One of the great things about buying a preowned wedding dress – is that you can save (a lot of !) money – without looking like you cut corners. In keeping with that smart saving idea, here are our 20 favorite ways to reduce your wedding budget – without looking like you did.

Ceremony

1. Opt to use flowers only in key areas (like the altar or ceremony spot) which is where the majority of your photos will be taken.

2. Carry hand-tied bouquets which are less expensive than wired ones).

3. If you are using a church, check if they will provide the flowers (since they usually do them for Sunday services anyway).  Some churches will provide beautiful altar flowers for under $100 (with your choice of flowers).

Reception

Food and Beverage Costs
4. Save by using less popular dates/times: Jan-May are less popular wedding months, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays are less popular days, afternoons are less popular times.  Having your wedding on “off peak” times means the cost per person may be less and the required guest count will be lower.

5. Reduce the length of your cocktail hour by 15 or 30 minutes.  This will reduce f&b costs and no one will notice.

6. Serve a signature drink (made with non-premium alcohol) to save on bar costs.  Give the drink a name that matches your wedding theme to make it fun.

7. Skip the champagne toasts – no one drinks it. Or if you want to include it, try Prosecco, a sparkling Italian wine that tastes like champagne – but costs a lot less.

8. Butler passed hor d’oeuvres can actually be less expensive than buffet style, so check with your caterer.

Flowers

9. Use fewer, larger tables to reduce the number of centerpieces and linen rentals required.

10. Give your florist a long list of flowers you love and flowers your don’t. Then give him/her flexibility to use the most cost effective/ seasonal flowers from your list.

11. Buy your own vases from places like Pier One or Ikea.  They can be less expensive than what your florist carries.

12. Avoid weddings near holidays (like Valentine’s day) where floral costs are inflated due to demand.

13. Reuse your bridesmaid bouquets at the reception…they can make great centerpieces  or  a great frame for your cake table.

14. Consider carnations, which are generally 1/3 the cost of roses and look very dramatic when used in large, tight arrangements.

15. Use large bloom flowers which will fill out a centerpiece with fewer flowers and often cost less than two or three smaller flowers that equal its size.

16. Use non-floral items like like curly willow branch, kale, and even fruits and veggies (artichokes, plums, acorns, apples, and bright citrus fruits) which can enhance floral arrangements at a lower cost.

17. Non-floral centerpieces can be very impactful and can serve dual purposes (like also being your dessert or favors)

Cake

18. Order enough cake for only 75% of your guests (because so many people don’t actually eat the cake), or order enough cake for 50% of your guest and ask that half servings be plated and served. A third option is to order a smaller cake (one that would serve 30-50% of your guests) for the cutting, and have the rest of the servings cut from a kitchen sheet cake. Cakes that are taller (with smaller layers) can feel large without being as costly.

Other

19. Add impact with minimal/low cost

o    A walkway lit with luminaries can be done for under $75 and provides a welcoming entrance to a ceremony or reception
o    White holiday lights can be wrapped around trees or doorways to create a magical look
o    Waitstaff with trays of wine and hor d’oeuvres can line the entrance to your reception and have a dramatic effect

20. Don’t be afraid to negotiate with vendors.  Costs can usually be reduced or additional items/services included.

All images from PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com Real Wedding Features

There is something so charming about a pair of wreaths on the doorway to your ceremony.  They invite guests in and set a welcoming tone for your entire wedding.

I love these moss covered initial wreaths from (where else) etsy.  At only $150 for the pair, its an affordable and  stylish addition to your Day. (You can even use them again as Bride and Groom chair markers at the reception).

If florals are more your thing, check out these wreaths from CreativeDecorations.com.  At only $45 – $80 each, they too make a statement  – without breaking the bank.

Like I’ve said before, I’ve changed my tune about carnations.  I used to think of them as filler flowers, but I’ve seen more and more examples of how they can really be beautiful.  Not to mention budget friendly.

Here are some great examples of carnations, that thanks to Twitter, I recently saw on Project Wedding. Carnations look best tightly bunched. And I think monochromatic is best.  At 55 cents a stem wholesale, they really can’t be beat.

If you have a great carnation example, please send it to me and I’ll post it for others to see.

I often read how hiring a wedding planner can actually save you money, but I’m always left wondering how? And how much?

Monica Saenz is a San Antonio wedding planner at Dos Chicas who recently emailed me an amazing wedding she planned with a $15,000 budget – and how she was able to save the bride and groom over $8,000.  She achieve the couple’s dream wedding for 160 guests. And proves that a wedding planner who knows who to call and how to negotiate can definitely save you money (not to mention stress).

