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Buy A Used Wedding Dress to Save Cash
The wedding dress is one of the most expensive items of a wedding, often consuming more than 10% of the entire wedding budget. If you have a $10,000 budget that you are worried about stretching as far as you can, then that $1000 seems like a pretty big chunk for an item you will wear once and then throw into the back of the closet.
Alas, it does not have to be this way. That dress that gets worn once, yeah you can buy that used and it will be practically new because, well, it was worn once. By purchasing a used dress, you can save hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars. And then guess what, when you are done with it, you can probably sell it again and make some of that money back.
There are plenty of options for buying a used wedding dress. You can go online to classified ads of only wedding items, you can try to find a local person selling a dress, or you can go to a consignment store. Of these, if you have a bridal consignment store near you, I would recommend trying that first and here is why:
1. You can try on multiple dresses in one place. Online you can’t try on at all and buying direct from people could have you driving all over town and trying the dresses on in strangers’ bathrooms.
2. The dresses have been screened. Consignment stores have standards for how current the dress must be, that it must be clean and free of flaws.
3. You can have your bridesmaids/MOB with you and can also scout out inexpensive bridesmaid dresses or other wedding accessories.
Some bridal consignment stores sell their dresses online too, so even if there isn’t one is your area, you can still buy from a trust-worthy source. The consignment store may be able to send you video of the dress and will likely have friendlier return policies if the dress doesn’t fit.
Check this bridal consignment store out or find one in your area. You won’t regret saving all that money and instead putting it towards your bar tab or your honeymoon. And, if you didn’t want to wear your mom’s dress, there is a pretty good chance your daughter won’t want to either. So consign it when you are done and pay that dress forward!
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Beautiful & Cheap Rustic Centerpieces
Centerpieces can cost a fortune if you are not careful and do not plan ahead. But this does not have to be the case. Thinking outside of the box and finding ways to recycle items can be the best way to create cheap and environmentally friendly wedding accents.
A great example of this can be found on the True Event Blog where tin cans and votives have been painted copper and filled with flowers. Any color of paint can be used and metallic paint adds an elegant touch. Another idea shown is using twigs or natural elements to wrap votives or vases (or inexpensive painted cans!) and then fill with candles or flowers.
Remember that everyday items can be transformed into beautiful wedding decor. Look around your house, thrift stores, and craft stores and think about the possibilities after a little paint, ribbon wrapping, beading, etc. You can save a ton of money and have a unique wedding that people will certainly remember.
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Cheap Invitations
Guide to Cheap Invitations
Invitations can be such an expensive part of your wedding if you aren’t careful. At $4 plus per invitation, even your smaller wedding of 100 can put your invitation cost at near $500. It doesn’t have to be so if you have a little creativity (or none really) and do a little research. You can achieve an expensive look at an inexpensive price and here is how:
1. Google invitations online and select “Images” once Google returns the results. If you know you are like whimsical, modern, traditional, retro, art deco, ect. styles of invitations, add that to your search.
2. Scan the results until you find some ideas that you like. Check out the websites they come from and see how much that specific invitation costs. If it is in your budget, go for it, but if not, bookmark or print the image for reference. Once you find a few invitation styles that you really like, narrow it down to your top two or three.
3. Identify local printers who print invitations. Go to three and take your top three ideas to them. Printers charge extra to design your invitations from scratch, but if they just have to simulate (not copy – you don’t want to steal the ideas, you want to be inspired by them) them, there is less work and you will save some cash.
4. Ask each of the printers to quote how much it would cost to emulate each of your inspirations. Ask for the quote if they provide the paper and if you provide the paper. Make sure you have written quotes so you can hold them to it and so you can do some paper price comparisons at home.
5. Take the cheapest quote (unless the cheapest was not really your favorite inspiration) and look online to see how much you can buy the paper for yourself. Paperandmore.com is a great site that has the best prices and selections on paper that I could find. Make sure you take into account how many invitations can fit on one page so you know how many pages you need. You have to order in 50 or 100 page quantities, but a little extra is good for mistakes or other stationary (programs are something you may want to coordinate). Make sure to take shipping costs into account.
6. Once you figure out if it is cheaper for you to supply the paper or not, go back to the printer you chose and have them do a sample of the finished product (if you are supplying the paper, you will want to provide it to the printer for the proof). Proofread thoroughly and make sure everything is how you want it before you have the printer to the whole batch – you do not want to be addressing them and then figure out that there is a typo.
