5 Finger Discount: 5 Ways to Afford Your Wedding

Weddings are expensive. There’s no getting around that. Heck, even eloping costs money.  Unfortunately we can’t cover your wedding costs, but we CAN offer a few suggestions on how to get (almost) everything you want for your wedding day affordably.

  1. 1. Minimize:
    The first and most obvious cutback is the guest list. Instead of 200, make it 150. Instead of 150, make it 120. When’s the last time you spoke with your Great Aunt Jo, anyways?Remember you can always minimize further than the guest list. If you’re not willing to exclude anyone from your original list, maybe you could minimize the size of your floral arrangements, or knock off your wedding cake’s fifth tier.
  2. 2. DIY:
    The great thing about our favorite wedding sites (Green Wedding Shoes, Grey Likes Weddings, 100 Layer Cake, etc.) is their receptivity to DIY projects. While many sites only stick to the unreachable fairytale items, these sites embrace creativity, often providing step-by-step instructions on how to create some of the cutest trends with your own hands.Though “doing it yourself” isn’t for everyone, and isn’t always the best route to go, it’s certainly worth researching. Sometimes a little handy work proves worthwhile and earns more compliments than any store manufactured item could. So before you spend a bundle on table markers, surf the web for some DIY ideas and see if it’s something you want to consider.
  3. 3. Hunt:
    Sometimes getting what you want is all about taking the time to actually find it. For all those able to purchase couture gowns and diamond encrusted forks, GOOD FOR YOU. For the rest of us, it’s time to do some good ol’ fashioned huntin’.Now don’t start crying. We’re not telling you to dig for your dream dress at a flea market bin, we’re merely suggesting there may be cheaper options out there.  The Broke-Ass Bride has a fantastic column called “Can’t Afford It/Get Over It” which allows brides-to-be to write in and get affordable substitution suggestions for their dream purchase. Check it out!
  4. 4. Ask:
    Know a local baker? How about a friend with a passion for makeup? Ask around! You’d be surprised how willing people are to help out a couple of crazy kids in love. It never hurts to ask or to offer a fair trade. Sometimes that’s all it takes to score a sweet deal.
  5. 5. Forgo:
    It’s lovely to dream, but sometimes you can only want what you need. When even the best deals don’t make the budget cut, it’s better to just take a deep breath and let it go. You’re not marrying for the material things, you’re marrying for that love swelling in your heart and pumping through those veins of yours.

By: Kelly Hamilton

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