If you or your families are rich then don't read this article. You are one of the lucky ones that money saving ideas are irrelevant. But most of us are looking for ways to cut corners. We might need to because we are spending more on the outdoor wedding venue such as Prosperity Mansion and will look in other areas to save. You might have fallen in love with that special gown that is far more expense so you need to find that extra cash. All kidding aside, most of us are looking for money saving ideas and tips.
Wedding Venues- Look online and ask around for recommendations. Email or call them and get the cost for the dates that you are seeking. Ask if there are any extras and get that in writing. Some places are really cheap but they do not include tables, chairs a tent etc. They don't have a bridal cottage or man cave so you have to arrive dressed and cannot relax. Some places might have a bridal room but you can only use it for 1 hour. We allow 10-12 hours and that is included in the price. Prosperity Mansion charges less for a Friday and Sunday. So you might want to consider having your wedding on one of those days.
If a wedding venue is out of your budget don't go on the tour. Just like don't try on a gown that's out of your comfort zone. If you fall in love with the wedding venue and cannot afford it you will always be unhappy with what you end up with. Your heart will remain at Prosperity Mansion. You can check us out at http://www.prosperitymansion.com.
Having said that once you have explored the venues in your price range and you still have not had that smile cross your face and that patter in your heart you may want to go up a notch. You can use steps here to make up the difference. Whether the extra money is needed for the wedding venue, gown, food etc will offer suggestions to save money for your wedding.
Wedding Consignment sites on Facebook- You can search for resale or wedding consignment sites at https://www.facebook.com. To save lots of money by buying items that brides are now selling. Once wedding season starts up again you will see items posted every day. The best time to check is on a Monday or Tuesday since most wedding have taken place over the weeding. But if you see something that you really like you need to move on it right away. Remember there are other brides that are looking for decorations for their wedding venue too. You don't pay online but email the bride and ask any questions. Tell her that you are interested. Set up a time as quickly as possible to go see the items and take cask with you. They will not accept a check for obvious reasons. Also there are not a business so they will not likely take credit cards . If you cannot search all of the websites break it down and ask your Mom, bridesmaids etc to take a day of the week or a certain site.
Buy from friends or friends of friends that have gotten married or are getting married. - Repurchase ceremony flowers for reception decorations. Ask the wedding venue if there is a wedding the day or two before yours. Then speak with the bride or the other wedding about possibly purchasing here flowers, center pieces etc. from her. Tell you co-workers, friends and family that you are searching for other brides for that reason. You may have to store the items for a few months or maybe a year but why not if it saves a lot of money ?
The local grocery store- Use your local grocery store https://local.safeway.com/safeway/md/westminster/444-wmc-dr.html for a small cake to cut and then purchase large sheet cakes to cut into squares for your guests. You can get different flavors to add more variety. It’s tastes amazing and is really affordable. Check it out to see if you have a guest that will be attending your wedding that bakes? I have had brides get the one tier cake and cup cakes a s the wedding gift for a guest.
Coupons- Places like Micheal's https://www.michaels.com
and JoAnns Fabrics https://www.joann.com/JOANN/Storesalways have great coupons to help save money for your wedding venue decor. Go on their website or take an hour and visit their stores. But always download coupons. Be ready and armed to do battle and save money. They usually have a 50% off coupon for one item and 20% off the entire purchase. They also have close out sales when a season is ending. These items are greatly reduced too. But get your family and friends to give you their 50% off coupons too. Why pay full price. We are on a money saving crusade.
Yard Sales- Once the weather breaks there are yard sales ever weekend. Some are also advertised in the news paper. Tell your group what you are looking for. Ask them to text you if they find items that fit into you theme or color scheme.
Book Ahead- There are wedding venues that might be offering specials for you to save money during certain times of the year. With Prosperity Mansion for example, if you tour and book now in 2019 that will lock your price in for 2020.
Ask for a deal- You wont know if you don't ask. We offer a deal that if you pay in full you get two hours free. So your time at Prosperity Mansion goes from a ten hour day to a twelve hour day for the same price.
Barter- If you or someone that is helping you pay has a certain skill ask if the wedding venue is interested in bartering? They might not need someone to do the amount of work to pay the whole price but it could cut down.
Shrink the head count- OK. You might cringe but lets look at this realistically. Add up how much it will cost you per guest. So things like appetizers, dinner, dessert, liquor, invitations, save the date cards, favors to give at the end and more. That could easily cost from $50.00 to $100.00 per person. Then if they bring a guest double that. And financially if they bring all of their kids....wow. Do you need them or even want them.
No kids- I understand that you might have a ring bearer or flower girl but think about limiting the kids on the guest list to them. Add on the invitation that no kids will be allowed at your wedding. Lets face it , they get bored and what do bored kids do ? They mop, argue and sometimes get into trouble. We have had kids lock the restroom doors and slide under. We had to call a locksmith and the couple had to pay for them to get us back into the restrooms. A wedding reception is just no where for kids.
Flowers- Costco or Sam's Club is a great place for flowers. AND they will deliver them. Go to https://www.samsclub.com and type in wedding flowers. They have lovely arrangements. As mentioned they will deliver but they will not come the day of your wedding and set them up as a florist would. But compare and contract the savings. They have great wedding packages. We also suggest moving decor from the ceremony site into the reception space so they don’t go to waste. Yes allow the flowers to do double duty.
Three Main "Extraneous Expenses". - 1) RSVP cards (a waste because most people won't RSVP anyway and you'd be wasting printing and the postage) instead have an email or phone number they can RSVP to. 2) Save the Dates. Thanks to social media and their excitement, most people will know when the date is anyway. If Save the Dates are to be sent, they really only should be sent to out of state guests. 3) Favors. Providing dinner, booze, and entertainment should be thank you enough. No need to waste money on things that will be thrown away. Many wedding no longer give favors for that very reason. Save the money, its your day so you should be geeting the gifts.
Prioritize- Not everything can be equally important in a wedding budget. So think about everything that we have discussed and take a moment and think about whats most important to you. I know that I own Prosperity Mansion but I think that the venue should be where you spend a decent amount of your budget. I had a bride last season that really wanted to get married here. The groom found a farm that was dirt cheap , no pun intended. They had a pavilion that all the sides were open. There were old picnic tables underneath just like at a park. We it rained on their wedding day. Since there were no sides the water was pouring in. People were dressed nicely and extremely angry that they were soaked. The bride was in tears and the bottom of her gown was dirty and drenched. I know all of this because the photographer shot another wedding here afterwards and told me how awful it was and the day was ruined. That will be what this bride remembers all of her life. She will not have happy thoughts that bring a smile to her face.
Memories are the cornerstone to planning a wonderful wedding. Your ten - twelve hour day will come and go but your pictures will last forever. This is a omce in a lifetime event. So if you need to save money think about these and other ideas. Happy Wedding Wishes from Prosperity Mansion !