Here’s how Monica made the numbers work:

INVITATIONS-STATIONARY
We went to my favorite invitation place where invites can go anywhere from $2.50-$12.75 a set.  We discussed different budget options and chose a selection that folds itself into an envelope, for about $1.70 a set.  They even made a separate invite for $0.89 cents in Spanish for the couple.

The couple also saved money by having friends and family print their ceremony programs, table numbers and escort cards with a little help and our templates. This saved them more than $700!

VENUE-
Since the couple had family coming from Mexico, California and regions of Texas, we knew we wanted to show off the historic San Antonio Riverwalk. But with catering prices at $60 and up, we definitely could not choose this option.  I talked to one of our venues who is managed by the city of San Antonio and they worked out a $1600 dollar rental INCLUDING tables, chairs, set up and clean up.  It was a very modern, contemporary space with a patio that overlooked the river walk and two huge walls with windows leading to the patio.  They fell in love and we were so happy to be able to afford it!

CATERING-BAR-
Armed with an approved catering list of 12 vendors, and a vast knowledge of each of them, we scheduled a tasting with two potential caterers.  We chose to go with a buffet dinner to save on labor costs and worked a deal with the agency to put together an ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE.  This included dinner, beverage, china, glassware, flatware, floor length linens, chair covers, coordinating sash and candle centerpiece for only $20 per person!  (This usually runs $25 per person plus $35 per table of 8)  With the money we saved we were able to add hand passed appetizers for the cocktail hour and a hosted bar package of beer and margaritas for $11 per person. By limiting the beverage choices we cut costs and still allowed guests to pay for premium liquor if they chose.   Total catering and bar savings was over $1500!

MUSIC
We saved them $100 by referring a preferred group for their dinner music and they saved $200 by shopping around for the right DJ online and allowing us to assist with their final choices.

FLORAL
The bride was not very particular about her floral needs and had no idea what flowers cost or how they quickly the price can add up.  We decided to only have flowers made for the bridal party.  Since the caterer included floating candle centerpieces, we created a centerpiece design with candles, feathers, and ribbon and then suggested the bride purchase the items wholesale to keep h er centerpiece cost under $4.  It was the only wedding we had ever done without floral centerpieces, however it turned out beautifully.  She was happy she had her friends and family help her tie the ribbons and create the look, and this saved her almost $1000!

CAKE
Instead of opting for a traditional cake, the bride had an idea for a cupcake cake.  Average cake slices start at $3.50 a slice in San Antonio, so we recommended to Cupcake Couture.   Prices started at $2 a cupcake, and we added a small 6′topper so the Bride and Groom could still do the traditional cake cutting.  They loved how we were able to tie in the colors and theme and save $250!

LIGHTING
I knew a lighting specialist, Illuminating Celebrations, who was trying to get his business more exposure.  After working three weddings with him previously I knew he would be happy to help this couple get what they wanted.  His lights are 100% LED and really make any room pop and look like a platinum wedding.  He was able to give us more than half off the lighting quote based on the fact that it would be a new venue where he could possibly earn preferred vendor status.  He called this the wedding planner discount, the bride and groom loved it! We saved $650!

FAVORS
The couple really did not know what to do for favors and the ideas that they originally presented were about $2.50-$3.50 per person.  Based on their Hispanic Heritage, we suggested they use the traditional Mexican cookies and package them in a unique way as a sweet thank you to guests. An Aunt of theirs was happy to bake them and they purchased packaging for $ 0.75 a box.  It was truly personalized with print at home labels and ribbon, saved them over $300!

PHOTO
Average cost in San Antonio is $3500 for a talented photo journalistic wedding photographer with experience.  I knew vendor, Nachyelli, who has recently opened her own business but had been doing photography for almost ten years.  Her style was a perfect fit for the couple. We were able to get a $2000 package for $1500 since her date was still open and she was willing to work with a planner.    We saved almost $2000!

ACCOMMODATIONS
A soon as they told me about the out of town guests I knew we would need a room block.  We researched and found a hotel with free hot breakfast, complimentary evening beverages, and high speed internet and across the street from the reception, it was a perfect fit!  After a little negotitating with the Sales Managers I was able to get their rooms starting at $135/night instead of $189.  Since we secured over 20 rooms, the Honeymoon suite was complimentary for two nights and the Sales Manager threw in comp nights for me to stay and handle any issues that came up.  This made the couple so comfortable knowing they had me there at anytime and directly saved them more than $500!

TRANSPORTATION
Originally the couple wanted to hire a hummer limo to transport their family/wedding party from hotel to ceremony then back to reception.  We saved $250 by booking a stretch limo and having it make three trips instead of one, plus the cost per hour was negotiated to half the hourly wait during the ceremony idle time.

Enjoy the pictures from their friendly photographer!