Wedding Planning with a Budget

The opening scene of Father in the Bride resonates deeply with me lately. It goes something like this:

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair.  A boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say "I do."  I was wrong.  That's getting married.  A wedding is an entirely different proposition.  I know.  I've just been through one.  Not my own.  My daughter's.  Annie Banks-MacKenzie.  That's her married name.  MacKenzie.  I'll be honest with you.  When I bought this house seventeen years ago, it cost me less than this blessed event in which Annie Banks became Annie Banks-MacKenzie."

Later on in the movie, there’s a conversation between George (Steve Martin) and Franck (Martin Short) where the two are discussing the menu. Franck is encouraging George to choose the seafood, to which George replies:

"If I have to move out all the furniture and add amps and repaint the walls and get a new tux and pay for swans, then I'd like the cheaper chicken.  Is that clear?”

This exchange has always made me laugh because George is at his boiling point and the whole thing seems so dramatic. Nowadays I cringe a little when I watch this scene because I can completely relate to George’s reaction.

We’re less than six months out from our wedding and it feels like we’re being chased by expenses and invoices, expectations, decorating decisions, and color palettes. I truly want to hide from all of it. My brain hurts from thinking about the right shade of cream to blend with the perfect shade of blush, and oh I like blue too but did you know there are dozens of shades of blue and how does that translate into our invitations, linens, and lighting? I don’t have a clue.

What I do know is that it is so easy to blow your budget out of the water when it comes to wedding planning. Every vendor makes the case for whatever beautiful good or service they’re providing, and when you’re bombarded by unrealistic expectations on social media, it’s easy to believe that a few hundred dollars more might make the difference at your wedding. 

While our wedding is very much so still a work in progress, there are a few things we’ve learned to help keep the budget in-check:

The dress. I knew there was a particular designer I wanted to wear, but I also knew they were going to be at a significantly higher price point. Rather than buying one of this label’s custom dresses, I was able to buy a sample. The dress was constructed perfectly, but it had been tried on by other brides-to-be. The boutique that I purchased from, The Bridal Finery (the BEST in the business, can’t recommend them enough for Central Florida brides), was ready to retire the dress and was willing to sell me the sample half off from the cost of the custom dress.

Another great option is to purchase the dress second hand. One of my closest girlfriends purchased a gorgeous Ines di Santo wedding dress from a store in Chicago called Second City Bride. She looked stunning and no one would have ever known that she paid a fraction of the cost of the custom model.

The paper goods (Save the Dates, Invitations, Menus, etc). Minted has frequent sales on both their save the dates and invitations, so they are always a good place to start. Etsy also has lovely options.

While we used Minted for our Save the Dates, we’ve been looking for something a little more customizable for our invitations and menus. I've been researching various options, and each have their pros and cons:

• A lot of calligraphers and design houses are offering semi-custom wedding suites in addition to fully custom suites nowadays. With semi-custom, they have the basic design and suite laid out, but you can customize elements such as color and font. While this option is still pricey, it’s less expensive than a fully custom design. ($$$)
• A friend, family member, or Etsy artist can paint your venue, or elements of your venue, on your invitation and then you can work with a local printer to scan and design the painting. A friend of my mom's painted one for us, but this route requires a lot of work. You have to find someone to scan the painting and then you have to design the layout and choose the font. You also want to make sure it matches the rest of the suite. This is a pretty time intensive process. ($$)
• Separately, if you're looking for a traditional, convenient, and cost-effective option, check out Truly Engaging. While you won't be able to customize as much, they often run a 70% off sale, which makes their invitation suites some of the most affordable on the market. ($)

When it comes to day-of paper goods, such as menus, ceremony programs, escort cards, and table numbers, using Canva or a similar editing tool works great. My sister designed all of her day-of paper and each piece looks professionally done. Once she got the font and layout just right she sent the files to Staples and had them print it. 

The music. Jeff loves good music and has been in charge of figuring this piece out, but we recently learned of an awesome option if you’re looking for live music on a budget. Many DJs will partner with local musicians to create a really cool hybrid experience. For example, our DJ company partners with local drummers and guitarists, so while the DJ is the one actually playing the music, the instrumentalist is adding to the overall vibe.