Tale of the Bank Account That Survived a Wedding

                In an article published by USA Today earlier this month, it was mentioned that the average couple spends an estimated $26,989 for their wedding. *GASP* Reading that figure gives me heart palpitations. In my opinion, that is too much!  

Yes, your wedding is one of the most glorious days of your life and I’m all for having that day to turn out spectacular but unless you’re having a debt-free wedding and can pay that amount without breaking a sweat, then I would suggest looking at plans B-Z. We had a “wedding on a dime” by today’s standards and I lived to tell about it. J I wasn’t your conventional bride and would have been just as happy to have eloped away to a far-away beach somewhere exotic. But, we didn’t and I’m still so pleased with how our special day turned out.

 Planning a wedding is exhausting all around: physically, mentally, emotionally, and definitely financially. One of the biggest things that couples argue about is over financial decisions and we did not want our wedding to be a contention point any more than it had to be. With our budget amount set in stone and a disposition to make it work, we planned a wedding for under $5,000. You can too if you want/need to! Was it hard for me to not want to splurge on all the cute trinkets and fun wedding items I saw at bridal shows? OF COURSE! But, we had priorities to guide us and they kept us in line. Here’s some of what made having a tiny wedding budget be easy for us to manage:

1.       We didn’t want to get in debt for a wedding

2.       We chose our “splurge” to be on the honeymoon (we were advised to splurge on at least one thing if we could)

3.       We weren’t trying to impress the Jones’ or anyone else for that matter

 Weddings involve way too many details to remember and most of the time your guests will recall very little of what you poured your heart into for months on end. I mean, do enjoy the planning process and have the wedding of your dreams, but do it for you and your hubby and not to others’ expectations. For us, it was more important to focus on having people we loved at the wedding than having the fanciest adornments. Make your priorities count. Our colors were gray and yellow, but that’s not what I will remember or care about 20 years from now…. It sure was cute though! : )

The following are a few tips on how we saved mega bucks in areas that blow the budget in most weddings:

My dress: I did have my fun going to a few bridal dress shops and tried on dozens of glorious gowns. I fell in love with a few that were in the high 4 digit range but I knew those weren’t going to find their way into my closet. So instead of pouting and getting discouraged, I looked into some alternative options. Here in Orlando, I couldn’t find any place that would rent dresses anymore. Apparently, they were losing more money on cleaning and repairing them than profiting. Next plan was… to buy a used dress. And, I did. For several weeks I closely monitored Craig’s List, hopeful to have an “Aha!” moment in finding a dress. I e-mailed a new wife who was moving and wanted to sell her dress. By her description and picture, the gown seemed perfect. The only downside I noticed was that the bride said she was 5’2”. I thought I would give it a look anyways even though I knew I would need at least another 6” to magically appear. Well, two trips later I left with a dress that I was smiling about and with a price tag that made my budget happy. $150… yup! Not to mention, the dress fit like a glove with no alterations needed! Was that perfect or what?

Cash Flow $$$: We follow Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” principles and one thing he talks about is the power of cash. Let me tell you, it’s true! With any vendor that we had to buy something from, when we mentioned we would pay with cash they were all more open to negotiating their prices. For example, our florist shaved off $250 just because we had the cash on hand. When you are counting every penny, this makes a big difference. In as much as you can, use cash to pay and work it to your advantage! Dave Ramsey would be proud.

Food: Because we invited our entire church, it was not an option to have a full course meal. We decided to have a 2pm wedding which meant we could get away with not having to serve lunch or dinner. Instead, we had a few items for guests to snack on and a cookie bar  for a unique touch. This format gave everyone a chance to mingle freely without being confined to a table, and was overall minimal in hassle. I also considered a dessert reception, which might be an option you may like. Don’t think having a full meal is the only way to go!

Exhaust your resources: To plan a tight budgeted wedding you can’t be embarrassed to ask for help. If you know someone or have a friend that has talents and resources that you will need, ask them to either give you a pretty discount or to give you their service as a gift versus getting you something else. We were so privileged to have our ceremony music, cake, flower arrangements, cookies for the cookie bar, and so much more be donated “gifts” which saved us hundreds of bucks! Not to mention, it all turned out better than I could have hoped for. I dragged my feet a lot on getting things checked off my list so luckily one of my sister-in-laws, Diana, pretty much did it all for me. I couldn’t have planned nor had everything ready without her! For me, I just wanted to get married and not worry about details. She made my save-the-dates too by designing and getting them printed. All I had to do was buy paper to print them on. That’s another money saving option too!

Favors: My opinion is that if you absolutely don’t want them, then don’t do it. Wedding etiquette is sweet but if you followed all the rules by the book I promise you’ll spend waaaay more than you want to. This was one of the areas that we kept to a bare minimum. Don’t break the bank on favors that get thrown away shortly after your “I do.”

Transportation: Derek has a Harley Davidson motorcycle on which I wanted to have fun and go away on it after our reception. Unfortunately, rain decided to bless, err fall, and we had to have a back-up plan. So, we asked a close family friend to drive us away (after a short motorcycle spin) in his gorgeous Mercedes Benz. All for the cost of $0.00 and just a gift of gratitude.

Officiants:  Both of our dads are pastors and we wanted each to have a special part in the ceremony. This, honestly, was my favorite part of the entire ceremony after the “I do’s!” Of course, there was no cost but think hard before you just ask and pay anyone. You may just remember an old pastor or friend that is able to legally perform your ceremony for no to little cost.

Hair: I didn’t go to the fanciest salon, but instead went to my mom’s hairdresser. She was more than excited to do this for me and made the experience so memorable. Her costs were minimal. Do you have friends who can help you out?

Make-up: I took care of it myself with good ol’ Covergirl and a few other basic essentials. Guess what? Derek didn’t know the difference and thought I was the most beautiful I could have been on that day. No one else’s opinion would have mattered to me anyways! Don’t feel like you have to have your face cost $1,000 on your wedding day.

Other random money savings we encountered:

Ordered my headband on the handmade goods website, Etsy

Veil and tons of simple needs were found at a great price at Hobby Lobby (no one cared or noticed)

Cute yellow flower girl dresses were from Target

Flowers for arrangements, bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres were either in season or not expensive. Instead of rose petals to toss, we used daisy petals. And, I was not embarrassed to have carnations because I love them!

We had extra to spend on gifts for all involved because we saved so much in everything else

Wedding location was at our church

I wanted Derek to wear a grey suit instead of a black tux. Suits can be a cost effective option!

3 tips from Derek for honeymoon savings:

Don’t forget to use your frequent flyer points to help with airfare costs

Try to use cash to pay for excursions. We got discounts!

Eat local. The food is usually better and less expensive, and it’s a memorable way to explore wherever you go!

If I had to change anything, I would have hired a professional photographer and videographer. Trying to save too much in this area didn’t work to our advantage in the end, but I still do not regret how anything in all the other areas was done and I have the best memories of our wedding day to think about for many years to come! If you’re thinking of getting married or are already planning your Big Day, I hope you’ll have the wedding of your dreams whatever your (debt-free) cost comes out to be.

Good Luck!

Reading ring engravings for the first time during ceremony!