18 Tips To Make A Dream Wedding On A Budget

Having your dream wedding on a budget may seem to be an impossible goal. But if you set your budget and stay with it; plan carefully and do some of the work yourself, with the help of friends and family, it is perfectly possible.

1. Begin With A Budget, And Stick To It
Determine what you can afford and you will not be temptd to overspend

2. Wedding Priorities
If there is something that you feel you must have for your wedding – a designer gown, an expensive venue etc. – figure out what that will cost first. That comes out of your budget before anything else. Then whatever is left in your budget is what you have to work with for the rest of the wedding.

3. Check Out Etsy
Just about anything you could want is on Etsy.You can find unique rings and gowns and invitations and more; often at a substantial savings

4. Do It Yourself
Many aspects of a wedding can be easy DIY projects. But try to enlist willing, capable friends to assist you.You can save a lot of money doing it yourself but be careful not to overload yourself with too many projects. It is easy to make your budget wedding still look and feel like a dream wedding by taking on some of the tasks yourself.

5. Use Groupon
There are so many offers on Groupon you can probably find most of the things you are looking for. Be sure to read the fine print and the reviews to make sure you are getting reliable suppliers.

6. Be Conscientious About planning Your Honeymoon
Again, you may be able to find a great Groupon for a fun destination. Consult the many online discount air flight and hotel sites. Why pay too much for a trip you can get a deal on?

7. How Many Guests Can You Afford?
If you have a huge family or many. many friends, you may need to have a cake and punch reception. A sit down dinner is very, vey expensive. Take that cost into consideration and decide if you want lots of guests and a modest reception or a more intimate guest list and a grander reception.

8. Save On invitations
You can design them yourself and then take them to a printer to be printed. You can create them yourself on a Silhouette or Cricut. Find a large selection on Etsy. And you don’t have to spend a fortune on custom invitations, just make sure that they look nice. This is a particularly good place to save some money to fit into your budget wedding plan.

9. Make The Food
This can be a major money saver but you will need help. If you have friends and family who would be willing to take this on it could be a real budget saver. And remember it doesn’t have to be a huge meal. A light appetizer buffet or snacks is lovely. As for saving money on the cake – you could go with a small, personal size cake for the bride and groom to cut and enjoy an assortment of cupcakes for everyone else.

10. Help!
If you are planning to do some of the work yourself, you will have to have help. Let friends and family know that you need them to help you make your dream wedding on a budget a reality and they will pitch in. Maybe they can help with making the favors. Or even some of the decorations. Be sure to ask those that you know have specific skills to do those specific tasks.

11. Make Couponing Your Rule
Coupons can offer enormous savings. So, make it your rule that you only buy items that you have a coupon for. You won’t always be successful but alot of the time you will be, and you will save money.

12. Rent Your Amazing Bridal Gown
If you want to look fabulous, don’t want to or can’t lay out all the cash it will take to buy a designer gown and won’t be sentimental that you have to give the dress back, then renting to save money will be your alternative. You could make your veil, so that you have a memento to keep without investing all the money that a designer gown costs.

13. Take Advantage Of Sales
Bridal Shops hold a variety of sales through-out the year. They may have super clearance sales just before the new season’s gowns come out. If you can get a gown on sale, then you have more money to spend on other things. The same applies to the attendants’ dresses as well. If you are doing some of the decor, watch craft stores for the supplies you need to go on sale. The dollar stores can also be a great source for good stuff at cheap prices.

14. Think Of Your Attendants’ Budget
It can be very expensive for them to buy and then wear a fancy bridesmaid dress that they may never wear again. Look for more mainstream stores rather than bridal boutiques to find a formal or cocktail dress that will look great, be more reasonably priced and be usable in the future.

15. Choose A Non-traditional Wedding Date
Prices go up if you get married on a Saturday. Evenings are more expensive than mornings. January and November are less popular months for weddings. If you can choose one of the less popular dates you can save money and find booking easier.

16. Check Out The Bridal Shows
You get to see lots of vendors in one spot and compare what they have to offer. Most of the booths give away great door prizes or discount coupons for their services.

17. How About A Non-traditional Location?
Many venues will severely limit or even prevent you bringing in anything. You must use all their suppliers; caterer, florist, sound guy etc. So if you were thinking of DIYing food, the cake, decorations, even the DJ, you will want to look for someplace other than the traditional wedding venue.

18. Network
Use your family and friend connections to possibly find vendors that you can use. Recommendations are always helpful when looking for quality work and you may be able to save money. But don’t take advantage of people. If they are running a business don’t expect them to just give you their service because they are the cousin of one of your friends.

It can be fun to see how fabulous a wedding you can plan without spending a fortune. Spending an enormous amount is not a guarantee of an amazing wedding. Plan carefully. Consider your purchases with an eye on you budget wedding plan and you can have a WOW wedding without going in debt to do it. Your dream wedding on a budget is absolutely possible if you follow these tips.