How to Afford Your Dream Wedding
Budget is the one factor that decides how elaborate your wedding can be.
You grow up with a Wedding Pinterest board full of inspiration photos of your perfect dream wedding with no idea of how much it will actually cost to make that dream come true. It is easy to get discouraged as you start to plan your wedding and things begin to add up right away. However, depending on what aspects of your wedding are must-haves, there are certain areas where you can cut costs in order to make it happen. Work closely with all of your vendors to discuss how you can get the most bang for your buck without breaking the bank.
Simplify Your Invites
Although elaborate invitations are beautiful to look at and give your guests a first impression of your wedding, let’s face it - most of them end up getting thrown away. Scalloped edges, foil, and custom designs are just a few details that look good, but are most likely going to be overlooked. Go for a more simplistic design that is still elegant and matches your style, without diving too far into your budget.
A More Casual Affair
Go with a more casual, buffet style reception instead of a formal, plated dinner. This way everyone has the freedom to get as much food as they want, and you don’t have to spend the extra cash on a formal dinner. Also keep in mind that you don’t need 7 hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour - choose around 3 and that will tidy over your guests until its time for dinner.
Beer & Wine Only
Limiting the bar may not go over well for some guests, but a full bar can get pricy. Having a beer and wine only bar with definitely save you some money, and still allow your guests to have a good time. This will also help you prevent some guests from indulging a little too much.
Reuse the Flowers
With flowers easily becoming one of the most expensive parts of the wedding, just reuse them. Use the bridal bouquet as a decoration for the sweetheart table, and use the bridesmaid bouquets for the table centerpieces. You can also alternate which tables get flowers and the others can have candles or greenery.
Fake the Cake
Cakes can get pretty expensive, depending on the amount of tiers, flavors, embellishments etc. You can have a 1-2 tier cake for the cutting, and have a sheet cake in the back to be cut for the guests. Another option is to have some of the tiers be a foam core covered in icing, so that it appears to be a 5 tier cake, but really the guests will be getting slices of sheet cake.
Wedding Featured: Samantha & Jeremy