Dream Wedding on a Dime: 7 Secrets for the Budget-Savvy Bride

months.

Section 1:

Planning Your Dream Wedding on a Dime

Introduction

We sometimes think a small budget means doing everything ourselves and giving up on the dream wedding. Not necessarily. The good news is that the dream can survive the pinch! It will, however, require thoughtful spending. Planning your dream wedding on a dime entails a budget-driven mindset, coupled with strategies (the secrets) that flow through every decision you make—from whom to choose as a planner to where to buy the centerpieces or even whether you will have either.

In some ways, getting married is like buying a house; it’s a major milestone in life, and almost always, there is initial sticker shock. (It costs how much?) This book is for you if you cannot afford or do not want to spend what the average wedding costs. It is filled with tips and ideas stemming from the secrets, designed to keep both your dream and your piggy bank intact.

Before we get to the secrets, let us set the tone and go through a bit of introspection.

The Top 5 Tips

There are several money-saving wedding tips I’m sure you have already heard many times, so I will get them out of the way immediately: Have your wedding and reception together on an off day (i.e., not Saturday) and during the off-season (i.e., winter but not during holiday party time); use in-season flowers; and serve a buffet meal (which, actually, is not always the cheapest option).

But what if, for your own reasons, the wedding above would not feel special? That’s OK. The key is knowing what is important to you. If you understand what will make your wedding special and apply the seven secrets to those preferences, you CAN do this.

Take a few minutes and think about it. When you dream of your perfect wedding, there are likely two or three elements you see vividly and are most important. What are they? The gown? Decor? Location? A jaw-dropping cake? Whatever the elements, these should become your priorities. Just as it you were purchasing a dream home, every small detail of your original vision will probably not survive. But focus on the few elements that make the dream a dream, and you will soon forget the insignificant pieces that did not happen as you originally hoped.

How Your Wedding’s Personality Determines Savings

Your guest count and how much you spend per guest (led by food & drink and the venue) are the two major factors that determine how much your wedding will cost. If you really want to have your entire large circle of friends at the wedding, or you have your heart completely set on a sit-down, gourmet meal, you can do either and still stay within budget.

To decide which you should focus on, envision a personality for your wedding. Perhaps it is gregarious and full of merry making or more demure and conversational. Quashing the traits you’ve pictured could cast a nightmarish tint over your dream wedding. If you are not sure which route to choose, ask yourself these questions:

1) Is it more important (a) to have a large reception or (b) for your guests to feel personally pampered?

2) Do you see your wedding as more like (a) a party, with extended friends and family, or (b) a more intimate gathering of your inner circle?

If (a) is more appealing, look for ways to save per person. If (b) is more your style, home in on limiting the guest count. This choice will drive your decisions every step of the way.

Keep your wedding’s personality in mind as you read through this book and select the tips and secrets to put into effect.

Make Your Own Traditions

One of the most overwhelming facets of making your wedding decisions is pressure from others. A common line of reasoning for why you should do a certain thing a certain way is, because that’s the way it’s always been done.

Well, times change. You are unique and should have a wedding that reflects who you are and what you care about. You do not have to follow tradition unless you want to! Create your own instead. Think about what you want as you apply the secrets in this book. Happily, these adjustments can be budget-friendly as well as fit your definition of a dream wedding.

The 7 Secrets

By now, you have probably been wondering what, exactly, are these secrets? Another word for them is strategies; they make up your strategic toolkit, so to speak, for getting the best value from every aspect of your wedding. These secrets will also keep your stress level down by giving you the know-how to go about getting what you want within your budget. The dream wedding, after all, does not include Bridezilla raising her harried head and ruining your big day!

You may think a small budget means doing everything yourself (DIY). Doing it yourself definitely plays a role, but there are many more approaches. In fact, DIY is a single aspect of only one of the seven secrets. Throughout the book I’ve marked tips with the corresponding secret so that the relationship between tips and secrets is always clear. For example, Smart money works for you tips are tagged (SECRET: SMART MONEY). I have also included links to my website, Pinterest boards, and affiliate partners where appropriate.

1. Smart money works for you (SECRET: SMART MONEY). Knowing where the money is coming from, finding ways to spend it wisely, and earning more from it in between are all key to keeping your spending under control and making sure what you owe does not exceed what you can pay.

2. Time does more than tick (SECRET: TIME SAVINGS). Do not underestimate the impact of time on your wedding—your time, as well as that of your helpers and vendors. Just like money, there is a finite amount of time that must be spent wisely.

3. Treasures lie upon the road less traveled (SECRET: PATH LESS TRAVELED). There are options beyond the traditional for every decision you make. Products and services can be bought from non-wedding vendors, or you can take the DIY route. You can utilize items in less-than-usual ways or even skip a tradition entirely, and you can often save money along these less-worn paths.

