A South Carolina Beach Wedding At The Bride’s Childhood Home
If you’re lucky enough to have beach access from your childhood home, why not use it as the perfect backdrop for your nuptials? Real bride Lauren Schaper knew from the age of seven years old that’s what she wanted to do, and she made it happen when she married her partner. With a ceremony on the beach and a tented reception on the lawn of this family home, this South Carolina wedding made perfect use of easy beach access for a gorgeous wedding.
The Basic Courthouse Elopement
If your budget is $100, you could spend your money like this:
$25 to $100 Here in Nashville, the fee for a marriage license clocks in at $99.50. And $60 of that can be waived if the couple completes a premarital counseling course within the last yearhello savings!
If your budget is $3,500, you could spend your money like this:
Venue: $0 for your future in-laws backyardFood and beverages: $750 for drinks and a buffet prepared by friends and familyAttire: $200 for a dress $200 for a suit rentalFlowers: $0 for wildflowers you picked for a bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, and boutonnieres $1,500 for a tent, dance floor, table and chair rentals, lighting, and DIY centerpiecesWedding Planning: $0 for an aunt willing to chip in and coordinate the day-of details $500 for a talented friend or amateur via CraigslistEntertainment: $75 for a speaker rental $0 for a great playlistDessert: $50 to $200 for a cutting cake, cupcakes, or pies from a bakeryInvitations: $50, DIY
If your budget is $7,000, you could spend your money like this:
Need Fast Cash For Your Wedding Flog It
If a few quid more in the wedding fund would really help, get flogging. Selling via eBay usually pays best. Our Ebay Selling Tricks guide offers a crash course, from cutting eBay fees by tweaking start prices and using cheap closing-fee listing weekends to adding extra pics with special tools.
You can also harness Facebook’s power to sell to others in the local community. The best bit is there are NO fees, so you keep the profit. See our guide for tips.
Prefer speed and ease rather than getting the top price? Several sites let you enter details, they offer a price, and you post the goods free. See our Flog It guide.
Also consider setting up a specific bank account to pay your earnings into. That way you’ll see the wedding cash pile up, rather than just disappearing into your current account. See the Top Savings Accounts guide for best buys.
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Set Up A Free Website For Your Wedding
You can create a free personalised website for your wedding, using GettingMarried.co.uk, a wedding website provider. This will help you update guests about your big day, let you keep track of RSVPs, set up a gift list and guest book, and share photos after your wedding.
There are free templates to customise your website’s design, and tools to help you share your timetable, seating plan, travel tips and even add an FAQ section. These make Getting Married popular with forumites, and former MSE Sally used it to set up a website for her wedding.
We saved money on invites by creating a website with all the details of our wedding it meant we could keep the paper invites short and sweet.– Former MSE Sally
It’s worth noting, however, that Getting Married is owned by a wedding gift list company . So although you can create a website for free, it does encourage you to set up a Prezola gift list. This is completely optional, and you can add a link to another site instead, if you already have a gift list elsewhere.
You’ll usually need to pay for a premium subscription if you want to set up a honeymoon fund or create an option for cash gifts although this is currently free if you sign up for Prezola.
Only Splurge On The Ceremony
Who needs a wedding reception? Actually, you dont need a wedding reception. Sure, doing the chicken dance with grandma after getting cake smashed in your face sounds like fun.
But youre tacking on more costs for a wedding space, food, and entertainment.
Instead, splurge on the ceremony. After you say I do, everyone briefly mingles and the wedding is over.
Afterwards, you can host a house party with you and your friends. You can play your own music, buy cheap alcohol and beer, eat snacks, and spend the next part of the night with your amazing friends.
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Skip The Open Bar Offer Signature Cocktails Instead
If youre worried about bar costs busting your budget, consider offering a few signature cocktails instead of a full open bar. Do cocktail hour the savvy way by choosing a favorite drink of you and your partner to serve your guests. Alcohol costs can easily get out of control, so this is a great way to offer your guests libations without going overboard.
Utilise Your Friends’ Talents
Is one of your best friends a talented musician, photographer or DJ? Utilise their skills by asking if they would kindly help out on your wedding day, whether its performing during your drinks reception or doing a DJ set in the evening. Chances are they will love the opportunity to play an important role in your wedding, and it could save you thousands on booking the services elsewhere.
MORE: 5 ways to save money on your wedding venue
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A Sophisticated Backyard Wedding In Connecticut
A wedding producer at Fête NY, Allison Aronne has years of experience planning weddings, but planning her wedding to Ryan Beauchamp was that much more special of a job. And through her industry connections, Aronne found the perfect location for their nuptialsher boss, , stunning backyard in Kent, Connecticut. With a gorgeous backdrop for their ceremony and the most beautiful tent set up on the lawn for dinner, this backyard wedding left no detail untouched.
Wedding Make Up On A Budget
If you dont want to do your own makeup, pop down to Boots or a department store and get a free makeup session the morning of your wedding! I wouldnt mention its your wedding day, as tempting as that will be. If you like the lipstick, buy a stick and bring it with you to touch up. I mean, It would be rude to get a whole makeup done and walk away empty handed, plus you get a brand new lippie. Alternatively, book an appointment at the Mac counter for a bridal makeup session for £90. They have 30 locations so it should be doable!
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Buy Your Dress Online
Now you definitely should try on dresses in real life to make sure you have a wedding dress style in mind. But once you do and youre ready to buy, start looking online.
This can be risky since you cant try on online dresses, but you can score some serious deals. I got mine for $100. The best part is I could put in my own measurements so it fit my body type as soon as I took it out of the box.
