10 ways to save for the Bride on a budget
I (Jilliana) have shared in different blogs, about the state Jonny and I got married in. Both of us were tight on change, due to debt and immigration, so much of what made our wedding day what it was, was due to my mom’s financial contribution and the generous gifts of others in the form of gifted services. That being said, there were area’s of our wedding that I used my thrifting savvy, to our wedding budgets benefit. While it required a lot more elbow grease than hiring a wedding planner would have demanded, it was so worth it. I witnessed the incredible friends I had, come around me with support, both emotionally and physically, and help make our wedding day beautiful. Knowing I wasn’t going to be in debt for the sake of that one day, in our married life, was a huge relief.
If you read in my previous blog, “If I could re-do my Wedding” , you’ll learn about the ways I would have (had it been in my control), re-routed where some of my mom’s financial contribution went. Along with that, ways I would have stewarded the time I had, during the wedding day’s events. There were parts of the wedding planning, that received much more money than I felt was necessary. Along with that, there were area’s that were completely neglected financially, that should have had more attention because those were the things that would have helped us relive our day for a life time.
10 ways to save
Do your own Hair + Makeup + Nails: Growing up, I was the girl who wore sweats and hoodies to school. I had no physical ambitions externally, except to have moisturized skin and straightened hair. At my moms request, I started wearing blush and mascara. To this day, that’s about as boujie as it gets with me. So when it came to hair and makeup for my wedding day, my standards didn’t change. Me and my besty Brides Maids, sat on my mom’s living room floor that morning, doing each others hair, makeup and nails. I LOVED looking like myself on my wedding day. It was sophisticated, yet natural. Looking back on my wedding photo’s, I have no regrets whatsoever. It was also a wonderful bonding time for all of us girls.
Create your own Floral Arrangements: My mom is a wedding decorator by talent, not trade. Meaning, she gifts her talents to friends whose children have, or are, getting married. One of her friends, whom she had helped decorate for, did floral arranging and offered her services in return, for my big day. I’m not a huge fan of florals, so I went classic, with just white and red roses, added greenery and babies breath. We bought them at Costco, at $20 for 2 dozen! Me and my gals bouquets were simple, and so were our centre pieces. We filled in the gaps by adding wood cookies, and lanterns, so there wasn’t a lot of floral needed on the tables. Another alternative is to use craft flowers, instead of fresh. They can then be sold as wedding decor, after the wedding.
Off-The-Rack Wedding Dress: Now, this might be a hot topic because for most brides, this is THEE thing that they want to build the theme and design of their wedding, around. So a lot of finances get thrown in the wedding dress direction. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, for those who can afford it! In my mind, however, this was something I was going to wear for literally ONE day of my life. So, in good ol’ thrifters fashion, I said a prayer and headed straight for the size 8 rack. My prayer was heard! I ended up finding a gorgeous lace mermaid dress, with a low v-back and buttons all down the train. I didn’t even know it was what I wanted till I had it on! It cost me $500 (which I still feel was a bit excessive), but compared to the other gowns starting at $1500, I felt incredibly grateful (and beautiful!).
Utilize properties as outdoor Ceremony/Reception Venue’s: I can’t emphasize this enough- people are HONOURED to be asked to contribute to your wedding day. And if they aren’t, the will graciously decline. In regards to being your wedding venue host, they get to offer you something without needing to contribute in a large labor intensive or financially taxing, way. So it’s worth asking! A family friend of ours owns a cabin just out of town. They had just settled in a few years prior to our wedding, and I approached them about using their property as our ceremony and reception venue. While it was an immediate “YES!” to the ceremony bit, it was discouraged to have the reception there in case of heat or storm (again, see my blog about how I wish I’d put my foot down haha). Utilizing the beauty of nature, saved us tremendously! We used the property for our family photo’s as well, as there were so many beautiful backdrops to enjoy. To this day, we get yearly family photo’s taken under the pergola that we were married under. It’s so wonderful to be able to go back, and relive beautiful memories. (Our venue, below)
Avoid alcohol: Don’t throw me shade just yet haha. Many will ask, “how can you possibly have a wedding without alcohol?” The answer is simple, really. You just don’t :) We had sparkling juice to pop for toasts and cheers with, but removing alcohol is a HUGE way to save, financially and risk wise, at a wedding. You don’t have to worry about slurred speeches, drunk driving or booking shuttle’s (another financial cost). And best of all, everyone remembers everything that happened!
