Five More Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding

Wanna save some bucks on your big day? Check out my first list here, and then take these tips into consideration, whydontcha?

 1. Skip the favors. Let's be honest. Your guests don't give a shit about the jordan almonds at their seat, or the succulent that they can't put in their suitcase. You're already paying for their dinner and booze, and providing a fun night. Forget the couple hundred bucks you're about to spend on something that will be thrown away.

2. Forgo the traditional wedding cake. While I love the look of a traditional tiered wedding cake, they sure can be pricey. Coming in at $5-$20 a slice depending on the decor, means that a cake that feeds 100 guests could easily cost you $2000 or more. For cake! That you eat! And then it's gone! Many bakeries offer dessert table designs that will run you about $500, and usually include a variety of cupcakes, candies, brownies and bars, and cookies. You can throw a sweetheart cake in the mix if you still want to have the traditional cake cutting moment.

3. Serve beer and wine and soft drinks. Having a full open bar can get expensive fast. Hard alcohol and mixed drinks are way more pricey than beer and wine. By serving just beer and wine, you could cut your bar budget by as much as 50%. If you're still hell-bent on having hard alcohol, consider a signature drink or two. That means that the bartender will only have to stock the bar with a few choice ingredients, rather than a whole bevy of options, which will also bring down costs.

4. Keep track of your spending. Maybe this is super obvious, but if you don't know how much you've spent, you won't know if you're on track or not. It's so easy to go over your budget by doing mental math and just hoping you're within your means. Start a google or excel spreadsheet and track those dollars! If you buy something, save your receipt and enter into your spreadsheet as soon as possible. For me, that meant even putting my dollar store and etsy purchases in. Sure $30 or $50 doesn't seem like that much, but do it several times over the course of a year of wedding planning, and your could end up thousand of dollars off.

 
5. Something borrowed.  If you have a friend or family member who recently got married, chances are they have a bix bog of stuff that went unused. You need to pilfer that. Using pre-loved linens, napkins, vases, small decor items, even jewelry, accessories, a veil or dress is such a great way to pinch those pennies.