Anonymous wrote:I went to a lovely wedding recently where the family had thrifted vases and filled them with Trader Joe's flowers for the table centerpieces. There were a lot of other homey touches, but that one stands out.

I think a good DJ is great, but I've seen people just appoint someone to run the playlists.

And opting for casual food (but still good food!) is another way to save. I feel like wedding venues still serve very heavy '80s food, and that's not really what people want nowadays.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your circumstances. Do you have friends who can sew you a dress, do your makeup, put together centerpieces, etc? Is anyone an event planner, or a caterer, and can procure things at cost? If yes, that’s your way to save.

If not, and you’ll be hiring everything out, the main way to save is to completely get rid of an idea that you’ll be able to produce an event unlike any other on a shoestring budget. I can guarantee you that your unique ideas will create headaches for the professionals and cause them to raise the price. Tell your vendors that you are trying to save money and listen carefully to their suggestions. They know what makes their lives easier and costs them less so they can pass on the savings to you.

Sewing a dress takes days for a basic dress or weeks for a more elaborate dress. The materials and fabric cost more than the total cost of a similar mass produced in a chinese sweatshop dress.

Don't cheap out if you are asking a seamstress to sew a custom dress for you.

If you are going for a cheap dress, buy something off the rack.

Anonymous wrote:Inevitably someone will tell you to conceal the fact that the event is a wedding when you're hiring vendors, because vendors sometimes charge more for weddings. Do not do this.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your circumstances. Do you have friends who can sew you a dress, do your makeup, put together centerpieces, etc? Is anyone an event planner, or a caterer, and can procure things at cost? If yes, that’s your way to save.

If not, and you’ll be hiring everything out, the main way to save is to completely get rid of an idea that you’ll be able to produce an event unlike any other on a shoestring budget. I can guarantee you that your unique ideas will create headaches for the professionals and cause them to raise the price. Tell your vendors that you are trying to save money and listen carefully to their suggestions. They know what makes their lives easier and costs them less so they can pass on the savings to you.