Things You'll Need:
- Your budget
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Step 1
Invitations: A lot of money is spent on invitations. Let's face it, your invitation no matter how beautiful it is, will probably end up in the trash. So, you can forego having a calligrapher personally address your envelopes and you can also do your own. Print shops, stationary stores, and even your local big box stores have print your own wedding invitations. If you absolutely have to have your invitations done by calligraphy, try contacting your local college/high school art class and see if there are any students proficient at calligraphy.
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Step 2
Decorations for the wedding/reception. Let's face it, we all want our wedding to be one of a kind. But why spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for decorations that won't be used again. Why not try looking for decorations for your wedding on ebay. There are a lot of brides trying to get rid of centerpieces, toule, fabric, linens, etc. Be flexible with your theme and your colors. Try your local rental places as well. Why purchase wedding arches, etc. when they can be rented and you can put your own flowers, fabric, etc. and make it seem like one of a kind. Sometimes you can call various wedding planners, and they will rent out decor, etc. from a bride's previous wedding. Your floral planner may do the same as well.
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Step 3
Flowers. Another place to cut costs is with your flowers. Not all your bridesmaids need to carry those expensive bouquets. You can purchase simple bouquets of wild flowers and tie a ribbon around them the day of the wedding for a fraction of the cost.
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Step 4
Musicians - instead of having to pay multiple musicians, try using just one musician. Also, to save on cost, you can get a college/high school student. Just make sure you hold an audition for your respective musician. Instead of having a live band at your reception, look into a dj service.
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Step 5
Reception - instead of having an open bar, a cash bar is always acceptable and cut your costs tremendously. Instead of a sit down dinner where each table is served, try a buffet. Just make sure there are enough serving lines so that each person goes through the buffet quickly.
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Step 6
Photography - make sure you find a photographer who will give you access/copyright to the negatives. Don't buy their expensive wedding albums. Instead have the photographer give you all the pictures on a desk and use a service such as shutterfly to create your own wedding book for a fraction of the cost. Ask the photographer about an hourly rate, and schedule accordingly. Invest in cameras to place around the reception area and have guests take the reception pictures.