7. Save money and don’t hire a calligrapher. Go to the craft store and get a calligraphy felt pen then practice writing addresses. This will have a fancy appearance and will cost you $5 max for the pen instead of over $100 for a professional.
Other tidbits:
- Think about coordinating stationary like inserts, response cards, programs, escort cards, etc. You will want to take examples of these coordinating items to your printer too.
- Buy extra envelopes. You can be really careful but will still have a few woopsies along the way.
- If you are doing pocket invitations, don’t use glue! Get roll on craft tape like what is used for scrapbooking to affix your invites to the pockets.
- Have an assembly party to help speed things along. This is a good excuse to get your ladies together and do some prewedding bonding.
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Cheap Wedding Slideshow and Other Ideas
Although your guests should know you – or at least one of you – they may not know how the two of you met and ended up ready to commit the rest of your lives together. Make your wedding intimate and personal by sharing some of your history with your guests so they can truly appreciate how beautiful your journey has been and celebrate the journey ahead. Here are some fun and cheap ways to share your story at your wedding:
1. Make a cheap wedding slideshow – gather photos of you and your honey. Include some of each of you growing up and some of you together the length of your relationship. Scan the non-digital photos and transfer digital photos into a slideshow program like Photostory. You can organize the photos how you like and time them to soundtracks of your choosing. You can even add effects (fade in/out, page turning, credits). When you have the slideshow the way you want, burn to a disc. All you need is a TV or projector with a DVD player and you have a beautiful compilation of you and your fiance that will entertain your guests and make them feel closer to you both.
2. Pop Quiz! A great and cheap way to break the ice for your guests and get them mingling with each other is to quiz them. There are numerous ways to accomplish this. You could make inexpensive wedding programs that have crossword puzzles with questions about you two on the back (9 Across – Where did Sarah and Billy first meet?). Your reception table “numbers” could instead be a question about the two of you that tables have to solve together. The first table with the correct answer could get released to the buffet first (after the bridal party, of course).
3. Do an wedding interview. Have your maid of honor or somebody compile some questions for you and the groom/bride to answer separately while being videotaped. The questions could be about the way you felt the first time you saw the each other, silly things like how clumsy he is, or the story of the proposal. Then edit the clips together and make into a movie to play at the reception. This will take a little work but can be done inexpensively and without professional help with the aid of free software programs like Apple iMovie and Microsoft Moviemaker.
Your guests are there to celebrate you. So let them really celebrate you by sharing how beautiful your love is and giving them a glimpse into your relationship. You will be touched by how much that means to them.
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50 Wedding Saving Tips
Here are 5o ways to cut wedding costs:
- Trim the guest list. You can still have a budget wedding even if you have to invite 200 of your closest friends and family, but a surefire way to save is to be cut the number of invitees. You might be surprised how hard it is to say welcome and thank 50 guests during the evening, so saying catching up with 200 could make you feel like your whole wedding consisted of you saying “hi, thank you for coming” for four hours straight. Just something to keep in mind…
- Book your wedding on an off-peak day and or season. This will definitely help as supply and demand will surely put peak pricing on the Saturday evening affair. If you are having a smaller or intimate wedding, this is a really good option as you don’t have as many guests’ schedules to worry about. This is still a great option if you are having a larger wedding; either way, make sure you send out save the dates early so people can plan accordingly.
- Book early! Book everything you can early, as vendors and venues typically raise prices annually. Try to get your interviewing done as soon as you can and get contracts with your vendors (reception location, caterer, photographer, and deejay are a must) so you lock in pricing before it is increased.
- Network baby! Ask around if your friends, family, and coworkers know any caterers, bakers, photographers, crafters, decorators, printers, etc. Your second uncle, Bob, might have a printing shop and would do your wedding invitations for cost (based on true story). Your coworker’s wife may be a photographer who would gladly give you a good price. I am not saying to try to use relationships to get a price break, but people often want to help out if they know you and it is nice to support your community of friends rather than strangers.
- Have your wedding and reception at one location. You can usually save money by booking one location for the day instead of two locations for part of the day. This also cuts down on vendor travel time. With one location décor can be set up for the ceremony then reused for the reception. With two locations you will need to buy more décor unless you are going to hassle with and have the time to transport it and restyle it at the reception location.
- Consider having your ceremony at a state capitol building. This is often free since these buildings are usually open to the public and offer a beautiful backdrop with an urban feel.
