Hello my lovelies,
I am back with another blog post on tips. I kind of like writing these. Would you be interested in more of these? Let me know! Comment your thoughts below. Also, if you have any tips of your own comment below. So, as many of you know from reading my previous blog “90 day Fiance/Bride“, my husband and I were engaged and then were able to pull off a wedding in about 90 days. I know!!! How did I do it?! I look back and say, “Wow! God was really present in our wedding preparations because I could have never done it without the Lord directing my paths”. We had a great wedding by the grace of God and it was super affordable. You can still have that dream wedding on a budget sistah! (or brother?!) I wanted to share some tips and tricks that we did for our wedding that saved us some coins but we were still able to have everything we wanted! I will list some tips below but if you have specific questions please reach out. I am more than happy to help you on your big day!
OK, so we were actually really blessed to both have many friends that have businesses in videography and photography. We all know this is a big expense but we are actually able to get really good deals because of our connections and amazing friends! So, this brings me to tip #1.
1.Look for people who you already have connections to be part of your wedding day. Whether it is for pictures, video or really anything else! This can save you a ton of money down the line. Another, option if you do not is to do some research on new photographers and videographers. They are usually looking to build up their portfolio and can most times give you a really good deal. Just make sure you like the work they have done so far. You want to make sure you will like the final product. Photos and videos are the only thing you will have left after your wedding so you do want to make sure you do your research in this area!
2. DIY projects will save you some serious coins!!! I did almost everything DIY for my wedding and although it can be time-consuming, if your wedding is months away you can save some serious money doing this! This was a little bit stressful because I only had 90 days to do everything but if you have more time and plenty of help you should be OK! You can DIY invitations, centerpieces, decorations, bouquets, etc. I ended up doing my own decorations, centerpieces, wedding favors, ceremony backdrop, bridesmaid bouquets, etc. It does take time! So you do have to think about that. If you would rather pay for convenience and if you are running out of time then your options are limited. But this really helped us stay within our budget for our wedding. Shout out to Leonalis Reyes for putting her blood, sweat and tears into this wedding haha and all my bridesmaids as well for their help the night before the wedding! I have one last suggestion for you, DO NOT RENT! OWN! A lot of time renting is actually more expensive than just buying your own. I say this in regards to tablecloths, chair covers, etc. You may be able to find great deals online for the same price as renting. I went through this issue where renting was sometimes even more expensive than just buying it. I chose to buy all my tablecloths and chair sashes. Thankfully my church had chair covers and I was able to use them. But keep in mind that you can sell these after your wedding or keep them for future events. I have been able to use what I bought for so many events already. Definitely got my money’s worth.
3. Flowers! OK, so we had a fall wedding and our wedding had a Great Gatsby theme so we didn’t really need that many flowers as we defaulted to white feathers. However, we ended up checking out our local Whole Foods for hydrangea’s and roses and they were so affordable! I would definitely recommend that you check out your local Whole Foods for flowers. They have a ton of options at a great price. You can also pinterest how to make bouquets. It really isn’t hard at all. I joke and say pinterest came to life for my wedding because I was on pinterest all day and night looking up DIY projects. HAHAHA!
4. Moving on to wedding dresses! Make sure to check out deals in bridal shops. A lot of times you can snag a really beautiful dress that went on clearance or on sale. I was able to snag my dress at David’s bridal for a GREAT PRICE! I purchased it when they had a huge blow out sale. So just make sure to keep your eyes peeled for clearance dresses and sales! You never know if your dream dress is in the clearance rack and you can save hundreds of dollars!
5. Bridesmaid and Groomsmen tip! Since we only gave our wedding party a 60-70 day notice that we were getting married, we wanted to be fair to them and help save them some money. We did not want this to be a burden for them but we wanted them to enjoy and celebrate our big day. We were able to find very affordable dresses for the bridesmaid online and found a great deal for the groomsmen at our local Jcpenny. Don’t be afraid to look online for things. Just make sure to look at reviews and the pictures that other people post when they received their items. This saved them tons of money and they were able to enjoy our day without breaking the bank!
**I am going to add a bonus tip! When searching for a venue, don’t forget to check out the local family owned businesses! They can be hidden gems! That is how I found my venue at a super affordable price. It was the perfect location for our Great Gatsby adventure wedding! We barely had to do anything to the place because the it already looked very vintage. Also, keep in mind parks for outdoor weddings/ community centers. They are usually really affordable. **
Above all pray and God will provide!! Recruit a great team to help you along the way and you can have a fabulous wedding and not break the bank! God bless you!
The Casado’s
Est. 2016
If you would like to see our wedding video click on the link below!
Sincerely,
Eli<3
graceloveandpurpose.com 