Everybody knows that weddings are expensive. It’s just a fact – or, at least, it’s a fact that people spend a lot of money on them. But do you really need to spend thousands of dollars on your big day? Many couples see it as the biggest day of their lives, and they want to make sure they get it right. If you want to have a big celebration, it makes sense to go all out and splash some cash. But some couples would much prefer to keep to a tight budget, either out of necessity or because they would rather spend their money on something else. After all, once you’re married you have the honeymoon, house and maybe kids.
If you want to have your wedding on a budget, it’s entirely possible. There are lots of ways you can have a DIY wedding, and you can mix and match, so you don’t have to do everything yourself. Look at it as a spectrum, rather than a choice between a wedding that requires several professional services and a wedding where you’ve done everything on your own. Follow this guide for DIY alternatives to every part of your wedding – even the most expensive.
Venue
The wedding venue, both for the ceremony and reception, is where a lot of couples don’t want to compromise. The location of your wedding is going to make all the difference to your wedding photos and to your memories of the day. So it’s understandable if you aren’t keen on a registry office or a party at your house. Combining the venue for the ceremony and reception could help to save you money and so could picking a weekday or unpopular season. Of course, the easiest way to cut down on venue costs is to have fewer guests. A small and intimate wedding is generally a cheaper wedding, so think about whether you want to invite all your extended family and high school acquaintances. Look outside of big venues like hotels and try smaller, more obscure places.
Outfits
The bride’s dress is often one of the most expensive elements of the wedding. For some reason, while the groom and groomsmen usually hire their outfits, the bride and bridesmaids are expected to buy them. One way to save money is to choose to hire instead, but if you want something special to keep it’s not the best solution. You can also buy yourself a beautiful dress that isn’t sold as a wedding dress. It seems that even just labeling something as a wedding dress causes its price to rocket. Perhaps you don’t want to wear white, or you can find a white dress that looks great, but doesn’t come from an expensive bridal store. Of course, if you’re especially handy with a needle and a sewing machine, you can make your dress. All of these tips go for bridesmaids too. Some brides ask their bridesmaids to buy their dresses, but it’s up to you whether that’s something you feel comfortable doing.
Catering
The reception dinner can be one of the highest costs too, especially if you’re paying per head. You often have to put on two meals – one for lunch and one for dinner – and it can be hard keeping everyone fed and watered. A great idea that some people use if you want to get your guests involved is to ask each of them to bring a dish. This idea might not be for everyone since some people would prefer to have something a bit fancier. But for an intimate wedding with close family and friends, it can turn your wedding into a real celebration and party among loved ones.
And then there’s the cake. Wedding cakes don’t come cheap, unless you’re lucky enough to know someone who can give you a special offer. If you like baking, why not try doing your own cake? As long as you can handle having to prepare it before the big day, it’s much cheaper than buying one. You could even rope in people from the wedding party to help out, so you can sit back and give directions.
Wedding Stationery
It’s just pieces of paper, but your wedding stationery can cost you hundreds of dollars. Wedding invitations are probably one of the most popular wedding items for giving the DIY treatment. It’s not difficult to design your own wedding invitation and send them out, without ever approaching a professional printer. You don’t need to be the sort of person who’s always doing arts and crafts. Some nice card, a beautiful font and a bit of ribbon can look amazing. If in doubt, go with something simple, and think about your wedding colors.
Photography
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a friend who can give you a deal on professional photography, it’s going to cost you. In fact, photographers charge more for weddings than any other event. If you want some professional photos but are trying to save money, keep the professional photographer for the ceremony. During the reception, you can ask people to take their own photos, and perhaps even give everyone a disposable camera. After the wedding get them to send you their photos, or turn in the disposable cameras. Yes, you will get a lot of awful photos. But there’ll be some absolute gems in there too, some of them better than anything a professional photographer could have captured.
Decoration
It’s not just the wedding party’s outfits that keep everything looking pretty. Your choice of venue will have an affect on how everything looks too, but chances are you want at least some decoration. First of all, there’s flowers. Save money on bouquets and decorative flowers by arranging them yourself. And when it comes to the other decoration, you can do as much or as little of it by yourself as you like. Depending on how many DIY projects you want to have on the go, you could sew tablecloths, create hanging decorations and put together table favors.