- Buy décor at thrift shops. Hit up your local thrift shops where you can find beautiful vases (modern and simple vases can be found there) or colored glass and bottles that make excellent centerpieces. Wondrous and beautiful things can be done with even mason jars.
- Shop online for décor. Check out EBay and Craigslist for wedding décor since many brides try to sell their décor on these sites after their weddings. You can pick stuff up for less than half the original cost and it was likely only used once!
- Borrow what you can. You know that “something borrowed” tradition? Take it seriously. Ask your friends and family what they have around the house in terms of candleholders, lanterns, sets of glassware (shot glasses for instance can be great candle or favor holders), vases, linens, birdcages, bowls, etc. Some of these items may not seem wedding worthy to you, but trust me, the possibilities are endless and can be pulled off with not only class but with artistry that will wow your guests.
- Do more with less. You would be surprised how much décor you don’t need. Little touches make a big impression and too much can come off as overwhelming or tacky. You don’t have to have cut flowers all over the ceremony or reception venue; instead well placed pieces can pack the punch and direct attention to where it matters.
- Use bigger tables at your reception. This allows you to use fewer linens and centerpieces and also provides a more mingling atmosphere with more guests at each table.
- Repurpose flowers used in your ceremony in the reception. Have your bridesmaids put their bouquets back in vases and put the bouquets on the cake table.
- Skip flowers for décor. There are so, so many awesome and creative centerpiece and décor options that don’t include flowers and that save you tons of money.
- Use live plants for centerpieces and then give them as gifts to guests of honor or your bridal party. This way nothing goes to waste! Suggestions are potted herbs, plants or flowers, or creative plants like cacti or succulents.
- Use still life inspired objects for centerpieces. If you and your fiancé are literature junkies, go to thrift stores and find classic books and stack them in the center of the table with some candles and other literature inspired items. Take the passions you two share and show and tell them to your guests.
- If you do use flowers, use lots of greenery and try to grow it if you can. Mint, sage, basil, and a variety of common garden plants are great greenery and are also wonderfully fragrant.
- Grow your own flowers. If you love lilies (I do!) then plant tons of bulbs before your wedding. In order to pull this off, you have to have planned ahead and chosen the right flowers to bloom during your wedding, but the pay-off is sweet. Not only will you save money, but those same flowers will bloom year after year as a memento of your special day.
- If you are buying flowers, use mostly less expensive flowers and get just a couple of focal flowers to make the bouquet or centerpiece pop. Nobody notices every single flower in the bouquet; they just notice the mix of colors and the arrangement. Using less expensive flowers is not a punishment, by the way. Dahlias, gerbera daisies, and lilies are all inexpensive and beautiful flowers.
- Skip tossing the bouquet. Lots of brides are foregoing this tradition either because they don’t have enough single ladies at the wedding to warrant it, or they simply don’t want to do it. Skipping will save the cost of the additional bouquet.
- Design your own stationary, if you can. You have done the research and looked at all the styles you like, so use the software you already have and create what you want. Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint (I did my save-the-dates On PP) can be great tools if you know how to use them. This obviously won’t work for everybody but if you are slightly savvy, do it. A lot of the costs associated with invitations, etc., are the designing so if you can skip this you can save big time. If you go this route, an excellent resource for paper is paperandmore.com; there is a vast selection of types and colors of paper and the prices are very reasonable.
- Use invitation kits. The kits have come a long way and have a variety of color schemes and designs to choose from. Brides has some stylish invitation kits at Michael’s Craft Store. Those weekly 40% off coupons can help you cut costs even more so register with Michael’s or Joann Fabrics online to get coupons sent to your email.
- Less is less (expensive). The less paper that you have in your invitations, the cheaper. Minimalist is in and some of the cutest invites don’t fold or have pockets or do anything other than perfectly invite your guests to your day. And, if you are trying to be easy on the environment, then less paper should be the obvious choice for you.
- Send save the date postcards to minimize postage costs.
- Make your favors also serve as your escort cards.
- Don’t offer a full bar, it is unnecessary. You can get away with just beer and wine but can offer a signature cocktail if you really want to. Most guests will truly be satisfied with whatever you serve. Depending on your location, you can provide the beer and wine and then allow guests to purchase something different if they wish at the bar. Many won’t even bother, but those who really want something that you didn’t serve will be happy with the option.