Non-designer Bride’s maids dresses: Much like how I felt about my own wedding dress, I did not want my incredible Bridesmaids to have to spend hundreds of dollars on dresses, they themselves, weren’t going to wear more than once. Sure, you can get them altered afterwards, to accommodate a more causal look. However, that would be yet another cost on top of the original purchase. So, me and my girls met for breakfast and hit the mall! We went straight to Suzy Shier, and immediately found the dresses as we walked in the door. My wedding colour’s were out of season (charcoal, red and white), so the fact that we found these dresses in the right colour, so fast, was a miracle. They were knee length, empire wasted, high necked dresses. The dress came with neckline embellishment, so the purchase of jewellery to match, wasn’t even necessary (more money saved!). Everyone felt beautiful and comfortable in them, and all voiced how they would for sure wear the dresses again for another occasion! I knew we would be outside and on our feet a lot, so we went to Ardene’s, and found matching stretchy belts for the empire waist, and black flats they’d all be comfortable in. All together, each gal spent approximately $60. It was a win, all around!
Potluck/Family style catering + cake: While this is what I had wanted to do, my amazing momma was the gal to foot the bill, and decided $10K worth of food to feed our guests was of the utmost importance. However, if you have aunts, sisters, cousins or friends who love to cook, and are good at it, ask if they will gift you your catered food, and you’ll cover the purchase costs. It could mean a little extra work, but everyone will still get fed and it’ll bring people together in the process. Also, we had a very simple cake that we cut after our ceremony, and had pies and ice cream as our desert. It was a great alternative. You can literally do anything you want for your “cake”- muffins, a donut wall, pudding, you name it.
Alternative wedding rings: Wedding rings are something you will use for a lifetime, however, with the inflated cost of them these days, it can mean going into long term debt for them, too. I originally bought a white gold, diamond cluster ring that was on sale. After having children, I became allergic to all metals except surgical steel and titanium. So I started my search for a new ring. I cam upon an etsy shop called Aladdins Cave Jewellery that offered not only alternative metal choices, but alternative gem choices too! I felt incredibly guilty after purchasing my original diamond ring, for ethical reasons. Finding something that was affordable, ethically clear and long lasting was a dream come true. Titanium metal, paired with moissonite gem, have a lifetime guarantee. You are also guaranteed a blemish free stone, every single time. I highly encourage Brides and Grooms to consider these kinds of options when choosing their wedding bands.
Request monetary gifts, instead of a registry: When we got married, our greatest need was finances to help with immigration and with Jonny’s transition into Canada, as he wouldn’t be able to work until his papers went through. We were staying in a furnished basement, so had no need for any physical items. Instead of creating a registry, we just asked on our invites that if people were wanting to gift us, that they would do so through monetary gifts.
E-invites: We purchased and designed our wedding invitations, via Vistaprint. I found it quite cost effective to order. Depending on the number of attendee’s, and where you need to mail to, postage can add up pretty quickly. I will say though, there is something so special about having a physical wedding invite to send out. Not only that, to receive. Hanging it on the fridge, as a visual of something to look forward to, is a wonderful feeling. However! For those wanting to save where they can, to filter their budget to their areas oh highest priority, an alternative route is an E-invite. First you design a temporary website, that contains any information you’d like your attendee’s to know. This could include date, time’s of events, locations and directions, registry, attire type, pre-wedding events if necessary (bridal shower, bachelorette/stag, rehearsal), a list of local hotels, RSVP page, etc. Once that is set up, you can send out either an E-invite, via email or text, requesting an RSVP, with website attached for more details. Or you can order a “save the date” to mail out, instead of a wedding invite (cheaper to order), that contains the date and location, as well as the link for the website where they can find all the necessary info.
Where to Invest
Your wedding is one day, and everything from the flowers to the food, will be gone once it’s over. When you are thinking about where to invest your budget, you HAVE to think long-term. What will help you relive your wedding day for years to come? What will be a long-term investment into your marriage, and future family, even?
The answer is simple:
- Photography.
- Videography.
- Honeymoon/Mortgage.
Photography and videography, will keep the memories of your wedding day fresh for years, and generations, to come.
Your honeymoon is an investment into your covenant as a couple.
Your mortgage (if you don’t already have one) is an investment into your long-term vision as a couple, growing a family, and having profitable debt, instead of the frivolous debt of a wedding. If you are a young couple, just finishing college or university, getting out of debt should be a huge priority for you both. In that case, renting is of course, the way to go, However, if you are able to start saving, or even purchase (only 5% down, guys), that’s a great way to invest into a long-term vision for you both.
We hope this article has encouraged, and empowered, you to know that weddings on a budget are not only possible, but profitable too.
Happy planning!