8 secrets to save money for your wedding!

Bride's Question:

Dear Marie,
My fiance and I are paying for our own wedding and working with a limited budget. I'm so scared to buy anything because I don't want to go over my budget. What are some of the things we can do to cut cost and still have the beautiful wedding that I always dreamed of? Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,
Katie

Marie's Answer:

Dear Katie,
In order to create a beautiful wedding on a budget, the most important thing is to be creative! I will give you a list of things that can help you save money and your wallet:

1). Choose a Friday or Sunday date instead of the usual Saturday wedding because most venues give discounts for non-Saturday weddings. Keep your guests in mind when you choose your date. If you have a lot of out of state guests, then Friday might be a better choice since it gives them the entire weekend to make it back home to work. Sunday weddings are great for 3 day weekends!

2). Cut your guest list, then cut it again! This might sound like a hard thing to do, but if you are working with a limited budget; this is the best way to save money and still have a beautiful wedding. Very often, you can save up to $1,000 by simply cutting 10 guests. So, really think about who are the most important ones YOU want to celebrate your big day with! Is it really that important to you to invite that part time associate and her guest vs. having the beautiful wedding that you were dreaming of since you were 12yrs. old?

3). Consolidate your purchases! Find a venue that offers as many wedding related items as possible. There are a lot of venues out there that have a lot more than just a place to eat and dance. They will include cake, linens, waitstaff, centerpieces, lighting, sometimes even limo service and DJ. The more you buy from one vendor, the cheaper it usually ends up being! The cost of the package may seem high, but ones you calculate all the things included(and trust me, I've done the math), it is usually much cheaper than buying them from different vendors.)

4). Negotiate a trade of services. If you own your own business or have a demanding talent like fixing computer or something; then talk to the owner and see if you can trade your services with theirs. I know this sounds a little out there, but all I'm saying is try! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Many of the vendors don't have a lot of overhead. For example, limo service or DJ. There isn't too much overhead because they already own the vehicles and music equipments. So if you are really good at fixing computers, you can ask the owner and see if you guys can make a trade of services. Maybe you can fix his computer for free for a year ( a five hundred dollar value ) for one night of his free (or a discounted price) limo or dj service. (I would try free first and then negotiate from there)... May be you are a contractor, or a teacher (can offer free tutoring for their kids) or own a car wash. Whatever it may be, be generous, confident and creative and I think you'll find that most people want to be in the spirit of helping each other.

5). Explore the Dollar Stores! Many brides underestimate their decoration budget. From my experience, this is one of the largest areas where brides tend to go over budget. So, start exploring the dollar stores! There, you can find many things that may fit your wedding theme. Talk to your wedding planner and have them explore the dollar store and come back to you with some create ideas they gathered! Put your wedding planner to work for you and help you save money!

6). Get a partial fake cake. Have the baker only bake one layer of a decorated cake for cake cutting. The rest of your cake can be a rental from baker. The baker can still bake the same tasting cake for the guests, but it doesn't have to be as decorated. This cake will be kept in the kitchen til serving time. This way, you get your beautiful cake for the pictures and the cake cutting, and your guests get to eat your yummy cake!

7). Talk to a wedding planner before you make any purchases! Many people think that wedding planners are too above their price range even though they know how much easier planning would be if they had one. The truth is, not all planners are expensive. Some planners can save you a lot of money! For example, at J&M Wedding Creations, our company gets exclusive discounts and special services from vendors and we pass those discounts directly to our brides. We are able to score good deals because we work with the vendors on a consistent basis; so our brides can take advantage of the deals that we get! I admit, not every wedding planner offer this, however, usually the first consultations are free, so feel free to explore your options with wedding planners and see how they can help you. To find out more about the discounts at J&M Wedding Creations, go to: http://www.jmweddingcreations.com/contact.php

8). register cash instead of gifts. That's right! I said it! Why should only the Chinese and Italians get to register cash. The truth is all new married couples could use some cash! What are you going to do with that beautiful Egyptian cotton sheets if you guys haven't bought that dream house? Ask for cash! Just be creative with it when you put that in the invitations. Your wedding planner or your maid of honor might be of help to give you some pointers on its wording. Have fun with it and get paid on your wedding day!

Welcome to J&M Wedding Creations' Blog

Dear brides, grooms and friends,
Due to popular demand, I, Marie, the founder of J&M Wedding Creations decided to start a blog to answer brides' questions about wedding planning. We are bombarded with information today due to the massive amount of information that the internet provides. It can be hard to figure out what information is accurate and trustworthy; so I will strive to keep answers precise, simple and easy to understand.

I encourage any bride, mother of bride, maid of honor or fiance to sent in your questions. Wedding planner consultations can cost up to $200/hour! Send me your questions and I will personally give you my expert advice absolutely free. Let's get to know each other and plan some memorable weddings! Thank you for your interest in J&M Wedding Creations' Blog. I look forward to helping you soon:)

Best Wishes,
Marie Cui
Founder of J&M Wedding Creations

Do you have a wedding related question for Marie?
If so, get your questions answered! email your question in at : marie@jmweddingcreations.com
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