- Serve a buffet and skip the extras. Have you seen how much food is usually left over at a wedding? Tons. People tend not to stuff themselves and the wedding festivities by nature generally don’t allow for it (table chatter, toasts, dances, etc.). For example, you don’t have to have a vegetable side and a salad. You really can stick to the basics and will still have plenty to go around.
- Do appetizers. You don’t have to do a big dinner for your wedding and there are lots of great options where you can feed your guests well without having the full dinner menu. The trick here is to go with filling staples and have a couple trendy or fancier appetizers to leave an impression. Be careful: if you try to make every appetizer an art piece or a statement, you could end up spending more than you would for a full dinner.
- Serve breakfast – part one. One idea is to serve breakfast at your dinner wedding. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? We all have appreciated how fun it is to serve up biscuits and gravy and eggs for dinner. Not only will it be cheaper, but it will be very fun and unique.
- Serve breakfast – part two. Do a brunch or an early wedding. Not only will you save money on your locations and vendors because mornings are not peak times for weddings (tip #2) but you will save on the food as well, because breakfasts tend to be less expensive meals. You could still do an evening party or “after party” if you want that experience, but could avoid the formality of the evening reception and save.
- Raise your glasses with what’s already in them. Nobody expects a champagne toast and many people don’t even like champagne, so if you have one, you may find many half full glasses at the end. Just let people toast with what they have and save the extra expense of buying tons of champagne.
- Instead of a wedding cake, do playful cupcakes. This is a cheaper alternative from a professional baker but is also something you could do yourself (recruit help). Look online for inspirations and try to replicate a design that you love. The craft stores have excellent tools for baking special occasion cakes and desserts (use the craft store coupons as previously mentioned).
- Let them eat [cheese] cake! Cheesecake is a dessert loved by most and easy to make. Ask friends and family if they could each make a plain New York cheesecake or two for your wedding. To give it a little pizzazz, do a topping bar where guests can pick nuts, chocolate, or fruit to top their slice.
- Have a dessert bar. Skip the cake altogether and have a variety of yummy desserts displayed on a table for guests to pick from. This is another possibility for DIY.
- If you do a cake, go with designs that don’t have a lot of hand-made flowers or decorations. Get what you want, but think about how much extra labor the design might require and see if you can find a less ornate alternative.
- Order a smaller tiered wedding cake and then get a back-up sheet cake for your guests. Keep the sheet cake in the back and the pieces can be cut and then brought out so nobody is the wiser.
- Make your own slideshow. If you want a slideshow of you and your fiancé to play at your wedding, don’t pay somebody to create it, do it yourself. There are so many free programs out there like Photostory that allow you to easily create a slideshow and time it to the music of your choosing, that paying somebody seems like highway robbery.
- Look on Craigslist for photographers. Often you find new photographers who are trying to build a career and portfolio and have the talent just not the reputation yet. Don’t go with anyone who hasn’t shot a wedding before and ask to see all the photos not just five or ten good ones.
- See if the photographer you like has a junior or associate photographer. The photographer probably trains his/her associate and will demand quality to maintain the brand.
- Do a DIY photo booth. Set up a backdrop and a camera on a tripod with a remote so guests can photograph themselves or you can ask a friend to man the camera.
- Deejay the music without a professional. With iPods and iTunes, you and your friends probably have thousands of songs. Create a playlist or playlists for the various parts of your wedding and appoint someone to make sure the music stays on track.
- Check with local high schools or colleges for less expensive string quartet players.
- Hire a deejay that can do both the ceremony and the reception. This will simplify and minimize costs.
- Have a more casual rehearsal dinner. Nobody expects a rehearsal dinner that looks like a reception – in fact you don’t want your rehearsal dinner to outshine your reception – so a casual barbeque is a nice and intimate way to celebrate and thank your family and wedding party without having a lot of pressure or formality.
- If you want to do a DIY rehearsal dinner, consider asking the groomsmen to grill up a barbeque. Often the groomsmen are left wandering through the wedding festivities feeling purposeless (other than the bachelor party), so they will likely appreciate some directions on how they can help.
- Make your wedding party gifts. There are so many ideas out there of gifts you can give to your wedding party that aren’t cliché. Homemade monogrammed wine glasses or infused vodka or just a couple of suggestions that cost little but are very personal because you made them yourselves.
- Have a friend or family member get ordained online to officiate your wedding.
- If you want to charter a bus for your guests’ transportation to your wedding, check with the local school bus companies. A school bus is actually a really unique and fun alternative and will likely be much cheaper than the other charter companies.