4. Recycling saves more than the planet (SECRET: CREATIVE RECYCLING). Choosing items you can use in everyday life, buying pre-owned, selling products, and donating to charities all have a positive impact on the bottom-line cost of your wedding.

5. Blending is best (SECRET: BLENDED SOLUTIONS). Creatively mixing vendor services, help from others, purchased items, and/or DIY projects often results in the best value.

6. Request and receive (SECRET: ASKING). Sometimes, all you have to do is ask—to borrow, for extra perks from vendors, to be given parts of the wedding as gifts from family and friends, or for additional help with the wedding.

7. Stack and save (SECRET: STACK SAVINGS). What you ultimately pay from your budget shrinks proportionately when you find multiple ways to lower the cost of items or services—shopping for the best value plus getting an added discount, having others pitch in on the cost of a purchase, or finding ways to use less.

Secret #1: Smart Money Works for You

Knowing where the money is coming from, finding ways to spend it wisely, and earning more from it in between are all key to keeping your spending under control and making sure what you owe does not exceed what you can pay.

You have probably heard the saying penny wise and pound foolish to describe someone who watches every little expense but is wasteful when it comes to larger spending decisions. You can be wise on both fronts! Consistently saving dollars on the smaller expenditures adds up, as does making wise decisions on larger costs. Look for the "(SECRET: SMART MONEY)" tags for tips on how to effectively manage spending your money. While this is not a glamorous topic, it is an important one. (The later secrets are more interesting; I promise!)

Who is paying and how much?

We live in a time when the traditional way of funding a wedding—having the bride’s parents pay for the entire wedding and reception—is becoming impractical for many. As each year passes, fewer weddings are financed this way. While it is wonderful, and the couple should be grateful if her parents can pay for everything, it should not be expected. There are a number of reasons for this, starting with the simple fact that many parents cannot afford a wedding. Other reasons may be the couple is already independent or it is a second marriage.

If you think about how the tradition originated, you can see how it has outlived logic. There was a time when a girl was a bit like property, belonging to her father until she married and moved into her husband’s home, where she became his and was expected to obediently perform her marital duties. Along with the bride came funds for the wedding as part of the dowry. Very few women today would stand for the nonsense of being treated like an object, so there is no reason to expect the financial requirement to stand as well.

Consequently, one of the first things you must do after becoming engaged is have a meeting with parents and anyone else paying for the wedding, to discuss how much each is able to contribute. This may be uncomfortable to do, but it is an important step that allows you to focus on appropriate price ranges from the start. Once you have commitments from those footing the bill, your focus is on managing the funds in a way that makes you even more money from the dollars you will ultimately spend on your wedding.

Top Earning Techniques for Your Wedding Money

In finance there is something called the float, which refers to who has control over the money before the bills come due. It is good to have the float because you can earn interest or other perks on those funds while you are waiting to pay your vendors. In other words, you'll want to take charge of the money as soon as possible and keep it as long as you can without paying any overdue fees or penalties.

Here are some tips for putting your wedding money to work for you. You can either put the extra earnings toward the wedding bills or earmark it for such high-priority items as your dress or a little something extra for the honeymoon.

• Ask friends and family if they can give you the money instead of paying for a service, then put that gift, as well as money you are contributing to your wedding, into an interest-bearing savings or money-market account until you need it (SECRET: SMART MONEY).

• Use a designated credit card for all purchases and then pay off the entire balance when it’s due (SECRET: SMART MONEY). Your money is earning interest during the extra month or so before you have to pay it to the card. Note: Paying the entire bill on time is very important because fees defeat the purpose of using the card.

• Make sure the credit card is a cash-back card, like Discover, that gives you money for every purchase you make (SECRET: SMART MONEY). If the card has bonus periods, try to time spending to take advantage of the extra cash you will earn. Learn more about how the Discover Card compares to others at MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com/Discover.

• Pay your vendors on the due date, rather than before (SECRET: SMART MONEY). The exception is if you can get a discount by paying early or up front. That will likely far outweigh any interest you would earn by keeping the money longer.

Where does the money go? Complete list of wedding needs

Begin planning by making a list of expenses (SECRET: SMART MONEY). By understanding the full picture ahead of time, you can avoid getting blindsided by unexpected costs or needs. Here is the complete list of possible wedding expenses, excluding the wedding party’s attire, which bridesmaids and groomsmen pay for themselves. (Note: These expenses cover the entire range of choices, e.g., hiring a vendor, doing it yourself, and blended solutions. Only some will apply to you.)

Rings

Engagement ring(s)

Wedding band(s)

Diamond certification

Resizing

Ring alternatives

Venue

Ceremony and reception facility fees

Setup or takedown fees

Equipment or other