5 Ways to Shop for Weddings on a Budget

Ah, weddings, one of the supposed happiest days of our lives. Although I have nothing against weddings, no one ever explained the horror of planning one before hand. Magically they do not just appear, especially since his and my family has taken a back seat on this one. This has definitely been one of the most stressful years of my life (granted a lot more contributed to this). But I am here to help you go thrifty and DIY to help with some of that wedding horror.

1. Dresses

Between the bridesmaid dresses and your dress, things can really add up. If you are not completely anal about all the dresses being the same here are some things you can do. Check thrift stores. Especially after prom season, dresses are on sale. Find the shade you prefer then have a girl's day looking at thrift stores and consignment stores. It will be a lot of fun for all involved. I also suggest bridal shops if the color you want is out of season. You can get great deals for under $50. Down side to this is all of the dresses will not be the same style, but personally, this did not bother me. I wanted my girls to have a dress they would wear again and looked flattering on them. One of my girls even ordered their dress on Wish.com. They all look great and have a dress they can reuse. When looking at photos down the road, you want to people involved to be happy not the clothing to necessarily all match.

Now for your dress. Finding cheap wedding dresses is hard. Besides making your own or wearing your mom's (my mom did not have a wedding), the numbers can really add up. Ebay.com can be a great way to get dresses pretty cheap, you just need to watch where the dress is shipping from. You can get dresses there for under $200. If you are like me, you do not really understand paying that much for a dress you are only allowed to wear once. I went to Amazon.com and found a white ball gown for $35. It is really nice looking, it's white, and no one else will know the difference unless I tell them. Plus, it saves on the cost out of my pocket.

2. Location

A big cost at a wedding is the location. Everyone always wants the most beautiful place, especially outside locations. Personally, locations outside are nice except when planning for weather. The location I chose was a ballroom that has a partition that separates 1/3 to 2/3 of the room. I am using the smaller end for the actual ceremony and the bigger end for the reception. For the reception, we will move the chairs from one part of the room to the other and open that side for a dance floor. Yes, this puts a little bit more work into the day, but is way easier than working all those extra hours to pay for different locations.

When thinking of a location, think about the day, too. My fiancé wanted to get married on Halloween. It just happens to fall on a Tuesday. During the week is way cheaper to rent than the weekends. So if you are not stuck on weekend weddings, I would look into it.

3. Decorations

Decorations are one of those things that can cost a little or a lot. It all depends on what you want. I am a DIY girl so I always suggest going that route. For my wedding, I used sparkling cider bottles and spray painted them purple and orange. Then I used fake white flowers my sister gave me to put in them. I also have some purple vases from a past event she did as well. So look around. See what you can make or borrow. This only helps your cost to go down.

4. Food

MMMMMMHHHHH food. Wedding food tends to be the fanciest thing we eat. Why is this? We spend thousands of dollars on food we only will ever enjoy once? Even for us to be too busy to sit down and even enjoy it. If you are going to cook the food yourself, go simple. Simple foods that can be done the day before or at least prepped are the best. Cut fruit and veggies the night before. Either make drinks, or have them in a way to easily prepare. If possible cook meal and be prepared to warm up food. For my wedding we are doing chili. I know it is not the traditional food of choice, but having several crock pots of chili made it easier for us. I can prep out contents the night before, and put them in the crockpots early the next morning. This also makes it easier to make certain pots for gluten-free and diabetic family members. Then we will have crackers and Fritos to eat with. It is a bit informal, but that meets our families quite well. So do not stress too much about food, make it as simple as possible.

5. DJs

Everyone loves a good DJ, but if you are on a tight budget, this can make things difficult. If the place you are renting has a sound system, then you are in luck. Attention Amazon Prime members, you have access to an app called Amazon Music. Here you can create a playlist with most songs. Some require a higher membership, but most songs you can get. When you send your invitations, send a line that asks for a song request. That way you now have a playlist to create. Find the songs and add them to the playlist, viola. Set up your phone or tablet to the speaker system, then press play. You will have music that your guests picked with very little hassle.

Weddings are very stressful, but you can make things easier on yourself and your wallet by using what you have and choosing easier options. Your guests will not mind the difference; they are there to celebrate you either way.