16 TIPS TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR BIG DAY

Tip 1: Elope & Celebrate After!

It is becoming more common that couples are eloping and having a very small intimate wedding with just immediate family and friends and then have a large celebration for all to enjoy after. This is a great way to save a lot of money and still have your special day. If you elope, you still have the ceremony, still marry the man/woman of your dreams, and still can have those closest to you share in the moment. You can save money on a venue, musicians, chair rentals, decorations and much more! Once you return, you can rent out a restaurant or even have a party at your house to celebrate with everyone else.

Tip 2: Be the DIY Bride!

Love to craft or just want to save money? Be the DIY Bride! Look on Pinterest and in wedding magazines & blogs for ideas to personally make your own wedding. You could make items such as decorations, cake toppers, favors, guest books, chair covers/bows, centerpieces, table runners, signs, exit supplies, etc. Being a DIY bride allows you to not only save money but it also can make your day that much more special with your own handmade "little touches."

Tip 3: A Dollar A Day Will Help You Pay!

Get a designated container, jar, piggy bank, etc. to put all change and left over bills from the day!! Coins and left over change can really add up and help out on your big day. Think about it, if you put just a dollar in a change jar everyday for 6 months leading up to your wedding, you'll have $180... That could pay for all your centerpieces or be your tipping money for vendors. What an easy way to help on your big day.

Tip 4: When You Don't See It, You Don't Miss It!

Set up an automatic transfer to savings from each paycheck. If you are not on direct deposit, transfer a portion of each check to your savings account after you put it in the bank. If you can set it up to automatically transfer to savings on pay day then you will never even see it and thus, you won't miss it. Say you get paid bi-monthly and you decide to transfer $100 of each paycheck for a year - that would be $2,400! $2,400 that you never even missed but are glad that you have.

Tip 5: Goodwill, Good Deal!

Visit your local Goodwill to stock up on wedding decorations! Often times, Goodwill has amazing items that would be perfect for decorations or centerpieces! They usually have vases that can be decorated or painted, brass or gold trinkets, glass, baskets, candles & candle holders, cloth, mirrors or items that can be made into wedding chalk boards, Etc. Most items in Goodwill are $0.40-$5 and when used with an artistic touch, are very cute!

Tip 6: FRIENDors!

Have talented friends? Use them and save money as vendors-but be sure to do trial runs and specifically explain what you are looking for. Certain vendors I do not recommend replacing with friends like a DJ, photographer & Day-of Coordinator. These vendors are unique- they have experience and know how to play, shoot and execute weddings, which is very important. Ask a friend to do your hair, do your make up, make your centerpiece, make your cake and desserts, video the ceremony, first dance, exit, etc. If you have a reliable and experienced photographer friend or DJ friend then you could save money by using them- but I do not recommend it if they have not worked weddings before.

Tip 7: Only Use Real Flowers For What Is Important To You!

Flowers can be a large expense for a wedding but they are a beautiful source for decoration and theme. Spend your money on the real flowers that are important to you, like the bridal bouquet, mother and grandmother corsages, grooms boutonnière, etc. and save some money with store-bought flowers for the rest! Half of the time, I have to touch flowers to figure out if they are real or not because they look so real. Things like centerpieces, decorations, flower girl pedals, even bridesmaid bouquets can be store-bought flowers. A lot of times these items end up being thrown away at the end of the night anyways.

Tip 8: Cut Out The Little Things!

There are a lot of small wedding costs that can be cut out to save money. Cut out wedding favors, a lot of times they just get left or thrown away anyways. Cut out tons of decorations, sometimes less is more and is just as beautiful. Cut out wedding programs, much like favors- they often just get thrown away. Cut out Save the Dates and let everyone know via e-mail or social media. Cut out a flower girl, ring bearer, honorary's guest book attendants- sometimes they can add a small cost like flowers and rentals.

Tip 9: Stock The Bar Party!

