7 Tips on How to Have a Wedding Under 10k

When trying to stay on a budget you can’t always go for the name brand. Of course the cake is super important, so try looking into some of your local baker or pastry shops in your area. Do not underestimate the mom and pop bakeries or the home baker; sometimes they have the best of the best. Plus by choosing a local bakery they are likely to have something unique to their style of the cake. They will have your guest all wondering who did the cake.

Online is the best way to go! You might say online-shopping comes with the uncertainty of the dress not fitting exactly the way you want it. Well, here are a few suggestions of how you can online shop and not worry about having to return the item because it doesn’t fit. Ladies know your measurements for your body and which styles you like. Best place to go is a David’s Bridal or a similar store and try it all on to see which cuts and styles you like. You will need to know the measurement of your bust, measure around the fullest part; measurements of the slimmest part of your torso, measurements of your waist, and lastly, the measurement of your hips, stand with feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and rear.

When choosing the music for the wedding, take advantage of college students or up and coming musicians. There are so many aspiring musicians looking for a gig. You don’t have to pay a lot of money for quality music, it is all about knowing where to find musicians of quality for an inexpensive amount, and a great website nowadays is Thumbtack. Make sure they want to satisfy your needs the day-of because you and your guests might be requesting songs or give them a list in advance (recommended). Another great option is, if you don’t really want live music you can just have a speaker and a playlist of everything you want and let the music play off of that.

Buying flowers for your wedding can be very expensive but they are essential to the ambiance of this special day. Try going to your local grocery store, they may have the flower(s) you’re looking for, at a lot less than your florist. It doesn’t hurt to ask your florist if you can purchase the ones at the local store and bring them to her for her to use as you wish. Most likely the florist will have no problem with your cunningness and wouldn’t mind doing it. Another option would be to use silk flowers, they are artificial but feel amazingly real. You could also try going to the dollar store (we recommend Dollar Tree or shopping on Amazon for the glass vases that you could then add some different flares depending on your theme (Your glue gun is your best friend ladies!). You could also try alternating centerpieces, nowadays traditional is out and creative is in. Have some big centerpieces for your VIP tables and then smaller ones for the others.

I would say pictures are just as important as any other detail. You want to look at the pictures from that day and instantly be taken back to that memory! So when choosing a photographer, again, you do not have to go with the top photographer in town. Similar to the music selection try asking an up and coming new photographer that will give you the pictures on a CD and then you can decide which you would like. Another option would be not being afraid to use a friend of a friend. Photography is important so find someone who takes good pictures but won’t overcharge you for the printing of the pictures, which is normally what they do.

WHO DOESN’T LOOOOOVVVEEE FOOD? Your choice in food selection is a very imperative aspect to your wedding day. You could choose a local catering company but, look into a culinary school and ask if they cater private events, prices will be significantly lower than using a caterer or renting a restaurant. Always do a tasting before you make any final decisions on a caterer! Next tip, do not go overboard. Of course you want to have great food and don’t want people to be left hungry BUT don’t over order because that is a waste of food.

Location, location, location we’ve heard this a lot! When choosing a venue, first choose a venue that gives you that “wow” feeling when you first walk in because you want your guest to feel that same way when they first walk in. Second, how many people can the venue hold? Third, consider the feel you are looking for informal or formal?  Fourth, know what weather is to be expected on your wedding day, you can actually look up how the weather normally has been around your date. Lastly, choose a venue that allows you to bring in everything from the outside, so you don’t have to pay overhead costs. Now, after you have answered those questions, hopefully picking your venue is a little easier. Stay away from hotels and popular venues!

Planning a wedding can be fun and stressful all at the same time but always try to keep in mind that you need to ENJOY the process of planning and not just the party. The party is only a couple of hours and it will be over before you know it so enjoy! Make sure you have a system to keep you on budget so you know where you are. We prefer excel but the option is yours! Just make sure that every time you purchase anything and everything for the wedding, even something as small as napkins you make a note of it.