Weddings are expensive, period! We plan a lot of weddings and I love the challenge to give the Bride & Groom the wedding of their dreams within their budget. That being said, we do have to get creative. Most couples have an idea of how they would like their wedding and reception to look and are floored when they get the quotes from the florist, wedding cake, chair and decor rentals.
The current trend is to do everything yourself (centerpieces, decor set up…you get the picture) which is great, but a lot of work! Even if you have friends and family that offer to help, it is a very stressful option. We have worked with many brides who purchase beautiful vases, candles and other table decor and make everything themselves, and do a beautiful job. One thing they all have in common is that they say that it ended up costing them way more money and time that they thought it would.
I get asked for advise a lot from couples who are newly engaged and I always tell them the same thing….don’t fall into that trap! You can plan a beautiful wedding within your budget without the headache of doing everything yourself!
I will let you in on a few cost cutting secrets without sacrificing style.
You do not need a room full of flowers. Yep, you read that right. If you take a look at the wedding we did in the photo above, the table setting is beautiful and elegant and does not have a large centerpeice full of flowers. You are paying the caterer or venue to set the table so take advantage of the place setting. Have them set water goblets, coffee cups with saucers, wine glasses (with the money you save on flowers you can offer wine with dinner!). Another trick is to use a large wine glass and put the napkin in it. This gives the table some height and is a great place to add a little color. A little greenery goes a long way and is very inexpensive. Trader Joes and Mariano’s are great places to order greenery in bulk.
If you really have your heart set on a centerpiece you can save a lot of money by using a potted plant or a simple glass vase with greenery.
Skip the huge tiered cake. Wedding cakes are beautiful and expensive. Opt for a small wedding cake – think only 2 tiers that can feed 50 people. That way you still have a cake to display and to do the cake cutting photos but not spending $950-$1500 on a cake. Purchase additional sheet cakes in the same design at a much lower cost….your guests will never know that they are not eating the tiered cake. Bonus – you can get several different flavors of sheet cake – half chocolate and the other calf red velvet. Sheet cakes also have less waste when cutting them and are much easier for the caterer to cut. Bonus tip – when ordering your cake, don’t mention it is for a wedding. When you put the word wedding in front of cake or flowers the price goes up 50%.
A take home gift is really not a must. I know it seems like a “must do” but in reality most guest don’t even take them. I always feel so bad at the end of the evening when I look around and see all of the take home gifts left behind. Especially since I know how much money was spent of them! Trust me, you may think that your friends and family will love a glass, coaster (whatever it is) with your name and the date of our wedding on it, but in reality they usually don’t. If you want to do a take home gift think food. People will take food such as a cookie, piece of boxed cake or chocolates and they cost much less. Bonus tip – if you purchase small boxes you can ask the caterer if they would box up the left over cake for guests to take home they usually will at no additional charge. Just ask them after your final payment is made otherwise they will sneak in a fee for doing it.
Remember that the day is really about the two of you and everything else is just the icing on the cake.