Want to have alcohol at your wedding but not the large expense that comes with the packages? Collect and organize it yourself with a stock the bar wedding shower! Some venues will actually let you bring in your own alcohol and will just charge you a small fee to set up the bar and serve it. At a Stock The Bar Wedding Shower, guests bring their favorite six pack or bottle of wine/liquor instead of a wedding gift. Alcohol is a very large expense when planning a wedding so this is a great area to save in so that you can spend that money on another portion of the wedding or even the honeymoon.

Tip 10: Something Borrowed!

Have a family member/friend who recently got married or had a party? See if you can borrow items or purchase them for cheap to work into your wedding. Especially for items like the flower girl basket, votives, runners, shoes, jewelry, etc. There are plenty of items that you can borrow and save money on! There also are Facebook pages, apps and websites where local brides sell the items they purchased for their wedding but will never use again. Explore these to find your "something borrowed's."

Tip 11: Church Wedding!

If you are a member of a church, a lot of times they will let you use the facility for free or at a very small fee. Venue fees alone can cost anywhere from $1,000-$7,000 (sometimes even more)! You could potentially save big money by having a traditional & elegant church ceremony and reception. Most churches have a banquet hall or even grass space to set up a tent for a beautiful outdoor reception. This also can cut out the chair rental fee for the ceremony! Possibly also the table and chair rental fees for the reception.

Tip 12: Alternate Wedding Day!

If getting married on a Saturday is not 100% important to you, then schedule your wedding for Friday or Sunday! Some venues give significant discounts for weddings that are booked on a Friday or Sunday. Some even give a larger discount if you have it earlier in the day. Friday's can be tricky because those who work weekday 9-5 jobs have to rush to make it or ask off but with enough notice, it usually isn't an issue. Sunday's are a great alternative as well!

Tip 13: iPod Use!

A quick way to save would be to use a loaded ipod for the ceremony and reception. I personally would not recommend skipping out on hiring a band or DJ for the reception because they really do make the atmosphere and night BUT if that is not high up on your importance list for your wedding then you can save. Wedding Bands and DJ's can be between $800-$1,200- if you still want a DJ or band for the reception (which I recommend) then skip out on the ceremony and simply use an ipod to play the 3-4 songs used throughout it. Bands, Musicians & DJ's sometimes require more money to do both the ceremony and reception so you might still be able to save some money with an ipod ceremony. Just be sure to do a practice run with the person you assign to control it (maybe during the rehearsal).

Tip 14: Bar Options!

Like I mentioned in previous tips, alcohol is a VERY large expense with weddings. If you are not a big drinker or don't want big drinking going on at your wedding... Put a cap on it or make it cash bar. There are usually multiple bar package options; all inclusive packages, hourly packages, upon consumption packages, price cap packages, and/or cash bar. With a cash bar, guest pay for their drinks as they purchase them and you simply pay the set up and/or bartender fees. If you wish to provide a little alcohol for your guests, a great alternative is a price cap package or paying for the champagne toast! With this, you set a dollar amount that you agree to pay and once that amount is reached, it opens up to cash bar for guests to purchase. Be sure to ask your venue (or potential venue) what packages they offer and if they allow you to provide your own alcohol, this could save you money. If it doesn't look like they offer a package option you are interested in, ask! As my mom always says, "you know the answer if you don't ask!"

Tip #15 Skip Cocktail Hour!

It is nice to have a cocktail hour and this also often serves as a time for the wedding party to take photos immediately after the ceremony. But honestly, it is a large extra cost and also keeps guests from eating. Why not skip cocktail hour and let guest go ahead and eat. Have the buffet set up with a fruit and cheese display and they can eat and mingle while your photos are being taken. Cocktail hour adds the expense of appetizers which can be very expensive.

Tip 16: Save Your Wine Bottles!

Instead of throwing out your empty wine bottles, save them for crafting! You can do so much with wine and medicine bottles to make them fit into your wedding theme. Soak and wash the bottles to remove the labels. You can add lace to them, burlap, paint them the color scheme of your wedding or just simply leave them the way they are for rustic center pieces and perhaps place with a flower and votives- cheap, elegant, resourceful and fun!