Ways We Saved Money On Our DIY Wedding
Anyone who is planning or has planned a wedding or large event knows that things add up quickly ($$$) Here are some of the ways that we kept within our budget and saved money along the way. Happy Planning!
We used dried flowers, rather than paying for a florist. I am all for supporting small businesses, but we were trying to keep our spending as low as possible. And flowers can be EXPENSIVE. So about 8 months before our “I Dos” I started purchasing small bouquets of flowers (Mostly roses, a few babies’ breath, and a single bunch of eucalyptus). The best “bang for your buck” that I found was at ALDI’S. They regularly had 6 roses for $3. And when they would start to wilt in the store, they sold them for even less.
So I would tie the stems upside down to a hanger and let them dry out, hanging down in our basement. We used them all over in vases and just laying on the tables. I think they turned out pretty great! Especially for a fall wedding.
Some of my family members did the same and even cut some from their own gardens!
2. Rather than having a big cake to cut, we opted for a dessert buffet. We asked all the moms, aunties, and grandmas (and anyone else willing to help), to make their favorite dessert and bring it to the ceremony. We provided the cute serving trays, and they brought all sorts of delicious treats. It was a huge hit!
3. Instead of purchasing table runners (another hidden expense), we leaned into the “love story” theme and used book pages. I bought a Grimm Brothers Fairytale book, used an Exacto knife to cut the pages out, and we used these along each of the tables and on all the other decorated spaces throughout the venue. So cute and WAY cheaper.
4. To save money on drinks - we did a huge Costco haul of beer, wine, soda, and water. And we hired one of our friends to be the bartender for the night. It was way more laid back having a familiar face taking care of everyone. We made sure she was paid for her time, had some yummy food, and got plenty of tips!
5. This one saved us some time and money for postage! We did hand-written thank you notes for each of our guests (some grouped into couples and families) - that doubled as seating cards. This saved us from having to send thank you cards after the fact, gave our friends and family something to do while they waited on dinner, and was a sweet way of letting everyone know how much we love and appreciate them.
6. We used disposable cameras for the reception. By doing this we saved money on the number of hours we hired the photographer for. She obviously did and AMAZING job, but it was nice not having to worry about taking professional photos when her part was done. And the MAGIC that came from having a few of these out on the tables for everyone to use - was worth it! (Check out the other blog post to see some of them)