offer is the best offer. If your negotiation skill is lacking, designate a close friend or family member with the most bartering skills as your “negotiator”. Compare at least 5 vendors for each of your wedding planning needs. Narrow the vendor list down and hand it over to the “negotiator”. You might also consider having the ceremony at a civic location like a lovely city or town park. Often they're free or priced very low, so call your local city or town and see what's available.
Off Season and Off Day
Off season and off day are when most people are not getting married. For example, the popular wedding season in most places is around April through September. Consider having your wedding October through March instead. Vendors booked during this period are more likely to give you a discount because they're not busy. If you have your heart set during the peak season, ask your vendor if they offer an off day discount, since weddings typically occur on Saturdays.
Honeymoon Registry
Many couples already have all of their home needs because they're already living together. If you have what you need, why not consider having people put dollars towards a honeymoon registry? That way you can have a nice vacation and use the left over money for other things or last minute wedding bills.
Reception
Here are five options to consider for saving money at your reception:
- Skip desert - Have your cake be the desert for your guests after dinner.
- Skip a designated champagne toast - have people toast with whatever they are drinking. People are usually already well into the reception and happily drinking and eating and won't even notice.
- Closed bar - Don't have an open bar. People tend to drink too much and you won't have to incur the costs.
- Table flower alternatives - Don't put flowers on the tables. Instead use candles and inexpensive globes to hold them. Hobby shops and other low cost stores have nice globes and candles at a fraction of the price of flowers, and they make for a lovely candle lit atmosphere. You can sprinkle a few petals around as well if you like.
- Table linens - Ask your reception vendor if they will take care of all the linens for you so you don't have to rent them. It's an added cost and a lot more work.
Invitations
Consider designing your own invitations and sent to print online from vendors such as Vista Print (you can even use your own personal photo). They're just as beautiful as and even more personal than ones you would order though an invitation company. To save on postage, don't make invitations super sized or heavy stock. Also, don't send an additional envelope for the invitation or the RSVP card. If your budget is really restrictive, do your invitation online via a free service such as eVite, or through your social networks such as Facebook.
Flowers
Flowers are beautiful essentials with a hefty price tag. Avoid the costly ones like calla lilies and orchids. There are so many gorgeous choices, so keep an open mind to other types of flowers. Also, why not choose a wholesale flower distributor? Places like Costco have highly qualified flower designers with beautiful choices in flowers who will design and deliver exactly what you want at a fraction of the price. If your wedding party is small enough, consider making your own bouquets and buttoners.
The Cake
When picking your wedding cake you can cut costs by having them use real flowers instead of labor intensive sugar ones. You can also have a larger cake by having one or two of the layers be faux, so you can still have the look you want without having a ton of cake left over.
The Dress
Consider having your dress custom made. It's often less expensive, plus you get the exact dress you want. Dress makers can create a designer dress for you from a picture or conecpt. If you don't want a custom dress, wait for a sample or trunk sale. You can save a lot of money on a dress you will only wear once and still get the dress of your dreams.
Photography
Professional wedding photography can be expensive but it lasts a life time. All your wedding planning and your beautify dress are captured as the result. This is why you should choose your photographer carefully; prioritize quality over price. Find a photographer that you fall in love with his / her work first, then weigh toward price. There is a wide range of talents out there, and always someone great at a better value, so take your time in your search. Remain thorough and ask questions. If you find two photographers with similar portfolios, ask them about the justification for their higher price. For example, do they shoot your wedding and then just hand you a CD? There are a lot of coffee table book and wedding album choices today for the consumer, so don't feel that you have to purchase that from your photographer. However, you want to get all of your pictures, so ask how many prints you will receive. Finally, make sure you're not buying a package with a lot of things in it that you don't need. You can also save money by avoiding disposable cameras on the tables. They are expensive, and often times little kids end up taking pictures of the floor and their shoes. Encourage and remind your guests to bring their own cameras instead.
Finally
I've used all of the above tips I mentioned and had an absolutely gorgeous wedding on a small budget. However remember that it's your day, and it's not about the amount of money you spend but the person you are marrying, so savor every moment and enjoy!
>> Second Opinion: Wedding Planing on a Budget (Take 2)
About the Photographer: Sonya Cogan, NM, New Mexico
Sonya is a wedding photographer that likes to keep it fun and relaxed. Her work has appeared in magazines such as: Billboard, New Mexico Woman, Albuquerque The Magazine, Cowboys & Indians, New Mexico Business Weekly, New Mexico Business Magazine, En Accion, Broker Agent, Living Natural, On The Scene, Albuquerque Journal, Weekly Alibi, and Orlie's Lowriding.
You may directly access Sonya's Wedding Photo Portfolio, Photographer Bio, and New Mexico Wedding Photographers Index.
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