So when trying to save money of course the obvious answer is going to be reuse everything as much as possible. So if this is a lounge set you’re going to want to try to see do we have any furniture we can bring? Is there any items at the venue that we can use? Rentals get really expensive really fast and so something that I always tell my clients is to maybe decorate just the head table. If you have maybe either a head table or VIP tables for family maybe that’s where you do the rented flatware, the chargers, the fancy plates, the extra napkins, fancier linens and just dress up those tables for the photos and then your guest tables can have more of just a simplified version of that. That’s something that gives you that pinterest look that everyone else is showing. I think styled shoots sometimes mislead people and they see this really beautiful tablescape but it’s just not realistic for 100 plus guests. So that’s one thing I always recommend. As far as decor goes, floral is a really big thing to reuse. So as often as possible you’re going to want to try to use everything from ceremony to reception. So that could be bridal bouquets, cut out boutonnieres you don’t need them, you don’t need the corsages for the mothers. Take the arch pieces, use them behind your table for later, use them to spruce up your cake, put the bouquets on table arrangements, put them on the bar. You can always ask for extra just greenery and kind of flat lay to just spread out. Of course you’re going to need somebody to help you move all of this. So either the floor is going to need to stay which could be an extra cost or you could have someone from the bridal party help move everything over but reuse as much as possible. Another thing is going to be of course when it comes to catering, buffet versus plated. If you are set on a plated menu, see what you can do. Could you maybe do a plated salad and then guest it up for buffet? Or could you maybe do a duo option and have guests have a little portion of chicken and a little portion of beef instead of having them choose chicken or beef that cuts down on the amount of servers they need, the amount of labor that goes into it. So there’s a lot of things you can always ask, ask your DJ. Maybe they don’t need to be there as long as they thought. Maybe your photographer. You don’t need a second shooter or maybe your second shooter can go home early or come later. There’s a lot of ways to cut costs if you just ask your vendors. But realistically I would say reuse see hours, how many are needed and think of alternative options to still give that elevated experience. Ants without that cost. So that would be where that example of the food comes into play. And I think that’s a really great thing and not a lot of people do is to have all your guests sit down. They get a plated salad, either already when they arrive to their seat or they’re brought one. And then as they’re finished with plated salads, they’ll be escorted to the buffet to pick up the rest of their food. And I think that just kind of gives it an upgraded element. Hopefully that helps.

Hi. Budgets are scary. Budgets can be stressful when we are talking about wedding planning. So one of the things that I always talk to my clients before we make any financial decisions or do anything for our wedding is we make sure that there’s a miscellaneous fund worked within every single budget that we create. Why should you do that? It’s because when you get to the end of wedding planning and the happens or the unexpected is there, you need to make sure you have a little extra money in the fund or in the budget set aside for those things. Now, if you don’t use it, that’s great. Use it for your honeymoon, buy a few extra margaritas, you’re good to go. But it’s important to have that within your budget. On top of that, one of the things that you can do to help cut the budget or make your dollar stretch a little bit further is really dig deep with your venue. Find out what they really do offer as far as your rental price. So obviously, most venues have tables, chairs, linens, those kind of things. I will tell you from a guest perspective and yes, I have surveyed them. What is the things that they remember the most from a wedding? And I will tell you it’s not the flatware, it’s not the glassware, it’s not the pretty napkin fold. It’s just not the things that your guests are going to remember is the entertainment, the food, and the experience they had. So if you’re looking to cut costs, really do reconsider using the items that the venue is already providing as part of your rental costs. So chairs, tables, linens, things like that. Talk to your florist about ways that you can dress up the table just a little bit more to make that standard white napkin pop, maybe a little greenery or something like that, but it still will keep you way below the budget as far as renting those from an outside company. Because now you’re eliminating rental fees, delivery fees, set up fees, strike fees, which add up really quick. So one of the easiest ways that you can cut back is utilize every single thing that that venue is using or offering within your rental package. The second thing I always tell my clients is stay off pinterest. Do we really need 42 signs at the front entrance of a venue saying, ceremony this way? Listen, you have a venue team or you have a production team or event team. They will be there with smiles welcoming all your guests saying, ceremony, this way. Welcome in, come on in. Please sign the guest book, whatever it is, utilize that team. Don’t go into your craft store or on Etsy or any of those places and buy 42 different signs that say everything under the sun from bathroom, this way. Ceremony this way. Cocktail tells this way. Trust me, your guests will find the bar. You don’t need a sign that says that so ways that you can cut your budget or stretch it a little further. Utilize what the venue has, use everything that they offer and stay off of all of the DIY projects. Or do not buy all the excessive decor that may not be necessary.

The important thing here is figuring out how to prioritize costs versus necessarily cutting costs. My name is Megan Hansen, and I am the owner and lead photographer at Annex and Opal Creative Co. Guys, what I tell my couples is we don’t have to have a massive budget across the board. Sit down with your partner. Make a list of the things for your wedding that are the most important for you. Of course, I want to tell you that photography is up there. But if you’re not that into photography, don’t put your max budget there, okay? Figure out if florals are important, put them up there. If music is important, put them up there. But don’t spend $10,000 on flowers. When you hate flowers and don’t want to see them in the room on your wedding day, make that list. Put top right priority at the top, and create your budget that way.

