Last but not least………….

7. Hire new/up and coming vendors

One of the ways we found that we could save a lot of money was by taking bit of a chance on new/up and coming vendors that are just starting out which are willing to provide discounted services. We began looking on Instagram and other social media platforms and reached out to various vendors as well as those that only worked in the wedding industry part-time. We were able to save on the following:

– Photobooth services for $300 (they are charging $600+ now for the same services)

– Florist (bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, and head table flowers) for $700 (works only part-time)

– Makeup & hair stylist for $550 (other established stylists cost $800+)

– Two live musicians for $300 (other established musicians cost $800+)

– Wedding cake for $350 (similar style cakes cost $500+)

8. Ask for help from friends & family

We were extremely lucky to have a lot of help from friends and family. We could not have done it without them. We asked Amanda’s cousin to be our Wedding MC and it was the best decision we ever made. Even though it was his first time doing this, it turned out being a major success because everybody had a great time with him running our show and keeping everything on schedule. Not having to hire a Wedding MC saved us over $500.

9. Getting the wedding dress at a sample sale

Amanda spent a lot of time debating between renting or buying a wedding dress. She ended up deciding that she wanted to buy her wedding dress in the end because she wanted something that was unique and not a typical wedding dress that was on the “For Rent” rack.

She began to doing some research and started to go to sample sales. For those that don’t know, sample sales are when retailers sell their in-store sample dresses often at a very large discount in order to make room for new bridal gowns. She found her dress at the Ferré Sposa sample sale for under $1,000 after taxes. The dress fit her perfectly and all she had to do was some hemming and minor sleeve alterations which cost under $200.

Planning a wedding was honestly one of the most difficult things we did and it definitely put our relationship to the test. There were times when we argued over small things but we both matured through the process and realized what’s really important. My last piece of advice is stick to what you can afford and don’t forget the reason why you’re getting married!