100+ Fantastic Frugal Wedding Ideas You Can’t Ignore

Every little girl’s dream is being a bride and having a beautiful wedding, but when you grow up and face how expensive is having one, your vision is slightly altered.
For a couple just starting their lives together, the financial burden of a wedding can get their lives together off to a bad start. The good news is that there are hundreds of ways to save money and still have a fabulous wedding that will have everyone talking for years to come!

Save on the Venue/s and Catering

1. Only invite close friends and direct family. Because your 4rth grade relative will be there only to irritate you.
2. Have the ceremony at your church and the reception in the church hall.
3. Get married soon after lunch time, and serve snacks instead of the full buffet.
4. Ask someone you know to be the officiant – if you’re a churchgoer – your own pastor is best.
5. Choose a venue where you can bring your own wine and champagne.
6. Investigate all-inclusive venues and compare prices. One year ahead.
7. Check off-peak prices – believe it or not, there is a peak wedding season.
8. Get married on a Friday instead of a Saturday.
9. Ask friends to help with catering and serving. Just don’t dress them as one.
10. Don’t let your wedding run late – you will pay for the extra time.
11. Get married from home (it’s also romantic and cheap).
12. Or, get married in a park or botanical garden – it’s handy for the photo shoot, too.
13. Supply the champagne and have a cash bar.

Save on Stationary

14. Design and print your own invitations. If you are not keen on drawing, ask your best friends.
15. Deliver invitation letters by hand instead of post.
16. If you’re posting, choose a postcard-style for cheaper mailing.
17. Design a gorgeous e-invitation and send it by email.
18. Skip the name-cards except at the head table – it’s also fun and informal.
19. For more formal seating make one lovely seating plan that’s posted at the entrance.
20. Don’t bother with menus, make it a surprise – or have one at the venue entrance.
21. Make your own artsy table number markers.

Save on Decorations

22. Go with elegant, single-flower decorations instead of packed vases.
23. Take the flowers from the church to the reception for the cake table and main tables.
24. Make flowers from crepe paper.
25. Choose in-season flowers. They are cheaper!
26. Use beautiful candles instead of flowers.
27. For a rustic look, make vases from tin cans covered with hessian.
28. Buy your flowers direct from the farm.
29. Use festive balloons to decorate the venue.
30. Add a touch of romance with cost-effective fairy lights.
31. Use fruit bowls as table centerpieces. They are also healthy!

Photography and Music

32. Ask friends and family to bring cameras along and send you electronic copies of all their best pics.
33. Find a photography student to take your wedding pictures.
34. If you get a professional photographer, limit the time he will have to spend at the wedding.
35. Set up a playlist, use your own music center or borrow one, and ask a friend to act as DJ.
36. Get a DJ instead of a full band.
37. For church music, use a recording or get a musical friend to help out.

Food, Drinks and Favors

38. Skip the favors if you want to, they’re an optional extra.
39. Buy lengths of gauze and ribbon and make cute bags of sweets.
40. Make gifts for bridesmaids and best man.
41. Skip alcohol altogether and serve juice instead.
42. Buy the alcohol wholesale.
43. Only serve wine, champagne, and water.
44. Limit the number of bottles of wine and champagne for each table.
45. Ask your liquor store if they will credit you any unopened bottles you return.
46. Have a simple BBQ for dinner.
47. Skip the starters. Serve crackers and fruit instead.
48. Offer a home-cooked buffet with a limited number of dishes.
49. Skip desserts and have the cake as dessert. And fruit.

Wedding Cake

50. Bake your own cake, or ask a friend to do it.
51. Instead of a fancy wedding cake, serve up cupcakes.
52. Have a small cake on a decorated base that looks like the real thing.
53. Have a large, less decorated cake in the kitchen for serving.
54. Use ordinary icing.
55. Use fresh flowers to decorate the cake.
56. Avoid specialized wedding cake bakers.
57. Serve donuts, apple strudel or mousse instead of cake.
58. Have a beautifully decorated wedding fruit salad.
59. Serve home-made cookies.

Wedding Attire for Him

60. Rent a tux.
61. Borrow from a friend.
62. Buy a second-hand tux.
63. Make your own buttonhole flowers for the men.
64. Ask family members for items such as bowtie and cufflinks.

Wedding Attire and Accessories for Her

65. Rent a wedding dress.
66. Shop online for bargains.
67. Buy a second-hand dress.
68. Choose an off the peg white dress that isn’t strictly a wedding dress.
69. Pick a tailored white or cream dress that can be repurposed.
70. Borrow from a friend.
71. Ask wedding boutiques about sales.
72. Look at formal wear in soft colors other than white.
73. Make your own garter or ask a friend to help.
74. Make your own veil.
75. Buy a second-hand veil.
76. Wear flowers in your hair instead of a veil.
77. Skip the headgear altogether.
78. Borrow your jewelry from your mom or your friends.
79. Shop for vintage costume jewelry.
80. Use garden flowers. They smell incredible and they are cheap.
81. Choose one to three exceptional flowers for your bouquet.
82. Shop for shoes at chain stores.

Hair, Nails, and Makeup

83. Do your own hair, or get a friend to help you.
84. Choose a simple hairstyle.
85. Get a friend to do your nails. Or use a coupon to save the money if you decide to go to a beauty salon.
86. Do your own makeup.
87. If you go to a hairdresser, she may do your makeup for free if you ask.
88. Buy your going away outfit off the peg.

Other Extras to Save On

89. Let the best man wear his own suit.
90. Ask your bridesmaids to wear a particular color, but let them use their own clothes.
91. Unify your bridal party with color and corsages instead of clothing.
92. Keep your bridal party to the minimum.
93. Skip the confetti, rice or bubbles after the ceremony.
94. Dry rose petals from your own and friend’s gardens.
95. Choose an extrovert friend to be MC.
96. Pick a friend with a nice car to provide the ‘limo’ and be the driver.
97.  Decorate your own car for the wedding instead of having a limo.
98. Reserve a limo and driver on Uber.

Your Honeymoon

99. Choose a local beauty spot with modest accommodation.
100. Visit a national park.
101. Visit a nearby city with cool attractions.
102. Choose a cheap international destination.
103. Borrow a holiday house from a friend.
104. Check out package holiday deals.
105. Go self-catering.
106. Choose camping or RVing instead.

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