- Buy your wedding dress used. Think about it, a dress is worn once and then what? You will save hundreds, if not thousands (depending on what dress you want), by buying a gently used dress. And nobody will know the difference.
- Buy a suit/tux instead of renting. Okay, this may not be cheaper in the beginning, but the price could easily be the same as renting and then you get to KEEP the suit and reuse. If the groom and the groomsmen have to fork out a hundred or more dollars anyways, let it be for something that will get perfectly fitted to them and that they will be able to wear again and again – not an ill-fitting and expensive rental that will be money down the tubes. The Men’s Warehouse has a great variety of inexpensive suits and usually offers 50% off if all the men in the party buy a suit.
- Have a home spa day for you and your gals. Instead of going to the spa, give yourselves ultimate manicures and pedicures at home (I am a former professional nail technician and I can tell you can do it yourself). Not only does this save you and your girls money, it is a fun way to spend some girl time together before the wedding.
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Rules to a Having the Luxury Economical Wedding
Once you take a preliminary tally of who can contribute what, you and your soon-to-be spouse need to discuss what you are able and/or willing to spend on the wedding and honeymoon, if you are taking one (hopefully you can because you will want to relax after all of the hustle and bustle leading up to the big day). The fact that you and your fiance’s financial lives become merged after marriage makes this a very important discussion. You don’t want to start your marriage out deep in debt from the wedding, especially considering that money is one of the top contributors to divorce!
Here is the thing, though: you don’t have to go into debt to finance your wedding! You can have an amazing wedding on a shoestring budget. You just have to be:
- Realistic – don’t try to keep up with the Kardashians. Your wedding should be uniquely you, and having to work with a smaller budget allows you to really focus and what is important to you and put your energy there. You have to really think the details through and analyze more than you might if you had a larger budget. This scrutinizing over every detail can make your wedding more personal and your guests will definitely notice.
- Committed to a little DIY – I won’t try to sugar coat that executing the dream wedding on a small budget means you will have to get your hands dirty. This can be super fun but is also time-consuming. Do-it-yourself is a great alternative to paying others to do it and it is easy these days with the access you have to instructional articles and videos on the web. Remember, though, that a bottle of wine or a pizza can easily persuade a little help from your friends and family so DIY doesn’t have to be a solo gig.
- Ahead of the game – I can’t say this enough: PLAN AHEAD. Give yourself plenty of time and then pretend you have half as much time. Not only does having lots of time save you money when it comes to booking vendors and locations and buying fashion or décor items (“Plan Ahead to Save” link), but it also allows you to explore DIY ideas and PRACTICE them, which is crucial. You might find a gorgeous, layered and tri-fold invitation idea that you are sure you can do for your invite. You go get some practice paper and follow the steps and realize that your invitation doesn’t look at all like Martha Stewart’s invite and suddenly are back at online searching for a Plan B invite that better suits your crafting skills. This is an exercise you need to go through early so that you have time to try Plan B or C or D. Planning a budget wedding takes lots of research (less for you with this blog, hopefully) and the more time you have to evaluate your options, the better.
- Flexible – here is the deal ladies, you can’t have it all. I don’t mean to burst your bubble but you have to make decisions and sacrifices, especially if you are working with a small budget. Direct your energy and attention to what matters the most to you. The location, the dress, the music. Whatever it is, it will make a statement about you and your fiancé and your guests will appreciate the details you were passionate about and won’t even notice the details you felt you couldn’t afford. So be flexible and know that you don’t have to have it all to have an amazing and personal wedding.
If you can keep these tips in mind, you will be well on your way to an amazingly beautiful AND economical wedding that you and your guests will never forget.
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Stamp Your Invites with Style
Make a Statement with Personalized Stamps
You can make a statement with your invitations before your guests even open the envelope with personalized stamps. This can be a relatively inexpensive addition that can make a big impression. If your budget is pretty tight, beware this will approximately double your postage costs. That said, it is a super fun way to display your wedding style right out of the shoot, so you might find it a worthy add-on.
Visit www.zazzle.com (or any one of the many sites offering this service) where you can pick from a large selection of postage with pre-made wedding designs or you can upload a photo or design of your own. The average cost is $18.00 for 20 stamps or roughly $0.90 a stamp.
