Four Ways to Create the Wedding of Your Dreams Without Breaking the Bank

You don’t have to sacrifice style to save your budget.

Your wedding is arguably one of the biggest days of your life. You should be able to look back at it and feel like everything you invested was worth it. It’s one of those days that deserves to be luscious, beautiful, and a little bit extra.

The key to creating the wedding of your dreams on any sized budget is to make smart decisions about how you spend your money, so you can focus on the things that are priorities. Having helped over 150 couples plan their weddings, we can tell you that there are lots of ways to pull off the wedding you’ve always dreamed about without breaking the bank

Let’s dive right into a few pieces of advice!

1- Plan your Wedding for Off-Peak Time.

Depending on where your wedding will be located, there is typically a pretty predictable pattern for when the wedding season will be the busiest. It’s a good idea to do a little research into your area, but in general, peak season follows whenever the weather is the most temperate. For warm places like Florida, winter is busy for weddings, while here in Utah, summer and early fall are peak wedding times.

Regardless of where you’re located, check with your wedding venue to see what their peak pricing blocks are. It’s not always doable, but if you can, try to plan a wedding that doesn’t fall within their busiest window of time. Booking a wedding during your venue’s off-season can help you get great off-peak venue rates. You can also explore getting married on a week day instead of a weekend!

2- Ask Your Vendors Questions & do it intentionally

I’ll never be able to say enough how important is to be informed about the ins and outs of what your vendors offer. Before you meet with any vendor, whether it’s your venue coordinator, florist, or caterer, brainstorm all the topics you'd like to discuss. (Bonus points for writing it down!) Make sure you know what is and isn’t included in their services by thoroughly reading through their contracts, proposals, and any information they send your way.

Knowing exactly what you’re getting when you sign a contract will help you make decisions about what will fit into your budget. If you’re feeling intimidated by the idea of signing a contract, we’d love to help! One perk of working with a wedding planner is we’re there with you to go over every detail of the vendor booking process. 

3- Think Practically About Favors

Wedding favors are a fun way to both thank your guests for their support and add a sprinkle of personality to your wedding day. There are so many cute wedding favor ideas, but the best ones are both simple and practical. If you’re set on handing out a little gift to each guest, go with something they will use and love, and not something that will end up in the back of a drawer somewhere. If favors don’t fit into the budget, we’re also seeing lots of couples forgo them.

If you really love the idea of giving your guests a physical thank you, ask your catering team if they can put together an edible favor that correlates with the food you served at your event. (Think: chocolate-covered strawberries or individually boxed slices of cake.) The reality is that food-related favors are much more likely to be taken and appreciated than little trinkets with the couple's initials stamped on them.

4- Reuse Your Floral Arrangements

Flowers bring so much vibrancy into your wedding design, and they are a great way to communicate your chosen color palette. But they are also a big expense, especially when you want a lot of them. Talk with your florist about what can be realistically repurposed- and discuss where/how.

Instead of planning and paying for large floral arrangements on every table setting, think about repurposing the flowers you already have. Ask your florist if they’d be willing to bring the flowers from your ceremony to adorn the space for your dinner and reception. Alternatively, the bridesmaids' bouquets can become table centerpieces if the florist allows.

Ultimately, weddings are a big expense, but they don’t have to suck up all of your funds. You can achieve the wedding you’ve always wanted while also making the most of your wedding investments. I hope these ideas get you started in the right direction!

♥ The Everson Events Team