Tips on saving up for the wedding

I'm sorry I can't reply to you all individually, but sincerely from the bottom of my heart thank you for all the advice and support. Congratulations to you all as well.

My best advice! Pick out a couple of things you want to splurge on, and then try to see how you can save on other things!

For instance, my wedding dress was QUITE expensive! So I bought all my accessories online or for great discounts! My shoes were $17, veil was $16, hoop skirt was $40, jewellery was $50 ish plus some borrowed!

We spent a lot on food at the wedding so we found some great discounts with photography and DJ to help make it up!

So yeah! Decided between you guys what is the MOST important, and what you want to spend more on, and then decided what areas you guys are okay with doing a bit more cost effective!

What we did- we took a look at our bills and what we could cut down with or ways to save. Example we got quotes for car and house insurance elsewhere and same existing coverage- saved 900 a year- monthly whatever the difference was we put away in the savings account. When we figured out our budget we would put whatever the amount we agree upon per pay away. Sometimes things would come up and we couldnt do it. I also worked cash jobs on weekends and so would he. If you are a crafty person, you could find something you can make and sell.

I would also like ideas of crafty ways to make money.. thaaaaaaaaanks

Committing to a set amount of money every month to save is KEY. Don't just wait till the end of the month and hope to save what is left over. Go over your budget and see what is reasonable to save every month and as others have said, put this in a separate no fee account that will hopefully give you interest. This doesn't work for everyone but I always "pay myself first", once I know what my bills will be for the month, I transfer over my pre decided savings amount to the separate account and then I know how much "fun" money I have and that stops me from over spending on the savings amount. All the other tips here have been great!

Congrats!

There is no such thing as a stupid question in the first place.

You are being smart in the way you look your purchases and costs to keep them low.

Here are some of the tips I looked into when planning:

Rentals are a great saving and space saver in your home. I did some research to compare prices which were lot less then purchasing itself. Centerpieces/floral balls and money box less than $150. My father was generous to pay for it and to pick up/drop off for the wedding time. Backdrop was a local rental and less than $100 which helped a lot.

Online purchases: Amazon and Ebay were my best friends to find the lowest prices of details needed. You will be amazed how much you will save from the retail stores.

Retail shopping: A few things were purchased due to what was needed to see in person and price wise. Favours cost less since I had save 40% on a sale that was upcoming and bought in a large quantity. Wedding bands also were on sale when I was being aware than the regular price. These little things help when asking associates if there are any sales/specials coming up to wait for discounts. Small hurricane glass lamps and champagne flutes also were discounted.

Family/Friends: I got some great help by asking my aunt for welcome bags needed when she was coming along with her sister (moms sisters) and to bring them. Its great what we do to help in any way possible. Even Alka-Seltzer tablets that were available in the states and she helped with them. My parents even paid for my wedding outfit when they travelled to India to get the latest style.

Even now when my cousin was coming down for her shopping for her wedding, I had extra items that were kept after she is now using and avoiding extra costs.

Vendors: compare quotes and services provided to with the 3 best vendors you like after eliminating from the original number.

Hope these tips help to overlook your budget and planning process

Create a budget and stick to it. You will always find something else for less money if you give yourself enough time to plan. Reasearch everything, sometimes Diy is good, sometimes you spend more on making it vs renting it. Check facebook for any groups that are selling used wedding items, check kijiji too. You could get a part time job to add to your fund.

Congratulations on your engagement!

Definitely not a stupid question!

Budget, budget, budget. (A dirty word, I know.)

Sit down and figure out a ball-park figure you'd like to spend.

Figure out how much a month you can set aside to put into a 'wedding account.'

Put that money into a no fee account, preferably one that will pay you interest but, no fee is key.

Everything from picking up bottles to selling items you no longer want/need also goes into that account. You can make bracelets, do vinyl lettering projects (if you have the equipment), make cards, knit items, if you sew you can do that too. Sell those on online/social media sale pages or get an inexpensive table at a farmer's market or craft fair if you can. All that money also goes into the no fee account.

Depending on your budget, you may have to plan your wedding for farther out if you don't want to go into debt to do it.

There are ways to get breaks on almost everything, especially if you don't tell businesses it's for a wedding. (You can't always avoid this.) Eg. If you're having your reception at another venue than your ceremony, tell them it's for a family celebration/gathering. Flowers can be done through bulk buying or warehouse stores (like Costco). Sample sales, consignment shops (they don't just have pre-worn gowns but samples and special orders that were never worn) are great ways to save on your dress. Same goes for bridesmaids (mine found her dress for $39 at a bridal shop that was closing.) DIYs - Michael's usually has a 40 or 50% off coupon each week. If you plan ahead, you can make purchases with the coupons to cut costs. Shop around but, like others have said, put a deposit down on vendors early to lock in pricing if you have your heart set on something/somewhere/someone and don't want to 'settle' down the road because it's suddenly out of budget.

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I totally agree w/ Stiffra, I booked our venue and locked in the menu pricing for the following year. The following year we saw the price go up by $10/pp for the buffet and were relieved we got the previous years pricing in our contract. Saved us a couple thousand.

Other ways to save is to stop buying the occasional coffee, packing your lunches or making dinner at home instead of going out to eat all the way leading up to the wedding if you aren't getting any help from family.

You can also do some DIY's and enlisting friends to help out.

Happy planning!

Biggest budget saving tip I can give to anyone getting married is to start planning early! Planning early means getting the best deals as prices with anything wedding-related increases every year.

We opened an account and basically put X amount in each pay cheque. Any extra - we throw in as well.

An interest bearing account even gives a little bit extra each month!

Hi Natashia,

Here's a link to some budgeting articles on wedding wire you can check out on how to save and how to budget for your wedding: Wedding Wire Budget Articles

As for making money for the wedding; here in Manitoba we have wedding socials but if you are outside of Manitoba people do something kind of similar called a Stag & Doe in Ontario and parts of Quebec.

Congrats on the engagement by the way!