Sarah's Tips

April 9, 2018

5 tips to plan your dream wedding on a budget | Sarah’s Tips | Idaho Wedding Photography | Sarah Tapp Photography

Weddings can be SO expensive! And it’s hard not to go overboard. I know with my own wedding, we didn’t even really have a budget and I know there’s things that I could have done differently. So, I want to give you 5 tips to help you get the wedding of your dreams on whatever budget you may have!

#1 ~ Set a budget!!!!!! This is SO important. Like I said, I didn’t have a budget and ended up spending WAY more than I should have. Make sure you talk to your parents and the grooms parents. Be very open and make sure you know how much they are willing to spend. If you think your parents can cover all the costs, that is great! But if you feel like you need to pitch in a little too, that’s fine. Talk to your fiancee and settle on an amount together. Once you have your full budget, it will be SO much easier to determine what to spend the bulk of your money on.

#2 ~ DIY! Now, I have to add a disclaimer to this tip. Doing things yourself is not always the best way to go. However, if you have a natural talent for something and you feel confident that you’ll have enough time and energy to take on some projects, then go for it! But, if you’ve never put together a floral arrangement in your life, you probably shouldn’t make your wedding bouquet. I am a pretty crafty person and felt confident putting together all the decorations for my wedding! I rented linens and then created colored lace table doilies and painted lanterns to match my wedding colors. I waited for sales on the lanterns or got them at thrift stores and bought lace in bulk and then cut it myself. We bought some sheet music and then put fresh roses on the tables. I also took some cake decorating classes in college and wanted to make my own cake. However, I don’t really enjoy baking and although the cake turned out beautiful, I wish that’s something I wouldn’t have taken on.

#3 ~ Invest in what’s most important to you. Like I mentioned with the DIY projects, we all have different talents. I KNEW there was no way I wanted to make my wedding dress, put together my bouquet, or have just a friend take pictures so those are things that I paid for. I paid for someone else’s expertise and I don’t regret it at all.

#4 ~ Shop around. Don’t make impulse decisions. There are so many options for florals, wedding dress, photographers, venues, cakes, etc. Take your time and do your homework. Where I got married, there were several options for wedding venues. Before deciding on one, I looked at each of them. I thought about the location, the ease and the style. Think about the guests that will be coming. My grandma wasn’t able to get around very easily when I got married so I knew that my reception had to be on the first floor or somewhere with an elevator. I chose a venue with an elevator and I cannot tell you how grateful I am that my grandma was able to be there. There were other venues that were just as beautiful but having my grandma there was more important to me. She passed away about 6 months later and the last picture I have with her is from my wedding reception.

#5 ~ Be flexible. This one is hard. And it was really hard for me. I am such a stubborn person and I had so many details I wanted for my wedding. But being able to change your vision and go with the flow will bless you more than you can imagine. I had my heart set on cream tablecloths. Ya know how hard it is to find cream tablecloths? It’s hard. I ended up getting cream tablecloths but there were so many other things that I could have spent my time and energy on instead. Something that I had to be flexible with was my photographer. I knew I wanted a professional but I also knew that I didn’t have the budget to hire someone for the whole day. I contacted a professional photographer and told her my budget and she offered me less coverage than I originally wanted. But I knew that having her there for even part of my day would be amazing. And I am SO glad that she was able to come for the time that she did and in the end, we received WAY more images than we paid for.

Your wedding is such an important day and you’ll have lots of people that want to congratulate you. But, in the end, your marriage is more important. Loving your family is more important. So, spend money on the things that mean the most to you and let the other things slip by a little.

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