Suits Dont Need To Be Special
The groom doesnt really need a tux or something specially made. Honestly, he might even have a nice suit already in his closet that may just need to be altered to fit better.
Of course, dont do what my husband did, which was getting his suit jacket and shoes on the morning of our wedding.
Try shopping around at simple department stores Macys or JC Penney.
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A Welcoming Home In Michigan
Wedding planner Alicia Fritz wanted to evoke the feeling of a welcoming atmosphere when it came to her wedding. What better way to fill a house with love and laughter than to invite all of your closest friends and family to celebrate your big day? Alicia and Matt’s wedding kicked off with lawn games at their Michigan home, followed by a ceremony by the property’s fern-covered forest, and a reception under a black tent on the lawn.
Ask Friends And Family To Exchange Skills For Presents
If you have friends and family members with creative or organizational skill sets, ask them to use their talent at the wedding in lieu of a gift. Would you rather receive a stand mixer or live music, free of charge?
Tap into your network. Is your aunt an amateur florist? Does your friend have an eye for photography? Is your neighbor a restaurant owner who could lend you their space? Even if they cant provide services for free, you could still score a major discount.
Dont overlook your own skills either. Use your talents to barter for wedding services. Exchange your graphic design skills for a free wedding cake, or trade your accounting abilities for free dress alterations. Get creative!
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Don’t Stress Over Snafus
When the couple’s DJ fell through they signed up for a premium Spotify music-streaming account and created a costom playlist. “I was able to share a playlist on Facebook so guests could request songs prior to the wedding,” Kateri says. “We played music through a laptop and had a friend DJ the lists for us.”
How To Throw A Fairy Tale Wedding On A Budget
Some of us just need to be a princess. I mean literally.
Even on a small budget, its possible to throw a fairy tale wedding that looks like you just entered Cinderellas Palace. From the perfect venue to the perfect dress, Ive got ways to spark some royal ideas. You can still say I do in a way fit for a Queen without creating a royally high budget!
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Hair & Beauty For A Budget Wedding
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Ask your bridesmaids to do each other’s hair/make-up. There is usually someone who is a whizz with the blush brush and hair tongs. Make sure you practice first to make sure you’re happy with the results.
- Book a professional from your local area as you will save on travel costs and potential overnight stays the evening before the wedding. You can search our Recommended Suppliers by county so you can get someone really close by.
A Backyard Wedding At The Bride’s Family Home In Arizona
While wedding planning, Samantha and Greg decided to move back to her home state of Arizona, and that they’d get married there tooat Samanthas childhood home in Tempe. We wanted to share our love for the state with our family and friends, the bride says. They invited 225 people to her parents’ home for a backyard wedding that was inspired by Father of the Bride.
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Everyday Savings Help Towards The Big Day
Small sacrifices can boost your wedding coffers. If your big day is a year away, cut out something today that you buy every day. If you cut out £2 on crisps and Coke each day, you’d have 365 x £2 to spend, making £730.
Try our Demotivator tool, which reveals your annual spend on coffees, snacks, cigs, mags and other discretionary purchases to help you cut back.
Getting A Wedding Dress On A Budget
So many of my brides get their dress from Topshop or Asos! Asos have a fab collection, with most dresses around £200. And theyre actually even more beautiful than wedding dresses. Ambers dress cost £47.50 from Asos! Even better, Rachel of the Brighton powder paint weddings dress was 19.99 from Zara.
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Be Creative In Where You Look
Nowadays, people list their services everywhere on the internet. You can always use Google, Craigslist, or a wedding website like The Knot or WeddingWire to find someone, but you could also find a gem in the rough by being creative.
Look at wedding-related Instagram hashtags near where you live to see if theres a photographer whose style you like. You could also try looking at Reddit pages, local wedding forums, or Facebook groups for recommendations.
Use Leftover Money Toward Your Guests
Lets say you budgeted hard and spent less than you expected. Its easy to spend the extra cash on a lavish honeymoon. But gifts are better when you give rather than receive. Instead, treat your guests.
Book a hotel for all of your guests from out-of-town. Buy a complimentary bottle of wine or other alcohol for your guests. Choose the fanciest restaurant for your rehearsal dinner. You can even schedule a limo service to pick up your guests.
What if you spent all of your budget? You should still treat your guests. Find little gifts to include in a gift basket. Youll also be surprised what a box of chocolates and a fresh flower bouquet can also offer.
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Contact The Local University
If youre looking for live music for the ceremony or want a professional photographer, one approach to consider is to contact the local university. There may be music students or budding photographers who would love an opportunity to get started in the field and may charge a very reasonable price as they dont yet have a large resume to lean on. Often, new people in a field are excited to prove themselves, so theyll not only charge a reasonable price, but theyll go the extra mile to perform well and build a reputation. Simply trimming even 20% off of the average wedding musician cost and the average wedding photographer cost adds up. Theres a risk, of course, when using a new person, but theyre also going to be very focused on the task at hand, as this is an opportunity for them.
Strategy: Contact the local university to find budding photographers or musicians who may want the opportunity Savings: $800
Prioritise What’s Important To You
Even if you have a strict budget, you dont have to scrimp on everything. Take the time to think about what is most important to you and prioritise those things, then aim to cut costs on the less important elements. Perhaps you have always dreamed of that designer wedding dress but arent as bothered about the cake, or you want to spend more on that unique wedding venue that doesnt require any extra decorations. With some savvy planning you can still create your perfect day on a budget.
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