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Inexpensive and Fun Puzzle Guest Book
Inexpensive and Fun Puzzle Guest Book –
If you want a creative guestbook that blows the same old guestbook out of the water, try a Puzzle Guest Book. Here’s the deal, you get a puzzle made of a photo of you and your other half and you put the pieces in a bowl for your guests to draw out and sign as they arrive at your wedding. Depending on the picture you use, you could have them sign the front or the back of the pieces. You could also do a graphic of your names or initials (think “Jenny & Scott”) instead of a photo. This is a unique and fun option that you can do on the cheap!
Visit the website www.portraitpuzzles.com and load an image, graphic, or photo of you and your fiancé (if you had engagement photos taken, they would be perfect here). The company will make your photo into a puzzle after you have chosen the size and puzzle piece count. The 99-piece puzzle has the best size of puzzle pieces for your guests to sign (you could do multiple puzzles to meet your guest count).
Once you are done, wah-lah, you have a fun and different guestbook for under $40!
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Plan Ahead to Save
Plan in Advance
The earlier you get started on your wedding planning, the better. If you are working on a tight budget, it is especially important to give yourself plenty of time before the wedding day to research what you want and how you can make it happen with your budget. The simple fact of the matter is, if you are trying to throw your dream wedding for under $10,000, you will likely be doing some DIY wedding work and this can be time consuming. I would recommend setting your wedding date at least a year out to allow you to do the research and work necessary to have your day, your way, at the right price.
Ask Yourself What Matters Most
Another key step when planning a budget wedding is to figure out what wedding elements are most important. Make a list of your must haves, the items that you are willing to pay a little more for because they are that significant to you.
Do you want the best photographer or are you willing to pay a less for a hobbyist shutterbug who is trying to break into the professional world?
Is the wedding dress your focal point and where you want to spend a little more?
Are you and your hubby-to-be music aficionados who must have a rockin’ band or local deejay?
Do you want an elegant dinner service or a burger buffet?
These are the types of questions you need to ask and answer so that you can prioritize the most important wedding details and allocate your funds accordingly.
Interview Vendors Promptly
When it comes to vendors, you want to start interviewing them right away. For one, it takes time to arrange appointments when you and your fiancé (or MOH, etc.) can all meet with the different vendors. Depending on your work schedules, you may have to do this on weekends and you would be surprised how many weeks it can take you to interview three deejays.
Second, by the time you interview the third deejay on the third week of interviews, you may realize that you don’t like any of the interviewees and still have a long ways to go. This is not something you want to be dealing with in the last months leading up to the wedding; you might end up stuck with vendors you are not crazy about because you ran out of time or options.
Snag That Vendor ASAP
Another reason to interview early is to save money, honey! Vendors typically raise their prices every year, so you will be better off if you can get a contract with the vendor you want before he/she raises prices. I booked my photographer a year in advance and ended up saving hundreds because she raised her prices right after we signed the contract. Her lowest package increased by $600 and decreased in features. Had I waited, I would have really blown part of my budget.
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Time to have “the [budget] talk”.
Time to have “the [budget] talk”.
You have tweeted and FB’d your engagement from the mountain tops. Short of renting a billboard, you have announced to the world that you and your sweetie are getting hitched. And in doing so, you have opened the door to many possibilities (excellent vendor recommendations, offerings of free or bargain services, décor that you can borrow, and many other networking potential benefits) discussed in this previous section. With the networking wave set in motion, you need to sit down and have the hard talk about the budget – or potential lack thereof ?
The “talk” may need to include a variety of people depending on your own and your other half’s particular situations. This may be with just your parents, with his parents, with all parents, with no parents. The possibilities are endless and will certainly be unique to your family/community situation. This is the great thing about planning a wedding today. The rules are not hard and fast on who is paying for what and this opens uplots of creative ways to solve the budget problem.
Maybe your parents – like many parents today – can’t pay for the wedding as you might have hoped. If your parents can’t pick up the bill, perhaps each family member (aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings) can help split the cost or donate a certain amount to your wedding. Maybe your aunt wants to “sponsor” your wedding cake and offers to take care of that bill and Uncle Bill wants to make sure the guys travel to the wedding in style in a limo. Family members’ donations could add up quickly.
There are two cautionary things to keep in mind here:
- Family members may want to donate their opinions right along with their cash.
- Family members may not be able to buy you shower and wedding presents depending on what they pledge to the wedding.
If you are able to set good boundaries and if it is more important to have the wedding of your dreams than a bunch of presents, this could be an answer to a tight budget problem.
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