More Bang for your Buck

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As the wedding planning continues, I find my budget stretching further and further. As the numbers in the spreadsheet increase, I have to continuously evaluate places to cut costs and minimize expense. I’m learning that the little things add up! Though I have found great deals on centerpieces and décor, the extra hundred dollars here and there are turning my budget into a mess! Here are some areas where I’ve been able to cut costs:

1. Skip the videographer.

I know, everyone wants to remember their big day in living color, but with a base price of more than $1000, it’s a key place to cut spending. Have a family member do the taping and use iMovie to edit it yourself. No one can make your video more personal than you can! Also, check out sites like Wedit (https://www.wedit.com/) that send you cameras and allow your guests to do the taping! It’s like disposable cameras on the tables for the 21st century.

2. Paper products.

This is a sneaky expense that I didn’t expect to be so costly. While some people pay upwards of $600, I intentionally budgeted much less. Don’t forget that, unlike memories, these things will all be thrown away after the wedding. Check for Groupons, print your own, or use less expensive sites like Vistaprint to create your invitations and save-the-dates. I used a Groupon to create my save-the-dates and paid a whopping $14 (plus postage) for 100 cards, envelopes, seals, and address labels. I bought another Groupon to use to create my rehearsal dinner invitations and Menu cards! Watch out for weight and postage -- you don’t want to spend a fortune sending your invites! With invitations, response cards, thank you cards and save-the dates that all require only one stamp, we will still spend more than $200 on postage for the wedding.

Another sneaky trick on my save-the-dates? We asked guests to let us know if they were sure they wouldn’t be able to attend the celebration… an easy way to avoid sending them an invitation later, and a quick way to have a better estimate of your number of guests.

3. Favors.

I HATE most wedding favors. I’ve received the gamut -- from Jordan Almonds (gross!) to cookies, to personalized M&M’s… and usually it is not a memorable or important part of the celebration. Some of the classier and more memorable favors I’ve seen? A donation made to the American Cancer Society when the bride’s mother is a cancer survivor, a handmade jar of jam, or a sheet of photobooth pictures to take as a memory. Don’t waste time and money on things your guests won’t appreciate or remember. Make it personal and unique, or skip it all together!

All-in-all, it’s the memories and time with family and friends that matter. If you’re going to throw it away, leave it on your bookshelf for years, or forget it the following year -- it is not worth a significant portion of your budget.

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