10 Money Saving Tips For Your Wedding Reception

10 Simple Tips On How You Can Save Money And Still Have A Unique And Memorable Wedding  

So, your man proposed! Now it’s time to start planning your wedding. As you begin this process, you will probably experience a bit of sticker shock as you find out what wedding vendors charge, especially if you are paying for it yourselves.   

For many brides, their wedding day will be one of the most important days in their entire life. That doesn't mean it has to be the most expensive. You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to have a fantastic wedding. With these tips, and a bit of savvy shopping, you will be able to have an amazing wedding and bring it in under budget.

1. Since I am Wedding DJ, I figured that would be the best place to start. Have your wedding reception on a Sunday. Saturday nights are the busiest nights and Wedding DJ’s will want to get top dollar for those spots. There is very little competition for booking on Sundays and most DJs will be willing to negotiate a lower price.

2. One more tip for booking your Wedding DJ. Pass on having the DJ provide the music for your ceremony. This usually requires the DJ to bring an extra system along which will cost an extra $100 - $200. Instead, bring wireless speakers and an iPod and have your little brother or cousin handle it. Or maybe you have a friend that can play acoustic guitar.   

3. Try to shop during optimal sale times. Buy things right after Christmas or during seasonal sales so that you will save money. For example: you can buy red, white and pink decorations on sale right after Valentine’s Day.

4. Trim down the invite list. The less people present, the less mouths there are to feed, less table space needed, etc. So forget about your neighbor from three doors down who you only say hi to every once in a while.

5. Exclude flowers or buy less popular ones. Roses are very expensive, so why not get an alternative? Or even better, use fake flowers. Real ones will die anyway.

6. Don’t worry about serving fine cuisine. Nobody remembers the food at a wedding reception. Simple foods like hamburgers, barbecued chicken or a deli platter will be just fine. You don’t need filet mignon and caviar to make dinner a success.

7. Who needs paper invitations when there’s email and Facebook? Most people just save the date on their calendar and throw the invitations away. Skip the fancy paper invitations and design something nice in Photoshop.

8. Instead of buying decorations, favors, cards and table centerpieces, make your own. Enlist the help of skilled family members and friends. You will have a great time working with them on the projects and the decorations will be more meaningful to you.   

9. Buy a secondhand dress or rent one. The same goes for the groom’s tuxedo. You only wear it once and nobody will know the difference.

10. Almost everybody knows an amateur photographer or someone just starting a photography business. They will cost less and be much more accommodating to your schedule. Digital cameras these days are very advanced and will help with the quality. The purpose of a picture is to spark a memory and they don’t need to be expensive to accomplish this.  

By utilizing these money saving tips, you will have plenty left over for a great honeymoon, and maybe a little more money for the financial hardship you may have to deal with while adjusting to married life. The most important thing to remember is… It is not the extravagance of the wedding or how much money you spend that really matters. It’s the opportunity to share the meaningful experience with your friends and loved ones.

Author: Jordan Olson 

photo credit: ♥ kacyphoto via photopin cc