Three Budget Wedding Planning Tips from a Pro

So you still want to  have the perfect day but don’t want to sell your soul to get it. Fear not, we have tips from a professional wedding planner. Sara Wise, wedding planner and owner, The Bride’s Maid, LLC has graciously offered the following tips to you.

Prioritize Your Big Day

When it comes to planning your wedding, you can cut costs. Which costs to cut are best determined by this simple exercise: Make a list of three (no more than that) aspects of your big day that matter most to you. Since no two brides are alike, your list of three will be unique to you. For example, if your wedding must haves include great music, gorgeous decorations, and savory food, then scale back your spending on items such as invitations and stationery, favors, and the cake—perhaps opt for cupcakes—to make sure you have adequate room in your budget for the elements you most desire. If having amazing wedding photos, a drop dead gorgeous gown, and a ceiling-high cake are what you most covet, then you can be more modest with your flowers, your music, and rentals to make sure you can afford the best photographer in town, a couture gown and marzipan cake with edible 24 karat gold icing.

Never Skimp on Shrimp (or whatever you’re serving!)

If showing your guests a great time is important to you, do not cut back on food and beverage. You don’t have to serve a four-course feast to impress your guests. If your budget doesn’t allow for a lavish meal, you can still satisfy guests with a fun breakfast buffet, an all dessert blow out, or a mashed potato bar—just be sure quantities are plentiful. Many guests will remember your wedding as a hit event simply by enjoying plenty of food and drink, whatever kind it may be. That said, it is better to have more than enough of a few great dishes than to have tremendous variety in limited quantities.

While we’re talking about refreshments, don’t feel pressured to provide an open bar for your guests. Instead, offer beer and wine and one or two signature drinks. This will cut down on the variety of alcohol you’ll need on hand. Popular with my brides has been Firefly Vodka Lemonade, a drink made with lemonade, iced tea and vodka, which is much cheaper than stocking a bar to make every cocktail imaginable. Bonus tip: many liquor stores will buy back any unopened bottles so be sure your bartenders finish a bottle before opening a new one.

 Look Good without Busting the Budget

Here’s a personal anecdote that many a bride can learn from. Background: I adore fashion, love good clothes, and I don’t mind springing for expensive pieces. I practice the cost per wear rule: How much does it cost, divided by how often I will wear it = cost per wear. Two-hundred dollar boots that I’ll wear three times a week all winter long are worth the money. When my wedding rolled around, I abandoned my rule in the name of bridal vanity and plunked down a lot for my amazing gown and accessories. I don’t regret it, even with the terrible cost per wear ratio; however, since my wedding, I’ve dressed brides of all budgets and have seen them look like runway models in gowns that cost as little as $20 (not kidding!) and as much as $1,000. The reality is that you will wear the gown for one day, and you can look just as stunning in a less expensive gown, without sacrificing an ounce of style or beauty. If you don’t believe me, try me—I love dressing brides!

If you truly crave a designer gown, fashion forward brides should try a sample sale. Every year The Little White Dress hosts their White Friday sale where sample gowns and discontinued styles are offered at a discount. Another option is to throw superstition to the wind and buy from a bridal consignment boutique where designer gowns can be had for 30-70% off the retail price. Only pristine condition gowns are accepted so you won’t be buying a Lazaro with merlot stains on the train. Fabulous Frocks of Charleston is a great boutique that carries designer gowns that are less than two years old.

Send your wedding questions to info@thebridesmaid.org. Tried any of these tips above? Let us know!

Editor’s note:  We LOVE Sara’s tips and Amanda and Brandon decided that their three important items were the venue and plenty of great food, a great photographer and great entertainment; you guessed it – DJ Dennis Hubbell (see our prior post). They decided that invitations and decorations (flowers) were not as important and are looking for creative ways to save. They are thinking of using the following picture for save the date cards that they made on vacation in Myrtle Beach and send it through the online program evite rather than mail.

 

Amanda was also thinking of wearing her mother’s dress and it was a sweet moment for both when she tried it on. But it needed updating and on Black Friday she went to a sample sale in Myrtle Beach and found the dress she had in mind!  For obvious reasons we cannot show it to you here.  Trust us – she looks like a princess!

We guess the next step for mom’s dress is a consignment shop.

4 Responses to “Three Budget Wedding Planning Tips from a Pro”

1. Bruidsfotograaf says:

   January 15, 2012 at 5:21 pm

   Make sure you always have a plan “B” in case the elements of weather are turning and against the bride and groom and make it start raining…

   Also have an interior location for the wedding shoot, in case it rains.

   Having planned this upfront lowers the stress level significantly.

   Reply
   • Sherrie says:

     January 15, 2012 at 5:56 pm

     Yes, we agree with you! The venue that Amanda and Brandon picked has an overhang if needed, but Amanda says it will not rain!

     Reply
2. Wedding Relationship says:

   January 25, 2012 at 3:03 am

   I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well. Thanks for sharing this information. And I’ll love to read your next post too.

   Reply
   • Sherrie says:

     January 25, 2012 at 2:18 pm

     Glad you like the content. We are not done yet with wedding talk.

     Reply