Five money saving tips for your wedding (that could save your sanity too)

Congratulations! You are engaged! Now begins the fun of planning the marital celebration. It can be overwhelming, and you’ll probably get stressed out, so I’ve come up with five money saving tips for planning your wedding.

Money saving tips for weddings #1: Make a plan and a calendar

Chart out what you need to buy and when, so you don’t end up like me & my husband a week before our wedding when we realized that we didn’t have wedding bands. Seriously! Luckily, we weren’t that particular about having something fancy and found simple rings online. Set up calendar reminders for these cut off dates. Remember to factor in shipping dates if need be. You will be happy you did!

Money saving tips for weddings #2: Buy online and use Ebates

I bought most of my wedding items online, including my wedding dress. If you do buy online, sign up for Ebates. You will get cash back on all of your purchases, if that store is listed, many of them are. We even got cash back for booking hotel rooms for our honeymoon. It’s easy to use. So far this year, I’ve gotten $35 back. Maybe that doesn’t seem like much, but I’ll take it! (Full disclosure: If you use that link to sign up for Ebates, I get a referral bonus. Thanks!!)

Money saving tips for weddings #3: Set a budget

Know what you have available and how you want to spend it I didn’t want a $4,000 dress. My dress was under $50 and it was great. We didn’t go into huge debt for our wedding or honeymoon. We celebrated within our means and a good time was had by all.

Money saving tips for weddings #4: Track your expenses

Create a spreadsheet and list what you’ve spent and what you still need to buy. Sometimes you need to get a better perspective of what you’ve done and what you need to do. I know I had freak out moments when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to afford something only to realize I’d already bought it or sent the money in for the deposit.

Money saving tips for weddings #5: Think outside the box

Look on etsy for things like your veil (that’s where I got mine) and favors. Also, maybe you can’t afford to rent an actual photo booth, but you can have photo booth props to encourage your guests to take silly photos to post on social media. I had some at my wedding and I am now selling some on etsy, I had so much fun making them.

Let your personality shine through. Don’t think you have to have every single shabby chic apothecary jar filled with peach jelly beans on Pinterest. If you have the money, go ahead, but most of us minions have limited funds.

Sure there is alot of tradition in weddings, but let’s be honest, there are times when you can’t do everything. Remember to breathe and enjoy your engagement. I know it’s stressful, but the wedding will be fun. Keep that image in your mind…having fun at your wedding.