My goodness! Weddings are expensive! Can I get an AMEN?!

If you’re like most people, you more than likely had no idea how expensive planning your wedding could be. What’s worse, the image you had in your mind of how you dreamed your wedding would be is slowly being tarnished by the grim reality you can’t afford nearly half of what you wanted to include in your big day.

However, fear not!

There are money saving strategies we can implement to help you still create the wedding of your dreams – without breaking your budget.

Let’s break it down.

1. Reduce Your Guest List

Okay, I know this is not easy and in some cases will be painful, but it is a MUST. Inviting a large number of people to your wedding is the quickest way to blow your budget. Keeping your list small will allow you to spend more money on those beautiful centerpieces you saw on Pinterest or hire the photographer you REALLY want. It will also make the occasion more intimate and special because you’re only including your closest, most beloved friends and family. Therefore, be realistic. If you only had dinner with them once last year – remove them from your list. If you’re only friends with them because you work together – establish the “no co-workers” rule. If you’d like a little more guidance regarding how to create your guest list, check out my Step-by-Step Guide to Create Your Perfect Guest List for your wedding.

2. Tone Down Your Bar Package

I know the alcohol component of a wedding is a tricky one. If you do decide to offer alcohol at your wedding, remember there are many ways to integrate libations without breaking the bank or looking cheap.

Here are a few ideas:

Serve only beer and wine

Many venues offer the option to stock your open bar with only beer and wine. These packages are usually less expensive than the full bar packages. If not offering hard liquor makes you nervous, consider offering a featured signature cocktail for your wedding during the cocktail reception. This is usually a nominal up-charge that will still be less expensive than opting for a full open bar package.

Close your bar during dinner

Another route to take, would be to choose a full bar package for a shorter amount of time. You can extend the time of your bar package throughout your wedding by closing down the bar during dinner. How would this work?

See below for my suggested timeline for a 3-hour bar package:

• 5:00-5:30p  –  Ceremony
• 5:30-6:30p  –  Cocktail reception (Bar open)
• 6:45p-7:00p – Wedding Party Grand Entrance
• 7:00p-9:00p – Dinner, First Dances, Toasts (Bar closes; Consider offering champagne for toasts or wine service with dinner.)
• 9:00-10:30p – Dancing (Bar re-opens)

Switch it up

My last suggestion, albeit my least favorite option, would be to offer an open bar through the cocktail reception and dinner.  Then switch to a cash bar later in the evening.

The timeline for this option would look something like this:

• 5:00-5:30p –   Ceremony
• 5:30-6:30p –   Cocktail reception (Bar Opens)
• 6:45p-7:00p – Wedding Party Grand Entrance
• 7:00p-9:00p – Dinner, First Dances, Toasts
• 9:00-11:00p – Dancing – (Bar switches to Cash Bar)

Do you feel like you have a million questions about your wedding bar? Check out these articles to dive deeper into this topic:

3. Be Strategic with Your Decor

Decor is an area of your wedding that can be vary fluid. You can opt to spend A LOT or a little depending on choices you make. Here are a few suggestions to consider to help keep your costs in this category in check.

Repurpose ceremony floral and decor to the dinner reception

Floral and rental décor decorations can really add up. It makes sense to re-use them for different sections of the wedding. Therefore, when picking your décor for your ceremony, be sure to keep in the back of your mind possible ways to reuse the décor in your reception, too.

Eliminate floral centerpieces

I just heard a collective GASP. (I am also preparing for hate mail from all of my florist friends-sorry guys!). However, thinking outside the floral centerpiece box is a great way to cut costs on your wedding budget. For example, consider making a beautiful rustic candle lantern be the main focal point for your tablescape. If you simply cannot part with some floral, think of ways to use flowers as an accent on your table, not the main feature.

Tone down (or don’t provide) personal flowers

This is another touchy subject – and one to tread lightly on. The last thing we want to do is upset your Grandmother because she didn’t get a corsage on your wedding. Yikes. However, if your intimate family and wedding party are game to either not have flowers (or have a smaller version), dive deeper with me. 

Here is what I mean. 

Here are the average prices for personal flowers in my Arizona market (depending on design):

• Bridal Bouquet – $250-$650 (I still think you should keep this one!)
• Bridesmaids Bouquets: $75-$150 per bouquet
• Boutonnieres: $20-$50 per bout
• Corsages: $20-$50 per corsage 

These numbers might seem harmless until you start to multiply them by all the peeps in your wedding part and immediate family. It is not uncommon for the “personal floral” component of your floral budget to exceed $1K before you blink an eye! 

Be creative

Try to think of this as a fun challenge. Many couples want to find ways to personalize their weddings. Here is your chance! Encourage yourself to think outside the box for your decor over all and it can have a positive impact on your wedding bottomline.

4. Take a Chance on a “Green” Wedding Vendor

It is true not all wedding vendors are created equal. Generally speaking, the more experience a vendor has, the stronger the vendor. However, we all had to start somewhere. Just because a vendor is less experienced doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad. Often times it means they are hungry, eager to please, will go above and beyond to impress you and often offer their services at a much lower price than “market value” to build their portfolio. Therefore, be sure to give some newbies a chance to impress you in the interview stage. You never know, you could find a diamond in the rough! 

Unsure how to tell if your green vendor is worth giving them a shot? Check out our Hire Your Dream Team: Wedding Vendor Hiring Guide. In this guide we walk you through the best practices and questions to ask for each wedding vendor category.

5. Pick a beautiful venue

Selecting the venue for your wedding might be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Your venue will dictate the majority of your remaining wedding planning decisions. Therefore, if you’re on a tight wedding budget (which, let’s be honest, who isn’t?),choosing a beautiful venue that looks amazing “as-is” is a wonderful way to go. The more your venue can naturally create the mood and ambiance you are hoping for, without many décor additions, the fewer additional resources you will need to create the feeling you are hoping for in the venue. Make your venue work for you, not the other way around. Select a beautiful venue you love immediately, without having to change or add one thing. This will save you a ton of money on décor, rentals and lighting.

If you’d like more guidance on choosing the perfect wedding venue for your wedding, check out my venue guide.

That’s a wrap

Whew! I know this was a lot to digest. I encourage you to consider implementing these tips throughout planning your wedding. These tactics will help you save money and stay on track to not exceed your target budget.Resources: Below are links to two of my favorite wedding planning resources to help you stay on track with your wedding planning budget:

Next Steps

What wedding saving strategies do you plan to implement? Are there any you would add to the list? Please leave a comment below.

I hope this information was helpful. If you want more wedding planning resources. Don’t forget to subscribe to receive more free wedding planning resources and guides.

Casey Green Weddings, LLC

2501 S Village Drive, Cottonwood, AZ 86326

hello@caseygreenweddings.com