Recessionista Brides Are Planning Great Weddings for Less
The economy continues to force brides to tighten their garter belts when it comes to balancing their wedding budgets. However, resourceful brides-to-be are getting creative in finding ways to save money and still throw the wedding of their dreams.
Thanks to the recession, more couples are trimming wedding budgets. 25% will cut their affair funds in half, and 34% said they have no intention of spending more than $10,000, according to the “What’s on Brides’ Minds” survey conducted by David’s Bridal.
Despite slashed budgets, these “Recessionista Brides” are determined to host fun, personal and memorable affairs. “People realize that they can still throw a top-notch wedding, without being in hock for the rest of their lives,” explained Robbi Ernst III, founder and president of wedding consultant firm June Wedding Inc., in San Francisco.
Following is a list of easy cost-cutting ideas that can help any bride stay within her finite budget:
One-stop venues.
Some brides are holding both their ceremony and party in one location, such as a hotel, winery, or more rustic settings, like barns. By booking one site you'll save on site fees and transportation to both spots.
Susan Smetana of Mineola, NY, dreamed of a beach wedding at sunset. Once she began doing her homework, she began considering a “simpler” option.
“We learned that we needed a permit, which required a fee, to use a local beach, and our guests would’ve had to pay a fee to enter the beach for the ceremony,” she told OurWeddingDay.com. “Our limousine expense would’ve increased by $350 per car if we got married at the beach and then went to a hotel or catering hall for the reception. That was when we decided to have the wedding and reception in one place.” (Ultimately, Susan chose a Long Island-based college campus that featured a lakeside garden to host the outdoor wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. An indoor reception was held in the college’s estate dining room.)
Many venues are also offering more “incentives packages” such as a wedding cake, dessert bars, flowers or a honeymoon suite, all included in the venue and catering package. Wedding vendors are getting in on the “one-stop-shopping” game, and bundling services to ease brides’ planning and payment stresses.
“The new millennium saw the evolution of certain vendors, such as photographers, florists and lighting companies, pooling their expertise,” Ernst said.
There is often on member of the team who is extremely knowledgeable of the wedding industry and trends, “and he or she acts as the group’s wedding consultant who works directly with the bride on creating the ideal package from a cost and vision perspective,” he said.
This bundled option can save brides on restricted budgets up to 30%, according to Ernst, “yet they will still have the highest quality services.”
DIY - The personal touch.
Personal projects are popping up across many aspects of wedding planning, including seating cards, menus and welcome baskets. However, brides are going all out when concocting unique favors, and ideas are only limited by brides’ imaginations.
For example, music lovers can burn CDs highlighting music played at the party. Brides can purchase blank CDs and jewel cases, and then print a picture of the couple and the song list to be used as the front and back covers, respectively. A professionally made favor could cost upward of $350 for a party of 150 guests. If a bride is willing to invest the time, the same favor cost run approximately $140 (an average of $13 for 10 CDs with jewel cases, $5 for printer paper).
Similarly, Susan, a fan of flowers, made packets of wildflower seeds for her guests. “Instead of paying a company to do it, I chose to it myself,” she said.
Susan bought the seeds and ordered special ‘Love is Blooming’ seedling envelopes. She added a teaspoon of seeds to each bag and tied them with coordinating tulle ribbons. Each couple went home with two envelopes.
While some might argue that doing personal projects is time consuming, Susan looked at it differently. “It allowed me and my fiancé to spend a lot of time together, and that is what made planning our day so special,” she added.
Be “our” guest.
Invitations often run upward of $500, depending on how complex the design is and components are. By adding more information on the invitation card itself, brides are primed to save.
For example, if you can fit reception information on the wedding invitation, you'll save on the materials and printing costs, and possibly even postage. The same holds true for eliminating the inner envelope. This tradition adds costs to each invite's creation – and can even increase postage.
More brides are also creating invitations “in-house” – a special way to add their own personal, creative touches to their day. Susan did just this with her invitations, “and saved a ton of money,” she reported.
Rather than “spend $800 at a professional printer,” she purchased two invitation software kits at her local Staples store ($40 each) and high-quality ink cartridges, then designed the invitations on her computer, including the greeting, design and color. She created 150 invitations, including the R.S.V.P. cards and envelopes, at approximately 25% less cost.
The bride’s ride.
Couples are cutting transportation costs by downgrading the number or style of limos, and instead going with fun, less conventional ideas.
For example, instead of renting a white limo to arrive at the ceremony and/or reception, many are opting for less traditional colors, such as black, grey, even pink cars to cut costs. Similarly, they are trading in multiple limos for one or two super-sized, but stylish SUV limos. Doug Anderson, Senior VP of Limos.com suggests, "Brides & grooms can save as much as 10-20% by selecting non-traditional colors (like black) or vehicles (like SUVs)."
Another way to ensure you don’t overspend is to be mindful of exactly how long you really need the cars. Most companies offer packages, which include a vehicle at a set number of hours. Stay aware of additional fees, like fuel surcharges and driver tips, which could be built into a package.
If you only need a limo one-way or for minimal time, do your homework -- flat/guaranteed rates may trump all-inclusive packages.
Timing is everything.
Traditionally, Saturday night events command top-dollar. Flexible brides who are willing to move their party to other times over the weekend, or even during the week, however, will be able to stretch their budgets further.
During the 1980’s, the wedding industry was comprised of many entrepreneurs that didn’t heavily promote their businesses, making it easier for brides to book Saturday evenings. Once these companies got business licenses, and began promoting their services, Saturday evenings became a premium.
Now more wedding vendors – and guests – are getting accustomed to afternoon, weekend or mid-week events, and these options are often more affordable.
In fact, daytime weekend events can save brides approximately 40%, while mid-week events could garner up to 60% savings.
The same can be said for the time of the year you choose. Prime “Wedding Season” often runs between May and October. If you are willing to plan an “off-season” affair, vendors are willing negotiate better rates, again within the 40% - 60% range.
To keep guests engaged during these less traditional times, brides are throwing fun lunches and brunches – options that enable couples to keep menus more simple, and even cut out courses that can pad the bill. (For example, breakfast and lunch entrees tend to be cheaper than those served at dinner parties.) It is also the perfect opportunity for couples to incorporate fun themes or hints of their personal tastes and cultural background.