Wedding on a Budget: Tips From A Bride-to-be

As a bride-to-be from the Orlando, FL area, I thought it would be fun to share some information on how I’m planning a wedding on a budget…

Length of Engagement:  16 months! 

Wedding Date:  4/30/2011

Wedding Ceremony Location:  Satellite Beach, Florida

Wedding Reception Location:  The Tides Collocated Club, Palm Bay, FL

Number of Guests:  135

What has been your favorite part of the planning process thus far?  

Being engaged so far has been such a magical and fun experience for me.  I feel so close to my fiancé and really enjoy that he likes to be an active participant in the planning, just as much as I do! 

Also, finding our venue was a wonderful experience for both of us.  I stumbled across it online and we went in person to have a look.  When we saw the outdoor ceremony deck, overlooking the ocean, we just knew it was perfect for us! 

What has been your most difficult part of the planning process thus far? 

Money.  We are in the process of buying our first home so having a realistic view on what we can afford and sticking to a budget has been challenging!  I’ve been very fortunate to have won a lot of giveaways for wedding items and services, which has really helped us!

On an average, couples in the U.S. spend $20K on their wedding.  What are your thoughts on this statistic, in comparison to your budget? 

Our budget is well below that but we still feel that we can get everything we want for our wedding day, to make it feel just as special.  I don’t think that the cost of a wedding is what maters.  I think if you are able to personalize your wedding, to fit you and your fiancé’s personalities, then it will be a memorable wedding for you and your guests regardless.

Have you come across a wedding service or amenity that was much more expensive than you had anticipated? 

Videography.  I knew the importance of having a videographer I just didn’t expect the services to be so much money.   We do plan to have one but I had to do a lot of research to get one that was within our budget. 

I also think that the cost of most cakes is outrageous.   We’re getting our cake from a  grocery store and saving so much money but definitely not loosing out on the flavor or quality.

Have you found any great deals or are you taking any steps to help cut costs such as do-it-yourself (DIY) invitations, flowers, favors, etc.?  If so, what? 

Yes!  I have a large list of things I plan to DIY.  I am very hands on and want to personalize as much as I can, so when our family and friends come to our wedding, they know our wedding represents who we are as a couple.   We are DIY’ing a lot of paper products such as photo sharing cards, ceremony programs, and signage.  Also miscellaneous things like our aisle runner, stir sticks, and décor for the ceremony, reception, and rehearsal dinner.

What have you found most helpful about NoKnowsWeddings.com? 

The Quick Tips are a great resource!  I love looking through these and finding out new information on different wedding related things. 

Are there any affordable wedding planning tips that you would like to share with other brides? 

Enter giveaways!  I have saved us a couple thousand dollars, maybe more, winning things like our invitations, photography services, gifts for bridal party, miscellaneous wedding décor, paper products, etc.  They are out there you just have to look! 

Also, there are so many wedding blogs and websites with free tutorials and templates for various things like invitations, lists to help stay organized, ideas, etc.  which has helped me so much.  You don’t have to go out and purchase wedding magazines, it’s all available free online!