Working with a Small Budget

What do you do when working with a modest budget and grandiose ideas?

When you look at the “real weddings” in all those great wedding magazines, the articles never tell you exactly how much the couples and their families spend on those amazing affairs. They don’t tell you what a centerpiece of 100 white roses and peonies actually costs. They don’t tell you how much that designer Pnina Tornai gown actually cost either. So how does someone with a smaller budget make their wedding look amazing without breaking the bank?

Three words, or one acronym, D-I-Y, Do It Yourself! If you have the time and you’re crafty, a great way to save some money is by recruiting your power team (aka your groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, family) and getting them to help you. Make your invitations rather than hiring that high priced printer. Create your own favour boxes and even your favours rather than investing $1-5 per person or couple on something that they won’t really remember. Do you have a knack for working with your flowers? Buy them at a wholesaler and create your centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres in the few days before your wedding. With a little time management and help from your family and friends, you can make a dollar go a long way.

Pick your top three. You know the things that are the most important for you and your hubby-to-be. So pick the top three most important items and then your top three least important items, if you can cut them out completely you can definitely save some money. For some couples, the cake isn’t as important and since most caterers and venues provide a dessert selection with dinner, it is quickly becoming an obsolete tradition.  By cutting the cake you can allocate that $300-600 to something else in your top three. 

A Host Bar is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Lets face it, weddings are expensive. Alcohol is expensive. Combining the two can break the bank completely! Your guests understand, you are a new couple, embarking on a new journey in life and money is tight. You don’t need to host the bar and guests understand that. No one goes home at the end of the night and says, “Wow, what an amazing wedding, but I can’t believe they didn’t buy my drinks all night too!” They actually go home and say, “Wow, what a beautiful wedding, the food was amazing and can you believe her dress?! Stunning!”  It’s quickly becoming less and less taboo to have a cash bar at your wedding. Or, if it is something that is important to you or your families, compromise with a twoonie bar or a couple of drink tickets per guest. 

You’ll be amazed at the amount of money you can save over all by looking at your wedding in a different way. There are always loop holes and ways to work your money so that your budget becomes a lot easier to spread out. Just know your expectations and research to see what you can do within your means. 

~Shae