You want to know how to save money on your wedding, expect to get what you pay for. That does not mean that you cannot have a super budget friendly wedding. That just means that you have to be able to prioritize what you want. And if you want an extravagant dinner experience for your guests, that’s not cheap. And if you want over the top entertainment for your guests, that is not cheap, right? If you want a DJ who shows up with his music that is not reliant on internet necessarily because that can be a problem and actually has your songs laid out, knows your vibe, you can’t pay $500 for that DJ, right? You have to pay more money for that DJ. So in order to cut costs, I trim the fat, right? And the extra things are like your party favors, making sure that you’re upfront with your bridal party about what they need to pay for versus what you need to pay for. If you don’t want to pay for them, then make sure that they have reasonably priced options to purchase for your day or rent. It’s a little unfair to say like, hey, I’m not paying for anything, but I expect you to buy this $300 dress or $200 dress or whatever expensive means to them, right? So just be reasonable about what your expectations are of others. Another thing you can do to cut costs is instead of having a registry, do a honey fund and have people support your honeymoon and provide funds for your honeymoon. My husband and I did that. It was the best thing ever. It was awesome. Other things you can do I had to grab a beer for this one because this gets asked a lot and it’s a very stressful question, right, because you don’t want to be disrespectful and you still want to provide a good time, but you don’t want to be stressed out about costs and it’s hard, right? The expectation is you have to have this 70 or 80 or $100,000 wedding and that’s really not the case, right? That being said, as a wedding planner, we have brides who have $5,000 budgets, $10,000 budgets that are still spending $1500 to $3,000 with us, and that’s part of their budget. So having a wedding planner on your side is something that can actually save you a ton of money because everybody thinks that DIY saves money and a lot of the times it does not. So now if you’re a super turbo, thrifty, crafty person and that’s already a part of your life, then you may save a little bit of money. But if you’re like me and you’re like, I’m going to make my own centerpieces and I don’t do that all the time, it does not end up being less expensive. Renting things is typically a more affordable way to do it. So there’s a ton of ways to cut costs and I hope you find a good one.

Floral and food would be my biggest tips for how to cut wedding costs. First off, is flowers. They are so expensive. I’ve seen brides just drop an exorbitant amount of money on flowers. And quite frankly, do you remember what the bouquet looks like at any of your friends weddings? Realistically, probably not. I would highly recommend looking at getting in season flowers. That can be a great way to cut some costs there. Or just simplify, maybe just a bouquet for you, a simple boonier for your spouse and that’s it be a great way to save some money. And really, it isn’t something that you need. You don’t need flowers. And that just kind of jumps into my whole philosophy with decor. I think so many times people can get caught up in all these things that they’re told they need. But realistically, keep your decor simple, rent things, it can be a great way to save some money as well. And I mean, no one’s going to remember your decor. They’re going to remember the dancing, they remember the moments, they’re going to remember celebrating with friends and family. So I think it can be easy to fixate on the decor, but it’s like, man, keep the main thing, the main thing, remember the people that are there because that’s what people are going to remember. The next one is food. And food is super tricky and probably is going to be one of your biggest expenses no matter what. Yeah, look at different options, whether it’s buffet or plated. Sometimes plated can be cheaper than a buffet, depending on your caterer. Sometimes it’s the other way around. But heck, consider doing just dessert. Have a little bit later of a ceremony. Or why not do breakfast? Why not get married in the morning and do a breakfast? It could be a little bit cheaper. I’ve seen brides and grooms have family come around and cook the whole dinner and it can be really fun. It can be a really heartfelt way to bring everyone in and do a big celebration of your wedding day. Yeah, food and florals, that’s my biggest advice for cutting costs.

I think there are a few really easy ways to cut your cost without looking bad or like looking cheap or having your guests feel really uncomfortable with the wedding they’ve arrived to. Yeah, guest count is a big one, but beyond that with your florals, if you really want real flowers, you can just cut them back. So if you have say 20 guest tables and you love the tall arrangements or maybe you love a really full arrangement, maybe only do that on half of your tables. So odd number tables have a tall arrangement or a very lush arrangement and then the even number tables have either a smaller arrangement or maybe bud vases or maybe just candles and some greenery. And then you can discuss with your partner and with your other vendors to make sure that your VIP people, maybe parents, grandparents sit at the tables that have the nicer arrangements if you want to make sure they get that experience. Similarly, on tables you don’t have to have the same place settings for every seat in the whole room. So if you really love a gorgeous charger you’re looking at renting that’s $5 a piece. But you have 100 and 5200 guests that might not be feasible. So you can just get the chargers for your sweetheart table, your head table again, those VIPs, maybe your parent tables have those chargers and then the rest of the room doesn’t have a charger, they just get their napkin or their menu card or just their utensils at their seat. Those are the few that come to mind as ones that aren’t as obvious but your guests probably won’t notice ones that vary depending on what you’re doing with your wedding. If you are having a bar, you can always change the bar pricing or kind of the package you offer throughout the night. So if you have an open bar for the first 3 hours of your reception, maybe switch to just beer and wine for the last hour. All your guests are probably not going to still be there and the ones that are maybe could use a break to tone it down a little bit. Maybe if they’ve been drinking liquor all night they should take a water break before the end or just not drink and pause to either end the night or continue on your after party. Just a few options that come to mind.