The average wedding costs something like $27,000. I look at that number and it makes my heart hurt a little bit. I want my wedding to be special, but I am not sure I need it to be that special. I have the rest of my life to make memories with my future husband; do I really need to spend that much money on one day? $27,000 is a down payment on a house. Or my student loan bill. Or a new car.

I am not rich.  Should I start my new life pretending like I am?

With my broke down self in mind (and for others like me) — I present my Cheap, Cheaper, and Cheapest money saving wedding tips.

The Dress

Cheap- Try a bridal resale shop. Some stores, like whiteChicago have great designer gowns which were originally designer samples or gently worn dresses on sale for less than half of their original retail price.

Cheaper- Check out David’s Bridal. I shudder to mention this place, as it has always creeped me out a little bit (row after row of those cheap dresses all mashed together in plastic—yuck!) but if you look hard and try on a ton of dresses, they really do have a few pretty dresses.

Cheapest- Win a $200 dress on ebay. Crazier things have happened. Persistence, timing and luck are all a factor here.

Invitations

Cheap- Order offset printed invitations. They don’t look as crisp or feel as elegant as an engraved invitation (or even one printed using some kind of raised thermographic printing technique) but they are functional and can still be very pretty.

Cheaper- Make your own invitation from one of those kits you can buy at Target or a craft supply store. Making your own invitations will take patience, time, and a good printer.

Cheapest- Send out an evite. Yeah, it’s kinda tacky, but free! I repeat free.

Tip- Know your printing methods AND ask your various wedding vendors if they sell invitations. Many planners, bridal salons and other vendors sell wedding invitations as an extra money making venture. Often they will discount as much as 20% off your invitations if you are purchasing other things from them.

Flowers

Cheap- Try one of those wedding flowers in a box services. Go for common or less popular blooms to keep costs down. Carnations are really cheap and have a kind of a vintage vibe I am really all about lately.

Cheaper- Buy your own flowers from the local farmer’s market and assemble your own bouquets.

Cheapest- Make unique bouquets and centerpieces from paper flowers, bits of feathers and other found items.

Tip- Never order flowers out of season.

Cheap- Order a small cake (which could never possibly feed all of your guests) for display and the cake cutting ceremony (you gotta have those pictures, right?) but serve your guests from a larger (and cheaper) sheet cake.

Cheaper-Serve pie, cheesecake or other sweet treats which are less labor intensive to make and have a lower per person serving cost.

Cheapest- Put those bridesmaids to work. Have your attendants help make cupcakes to serve in lieu of a wedding cake. Decorated in pretty colors and displayed on a stand, cupcakes are a cheap and still look cute.

…And finally…Cut out the extras! Do you really need…

-Extravagant transportation for you and your wedding party?

-Fancy toasting glasses, cake servers and other random serving pieces you will probably never use again?

-Photography and Videography?

-Custom printed programs? Is this a wedding or a Broadway show?

-Printed anything—monogrammed matchbooks, napkins or other such nonsense?

…links for some of the tips coming soon…