20 Money Saving Tips: Wedding Flowers and Invitations

Every bride is on a budget, with the economy, necessity is turning everyone into a frugal bride. We still want all the bells and whistles, and you can have them with our budget wedding tips.  You can have your dream wedding by simplifying the entire wedding.Instead of gardenias, use budget friendly carnations.   Instead of 4 hours of an open bar, put a bottle of sparkling wine on each table for a champagne toast.  Get the idea?  Substitute less expensive items and you will get the same effect at a price that you can afford.  Weddingzilla is going to do a series of money savers for your wedding that really work, so make sure you come back for tried and true tips from REAL brides!

Flowers:

Use flowers in season.  If you insist on having a specific out of season flower that has to be flown in, use that flower in silk surrounded by less expensive live flowers.

Use more greenery and less flowers.  

Simplify the flowers for your wedding party.  A small hand held bouquet of in season flowers can be as stunning as an elaborate oversized bouquet.

Grow your own flowers in pots and use them for decorations at the ceremony and reception.  Cluster the pots in different heights for maximum impact.

If another wedding is taking place in your church the same day, offer to split the cost of altar flowers.

Rent potted plants from the florist.

Order small potted flowering plants in season from a grocery store or mega discount store florist,  have them wrap them in a pot sleeve in your wedding color and use them as centerpieces.  Buy 3” pots,  cluster them in the center.  Order one per couple so every couple has one to take home as a favor.  We call this a double dipping two-fer,   you get both a centerpiece AND favor.  

Check non traditional floral sources like a farmers market,  flower farm and grocery stores produce department.  There is a wildflower farm in my area that hand ties seasonal wild flowers for a fraction of the cost of traditional flowers…and they are stunning!

Invitations: 

Skip the reception card and have the reception invite printed on the invitation as a footnote.  It will also save on postage because the invitation will be lighter.  

Oversize invitations will cost you more in postage.

Cool invitation add ons like bows, dried flowers, confetti, etc could make your postage cost higher and add to the cost of the invitation.  

Get Free Save The Date Cards from Wedding Paper Divas.   Who doesn't love free?

Save on awesome invitations here, there’s always a coupon on this site: Wedding Invitations by Wedding Paper Divas

Engraved invitations cost more than thermography printing.  Both are raised print and only a printer can tell the difference.  

Some fonts are more costly than others,  pick a less expensive font.  

Print your own maps and directions on your own printer rather than ordering them with your invitations.

Extra lines on the invitation will cost you additional printing costs.    Cut the fluff and save $$$.

Black ink is less expensive than colored ink and is included in the price. 

Order a few extra invitations in case you need them.  If you have to order an additional 25 invitations, you’ll pay premium price because you are paying the typesetting costs again….its like a new order. 

Don’t pay for an expensive calligrapher.   You can print clear address labels with a fancy font from your own computer, then just stick them on the envelope.  It will give you a similar look. 

Cutting Wedding Costs? Try eBay!

Lets face it, money is tight for everyone,
especially for those planning their dream
wedding. Couples are trying to cut wedding costs
without sacrificing on quality or giving up on
their dreams. Have you thought about using
eBay to save some cash on your wedding costs?

eBay has nearly everything you can think of for your
wedding and some things you've never thought of...
like camouflage wedding accessories. Really!!

Lets start with the basics, shopping for your
wedding dress. You've hit the mother lode.
A quick check of eBay shows 37,000 items, that's
some choice. And not only are they all prices,
but you can find some real bargains on name brand
dresses like Maggie Sottero, Casablanca, Mori Lee
and Alfred Angelo. Use the search term
couture wedding dress and you'll pull up
181 choices including Pronovias from Spain, Eugenia, Paloma
Blanca, Kenneth Poole, Amsale, Reem Acra and even a
Jasmine Couture dress with bids starting at $54.99.
That's just crazy! These dresses are new and in the
thousand of $$$$! You can't buy the thread and zipper
for these prices, yet you can wear a couture wedding
dress at your wedding for a paupers pittance!

And don't forget dressing your man...there are
men's tuxedos for less than rental prices. There
are ove 1800 choices including a Native American
Navajo tuxedo shirt. Try finding one of those at
the mall. Tux bonus, you actually own a tux and
aren't wearing someone else's tux that has been
rented again and again. You never know when
he'll need a tux...like on a honeymoon cruise!

Bridesmaid dresses are plentiful with crazy prices
starting at$9.99. You have 13.000 choices! It ticks
me off when sellers throw wedding dresses in this
category, but with some surfing, you can buy new
or used dresses for a fraction of retail and have
your maids look chic without busting their budget.

What about wedding shoes? I found brand names
like Dyeables brand new and a pair of new white leather
designer shoes for a dollar! You can wear them again
and again and the price is ridiculously low!

Veils and tiaras are a total steal on eBay. I found
veils with Swarovski crystals for $9.99 and they
are BRAND NEW! Make sure you know your fullness
you want before you bid. 54" wide are skimpy,
108" wide are very full and probably the width
that is most standard. But what a deal!
There are mini tiaras starting at 99 cents.
I found a NEW Richards Design tiara for $24.99 and
its just robbery. Richards Design tiaras are all handmade
in England using genuine Swarovski crystals and they
retail in the $300 and up range. This is real quality
and a great find. There is a big quality range on
eBay from cheap crystals ( I'd call them rhinestones)
to real Swarovski. But you'll get your look at a fraction
or retail.

