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Money Saving Tips For Brides
It is always good to get more money saving tips for brides from industry insiders. Leah Andrew from SmartBrideBoutique.ca has kindly shared her top ten tips with us. 1. Decide what matters most. The number one tip is to decide what matters most to you and your partner. Where do you want to splurge? From there, it becomes easy to cut in other places. If food is important to you, hire a great caterer, but cut down on guest numbers. If you don’t need a fancy cake, consider getting someone in your family who’s a great cook to make one. 2. Invitations. If you want to be a little less traditional (and reduce the environmental impact of your wedding), consider going paperless! Work with a designer to make a save the date that you email out to friends and family, and then create a wedding website where you can post all of your info, where you’re registered, and manage your RSVP process. Check out wedquarters.com for examples.3. Flowers. If you love flowers, but are conscious that it is easy to spend a lot on something that doesn’t last very long, consider going with more filler, or a few large blooms rather than a bunch of little ones. Especially for summer weddings, greens and grasses add a fresh and contemporary look. If flowers are your thing, consider getting seasonal blooms, as it will cost less.4. Venues. Do you really want to have a rehearsal dinner before the wedding or a brunch the next day? Many of us want to have the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family who have travelled to celebrate. Money saving tip? Consider holding it at a family home. This can make it more casual and intimate, giving guests a chance to mingle in a more relaxed environment.5. Accessories. If you are working in a budget and your dress has already gobbled up most of it, consider some inexpensive sources for jewelry that can still complement your dress. Just like the best fashion trends out there, mixing and matching vintage and new, designer and budget, you can do the same with your wedding accessories and no one will be the wiser. The Bay and Aldo (aldoshoes.com) are often good choices, or for a special touch, borrow a family heirloom. This gives you something old and borrowed all in one! 6. The Dress. No one wants to sacrifice looks and style on their big day, but everyone loves a deal. Did you know that increasingly, beyond samples, many practical and budget conscious brides-to-be are buying used? When you think about it, most dresses are only worn for about 8 hrs and are generally in great condition. If this is intriguing, there are many options out there (from Kijiji and Ebay to boutique options like SmartBrideBoutique.ca). Some of these sites also post unworn dresses for a steal of a deal. If you want to splurge on your dress, consider posting it afterwards to recoup some money and help another bride save on her big day. You can generally regain about 50% of your cost.7. Photos. Photos are an important part of the big day, one of the only lasting visuals you will have for years to come. However, hiring a professional photographer is not cheap! To save some money, look for a photographer that will give you your negatives. This allows you to develop your photos and can be a huge cost savings. Christina Gapic (christinagapic.com) took some beautiful pictures at our wedding, plus provided all negatives.8. Music. Although a DJ is often great at reading the crowd and keeping everyone on the dance floor, consider using your Ipod to make a playlist – for a portion, or all of the evening. For some extra fun, include your friends and family by asking them to suggest the songs guaranteed to get them dancing! If you’ve got your heart set on live music, such as a string quartet or jazz band, put up a sign at your local university’s faculty of music. Often, these groups are looking for some extra spending money and a chance to perform in public.9. Guest List. If you still want to do it all - live music, great photographer, special food and one of a kind dress - within a budget, one quick way to reduce costs is to reduce guest numbers. An excellent exercise to help this process is to make a list with 3 columns: Have to Have, Want to Have, Nice to Have. This exercise will really make you think about who you want to share in your special day and why. Keeping numbers small also allows you to talk with everyone, creating a warm and intimate vibe. One of the best weddings I’ve been to had a 50 person guest list!10. Don’t be afraid to Negotiate! In this climate, wedding suppliers may be more willing to negotiate, so it’s always worth a try. Another way to minimize your end costs is to offer to pay cash. Some suppliers will accept cash and as a result, won’t charge you the taxes. Remember, it never hurts to ask!BIO: Leah Andrew is a partner in SmartBrideBoutique.ca, a FREE, local, online wedding classifieds site, where you can buy and sell almost anything wedding related. We help recent brides recoup some money from their big day, and Brides-to-Be save on their upcoming weddings. Visit SmartBrideBoutique.ca for more information.
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