Planning A Wedding On A Small Budget - Part 2

Continued from Part 1. You can read Part 1 of this series here.

5) Be creative! Just because someone else did something a certain way doesn't mean you have to. :) If you're not a very creative person, this is where the reading (#4) comes into play. And if you don't have time to get a few books to look through, ask other people (your mom, sisters, other brides, etc) for ideas.

If there is something you have your heart set on, but you know it's way too expensive, be creative and see if there is a way you can make it/do it yourself (or get someone else to do it). The year before my wedding, I attended a friend's wedding and she had the most beautiful white pillars lining the aisle and stage as decorations. I loved them! When it came time to plan our wedding, I knew it would be a dream come true to have white pillars at our wedding. But after calling numerous places, I realized that there was no way we could rent them without going over our budget. To make a long story short, after talking with a friend about ideas, he offered to make some for us, using some sort of long metal tube and cardboard boxes. I didn't care what they were made of as they turned out beautiful and exactly like I had dreamed. I'm pretty sure no one even knew the difference.

Our white pillars in the background (we also had some exactly like this at the reception behind the cake table)

6) Wait for sales. Don't go out and buy all your decorations as soon as you know the colors. Be patient and wait for sales. Hobby Lobby became my "friend" for the 4 months we were engaged. I literally shopped their sales and clearance racks 1-2 times every week. Hobby Lobby also puts out a 40% off coupon every other week which I used time and time again.

I also waited to see if our local fabric store would have a sale on the fabric I wanted for the bridesmaids dresses. Within a few weeks of waiting, the price came down to almost half of what it originally was. I was elated and of course bought the entire bulk plus more!

7) Have a cake reception vs. a sit down dinner reception. I know that for some of you, a cake and punch reception might just seem completely out of the question. But if you're trying to cut costs, this is a huge way to do it. A simple cake reception can still be elegant, too.

We got creative at our wedding and instead of doing just a cake reception, we added finger foods in with it. Our guests were served finger foods (fruit, cheeses, olives, assorted crackers, croissants, etc) while Joe and I finished up pictures outside. Then, after we made our appearance at the reception, our guests were served cake, punch and Hershey kisses (yes, we opted for something other than nuts!). It actually ended up being only a few hundred dollars for the finger foods and it was a great hit.

And while I'm on the topic of receptions, might I just add that having the reception at the same location as the wedding saves a whole lot of money as well. :)

8) Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is so important. There are tons of people out there that would love to help you out. Having your friends help saves you so much time AND money. Think of your acquaintances...do you know anyone who can make food, fix hair, apply make-up, help decorate, loan you items, play music, or arrange flowers? I'm almost positive you do. Ask for their help! If you don't think you can do that, at least ask for their advice.

I had some amazing people help out in preparation for and at our wedding. Making invitations, loaning us stuff for the wedding decorations, fixing hair the morning of the wedding, applying my make-up, providing music for the ceremony and on and on the list goes. I still don't even know all the people who ended up assisting in many small ways the day we got married.

9) Settle for less in some areas. Just like I encouraged you to pick what is important, I also think it is just as important to pick a few areas in which you can "settle for less". Things that aren't as important. For me, it was flowers. Flowers are beautiful, and I would have loved to have spent a lot more money on them, but I also knew that I would be just as happy if I didn't spend a whole lot. I think all in all, we spent just a little over $100 on flowers (that was from a flower shop). I asked my florist if my bridesmaids and I could just have simple bouquets of roses tied with ribbon. She ended up adding in a few other filler flowers that didn't cost anything and I loved the simplicity of the bouquets that day. We also bought corsages for the grandmas and that was it. At first a few people thought I was crazy for not buying boutonnieres for the guys, but I knew it wasn't necessary.

Another was invitations and programs...I loved the professionally made ones, but I figured I could copy some of those ideas pretty well. After going to several invitation stores and taking lots of pictures, I found one that I loved. Within a day, I had re-created it to just the way I wanted it to look for a lot less money. We used the same idea for the programs as well so that our programs matched the invitations.

One other way I saved a lot of money was buying my veil from Hobby Lobby (yes, you read that right!). When I started looking at veils I was horrified to see the prices ranged around $100. For a veil? When I spotted them at Hobby Lobby for under $20, I knew I had found "my" veil. I waited for the 40% coupon and bought the one with the frilly edges. My total was under $10 and no one had any idea. In fact, several people commented on how much they loved it. :)

10) Most importantly, remember that it isn't about the wedding. The wedding is just the celebration. It's your marriage that is the important thing. The uniting of two hearts and the covenanting before God and witnesses. When your focus is on building a godly foundation for a lifelong marriage, the wedding won't seem that important. All the "must-haves" will not seem such a big deal 10 years later. In fact, you'll probably have totally forgotten about them. :) So just remember to pray about everything and ask God for wisdom. Then sit back and let Him work - believe me, I have some pretty amazing stories of ways God worked during my wedding planning days!