Search eBay for wedding favors and you'll find not
only favors, but personalized wedding coasters,
decorations, personalized printed ribbons and
bubble wands. This is such a fun category to get
ideas.

Surf wedding invitations and you'll find invitation
blanks from Wilton and other brand names to custom
printed invites. You even have save the date cards and
magnets to software templates to make the chore easier.
And don't forget to stock up your printer's ink!

Looking for ideas for wedding centerpieces for your
reception? eBay has them, including ostrich feathers
to make those expensive fluffy and airy arrangements.
Here's a tip you might not know...the feathers can
be dyed using spray floral dye.

Trying to find inexpensive wedding bouquets? eBay
has them already made up or you can buy the flowers
and fashion them yourself. I love adding crystals and
bling to wedding bouquets, you can have your own
crystal wedding bouquet by adding prewired crystals
to your fresh flower bouquet. Buy them on eBay and
supply them to your florist...savings, a LOT! I even
found a cool starfish made of crystals for your destination
wedding bouquet. That takes personalization to a
new level at a low cost. And isn't that what we are
all about?

There are so many other categories with great finds,
but look for yourself. Check the seller's feedback, its
there for a reason. Many of thesellers are brick and mortar
stores that sell overstock and closeouts on eBay. Factor in
your shipping. and cross that item off your list.

Use your imagination and your mouse to save yourself
a lot of dough on things you need for your wedding
by surfing on eBay. You'll find something you need at a
price you CAN afford and you won't have to leave the
house! Mission accomplished!

Have a happy wedding, y'all!

Slash Your Wedding Costs

With the cost of an average wedding in the USA at $23,687, today's wedding couples are looking for ways to host their dream wedding at an affordable cost. Besides the obvious of working with your budget, it is possible to have an amazing wedding using common sense, cutting the fat, setting priorities, and having a plan.

Set your priorities: What is important to you? A large wedding reception? Dancing? Alcohol? Music? Your dress? A big wedding album? Write down the priorities in order, budget the largest amount to that category and then cut the fat. Have the wedding you can afford without going into debt.

The day of the week and the time of day will raise or lower the cost of your wedding. Saturday evening is the most expensive time to host a reception, since its the most popular day to have a wedding. Scheduling the wedding on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon will significantly lower your costs. If you aren't planning on serving food, don't schedule the reception for meal time or your guests will expect to be fed.

Cut your guest list. You will pay a per head cost per guest, so cutting your guest list to a manageable list will save you thousands.

An open bar will raise your reception costs. Consider instead having a champagne toast, putting bottles of wine on each table, having a spiked punch fountain, or limiting the open bar to one hour only.

A disc jockey will cost you less than a band. Some disc jockeys will also include dinner music and a video in the cost of their fees. A good DJ will keep the party going, ask for references.

A buffet is less expensive than a sit down dinner. Two main dishes will be less expensive than three main dishes.

Wedding flowers in season will be less expensive than just having to have your favorite flower flown in for your bouquet. Ask your florist to substitute your favorite flower in silk. The savings? Priceless, and you still have what you want!

You can save hundreds to thousands of dollars on your wedding dress by buying a dress on sale or on clearance. All bridal salons have clearance sales usually in the summer and inventory reduction sales in December. Ask if there are any discounts available if you take the stock dress. You can also check eBay for bargains on new wedding dresses. If you are having a destination wedding, consider ordering a bridesmaid dress in white, ivory or champagne for huge savings and the look is the same!

Consider a destination wedding. Destination weddings are less expensive and there's no travel time to your honeymoon, you are already there!

Instead of hiring a wedding planner, do it yourself. Use web sites such as Weddingloco.com for tips and help in your wedding planning.

Cut the fat: Ask yourself if you really need certain items such as wedding favors, elaborate invitations with all the enclosures, china or elaborate floral decorations on every table. If the answer is yes, then cut the cost.

There are inexpensive wedding favors in the market or make your own. Candy kisses wrapped in tulle make cute inexpensive favors. Buy the candy in bulk, buy the tulle and tie with ribbons from the craft store. You can print tags on your computer with your names and wedding date, put in a hole with a paper punch and tie it on the ribbon. You savings? A lot! These can be done in advance using your family or friends as helpers.

Wedding invitations don't need to be costly. You can buy attractive invitations online for $58 per hundred. This is a significant savings over printing them yourself. Add up the cost of the blank invitation, the printer ink and factor in your time and having them printed can be a big savings. Remember postage costs have gone up, so make sure your invitation will not have oversize or overweight postage. If you invite everyone to the wedding and the reception, you can have your reception printed on the invitation as a footnote. This saves you the cost of reception cards, which is a big savings on the card AND postage.

Flowers at the reception can be a huge budget buster. Every table doesn't need an elaborate floral arrangement to make a statement. Use some ingenuity for your centerpieces and think outside the box. You can float flower heads you buy at the market in a fishbowl from the dollar store and add a floating votive candle. Or order an assortment of 3 to 4 inch blooming potted plants in season from a local grower and have them put in a colored pot cover to match your wedding colors. Group them on tables, varying the heights or put one on each table. You can give them to the guests to take home or take them home and plant them in your own garden after the wedding.

Use bridesmaid bouquets on the head table instead of buying large floral arrangements. Buy large potted ferns for greenery and take them home for your own house after the wedding. Intertwine clear holiday lights at the head table to give the table a festive look without a lot of expense.

Use common sense and don't second guess your choices. There is less chance of going over budget if you keep to your original plan.

Thanks to Wedding Loco for this post!